10 Arriving on the Island, Mostima's Wait

After sailing alone at sea for a day and a night, Teach finally caught sight of an island. Before long, his little boat approached the small island and docked at its tiny harbor.

There were dozens of ships here, including pirate ships and merchant vessels, though most were pirate ships.

Teach looked toward the town. It was very orderly. Although there were quite a few disputes, it was far better than those chaotic, ungoverned places. It seemed this territory had an owner—in other words, the island had already been claimed.

Teach was somewhat interested in whoever managed this island, because only order could bring a steady stream of profit. Wealth squeezed out amid chaos was the most foolish kind.

This was experience Teach had gained across two lifetimes. The harbor was bustling with people, and Teach's arrival alone drew the attention of quite a few pirates. Most did not care, but a few had sharp glints in their eyes. They were the clever ones. To sail alone in such a small boat through the harsh weather of the New World and survive, one could not possibly be weak.

"Hello. Please pay a fee of five hundred Berries before going ashore." Just as Teach was about to disembark, a pirate guarding the harbor came over and said.

His attitude was decent. Being able to train his subordinates into behaving like this made Teach increasingly interested in the pirate who ruled the island. Of course, that would depend on fate—Teach would not be staying on this island for long.

Teach had no objections. Five hundred Berries was not a high price, something every pirate could afford. Smiling, he took five hundred Berries from his pocket and placed them in the man's palm. Looking at the pirate before him, he could not help smiling again as he glanced at the small boat behind him. "Does my boat not need to pay protection money?"

Aside from pirates, ships docked at the harbor also had to pay protection money. The pirates stationed at the harbor would protect those ships from theft. Judging from the island's orderly appearance, the pirates ruling it had been here for some time. They ran it well, had a good reputation, and were evidently not weak. Without sufficient strength, they could never keep so many arrogant pirates in line.

In just a short time, Teach had seen through many things.

"No, there's no need. I don't think anyone would steal your boat." The pirate before him could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth. Then he added, "Don't worry. Our White Bird Pirates will keep watch over every ship in the harbor."

For some reason, when he looked at Teach, he vaguely sensed a pressure from him. It was extremely subtle, yet it seemed even greater than the pressure his captain gave him.

"Haha, then keep these five hundred Berries. Consider it protection money for my boat." Teach smiled, took out another five hundred Berries, placed them in the man's hand, passed by him, and entered the town.

The most eye-catching thing was the pirate flag hanging high overhead. A silver sword was thrust diagonally through a skull, while a white bird perched at the skull's upper left.

The town's facilities were quite complete. There were few ordinary residents on the streets; most of the establishments were taverns and the like. This street had been specifically reserved for pirates. Most residents presumably lived elsewhere in town. This alone showed the methods of the White Bird Pirates.

The streets were very clean, with little trash—most of it from that morning. Even the bloodstains were fresh, indicating that pirate brawls were not forbidden on the island. Every morning, someone cleaned the streets.

Teach had perceived all this through his Observation Haki. These thoughts flashed through his mind, and sometimes he felt as if a detective had possessed him—an artificial-intelligence-like ability to analyze things, backed by an extraordinarily powerful brain.

Teach entered a bar. There were not many people inside. He walked to the counter. "One bottle of rum, three servings of fried rice, and two plates of braised meat." Rum was one of Teach's favorite drinks. It was said to be the drink of pirates, carrying an alluring mellow fragrance.

"Certainly. Just a moment." The owner nodded, skillfully took out a bottle of rum, opened it for Teach, and placed it before him. Teach was in no hurry. He picked up the bottle with one hand, tipped back his head, and poured the liquor into his mouth.

"Haha, this is delicious. The flavor is rather special. Boss, is this rum brewed by your tavern?" Along with its mellow fragrance came a sweet taste that made Teach's eyes light up. He turned to the tavern owner and asked.

"Haha, that's right." The tavern owner laughed and nodded. He was a middle-aged man over two meters tall. Teach could tell that he was not weak. Anyone daring to run a tavern on an island filled with pirates had to possess some strength, unless the tavern belonged to pirates.

Teach could sense the tavern owner's scars, especially his missing fingers on the left. His left middle and index fingers were both gone, and a knife scar ran across half his face. It was clear that he had been a ruthless man in his youth, one who had spent time roaming the seas. He was a man with stories. This sea hid too many powerful people; Teach alone had sensed several within Whitebeard's territory.

"Then give me another bottle. Prepare two more for me when I leave as well." Teach did not wish to pry into his past and merely smiled.

"Here. Your fried rice and braised meat." The window behind the counter opened, and a little girl with short, slightly curly green hair carried over a large bowl of fried rice and a plate of braised meat. Her tone was unfriendly as she shot Teach a glance. When Teach saw her eyes, he smiled at her. "Tch!" The little girl ignored him, rather tsundere. The red rose tattoo on her neck, combined with the purple tear mark beneath her left eye, made her look every bit like a delinquent girl.

The window closed. The tavern owner, Doyle, had already taken the fried rice and braised meat and placed them before Teach. Smiling, he said, "That's my niece, Loya. Her temperament is a little bad. Her parents were killed by pirates, so she became like this. She dislikes pirates somewhat, but she's a kind-hearted girl."

"Mm, I think she's quite cute, actually. Haha." Teach smiled, picked up a spoon, and prepared to eat the fried rice. He leaned close to the steaming rice and took a deep breath through his nose. "Wow, that smells amazing. Just looking at it makes me hungry."

"Haha, of course. Loya has great talent for cooking. Her cooking has already surpassed mine, and she's quite famous locally." Doyle was delighted to hear Teach praise Loya and laughed.

"Mmm, it's so good. Truly delicious." Teach scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and put it into his mouth, his eyes shining as he spoke while eating.

"When I form a pirate crew someday, I'll invite her onto my ship to be my chef," Teach said. "Haha, I have no objection to that. It depends on what she wants. Girls grow up eventually," Doyle laughed.

Teach and Doyle ate and chatted, their voices loud. In the kitchen behind them, the girl named Loya listened to their conversation and laughter, and her chopping grew more forceful. The sound of thud, thud, thud! carried outside. Teach and Doyle exchanged a smile. "She's still just a little girl!" Teach got along very well with Doyle, and Doyle felt the same. He could tell that Teach was very different from other pirates. More importantly, he could sense a trace of danger from him.

He had not felt that in a long time. Even the young junior in town had merely caught his attention and shown some talent.

Loya could not help frowning, her expression written all over her face. As she listened to Teach talking with Uncle Doyle, Teach's face surfaced in her mind. For some inexplicable reason, she felt annoyed and wanted to punch him in the face twice.

Meanwhile, at the White Bird Pirates' base on the island, all the White Bird Pirates' core members were gathered. Several figures were fighting in the open space at the center, while the surrounding members watched from the sidelines.

"White Bird Style Swordsmanship: Sky Slash." A Flying Slash that cut through the air. From the side, the white-clad swordsman who was fending off the joint assault of two opponents suddenly smiled. His aura surged violently, becoming terrifying in an instant. The slash swept forth like a giant eagle, its spread wings gleaming with chilling silver light.

The sharpness and speed of this sword technique had been brought to the absolute extreme. "Not good. Brother, let's block it together." Unable to evade it, Haduno, the elder brother, spoke. He could sense danger from this attack, its incoming sharpness dazzling to the eye.

They had sparred many times before, and Hadman, the younger brother, shared perfect coordination with his elder brother. Both wielded massive blades. "Armament: Earth Splitter Slash." Compared with the giant eagle flying toward them, the massive blade was plain and unadorned. It embodied pure, ultimate strength and heaviness. The massive blade coated in Armament Haki was terrifying, as though it contained the power of the earth. The technique was simple: attack the enemy at the right moment. As the blade smashed toward the ground, the earth shook, and its tip accurately struck the head of the giant eagle formed by the incoming slash.

The combined strength of him and his younger brother was formidable. Sometimes, even their captain had no way to deal with them. Yet with a loud boom in the air, Hadman and Haduno were sent sprawling to the ground, panting heavily. Several sword wounds marked their bodies.

"Haha, Captain seems to have gotten stronger," Hadman said with a laugh. Ignoring his wounds, he slowly rose to his feet. He had not suffered serious injuries; after all, the three of them had only been sparring and would not strike too heavily. Even so, the two of them were astonished. They had nearly gone all out, yet they still could not block that final move.

Their wounds looked like cuts, torn open by something razor-sharp. This was the power of the wind, the power of air currents. Most swordmasters' techniques carried such power.

"Hadman, Haduno, the two of you have grown stronger lately as well." The white-clad swordsman smiled and slowly walked forward.

He had light silver hair and a stern face. A large diamond earring hung from his ear, and his arms were long and slender. He held a silver treasured sword in his hand, while his right thumb, index finger, and ring finger each bore a ring set with a sapphire, ruby, and emerald respectively. Draped in a white cape, he had silver pupils, stood two meters and thirty centimeters tall, and carried himself ramrod straight.

This was Mostima, captain of the White Bird Pirates. A pirate who had risen to prominence in recent years, he possessed not only formidable swordsmanship but also wisdom far beyond ordinary people. That was why he had been able to establish himself in the chaotic New World and steadily hold a territory of his own.

"Haha, Captain, you're getting stronger and stronger. I think we could take a few more islands. How about we attack some of the other islands?" Unlike the steady Haduno, his younger brother Hadman was undoubtedly a battle fanatic—extremely active and never giving anyone peace of mind.

Hearing this, Mostima shook his head. "Hadman, don't forget the battle between the Flying Pirates and the Roger Pirates." A trace of shock flashed through his eyes, as though that war were appearing before him once more. The sky and earth had changed color, lightning danced wildly, and fierce winds howled without end. The battle had lasted a full seven days and nights.

Back then, he had been only seventeen years old when he broke through and became a swordmaster. He had gone to sea with Hadman and Hardner, whom he knew, and stayed in a small country in the New World. Beside the island where that small country stood was a deserted island. That day, the Roger Pirates encountered the Golden Lion Pirates at sea, and a great battle erupted.

It had mainly been a battle between Roger and Golden Lion, two legendary pirates. That day, they watched the battle from afar and witnessed the power at the pinnacle of the world with their own eyes. It was a battle between monsters. Seven days later, that deserted island had vanished, leaving only scattered reefs. The lingering traces of battle seemed to tell of its terror.

However, he had not lost heart. He had gained greatly from it. After witnessing the battles of World Top-Tier Powerhouses, and especially the battle between World Top-Tier Great Swordmasters, Mostima and the others began keeping a low profile.

He was extremely calm and had not been blinded by minor breakthroughs. He needed to lie low. Although he remained on the island, he never gave up training his strength and constantly kept track of news from across the sea. He had keenly noticed that the structure of the seas was gradually taking shape. If his White Bird Pirates dared to jump out now, they would surely be crushed to pieces by the coming tides.

"Ugh!" Terror appeared on Haduno and Hadman's faces when they heard Mostima's words. "How could monsters like that possibly be something we can handle?" Haduno said gravely. "No matter what, compared with real monsters, the gap between us is far too great." Mostima's words were like a basin of cold water poured over the brothers' heads, waking them from the swelling confidence brought by their increased strength.

"But we're still young. With Boss's talent, he definitely won't be worse than those monsters in the future." Hardner was somewhat unwilling to accept it. Mostima smiled. Being intelligent, he knew his own limits. Reaching that level would be difficult, but he was still confident that he could become one of the New World's top powerhouses, even if he could not compare with those monsters.

More importantly, he did not possess that kind of talent.

"Keep waiting. Wait for a young man with the talent of a monster to emerge. When that time comes, we will follow him and reach the pinnacle together. If not, we can join Golden Lion's fleet. Right now, the Flying Pirates are constantly recruiting in the New World and expanding their influence. With such powerful strength and such great ambition, he is also someone worth following," Mostima said.