The Moonlight Pirates

After hanging up the Teach Den Den Mushi, Teach looked out the window and murmured, "Modern Island, the Kraken Kingdom?" lost in thought.

After a long while, Teach stood up, left the room, and went outside.

"Let's go to the nearest island and buy a map of the West Blue. Our target is Modern Island, the trading Modern Island in the West Blue." Teach smiled as he looked at his companions who were waiting for him.

"Wow! A new voyage!" Upon receiving Teach's order, the crew cheered and returned to their posts, sailing towards an island in the West Blue near Upside Reverse Mountain.

Compared to the East China Sea, the naval power in the West Blue is undoubtedly much weaker, and it may even be colluding with other forces.

This wasn't Teach's first time in the West Blue. During his first two years with the Whitebeard Pirates, he traveled all over the world with them, visiting both the West Blue and the North Blue.

However, in the following two years, as tensions rose at sea Whitebeard Pirates' territory was threatened, they returned to the New World.

Crody Island is an island in the West Blue near Reverse Mountain. Because of its thriving commerce, especially since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, more and more people have come to this island.

Not only are there pirates heading to the Grand Line, but there are also bounty hunters. The Great Pirate Era is not just an era for pirates; it affects every aspect of life, and the overall power of bounty hunters is also increasing.

The Night Pirates need to rest and replenish their supplies after sailing on the sea for so many days.

Three large pirate ships approached the island from afar, their flags bearing the distinctive three skulls fluttering in the wind.

"The Night Pirates! They've actually come to the West Blue!" News of the Night Pirates' discovery spread quickly, and more and more people gathered at the port of Crody Island.

The Lucky Goddess was in the center, and three pirate ships were docked side by side.

"Let's go down, Gari. You and Wallace guard the ship." Teach smiled as he looked at the crowd gathering at the harbor and stepped off the ship.

"Look! The Night Pirates are coming down!" one of the pirates exclaimed excitedly, his eyes gleaming.

"So many people, they look really strong!"

"Of course! It's said that the captain of the Night Pirates was previously a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, which was a legendary pirate ship," a pirate exclaimed.

Of course, there were also some who were jealous of the Night Pirates. "What, a member of the Whitebeard Pirates? Were they kicked out because they were too weak?" one pirate mocked.

"The East Blue is the weakest sea area; what powerful pirates could possibly emerge there? It must be because the Navy is utterly useless."

"Otherwise, why not go to the Grand Line? Coming to our West Blue might just get you driven back by the pirates of the Grand Line."

These are all mindless pirates Night Pirates.

"Haha, the Moonlight Pirates are also on this island. Will there be a conflict?" someone muttered to themselves.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, some were already preparing to make their move, drawn by the enormous bounty offered by the Night Pirates, especially Teach's head, which was worth nearly 200 million Beli.

As pirates from the West Blue, they already looked down on pirates from the East Blue. This boring sense of superiority, coupled with the drive for profit, meant that despite the Night Pirates' current fame, people always have a blind confidence in their own strength.

"Haha, as long as I kill her, those 72 million Beli will be mine." This was a bounty hunter. He didn't target Teach, who was the captain and had the highest Teach, but instead set his sights on Pito relatively weak.

Pito is very famous, but many people underestimate her strength, thinking she's just a little girl who ate Devil Fruit.

Bang! The gun was aimed at Pito, and a shot was fired at Pito.

The entire room gasped in shock, no one had expected someone to strike from the shadows. Pito, munching on a slice of fish, reached out and grabbed forward. Pito didn't dodge the shot, because there were other members behind her.

Kos reacted instantly the moment the gunshot rang out. He unleashed his Observation Haki, pinpointed the location of the hidden gunman, and in a flash, grabbed the rifle from his shoulder and fired a sniper shot in the direction the bullet had come from.

Two gunshots rang out one after the other. Pito released her grip, and a bullet, still emitting a thin layer of smoke, fell from her palm to the ground.

Thump!

A figure tumbled off the roof and landed directly on the ground. People in this world have a strong physique and vitality on average, so the person who fell from the roof was not injured.

However, it can be seen that there is a bloody hole between this guy's eyebrows, which goes straight through his entire head from the front to the back.

It sent chills down their spines. They knew this bounty hunter was the one who had fired the shot from the shadows. One wary look after another fell on Kos. Kos's reaction was too fast, perfectly demonstrating the qualities of a top-notch shooter.

Other gazes fell upon Pito had so easily caught the hidden bullet. This little girl was not as harmless as she appeared.

After all these twists and turns, no one dared to lay a hand on them along the way.

On the other side, in a tavern, the entire tavern had been occupied by a pirate crew. The leader had purple onion hair, wore a black jacket, had gray skin, sharp teeth, and a pair of small horns on his head.

This is none other than the captain of the most powerful pirate crew in the West Blue today, the hero of the West Blue, "Gecko" Moria.

The bounty is a staggering 115 million.

With a loud thud, the closed tavern door suddenly opened, startling everyone inside.

"Hey! What are you doing? You're in such a hurry, you scared me to death!" A pirate was so startled that he accidentally spilled his drink on himself and cursed angrily.

"Huff, huff!" The pirate was panting heavily, as if he had run all the way here. He didn't pay attention to his companion's words and looked at his captain.

"Captain, the Night Pirates have arrived on this island," he said to Moria.

"Oh! Really?" Moria's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up. "He actually came to the West Blue."

"Captain, are you talking about the captain of the Night Pirates?" A crew member nearby overheard Moria's words. "Do you know him?"

"Yes, we met once in Loguetown." Moria nodded. "Let's go see him; I have some questions for him."

"Look, it's the Moonlight Pirates." The crew members of the Moonlight Pirates followed Moria towards the port.

"I heard the Night Pirates are here too. Is the Night Pirates Moonlight Pirates to clash with them?"

"Let's go take a look. It'll be interesting if they start fighting." People who wanted to watch the show followed behind the Moonlight Pirates, anticipating a clash between the two pirate crews.

"Is Moria on this island too?" Teach was somewhat surprised upon hearing the news from his surroundings, as he had assumed Moria had already entered the Grand Line.

His Observation Haki had already detected the approaching presence on the road ahead, where a large group of people were gathered.

Pito, Nelson, and Kos, who were standing nearby, all noticed it and turned to look at Teach. Seeing that Teach's expression hadn't changed, they figured there was no need to be wary.

In the middle of the road, the two groups met. Teach had a smile on his face, as did Moria. Compared to six months ago, Moria's strength had increased significantly.

Moria looked at Teach, but couldn't help thinking to himself that Teach was still as unfathomable as before.

Teach could tell that Moria had Awakening Two types of Haki, but the level was still too low.

Moria's current strength is at the level of Vice Admiral, which is practically invincible in the Four Seas, but he is still far inferior to Teach.

Moria probably intended to enter the Grand Line and then storm into the New World without any obstacles.

"Moria!" "Teach!"

Five meters apart, the two men gazed at each other. Behind them, the crew members of the Night Pirates and the Moonlight Pirates smiled and stared intently at the spot, their powerful auras emanating from them. The two pirate crews stood facing each other.

Those watching from the sidelines paled at the sight; if the Great Pirate crews were to actually clash, they would likely be caught in the crossfire.

Compared to the Night Pirates, the Moria Pirates undoubtedly had more members, totaling over four thousand. At their peak, the entire crew numbered an astonishing ten thousand.

However, the battle did not take place as expected. Inside a tavern, only Teach and Moria were present; the other crew members were either outside, staying in other taverns, or buying supplies and goods.

"Speak, what do you want to ask me?" Teach could tell at a glance that Moria had something to ask him, so he picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Teach, you're from the New World, right? You used to be on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, hehehehehe!" Moria laughed as he looked at Teach.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Teach glanced at him, seemingly already knowing what Moria wanted to ask.

"How do you think my pirate crew is doing in the New World?" Moria asked curiously, while also displaying strong confidence in his own strength.

"Pfft!" Teach couldn't help but chuckle, wiping his mouth under Moria's astonished gaze. "Are you talking about your strength, or the strength of the entire pirate crew?"

Teach's gaze sharpened as he stared at Moria, Moria towering figure, nearly seven meters tall, seemed shorter than Teach at this moment.

Moria knew that this was due to the difference in momentum and strength.

Hearing Teach's question, a sense of foreboding washed over him, along with a touch of curiosity about the difference between individual strength and overall team strength. "Both," he replied, "Tell me about it."

"Your current strength is comparable to Marine Vice Admiral. In terms of bounty, five or six hundred million Beli would be at most. Of course, you are still in your growth stage, and your strength has not yet reached its peak," Teach said. "However, compared to Marine Admiral and the top Great Pirate of the New World, you are far behind and no match for them."

"Your abilities might be a bit strange, but in a direct confrontation, once they go all out, you'll be instantly killed."

As he spoke, an invisible, terrifying aura erupted from Teach's body, enveloping Teach and Moria as if they were surrounded by a dark aura. This terrifying abyss, like Black Hole, exerted immense pressure on Moria's mind and body, causing the floor beneath Moria to creak and groan.

In a mere second, everything returned to calm. Moria, panting heavily, looked at Teach with utter shock. Teach's Conqueror's Haki possessed several times the mental pressure of Conqueror's Haki of the same level, and even Moria was not immune to it now.

"What... what is that?" Moria snapped back to reality. What kind of power was that, so terrifying, so oppressive?

Teach shook his head, not wanting to answer him. "You'll find out when you go to the New World. Maybe you'll have that ability someday too."

"I'm just letting you experience it, to make you realize the gap in our strength. I'm not even ready to dominate the New World yet. Those inhuman monsters are several times, even ten times, stronger than me. There are countless monsters that can destroy an island. In the New World, you can only rank in the upper-middle tier," Teach said mercilessly.

Moria couldn't refute it. He had realized how terrifying Teach and that he was no match for him. In that instant, he might be caught and defeated unless he used his trump card.

However, he wasn't discouraged by this and remained very optimistic. "Hehehehe! It's okay, I haven't reached my peak yet, my strength can still improve," Moria laughed. "And what about the strength of our pirate crew?"

"You should be able to sense the difference in strength between the crew members of our pirate crew, right?" Teach glanced at the confident Moria and smiled, though it was unclear whether it was sarcastic or not.

Hearing Teach say this, Moria, who hadn't paid attention before, now, with his Observation Haki released and spreading outwards, could clearly sense the strength of the aura.

Moria's expression was somewhat grim. The auras of even the ordinary crew members of the Night Pirates were incredibly powerful, several times stronger than his own crew. Although the Moonlight Pirates had a large number of members, it was uncertain whether they could win against the Night Pirates; the likelihood of defeat was very high.

Now he finally understood why the Night Pirates had been able to defeat enemies ten or even dozens of times their number on multiple occasions.

Faced with overwhelming power, the advantage brought by numbers is negligible.

"Do you know the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Teach changed the subject, focusing on the Whitebeard Pirates. Moria listened intently. "When I left the Whitebeard Pirates, they had around a thousand members."

"Aside from Captain Whitebeard, the powerful officers on board, the division commanders, and the squad leaders with bounties exceeding 100 million Berries, the remaining ordinary crew members, although most of them did not have bounties on their hands, all had an average bounty of over 50 million Beli."

"This only includes the Whitebeard Pirates, not their affiliated Whitebeard Pirates. The captains of those affiliated pirate crews have bounties of at least 100 million Beli."

"Whitebeard Pirates are in this state, then the other Great Pirate in the New World, even if they're not that bad, can't be much worse."