230 The Navy's Internal Shifts
"Is that so?" Teach nodded, having heard Rediat's account of the destruction of Ohara from Nelson, who had now returned. He had also received advance notice of the event from the newspapers.
"That's not bad either. Although it has nothing to do with us, the seed has been planted. No matter what, it will definitely catch fire in the future, and that will cause trouble for the World Government and the Navy. It will be beneficial to us." As he spoke, Teach smiled, picked up the wine glass on the table, and clinked glasses with Rediat beside him. The two of them tacitly agreed to the toast.
"Bang!"
A crisp sound rang out, and we took a sip of Teach's treasured Monkey Wine, inhaling the aroma of the wine.
For Teach and his crew, causing trouble for the World Government is naturally a good thing. It doesn't matter if it's just a difference in stance. Whether it's Teach, the captain of the Night Pirates, or the future overlord of the New World Great Pirate, he will become a thorn in the side of the Navy and the World Government, and a key target of their attention.
The same applies to Rediat. Whether it was his previous identity as a prince of the Tiresfa Kingdom, or his current status as an important figure in the Night Pirates Teach's right-hand man, not to mention his bloodline and identity as the son of "The Lone Red," this identity would be exposed sooner or later when Rediat decided to inherit this surname.
In some ways, Rediat's importance is no less than Teach's.
"The Dark Council starts in a few days, and Lafitte's side has been secured," Teach said to Rediat. " In the Underworld of the West Blue, Lafitte has persuaded two-thirds of the forces, and roughly two-thirds will attend this Dark Council, which is much better than we expected."
In Teach's expectations, apart from the giants who had already prepared for the West Blue Underworld, few other forces would join in, because they had not seen any real benefits and were mostly just watching or even mocking.
Teach and his group had already made preparations, though the initial preparations were difficult, because the development of their forces required a lot of funds, which were provided by these forces, with Teach also secretly providing some.
The money was flowing into the water a month ago, already under immense financial pressure due to the various needs of the Dark Council's formation.
Now that so many forces have been persuaded by Lafitte, Teach underestimated Lafitte's talent as a diplomat.
However, merely participating in this Dark Council does not guarantee that these forces will join Dark Council. But since they are willing to participate, this Dark Council is already halfway to success.
The detailed charter for the formation of the Dark Council was finalized a month ago. Lafitte, representing Teach, had detailed conversations, negotiations, and negotiations with the underground forces.
If people attend this meeting, others will naturally join, and the financial pressure will be reduced.
A detailed charter would certainly attract visionary individuals who would see the potential of the Dark Council and the greater the benefits they would reap the rewards of joining earlier.
It's important to know that there are requirements for Dark Council.
"As expected of him." Rediat couldn't help but admire him. During the days he worked with Lafitte, he had a thorough understanding of Lafitte. Whether it was strength, talent, or even temperament, he was first-rate.
As Ancient Species Devil Fruit User, Lafitte's future is sure to be bright, and his overall abilities rank among the top three of all the executives.
"Then it's up to you. Make sure the Dark Council is successfully formed. Although you've dealt with some of the rebels, there's no guarantee that there won't be any troublemakers within the Dark Council. If there are, you know what will happen." Teach said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, a hint of ruthlessness.
The Dark Council is undoubtedly a grand scheme, and in the future it certainly won't be limited to the West Blue, but will expand to all four seas, even the Grand Line.
The help that Teach can bring is not only supplies and funds, but also intelligence and influence, which can make the World Government and the Navy wary, because just one word can throw the entire West Blue into chaos.
"Yes, I understand. If there are any, I will execute them on the spot. We haven't killed enough yet, Lafitte should be more than happy to oblige." Rediat lowered his head slightly and smiled.
"However, after such a big incident, the navy will probably come after us again."
Rediat was referring to the great battle a few days prior, in Teach killed Marine Vice Admiral Brom, and Rediat made his first appearance, stunning everyone.
After that incident, the Navy did not take any significant action. Even the Buster Call crew did not provoke the Night Pirates, but instead left the West Blue and returned to the Grand Line.
This disappointed some who thought the Marine Headquarters would take the opportunity to launch a crackdown on the Night Pirates.
After that, the overall bounty of the Night Pirates only increased slightly. As the captain of the Night Pirates, "Dark Emperor" Teach's bounty increased by more than 200 million, directly rising to 945.2 million Beli, adding another achievement to his resume.
Rediat's bounty also jumped to 500 million Beli, but his name was still not on his wanted poster.
Given Rediat's background, his name is definitely on the World Government's search list.
"It should be soon, but only after we reach the Grand Line. As long as we don't cause trouble, the Navy shouldn't bother us for now." Teach smiled and shook his head. "After all, suppressing the four seas is the Navy's most important mission right now."
"Furthermore, the Marine Headquarters is also undergoing a transformation. With the advent of the Great Pirate Era and the defeat in the New World, facing an even more chaotic sea and rampant pirates, the Marines will also present a brand-new image to the sea, giving the people and Affiliated Nation confidence," Teach explained, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This is a trend within the Marine Headquarters, involving decisions and consensus from the World Government's upper echelons. Teach received this information from Stephanie, Teach extremely shocked upon learning it. The birth of the Three Admirals was to be brought forward, influenced by various factors.
The main reason is that in this era, the Navy is at a disadvantage when facing pirates, which has led to the Affiliated Nation and the World Government losing patience with the Navy.
This includes the decentralization of power by Marshal Kong, the rising prestige of Admiral Sengoku, and the emergence of three new generation Logia Devil Fruit User. Behind them are many supporters, representing complex and intertwined interests.
Sakazuki, for example, became the spokesperson for the hawks within the Navy. The main attitude of pirates towards the sea is tough and ruthless.
Kuzan represents the doves within the Navy, Staff Officer Tsuru is a key figure in the doves, Admiral Sengoku is outwardly a hawk but inwardly leans towards the doves, and Navy Garp the Hero, while not expressing his own stance, is close to the doves.
Borsalino, due to his personality and strength, naturally became the representative of the neutral faction.
However, the Admiral is the naval commander, representing the pinnacle of naval power. Simply reaching the Admiral level in terms of strength is not enough; one must become a strong individual among the Admiral to become Admiral. Only in this way can one possess enough power to awe the entire sea.
Currently, these three rising stars within the Navy still need a period of time to mature and reach the level of a strong Admiral. This period will take at least seven or eight years, or even longer. Becoming Admiral is not that simple.
Furthermore, they also have some competitors within the Navy. After all, there are definitely a few hidden powerhouses in the Navy, whose strength reaches the level of Admiral.
If their original strength was somewhat insufficient, but if they lowered their standards in order to cope with this chaotic era, then they would have a chance to become Admiral.
It's important to understand that Admiral is not just a position, but also a power. Admiral wield immense power, not only within the Navy and the World Government, but also within Affiliated Nation. The benefits they represent are staggering, and they also hold immense symbolic significance. There can only be three Admirals in the Navy, and they will not relinquish any opportunity to hold one.
Furthermore, besides their strength, Sakazuki and his men were also somewhat lacking in military achievements. While they could lower their expectations regarding strength, they couldn't meet the same requirements for military achievements. Without sufficient merit, one could not become Admiral. At the same time, their prestige at sea was also somewhat insufficient.
"Really? So fast? The most likely candidates are these three Logia Devil Fruit User. Judging from their ages, they should have broken the record for Black Arm Zephyr becoming Admiral." Rediat's pupils shrank. Becoming Admiral isn't that easy.
"Who knows?" Teach chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "It's a policy for extraordinary times, anyway, it'll be in the next few years." As far as Teach knew, even the Shichibukai policy had been brought forward. Originally just a proposal, it was now in the process of being drafted, and he believed that the Shichibukai policy would be announced in a few years.
Teach was also curious about the selection of the Shichibukai —would it be the original cast?
After all, the situation on the sea has changed quite a bit, and it's very different from before. Doflamingo is certain that the status of Shichibukai will bring him enormous benefits.
Crocodile's whereabouts are currently unknown. However, after the Great Pirate Era began, he single-handedly reached the New World in a short period of time, challenged the World's Strongest warrior, Whitebeard, and ultimately suffered a crushing defeat, losing an arm in exchange for Golden Hook.
Gecko Moria probably wouldn't. Living in the New World, he doesn't need the power or position of Shichibukai, nor does he care about such a position. Doing so would only cause other pirates to reject him.
Others may also become Shichibukai, or they may be affected in some way.
"In that case, we can stay in the West Blue for a while longer, which will allow the Dark Council to stabilize and address some of the potential changes that might occur when the system is initially established," Rediat pondered, sharing his thoughts.
"Well, it's okay to go to the New World later. The officers haven't grown up yet and need two years to become stronger. If the Navy doesn't cause us any trouble, there's no rush to go to the first half of the Grand Line. Once we leave the seas, the Navy will definitely keep an eye on us and might even try to encircle and annihilate us." Teach said seriously. Their pirate crew had been established for too short a time and still needed time to become stronger.
Teach, on the other hand, also needs to further train his physique to truly reach the level of Admiral, and develop his Devil Fruit.
All they need is time.
With the Dark Council incident, the Night Pirates will have no choice but to stay in the West Blue from now on.
This is also to prevent any accidents from happening.
"Let's see where we can go next, preferably somewhere we can settle down. And could you get me the nautical chart for the West Blue?"
This was said to Nelson was sitting not far away.
In the blink of an eye, a complete, open nautical chart of the West Blue appeared on the deck in front of Teach.
Teach held a Tact in his hand, using it to determine their current location. At the same time, the route the Night Pirates had taken all the way from the West Blue was also drawn on the sea chart.
The target was elsewhere, and the others couldn't help but gather around. This was to determine their next destination, their voyage across the sea.
As the captain, it was naturally Teach's responsibility to make this decision. Teach's gaze swept across the nautical chart, focusing on the kingdoms and islands marked on it.
However, Teach was not familiar with the West Blue, and Teach did not know the customs and traditions of these kingdoms and islands, so he could not make a determination.
"If you're unsure, take a look at this." Rediat's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Following Rediat's shadow, a patch of shadow extended out, and then, several books slowly emerged from the shadow.
The title on the cover reads, "Marco Polo's Travelogue".
"These are books written by the famous traveler Marco Polo. He traveled all over the world and recorded his experiences. I came across them by chance. These books are all about the West Blue. Having these books should be helpful for our next goal." Rediat smiled. These books were kept in the library of Ohara, and he had noticed them.
"Perfect timing. Marco Polo lived more than fifty years ago, so his records shouldn't have changed West Blue since then. These books are just what we need." Teach nodded. Teach had heard of Marco Polo before; he was a world-famous traveler and a figure remembered by history.
His travelogue covers all the famous and distinctive countries, towns, and attractions around the world, and even some very dangerous islands.
With these books, their purpose became much clearer.
"You guys search and then make a route. However, our ship needs a musician, or even a music band, so let's first look for islands and kingdoms with a musical atmosphere." Teach still needed to train and didn't have time to read such thick books, so he naturally handed them to his subordinates. Several of them, however, opened the books with great interest.
"If we're talking about the place in the West Blue with the strongest musical atmosphere, then it should be Venus, the city of music, which is known as the Holy Land of music," Rediat said, stroking his chin after hearing Teach's words. As a truly far-sighted and learned prince of the West Blue, Rediat shared his thoughts.