Teach's arrival in the New World and his entry into the Sageros Sea immediately drew the attention of countless people.
His massive fleet could not possibly remain unnoticed.
Now the entire world was watching the movements of the Nightfall Pirates, trying to guess what they intended to do next.
The Sageros Sea had long been regarded by Teach as his future territory. However, the region was currently in chaos. Naturally, his first priority would be to eliminate any disloyal forces within the sea.
This was something that had to be done.
There was already discussion about it across the image network.
But the real question was how the Nightfall Pirates would do it.
And how long it would take.
Fortunately for the curious spectators, they did not have to wait long.
The Nightfall Pirates arrived at Parage Island.
This island had been carefully managed by Mostima of the White Bird Pirates and served as the main base of his forces. Many outsiders also believed it to be the headquarters of the Nightfall Pirates.
Teach's return triggered a grand assembly.
At the same time, the White Bird Pirates, the Snake King Pirates, and several other subordinate pirate crews officially dissolved.
Their members were fully absorbed into the Nightfall Pirates.
From that moment on, they were all part of the same crew.
To celebrate the occasion, the Nightfall Pirates held a massive banquet on the island. Tens of thousands of pirates attended the feast.
The entire island was filled with wild laughter, roaring flames, and endless alcohol.
The next morning, however, the full council of the Nightfall Pirates officially began.
Unlike previous meetings held through video calls across different locations, this time all the executives were gathered in one place.
"The current situation in the Sageros Sea is as follows," Mostima said as he began presenting detailed intelligence about the pirate groups that had occupied islands throughout the region.
He had spent considerable effort collecting and constantly updating this information.
After hearing the report, Teach simply spoke.
"Then we'll wipe them all out."
"Prepare for war."
He did not need to explain further.
Everyone present already knew this outcome was inevitable.
Some of the battle-hungry pirates even showed excited smiles.
With the current strength and scale of the Nightfall Pirates, sweeping across the Sageros Sea was entirely possible.
Saint Louis Island was located near the center of the Sageros Sea.
Parage Island, which lay not far from it, naturally shared the same strategic advantage.
That was exactly why Mostima had chosen it as a temporary headquarters. The island also possessed a favorable environment and strong defensive conditions.
The islands currently under Night Pirate control were located in the central core of the Sageros Sea.
The islands that remained unconquered were scattered throughout the same core region.
The Sageros Sea itself lay in the southern part of the New World, close to the Calm Belt.
Because of that location, the southern portion of the sea remained relatively quiet. There were no foreign pirates operating there, so it was not a concern for the moment.
The invading pirate groups were mainly located in the northern, northeastern, and northwestern areas.
These pirates had occupied parts of the northern Sageros Sea and seemed to be attempting to unite in order to resist the Nightfall Pirates.
According to the intelligence Mostima had gathered, there were thirty-two invading pirate crews in total.
This was a considerable number.
It also showed just how seriously other forces regarded the Nightfall Pirates as a threat.
In addition, several pirate groups had originally operated within the Sageros Sea itself.
Some had unclear attitudes.
Others remained neutral, observing the situation carefully.
And a few behaved arrogantly, openly showing hostility toward the Nightfall Pirates.
These pirates were the most foolish.
Most of them believed they had the backing of powerful forces. Some even thought they were supported by pirate crews at the level of the Four Emperors.
Many of the invading pirates were in a similar situation.
Major pirate crews from the New World had offered them small benefits and vague promises in exchange for their loyalty, turning them into pawns meant to cause trouble for the Nightfall Pirates.
But in truth, they were disposable pieces.
In the current New World, the great powers were too busy fighting over territory and expanding their influence.
No one would waste real effort targeting the Nightfall Pirates right now.
Anyone who believed that powerful reinforcements would arrive to save them was clearly fooling themselves.
After all, everyone knew the truth.
Trying to fight the Nightfall Pirates with their own strength was already suicidal.
Facing a monster like Teach made it even more hopeless.
Of course, Teach had no problem sending them to their deaths.
Most of these pirates were Devil Fruit users.
Why would he refuse such convenient opportunities?
"Take a day to consolidate our forces," Teach said calmly while sitting in his chair. His right hand rested on the armrest, and his index finger tapped lightly against it.
"We'll divide into two groups."
"One group will occupy the remaining islands."
"The other group will eliminate those pirate crews."
Only one-third of the Sageros Sea remained outside their control.
There was no need to mobilize the entire military force.
"As for the operational planning," Teach added while looking at Mostima, "I'll leave it to you."
"Understood," Mostima replied with a nod.
This kind of task was already familiar to him.
Even though the Nightfall Pirates had expanded dramatically, the situation remained within his ability to manage.
Teach stood up.
He slowly looked around the room, smiling.
"The war has begun."
"But this is only a small war. A warm-up before the real battle."
"There aren't many strong opponents among them. Just some small fry."
"If any of you want to move, you can handle the stronger enemies yourselves."
"As for the rest…"
"Leave them to the crew for training."
Teach understood exactly what some of them were thinking.
Shiryu, for example, clearly had the urge to fight.
But this battlefield was not worthy of him yet.
Still, Teach did not impose strict restrictions.
They could act as they pleased.
At least half of the Nightfall Pirates' executives had no interest in this conflict.
At their current level of strength, they were already considered powerful figures in the New World.
However, the remaining executives still needed to lead their troops into battle.
Their presence would greatly boost morale.
It would also prevent unexpected situations from spiraling out of control.
If particularly troublesome pirates appeared, the executives could quickly eliminate them.
This approach would minimize casualties.
"So," Teach concluded, "the war and the conquest of the Sageros Sea are entrusted to you."
He glanced toward Redyat.
Redyat nodded slightly.
"In the next two days," Teach continued, "we'll make a trip to the Kingdom of Christi."
"Some matters are better handled sooner rather than later."
"Once the Kingdom of Christi is dealt with, their cooperation will help us deal with the other three kingdoms. Conquering Saint Louis Island will become much easier."
"After the pirates in the Sageros Sea are eliminated, we'll move directly on Saint Louis Island."
Teach let out a cold laugh.
"Of course, I hope the royal family of Christi will be sensible."
A chilling aura spread from him, sending shivers down the spines of those present.
The war had begun.
As soon as the meeting ended, Mostima moved immediately.
With the authority granted by Teach, he began integrating the entire military power of the Nightfall Pirates.
The news spread quickly throughout the crew.
Veteran members of the Nightfall Pirates were already eager for battle. Although they sparred regularly, it had been a long time since they experienced real combat.
War was the perfect chance to test their growth.
The newly joined pirates felt the same excitement.
They had just become members of the Nightfall Pirates, and their very first mission was the conquest of the Sageros Sea.
Just as many observers had predicted, the Nightfall Pirates moved swiftly.
Organizing such a massive force in such a short time placed enormous pressure on Mostima's abilities.
The entire crew began operating like a gigantic machine.
Of course, they could never function like the Marines.
Nor did they intend to.
After all, they were pirates.
Most of them had joined the Nightfall Pirates for wealth and fame.
Because of that, Teach imposed only one real rule.
Order.
Chaos was unacceptable.
Teach personally enjoyed chaos.
But for the organization under his command, excessive chaos would only create endless problems.
And that was something he disliked.
With high morale, strict suppression from the executives, and veteran elites mixed among the ranks, the pirates were reorganized into new units.
Mostima's previously loyal subordinates also helped maintain discipline.
The entire force was broken apart and reorganized into mixed formations.
Each unit contained veteran Nightfall Pirates, newly joined pirates, and experienced commanders.
Meanwhile, the executives personally suppressed any signs of unrest.
Although these pirates had nominally joined the crew, Teach had no use for useless baggage.
Without the baptism of war and time, they could not truly be considered members of the Nightfall Pirates.
For now, they were merely cannon fodder.
Soon the pirates boarded their ships.
The enormous fleet gathered at Parage Island began to disperse, sailing in multiple directions.
Their main objective lay in the northern Sageros Sea.
That was where the majority of hostile pirates were gathered.
Parage Island itself quickly became quiet.
It looked almost empty.
Yet in reality, it had become an impregnable fortress.
Many of the Nightfall Pirates' top executives still remained there.
The large-scale military movement could not be hidden from those paying attention.
What surprised observers most was the speed of the Nightfall Pirates.
Only two days after returning to base, they had already begun military operations.
Half a day to organize.
Then the fleet departed.
The message was clear.
The Nightfall Pirates were completely confident in their ability to conquer the Sageros Sea.
Anyone with basic judgment could see the truth.
The scattered pirate crews in the region had no chance of resisting such an enormous army.
However, the Sageros Sea was not the only battlefield in the New World.
Across many seas and islands, conflicts were erupting.
In the central region of the New World lay a vast area known as the Whirlpool.
This sea had been chaotic for months.
Now, however, it had finally been divided among the major powers of the New World.
After a brief period of calm, friction quickly began to appear.
The sea had been divided unevenly, largely based on who arrived first.
Flags were planted.
Forces were stationed.
But this distribution could never satisfy the ambitions of powerful pirate crews.
In the New World, the law of the jungle ruled everything.
Equality in territory distribution was impossible.
Among the Four Emperors, only the Big Mom Pirates and the Beast Pirates were already satisfied with their gains.
The Whitebeard Pirates were a different story.
Because of their war with the Marines, they had missed the best opportunity to seize territory in the chaotic sea.
As a result, they controlled relatively few islands.
Naturally, the Whitebeard Pirates would never be satisfied with that situation.
As their influence grew and more sons joined their ranks, they required more territory.
Even if Whitebeard himself had no strong desire for expansion, his sons, his crew, and the momentum of the New World would inevitably push him in that direction.
Friction had already begun along the borders of various factions.
And it was gradually escalating.
The true massive war had not yet started.
But it only needed a single catalyst.
That catalyst would be the Whitebeard Pirates.
After their recent war, the Whitebeard Pirates were currently recovering and rebuilding their strength.
But once they had recovered…
They would inevitably plunge into the chaotic sea.
And when that happened, the true war would begin.
Meanwhile, in the first half of the Grand Line, the sea surrounding Jaya Island had become even more chaotic.
The region was now known as the Golden Sea.
Countless people were drawn there by greed.
Their goal was simple.
Gold.
Pirates were inherently chaotic, and a massive influx of them had arrived.
Some came from the Grand Line.
Others from the Four Seas.
Even pirates from the New World had begun appearing.
Chaos naturally bred even more chaos.
Even when Marine Vice Admirals appeared at Jaya Island, they dared not take action.
They only protected the Marine and World Government ships dredging for gold beneath the sea.
Powerful pirate crews from the New World had stationed elite subordinates in the area.
Because of that, the Marines and the World Government avoided direct confrontation.
They needed a period of peace.
Jaya Island itself also needed time to grow.
In the waters around the island, ships sank almost every day.
Battles were constant.
If a ship discovered gold but failed to return quickly, and the news spread, several pirate ships might surround it within minutes.
These pirates cared only about profit.
So such behavior was completely normal in the Golden Sea.
Gold.
Gold stained with blood.
No one knew how long it would take before Jaya Island's development stabilized.
Even so, its growth was astonishing.
The massive influx of people brought huge amounts of capital.
Visionary merchants had already begun investing heavily.
New industries appeared every few days.
Jaya Island already had the foundation of a small town, and that base accelerated its expansion.
Even in the midst of chaos, development moved forward at an incredible pace.
Meanwhile, back in the Sageros Sea, the situation for the scattered pirates was far less optimistic.
Facing the approaching fleet of the Nightfall Pirates, most of them fell into panic.
They had absolutely no ability to challenge a Yonko-level pirate crew.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
Many desperately contacted the forces they believed supported them.
But most of those messages were ignored.
Only then did the pirates realize the truth.
They had been deceived.
They were nothing more than pawns in a much larger game.
Unfortunately for them, it was already too late.
The army of the Nightfall Pirates had already arrived.
Meanwhile, Teach had already left Parage Island.
He soared through the sky at incredible speed toward Saint Louis Island.
Beside him flew Laffitte.