The Dark Council

Fromm town.

Located in the coastal region of a kingdom in the West Blue.

And today, the Night Pirates have arrived here.

Half a month has passed since he was stripped of his Devil Fruit. Now, Kos has obtained the Pierce-Pierce Fruit he desired, greatly increasing his combat power.

The Rage Fruit was assigned to Gari. The Rage Fruit is very suitable for Gari because it can help Gari control the power of rage. Gari needs the emotion of rage to transform into his Moon Lion Form without moonlight as a medium.

Gari's anger could only keep Gari transformed for three minutes; it couldn't last any longer.

Therefore, the power of the Rage Fruit is needed. With the Rage Fruit, Gari's Moon Lion Form transformation can be made more enduring.

Furthermore, the Rage Fruit is an amplifying type of Devil Fruit that doesn't require much development; all it needs is the emotion of anger, and Gari is not lacking in anger.

To transform into the Moon Lion Form, one needs extreme anger. Through long-term training in the Moon Lion Form, Gari has developed a strong control over his anger, allowing him to easily become enraged.

The boost that this Devil Fruit gave Gari was enormous. In battle, its amplification was no less than that of a powerful Zoan Devil Fruit. His strong physique was also enough to withstand the amplification of the Rage Fruit, and he could even generate flames—flames of anger.

To protect these precious Devil Fruit, Teach had a box made of extremely hard material, strong enough to withstand the crushing force of the dark energy within Teach Darkness Space. These very precious Devil Fruit were placed inside this box, hidden within his own Darkness Space.

By now, the Night Pirates no longer need to conceal their presence, and these five large ships are far too conspicuous, including two standard Kraken Kingdom warships.

As soon as the Night Pirates appeared on the sea, some people noticed them. In the ensuing chaos, the entire harbor of Fromm town quickly cleared a large space in the middle to make room for the five ships of the Night Pirates.

This behavior has become standard practice for the Night Pirates. Whenever the Night Pirates arrive at an island, especially one with people and a port, they do this: they give up the central position in the port.

It is said that as long as this is done, the members of the Night Pirates will not cause trouble in the town.

That's actually how it is. The Night Pirates rarely cause trouble in towns. They mainly just buy supplies, have a meal, and sometimes stay overnight in towns.

The Night Pirates' large-scale purchases, which provided food for over a thousand people, actually boosted the town's economy.

"Rediat, how's your work going?" The crew disembarked to purchase supplies, and Rediat sat with Teach and several of his officers, with Rediat sitting next to Teach.

"It's all done. All potential rebels have been purged," Rediat said calmly, but the others knew how much bloodshed was behind those words.

Even at sea, they could sense that the entire West Blue was more chaotic than before.

With Rediat and Lafitte's speed, coupled with their ability to hide and infiltrate, 30% of the opposition forces in the West Blue Underworld were purged. These were all major forces, and the chaos they brought was beyond Teach's imagination. This also shows the great influence that the giants of the West Blue's dark world have on reality.

However, the five major mafias that are the overlords of the West Blue and rule the Underworld of the West Blue have not been in any trouble. During this period, they have been very careful, and even the fighting between the gangs has decreased a lot.

They weren't on Stephanie's list, mainly because while they had a lot of influence, they weren't very strong and could be easily dealt with.

"However, those people in the West Blue World are quite capable; they actually found our trail. But they weren't hostile; they discussed some things with us, regarding the establishment of the council." Rediat said, smiling. "I've already had Lafitte deliver the general charter you drafted for the Dark Council to them. It's already under construction, but the official establishment will have to wait until that day. News should already be circulating."

Then, looking at Teach with admiration, he said, "I never expected that you would directly specify the perfect structure for the Dark Council."

Teach's Dark Council consists of five parts: the Dark Council, the Dark Parliament, the Dark Court, the Dark Arbitration Court, the Dark Bank, and the Dark Audit Court.

The Dark Council is composed of the giants of the West Blue Underworld, along with the ministers of several other departments. Among them is a speaker, who is considered the head of the Dark Council. The speaker serves a two-year term and can be re-elected. Underworld no longer has the power of a king, he can be kicked out of the Dark Council.

This is also the legislative body of the Dark Council, responsible for enacting the laws of the West Blue's dark world.

As the nominal head of the Dark Council, the Speaker has the right to lead the Dark Council to grow stronger and more powerful.

The Dark Parliament is composed of members, headed by a speaker. The speaker promulgates laws formulated by the Dark Council. A law is established if it passes with a majority of votes, and is repealed if it fails to pass with a majority of votes.

The underground forces in the West Blue are divided into three tiers. The first tier consists of the giants of the Underworld, who have three seats in the council. The Gear Second consists of the next level of forces, who have two seats in the council. The Gear Second consists of only one seat in the council.

Of course, there is also Gear Fourth, those who are not qualified to join the Dark Council, and the Gear Fifth consists of those second-rate forces.

Similarly, the number of seats for councilors is limited: eight for the first tier of forces, twenty-four for the Gear Second, and seventy-two for the Gear Third, for a total of one hundred and forty-four seats.

The Dark Council was established primarily to make the West Blue Underworld more stable and stronger.

Therefore, the Dark Court was established as a judicial institution to punish internal and external forces that violated the laws of the West Blue Underworld, caused great chaos in the West Blue Underworld, and led to the weakening of the West Blue Underworld forces.

The Dark Council does not prevent internal struggles and mergers among its members. Below the Dark Council, there is an external force that provides seats for fourth and Gear Fifth forces. The number of council members alone can create orderly competition within the West Blue Underworld.

They can enjoy the benefits of their level, and in this way, they will always be able to climb up.

The Dark Arbitration Court is the military force of the Dark Council, composed of and cultivated from within the Dark Council itself.

The court will have one presiding judge and eight deacons, with a total staff of approximately 8,000.

The Dark Bank is the treasury of the Dark Council; internal factions can also borrow and deposit money from Dark Bank.

Members can invest and purchase properties.

There is one bank manager and two deputy managers.

The Dark Council reviews the Dark Council's financial situation to determine its suitability and assesses the hierarchy of forces within the West Blue.

These are just the main organizations; there are also auctions, exchange meetings, and so on.

"This is just an alliance, but it's not something you can just disband. It's a collection of interests. Joining it grants you special rights that only internal members can enjoy. These rights need to be determined by the leaders. At first, it certainly won't work, and you won't feel any benefits. But after a few years, as the Dark Council grows stronger, the rights you can gain will increase, and more and more people will want to join."

"We just need to ensure the alliance is established. However, initially, not many people will join because they can't see any benefits. Only those with a long-term vision can see the future of the Dark Council." Teach smiled. He had simply modified the alliance system from his previous life and applied it here.

"Our Night Pirates also have a seat on the Dark Council," Rediat said with a smile to Teach.

"They already know?"

"Yes, I understand. Or rather, it's just a guess. We can expose it if we want, but only a few people will know."

"Then so be it. This is a council established under absolute power. Since I founded it, our person will serve as the first speaker, codenamed 'Hades.' Let's hand him over to Lafitte for now. But if he's in any danger, you should still go and help him. A four-year term is enough to fully establish the Dark Council and grow it into a giant." Teach said with an air of Haki.

"Furthermore, there are some rumors circulating that many underground forces are actually established by other countries in secret. Isn't that a problem?" Rediat was worried that this might have some impact on their Night Pirates.

"It doesn't matter. Since we're part of the West Blue Underworld, what does our identity matter?" Teach didn't care.

"As long as it's established, that's fine. All I need is the benefits the Dark Council can bring us. As long as we live, the Dark Council will remain under our control."

"That's true, but the World Government probably wouldn't allow it."

"Of course they will intervene. As long as they don't know it's us, they won't act rashly. CP0 won't act rashly. Furthermore, the World Government can plant spies in the Underworld, but they can't send forces to intervene. If they dare to do that, it will cause a crisis in the Underworld. At that time, the entire underworld will be in chaos, which would be a loss for the World Government."

Even if they know it's us, they'll only target the Night Pirates.

The others were stunned by Teach and Rediat's conversation. Their captain was about to take control of the entire underground forces of the West Blue, and they were only finding out now.

At this point, Teach took out a Den Den Mushi, turned it on, and it was quickly connected.

"What's wrong, Teach?" Stephanie's voice rang out.

"Ask if things are ready regarding the Dark Council?" Teach said with a smile.

"It's basically all set. The Dark Council has been established, and the headquarters of the Dark Council has begun construction. It's located on an island near the center of the West Blue, now named Kagris Island. Even the invitations to the meeting have been sent throughout the West Blue. However, it's been stated that not many people will attend this Dark Meeting." Stephanie shook her head.

"Heh, they'll be begging to join later. This Dark Council is different from the past. But even those who go won't necessarily join the Dark Council. But it's useless, because the giants of the West Blue Underworld have already joined." Teach couldn't help but sneer, then asked, "So what tier do you rank in the Dark Council, first tier or Gear Second?"

"They're barely in the first tier, and might be downgraded to the Gear Second later. After all, although they have a large influence, their overall strength is still lacking."

"That's normal," Teach nodded.

"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you," Stephanie said into the Den Den Mushi, as if she had just remembered something.

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral Brom is looking for you; he's the one who's got his eye on you."

"So what? Just a Vice Admiral. Does he have some powerful naval officer with him?" At this point, the officers on both sides frowned. It was a joke for Brom to think he could deal with them alone. So, who else could he possibly have?

"No, just Brom alone, but also five Rear Admiral, nine Commodore, and more than five thousand elite naval soldiers."

"Huh?" Teach was somewhat taken aback. "Just him alone? Where does he get his confidence? Although those four Rear Admiral and eight brigadier Commodore a bit of a problem."

"Because he ate Devil Fruit and gained a very powerful ability, he was reserved by the World Government. However, it seems that because of his hatred for you, he secretly ate the Devil Fruit, which angered the World Government." Stephanie was also a little surprised that there was such a fool in the Navy. Even if he ate that Devil Fruit, he was no match for Teach, because Teach's ability was the nemesis of Devil Fruit users.

"What ability?" Teach's eyes lit up. He turned around and exchanged glances with the other executives. They all saw the joy in each other's eyes. Wasn't this Devil Fruit to their doorstep?

"The Paramecia Crush- Smash Fruit, a top-tier offensive Devil Fruit, no weaker than Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Giving it to an old guy like Brom, whose potential has been exhausted, is a complete waste." Stephanie was somewhat disdainful of Brom for eating the Smash Fruit, but her expression became serious. "Even so, Brom's strength is definitely not what it used to be. Teach, you must not be careless."

Stephanie was afraid that Teach might be taken down by Brom, which would ruin her bright future. Deep down, she didn't want Teach to fail. After all, she was only now beginning to enjoy life, unlike the boredom she had experienced before.

"Haha, are you worried about me? Even if another Admiral were added to the mix, I wouldn't be in any trouble," Teach teased Stephanie, laughing confidently.

"Heh, so what if I care about you? Would you want that?" Stephanie laughed, teasing back. "However, Brom disobeyed the Navy's orders and went out on his own. He recruited all these Navy personnel himself."

"Brom has such a high reputation in the Navy?" Teach, somewhat puzzled. "Rear Admiral should be one of the closest to Vice Admiral, along with so many other elite naval officers."

"His reputation alone wouldn't suffice, but he's from the same generation as Sengoku, and his strength ranks among the top Marine Vice Admiral. Plus, the fact that he's using the pretext of besieging you has attracted the interest of quite a few naval personnel," Stephanie said with a smile.

"Marine Headquarters isn't going to stop it?"

"No, he disobeyed the World Government's orders, and his fate is sealed. It's better to let him fight for a while longer. He probably thinks you can't handle Brom right now."

"Then let him perish at sea. We haven't been active for a long time; we can't let the sea forget about the Night Pirates." Teach stood up excitedly, more importantly, because of the top-tier Devil Fruit that had been delivered to their doorstep. "Tell me his location; I'll go find him."