"Is that so?"
Marshall D. Teach leaned back on the sofa, one arm draped lazily across the backrest. Redyat sat to his left. Pito curled up beside him. Around them, the core members of the Nightfall Pirates had gathered.
Wallace, Gal, and Slada stood behind the sofa like silent bodyguards.
On the left side sat Laffitte, Kaguya, Van Augur, and the newly joined Shiryu of the Rain. His strength had already earned recognition.
Two nights earlier, before the banquet, Shiryu had sparred with several executives. He fought them one after another and held his ground. If the cooks had not announced that the food was ready, the fights might have continued until dawn.
On the right were Pouf, Baccarat, and Liszt.
Otto and Miles leaned against a far wall. "Monk" Clemen, still a quasi-executive, stood quietly to observe. Being present at this meeting was already a privilege.
It would take him years to drop the word "quasi."
To become a true executive, mastering both Observation and Armament Haki was the minimum requirement. With his physical growth still ongoing, that milestone was not close.
Kaguya, meanwhile, had awakened Observation Haki but still could not use Armament. Even so, with his Devil Fruit and combat sense, Miles would struggle to defeat him.
As for the other little monk, Daz Bonez, he trained relentlessly, laying down foundations for future explosive growth.
Enel, the newest addition, was living a life that felt like heaven and hell.
Each day brought brutal training. Each day brought endless sparring.
In just a few days, he had fought over two hundred members of the crew. There was barely time to breathe.
Eventually, Teach had stepped in.
"Fifteen fights a day," he declared. "No more."
Even he thought they were being excessive.
Enel could feel himself growing stronger at an astonishing rate. But he also endured constant torment and far too much close contact with people he still found irritating.
Back in the living room, Teach reached out and casually ruffled Pito's soft white hair.
In front of him, a Den Den Mushi projection showed Mostima's side.
This was the first complete meeting of the Nightfall Pirates.
Mostima had gathered their New World forces.
On screen stood many familiar faces.
Mobius, now nearly five meters tall, stood beside the masked Voss. He looked excited. It had been over three years since they had seen each other.
Queen Annie was present. Thorn Woman Loya stood nearby.
Mostima's primary generals were there as well. Giant Lizard Hadno and Hadman. Jetman Kaski. Mantis Abby.
And seated in custom-built giant chairs were two massive figures.
God of War Ant King Ares.
And Sarika at his side.
Even through the screen, Teach could sense Ares' strength. If he had not eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit, he might not be able to defeat Ares now.
The Human-Human Fruit had drastically raised Ares' potential. His transformation into a human-like form only accelerated that growth.
Half-demons were rare beings. They carried demonic blood yet lacked the towering size of true giants. Horned, powerful, and often mistaken for devils, they were sometimes called Oni. Kaido himself was a well-known example.
From what Teach had gathered, the Oni race had only appeared around eight hundred years ago. No records existed before that.
Demons were considered a rare mutation among giants. Similar to how individuals like Big Mom or Whitebeard were abnormal among humans, but in reverse.
Teach suspected that the Oni were engineered.
Eight hundred years ago, the Great Kingdom had reached terrifying heights in life design research. Combining demonic and human bloodlines to create a new race was not impossible.
After all, in later generations, Vinsmoke Judge had used life design blueprints to create enhanced humans with Lunarian genes. Science had long brushed against the realm of gods.
But that was for later thought.
Mostima brought the discussion back to the present.
The Emperor's War had ended.
The struggle for territory was about to erupt.
The Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates would not expand recklessly. They had already eaten enough. They needed time to digest their gains.
Their alliance and simultaneous ascension to Emperor status had reshaped the balance of the sea.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates were sailing toward Marine G-1 Branch.
They were going to war.
This, unexpectedly, benefited the Nightfall Pirates.
The Marines, who might otherwise have targeted Teach immediately after the Impel Down incident, had shifted their focus. Their attention and high-end forces were concentrating on Whitebeard.
They were watching the Nightfall Pirates closely, but they lacked the strength to act.
Teach smiled faintly.
Freeing Shiryu had not just added power to his crew.
It had created a debt.
The Whitebeard Pirates would never admit it directly, but this war served multiple purposes. It avenged a comrade. It vented anger.
And it bought time.
If Whitebeard simply wanted revenge, there were quieter methods. A full-scale war was costly. Too costly.
Teach understood Edward Newgate well.
This would not be a war of annihilation. There would be blood, yes. But it would not escalate beyond control. The Marines were led by Sengoku. The leadership transition within Marine Headquarters was approaching.
Both sides needed to demonstrate strength. Neither side could afford ruin.
Teach estimated the war would last at least a month.
More than enough time.
Water 7 was already deep in the latter half of the Grand Line. Soon they would reach the Sabaody Archipelago, the final stop before the New World.
And he still had one battle waiting there.
Beyond that lay the Sargasso Sea.
Under Ares' overwhelming force, resistance there had crumbled. One-third of the islands already flew the Nightfall Pirates' flag.
Their banners were scattered across the sea like seeds waiting to sprout.
With time, the Sargasso Sea would become their backyard.
But manpower would become a problem.
Hundreds of islands. Vast territory. Larger than even Big Mom's current holdings.
Fortunately, the world's attention was elsewhere. The remnants of Wang Zhi and Silver Axe drew most competition.
In a way, Big Mom and Kaido had handed Teach a gift.
"What about St. Louis Island?" Teach asked.
That island was central to his plans.
Mostima nodded. "Pirates have plundered some coastal villages due to the Great Pirate Era. But the overall structure remains intact. Border wars have begun between kingdoms. Most forces are below thirty thousand troops."
Large kingdoms could mobilize tens of thousands easily. Hundreds of thousands were not unusual.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates, including affiliates, numbered only in the tens of thousands.
Kingdoms were powerful. Ordinary pirate crews rarely dared provoke them directly.
Teach did not look concerned.
Numbers meant nothing before Conqueror's Haki.
"Any major threats?" he asked.
"Nothing extraordinary," Mostima replied. "Except one matter. The Christie Kingdom."
Teach's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Christie royal family has a strong reputation. Generations of competent rulers. They control three-fifths of St. Louis Island. Their influence cannot be ignored."
"How should we treat them?"
Teach chuckled.
"Our goal is St. Louis Island itself. The Christie family will become our vassals."
He leaned forward slightly.
"If they truly care about their people, they won't choose meaningless resistance. Faced with irresistible power, surrender is the rational choice."
He glanced around the room.
"And none of you want to manage a kingdom personally."
Mostima laughed immediately. "Spare me. Running a few islands is one thing. A kingdom is another."
"As long as they submit, they'll even thank us for unifying the island," Teach said calmly. "We take control. They handle administration."
His fingers tapped lightly against the air.
"The backbone of the kingdom will be ours. Members from the Dark Council will transfer over. In a few years, St. Louis Island will bear the mark of the Nightfall Pirates."
"In ten years, it will move to our rhythm."
Mostima nodded in agreement.
"Prepare everything," Teach said, rising to his feet.
"When we enter the New World, we take St. Louis Island immediately."
He raised his hand as if gripping the future itself.
"The New World."
A wide grin spread across his face.
"I've waited long enough."
"That's our battlefield."