Darkness seemed ready to swallow Qingdao whole.
High above the island, clouds spiraled into a massive vortex directly over the port. Half of it was black, the other half white. The sight was both magnificent and oppressive.
Darkness could devour light, but its influence did not stop there.
The air shifted. The currents changed. An invisible domain spread across the sky, where subtle changes gathered and tiny energies slowly accumulated into something vast.
The sea breeze howled across the harbor.
Not violently, but in a way that sounded almost like cheering, as if the wind itself welcomed the arrival of the Nightfall Pirates.
The enormous Queen Anne's Revenge slowly approached the dock.
The crew of the Nightfall Pirates were already standing at the bow.
Then Teach stepped forward.
The moment his figure appeared, every gaze fell upon him.
For many pirates, especially the younger ones, Teach was an idol.
Countless Den Den Mushi cameras immediately focused on him.
Teach strode forward and stepped onto the central dragon head of the ship's three-headed dragon figurehead.
His gaze swept across the port.
An invisible yet overwhelming aura radiated outward.
Almost everyone present was seeing Teach in person for the first time, and they could clearly feel the pressure he carried.
As Teach appeared, the pirates at the port grew tense.
They felt a sudden heaviness pressing on their bodies.
Teach had not even deliberately released his aura. Yet even so, many could vaguely sense the oppressive force surrounding him.
At his level of strength, the difference was almost like bloodline suppression.
In terms of life essence alone, Teach had already surpassed countless individuals.
Teach had no hidden injuries.
His vitality was extremely powerful. If lifespan could be measured, he already exceeded many people by more than a hundred years.
Among the strong, this was normal.
If they did not die in battle, the stronger they became, the longer they lived.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Someone like Whitebeard had accumulated countless internal injuries over the years, not to mention the heavy strain from his Devil Fruit.
In this world, every powerful individual rose through endless battles. Who had never been wounded?
These accumulated injuries shortened many lives.
Then there were monsters like Big Mom.
Even in her sixties in the future, she would still remain in her peak condition. With her naturally monstrous body, her strength might not decline even twenty years later.
The stronger someone became, the greater their vitality naturally grew.
Even though they were technically still human, many of them had already surpassed ordinary humanity.
Teach was no exception.
"ZeHahaha!"
Looking down at the sea of pirates, Teach spread his arms wide and shouted,
"Let's reach the summit together!"
"Let's turn this entire sea upside down!"
His voice echoed across the port.
Confidence radiated from every word, and it was incredibly infectious.
Many hearts began to stir.
Teach was exactly the kind of leader pirates dreamed of following.
Even some who had originally come only to observe suddenly felt the urge to join.
For a brief moment, silence hung over the harbor.
Then Teach's words echoed again in their minds.
The pirates' eyes began to shine brighter.
Those who had been waiting specifically for the Nightfall Pirates felt their hearts pounding wildly. Excited smiles spread across their faces.
"Dark Emperor!"
A pirate suddenly jumped onto a wooden barrel. His face was flushed red with excitement as he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.
"Dark Emperor!"
The shout ignited the entire port.
Cheers exploded like a storm.
Voices rose from every direction, shouting Teach's name and the name of the Nightfall Pirates.
Everyone understood what Teach's words meant.
He had accepted them.
What had begun as a welcome for the Nightfall Pirates had suddenly turned into Teach's grand stage.
Behind him, the core members of the Nightfall Pirates stood proudly on the deck.
Even the newly joined pirate crews were swept up in the atmosphere, shouting alongside the crowd.
It felt like a massive celebration.
Only now could one truly see the terrifying influence Teach possessed in the New World.
Many civilians watching through video Den Den Mushi widened their eyes in disbelief.
The scene felt almost insane.
Yet at the same time, they could clearly feel Teach's power.
His charisma.
And the invisible force of his presence.
"What a magnificent performance," Pouf said with a smile.
He leaned casually against the railing, wearing a white shirt with a black tie around his neck. His short platinum blond hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.
"Heh heh."
Laffitte chuckled softly beside him but said nothing.
The members of the Nightfall Pirates were just as excited.
Enel and Daz Bonez stared at the scene with wide eyes. Their bodies trembled slightly with excitement.
It was difficult to describe.
The feeling rose from deep within their hearts.
Pride.
Honor.
They were members of the Nightfall Pirates.
Even the most stoic person would struggle to remain calm in such a moment, especially when they were part of the spectacle itself.
Most of the Nightfall Pirates' executives were young.
Their average age was around twenty.
Even among the ordinary crew members, the average age was not high.
Why did people become pirates?
Was it not for wealth and fame?
And this was fame.
At this moment they could clearly feel it.
They had already become important figures in this world.
Even Teach felt a surge of pride rising within his chest.
This was exactly what he had pursued.
For a brief moment, it felt as if he stood at the center of the world.
As if he controlled everything.
His ambition surged.
His mind became incredibly clear.
He could feel it distinctly.
His Conqueror's Haki was growing.
Rapidly.
As his status rose, his power expanded, and his influence spread, his Conqueror's Haki would naturally continue to strengthen.
Eventually it would reach the peak level of the world.
The level possessed by the Sea Emperors.
For now, the realm known as the conqueror's domain remained out of reach.
But Teach already knew it existed.
And knowing that was enough.
He would reach it.
As for Haki Body, that would take even longer.
According to Teach's estimates, it would require at least ten years of accumulation.
The higher one climbed, the harder it became to grow stronger.
What Teach needed most now was time.
And accumulation.
Unless, of course, he obtained a second Devil Fruit.
"Those who want to join the Nightfall Pirates…"
Teach laughed loudly.
"Follow us!"
The fleet had not even fully docked.
They had no intention of staying at Qingdao.
Riding this momentum straight toward the Sageros Sea as quickly as possible was far more important.
Anyone who tried to block their path along the way would simply be eliminated.
Very few pirates were foolish enough to challenge the Nightfall Pirates.
Though unfortunately, the sea never lacked fools.
There were always arrogant individuals who believed themselves invincible.
Most of them had already sunk to the bottom of the sea.
Some had even been swallowed by Teach's darkness, their bodies crushed by the endless gravitational pull of the dark void.
As soon as Teach finished speaking, the pirates at the port erupted into action.
They rushed toward the ships docked along the harbor.
Large numbers of pirates boarded the vessels.
Some boarded their own ships.
Others jumped onto ships belonging to strangers.
No one stopped them.
From this moment forward, they shared one identity.
Members of the Nightfall Pirates.
Companions.
Why would companions block each other?
The ships of the Nightfall Pirates quickly turned away from the port and began sailing back toward the open sea.
Behind the Queen Anne's Revenge and its two escort ships, dozens of pirate vessels followed.
Sails rose.
Anchors lifted.
The massive fleet set out.
Within minutes, Qingdao's once crowded harbor became nearly empty.
Only scattered figures remained behind, watching the enormous fleet disappear into the distance.
Emotion was contagious.
Caught up in the frenzy, many pirates who had originally intended only to observe had rushed aboard ships alongside the others.
Now some of those left behind stomped their feet in regret.
Their moment of hesitation had cost them their chance.
At the speed of the Nightfall Pirates, catching up was impossible.
Missing this opportunity meant waiting a very long time.
Their only option now would be to travel to the Sageros Sea and join them there.
Meanwhile, the Nightfall Pirates continued to expand.
Their numbers swelled rapidly.
Across the chaotic New World, large-scale wars had not yet fully erupted.
There were still many unoccupied islands waiting to be claimed.
Or islands held by weak forces.
For now, the focus was division.
Even if an island was claimed by someone else first, most pirate crews would simply target another location instead of immediately starting a war.
Securing territory came first.
Because of that, every movement by the Nightfall Pirates attracted enormous attention.
With free live broadcasts available, many great pirates relaxing in their own territories watched these events closely.
The Nightfall Pirates' momentum was terrifying.
Although many had predicted that pirates would join them, the sheer scale still shocked the world.
Some even began to feel a growing sense of urgency.
At this rate, it would not take long before the Nightfall Pirates caught up to the established powers.
Even the two newly crowned Sea Emperors felt pressure.
The expansion speed of the Nightfall Pirates far exceeded their own.
There was another advantage as well.
The Nightfall Pirates represented the new era.
Young pirates across the seas were far more willing to follow Teach than join older forces.
Both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates belonged to the previous generation.
The rise of the Nightfall Pirates made Teach's potential even more obvious.
The Beasts Pirates did not suffer much from this.
But the Big Mom Pirates faced a unique challenge.
Charlotte Linlin had strengthened her crew greatly using Homies.
Besides the personal Homies belonging to her children, she also created powerful combat Homies using the souls of others.
This greatly increased the overall strength of the Big Mom Pirates.
Still, prejudice existed.
Women were often looked down upon, especially in a world where strength ruled and most top fighters were men.
Some pirates simply felt that serving under a woman was humiliating.
Did Big Mom want pirates to join her crew?
Of course she did.
Such recruitment would greatly accelerate her expansion.
But prejudice could not be erased so easily.
Because of this, the Big Mom Pirates developed in a very unique way.
Blood relations.
The Charlotte Family.
Big Mom constantly had children, expanding her family year after year.
She was practically pregnant every year.
Yet despite this, she still rose to the position of Sea Emperor.
It was proof that she was a natural monster with terrifying potential.
Even without intense training, her strength continued to grow.
Many of her children also inherited portions of her talent.
Their strength was not weak in the New World. Many were capable of ruling territories independently.
Then came political marriages.
Through alliances with other forces, Big Mom expanded her influence further.
Of course, many pirate crews and affiliated forces still submitted to her rule.
Far away, the Whitebeard Pirates were also watching the broadcast.
Seeing the scene unfold, they once again felt how close Teach had become to standing beside them.
The feeling was complicated.
The last time they felt this way was when Teach left their crew.
Now he had returned to the New World.
Many members of the Whitebeard Pirates stared at the screen silently.
Teach had already surpassed them.
At their level, they could clearly sense the Haki radiating from him.
The war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines had ended.
Their fleets were now returning to their territories.
With some losses in manpower, certain areas had begun to show instability.
A few troublesome individuals would need to be dealt with soon.
Gecko Island.
Territory of the Gecko Pirates.
For some unknown reason, the werewolf who had escaped from Impel Down had not yet returned.
Inside the ancient castle, Gecko Moria stood before three figures.
Captain John.
Wang Zhi.
Silver Axe.
After their deaths, their bodies had been buried.
But soon afterward, Moria secretly stole the corpses.
Using his Devil Fruit ability, he had "resurrected" the two former overlords.
Watching the broadcast, a strange emotion flickered in Moria's eyes.
His meeting with Teach at Loguetown felt as if it had happened yesterday.
So did their conversation in the West Blue.
Feeling the power flowing through his body, Moria slowly stood up.
"I've already found the best surgeon to repair your bodies," he said with a grin as he looked at the three legendary pirates.
"At the same time, I'm researching ways to maintain your vitality."
Even though he had revived them, their bodies were still technically corpses.
Without a way to preserve their physical vitality, their bodies would decay within a few years.
Their strength would inevitably decline.
Moria had already realized this problem.
"I've also set my sights on a Devil Fruit."
His eyes gleamed.
"It should help restore your bodies."
"What fruit?" Captain John asked.
"The Repair-Repair Fruit," Moria replied with a grin.
"It can repair any dead object."
"You're technically corpses now, so it should work on you."
He clenched his fist.
"Next… we continue fighting."
"I still want to become stronger."
"Heh heh."
Silver Axe laughed, now wearing a brand-new suit of armor modeled after his original gear.
He lifted his massive axe.
Captain John and Wang Zhi also drew their weapons.
Facing three legendary overlords, Moria showed no fear at all.
His aura surged.
Not the slightest bit weaker.