Banquet

"Then come on, someone as beautiful as me doesn't need to use my full strength to deal with you." Xiouyapufu said confidently, head held high, his handsome face making one want to punch him.

Such arrogant words immediately enraged the crowd, who shouted, "Go get him and teach him a lesson!"

"Defeat this pretty boy."

"Damn it, so what if he's a little handsome?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover on a ship; you have to prove yourself with your skills." But you could still hear the envious sourness in his voice.

Teach knew that the pirate who challenged Xiouyapufu was a pirate with a bounty of over 30 million, named Miles, who was a promising member and the strongest among the crew members besides himself and the other officers.

With the executives not taking action, Miles, as a powerful individual invited by Teach, is the most suitable person to test Xiouyapufu's strength.

However, upon hearing Miles's words, Teach felt a little embarrassed for him. Although this crew member was quite strong, he wasn't very bright. In other words, he was all brawn and no brains. In battle, he was always on the front line, suitable for charging into the fray.

Xiouyapufu landed slowly on the ground, drew his rapier from his waist, and wore black trousers and a white shirt with a collar that looked like a blooming flower.

Teach saw through his thoughts and used only his swordsmanship to fight Miles, in order to demonstrate his strength, since everyone present knew that Xiouyapufu was a Devil Fruit user.

But isn't that a bit arrogant? Xiouyapufu's swordsmanship hasn't yet broken through to become Swordmaster, while Miles has good physical talent in combat.

Of course, Teach didn't think that Xiouyapufu would be defeated. Xiouyapufu Awakening Observation Haki and was a fighter who excelled in speed.

However, it was impossible to resolve the battle easily. Xiouyapufu did not seem to have much combat experience, while Miles was one of the first crew members to follow Teach and had broken through from among them. He had gone through so many battles with Teach in the past few months, which was Xiouyapufu could not compare to.

"I'm going in, be careful," Miles warned, getting into a fighting stance. The next moment, Mars disappeared from his spot, quickly approaching Xiouyapufu.

"So fast!" Xiouyapufu's eyes narrowed, and he released his Observation Haki, watching Miles's every move.

Miles' speed surprised him. The ship also had the secret manual of the Marine Six Styles. Miles had learned the Shave from the Marine Six Styles, but he was still a little short of the complete Shave.

That's enough, though. In Teach's eyes, the Marine Six Styles is a martial art that can be used for a lifetime. It still has great potential, and there are many advanced techniques that you need to develop. Furthermore, the Marine Six Styles are interconnected and can be used in combination.

"But that's what makes it interesting," Xiouyapufu with a faint smile. At the same time, his body disappeared from the spot. Xiouyapufu was very fast, but anyone with enough strength could see his trail.

"Let me show you my Shining Sword Style. Don't blink!" Xiouyapufu smiled mysteriously. "Shining Sword Style - Flash."

A dazzling silver light flashed, so bright that it made people involuntarily close their eyes.

What? Miles felt a sharp pain in his eyes and involuntarily closed them, but in that instant, the battle was over. In the blink of an eye, Xiouyapufu's figure had already appeared to Miles' right.

Miles sensed Xiouyapufu's arrival and instinctively swung his fist to the right. The next moment, his body stopped, unable to move forward.

A sharp pain shot through his neck as the longsword in Xiouyapufu's hand was pressed against Miles's neck.

This scene surprised everyone; no one expected that the battle would be decided in just one move.

Teach was also surprised. The principle behind that sword strike was very simple: extreme speed, combined with that dazzling silver light, could affect a person's eyesight.

Xiouyapufu's swordsmanship was very solid. Teach saw many traces of aristocratic swordsmanship in his swordsmanship, which suggests that he had been training in swordsmanship since childhood.

Teach underestimated him. Sometimes, a genius is a genius, and you can't surpass them just by trying.

Miles paused, then came to his senses. "I lost." He lowered his head, but there was no sign of disappointment.

Looking at Xiouyapufu, he couldn't help but admire, "No wonder the captain invited you. Your eyesight is excellent. It seems I still have a long way to go."

Teach stepped forward and laughed loudly, "Now that the competition is over, let's get on the ship and prepare to set sail."

"Welcome to our newest crew member, Xiouyapufu. He will be our Night Pirates' dancer. To celebrate his arrival, we'll have a banquet tonight."

Upon hearing about the banquet, all the pirates cheered, "Thanks to Xiouyapufu, we didn't expect to be able to hold another banquet so soon!"

"I'm so happy, it's a banquet!"

"Banquet! Banquet! Banquet!"

The best way for a new crew member to integrate into a ship is through battles and feasts— Teach learned from the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Xiouyapufu, as the dancer on our ship, you'll be performing at the banquet tonight," Teach asked with a smile, looking at Xiouyapufu. "You should know some cool, stylish dances, not just those light, frivolous women's dances. We're pirates, we don't like watching that."

After hearing Teach's words, Xiouyapufu confidently tried to shake his hair, only to find that he had already cut off his long hair. He hadn't changed his habit yet.

"Of course, no problem. As the most perfect man, I'm proficient in all styles of dance."

"On any stage, even pirates would be captivated by my beautiful dance."

Xiouyapufu took out his mirror, looked at himself in the mirror, and laughed.

"Then I look forward to your performance. Next time, I'll find another musician to accompany you." Teach smiled and boarded the Lucky Goddess.

Xiouyapufu's eyes lit up; Teach's idea was exactly what he wanted.

"Captain, I didn't expect you to actually recruit Xiouyapufu. It seems the ship will be much less boring from now on." Baccarat was quite impressed; in her opinion, Xiouyapufu joining the Night Pirates was impossible.

"Haha, this is his choice. I will show Xiouyapufu with my actions that he made the right choice." Teach laughed, looking at the distant sea.

"Everyone, get ready! Full speed ahead! Destination: Loguetown! Our journey in the East Sea is over. Next, we're heading to the West Blue!" Teach shouted, looking at the crew who had all boarded the ship.

"Alright, we're heading to the West Blue. Let those marines go this time; let them eat their own shit!" a pirate cheered and laughed.

The three pirate ships were moored together, less than three meters apart, and could visit each other at any time.

However, since the banquet was at night, the training of everyone except the crew members who were maintaining the pirate ship's navigation could not be stopped, not even Teach's; training could not be neglected.

Upon entering the training room, Teach began his training.

"Are they all this serious? Looks like I can't fall behind." Seeing how seriously the members of the Night Pirates were training, Xiouyapufu felt a little anxious. As a newly joined crew member, he had been invited by Teach and immediately received the rank of officer.

However, compared to the other executives, his strength is still somewhat weak, only slightly stronger than the young Kaguya and Baccarat. In actual combat, his fighting power might not even be as good as Kaguya's.

In his fight with Miles, he had a greater advantage in speed and skill. The duel between the strong can be decided in a split second, and his Shining Sword Style caught Miles off guard.

If we were to do it again, it might not have the same effect, because Miles is now prepared.

After all, aside from practicing noble swordsmanship before, he rarely trained after eating the Devil Fruit.

Xiouyapufu entered his room and began training. As a pirate, strength was extremely important, and his pride wouldn't allow him to be inferior to others.

In this sea area, five warships were sailing at full speed continuously. The entire navy was somewhat exhausted, both mentally and physically.

The navy rushed back at full speed and had already arrived at the waters where the Night Pirates were located.

"Has the Night Pirates still not been found?" Inside the central warship, high-ranking naval officers were holding a meeting. Marine Vice Admiral Brom rubbed his head and asked, looking at the people below.

"No, our intelligence agents haven't found any trace of the Dark Night Pirates since they left Bal Port."

"They must have received word of our arrival and gone into hiding," a lieutenant colonel said with a somewhat relaxed smile.

"Yes, they should have already left this area. They couldn't have stayed here for long," a colonel analyzed.

"Alright, let our intelligence agents in the East Blue keep a close eye on the Night Pirates. Everyone's a bit tired, let's rest at a nearby Marine Branch first," Brom said with a sigh.

The Night Pirates are very well hidden. Since they secretly left that night, there has been no news about them. The Marine Headquarters has already spoken, and most of the intelligence in the East Blue Navy is being used to find the Night Pirates.

However, after searching for so long without success, Brom and his Night Pirates, maintaining their own condition was essential. Although they were confident in their strength, the Night Pirates were no pushovers either.

Brom also believed that the Night Pirates had escaped and were no longer in this area.

However, they didn't realize that this decision would cause them to miss the best opportunity to capture the Night Pirates. At the same time, they also escaped with their lives.

The Night Pirates, at night, their three pirate ships were ablaze with lights, and fine wine and food were prepared for a joyous feast.

Three pirate ships were linked together and floated on the sea, their hulls specially modified for this situation.

"Xiouyapufu, it's your turn to perform," Teach said with a smile, looking at Xiouyapufu beside him.

After Baccarat performed a song— Baccarat's singing was quite beautiful—she stepped down from the makeshift stage amidst cheers from a group of pirates.

Even after they came down, the cheers didn't stop; shouts of "Goddess of Luck!" and "Goddess of Luck Baccarat!" never ceased.

These are all pirate crew members who have been captivated by Baccarat's charm. Moreover, Baccarat is currently one of only two women in the entire pirate crew, the other being Pito, who has always been by Teach's side.

Pito was quite famous among the group of hunks on the ship, after all, he was the cute type, but there were still more people who liked Baccarat's sexy side.

Baccarat walked briskly off the stage, returned to her seat, and sat down.

"Then look forward to it, I'm all ready." Xiouyapufu smiled, and wings sprouted from his back again. He quickly flew onto the stage and then slowly landed.

"Next, please enjoy my solo dance, <Blade Waltz>." Xiouyapufu laughed, suddenly spreading his arms, tilting his head back, "Immerse yourself in my magnificent dance."

Having become a pirate, Xiouyapufu seemed to have fewer scruples, and could do things that were not in accordance with noble etiquette, shouting passionately.

The performance began the next moment. Xiouyapufu closed his eyes and started moving, taking light steps and twisting his arms and body.

It was a pleasing sight to behold, and a "tap-tap" sound came as Xiouyapufu's feet tapped on the wooden planks in a light rhythm.

Dancing naturally requires music, but there isn't any here, so Xiouyapufu has to keep the rhythm for himself.

This dance seems to tell the story of a young man chasing his dreams. The rhythm is lively, and some pirates' fingers can't help but move up and down to the rhythm of Xiouyapufu.

At that moment, Teach clapped his hands lightly, and a crisp sound rang out. He was keeping a rhythm that, upon closer listening, was exactly the same as the rhythm of Xiouyapufu's dance. Teach had caught Xiouyapufu's rhythm.

"Let's all join in! Without music, Xiouyapufu's performance is limited," Teach said with a smile, and his companions around him laughed.

After Teach said that, the others realized what was going on. Baccarat was the first to follow Teach and clap along, getting into the rhythm of Xiouyapufu. More and more people joined in.

Compared to when Xiouyapufu performed alone, it was somewhat difficult. As Teach said, it limited his performance, put him in shackles, and made him less free.

As the crisp and resonant rhythm began, a smile involuntarily appeared on Xiouyapufu's face. For some reason, this scene felt much freer and more comfortable than his previous performances.

Companions? Xiouyapufu gradually integrated into the group and began to feel a sense of belonging to the ship.

Their beautiful dance moves looked incredibly cool and stylish even to laymen, and some of the more interested people even tried to imitate Xiouyapufu's movements.

However, it looks somewhat incongruous and makes people want to laugh.

A beautiful, visible fluorescent light shone down from the air, surrounding Xiouyapufu. This was Xiouyapufu's ability; his hidden wings reappeared, though not as large.

It looked like a tiny wing, Xiouyapufu danced even more freely. But in Teach's eyes, this dance concealed a deadly intent. This was physical combat. Xiouyapufu had combined physical combat with his dance, forming his own unique style of physical combat.

If one becomes too immersed in it, it's easy to die; such a dance truly lives up to its name, the "Blade Waltz."

However, this performance appeared even more passionate, with Xiouyapufu completely immersed in his performance and fully engaged in his dance.

Under the moonlight, coupled with the special effects of Xiouyapufu's abilities, many members were immersed in the experience.

After a long while, Xiouyapufu finally finished his performance. Accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of all the members, he lowered his head, bent over at a 45-degree angle, and placed his right hand across his chest.

Before the others could recover, after an unknown amount of time, "Clap clap!" a round of applause sounded, followed by a chorus of applause, paying tribute to Xiouyapufu's performance.

The banquet thus ended in a joyful atmosphere.