The Situation on the Seas

Contrary to some people's expectations, the Night Pirates did not leave the West Blue, but continued to West Blue and sail in various parts of the West Blue.

Even the Navy will deliberately avoid the Night Pirates when they encounter them, not daring to provoke them; this is an order from Marine Headquarters.

The seas are in turmoil, and the New World is entering a period of even greater chaos. After a period of silence, pirate crews have begun to fight even more fiercely. All pirates who aspire to the Sea Emperor, whether they are top-tier pirates, weaker pirate crews, or those with insufficient strength, have begun to take action.

After driving away the Navy, the external enemy, the New World finally became the territory of pirates, and the battle for the throne finally began. They all knew that, unlike the overlord, the title of Sea Emperor was much more prestigious.

To become Sea Emperor, one must possess sufficient prestige, strength, influence, and a vast territory.

In the New World, there are many dominant pirate crews. Currently, those qualified to compete for the title of Sea Emperor Whitebeard Newgate (Newgate), Golden Lion Shiki), Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom), Kaido (Kaido of the Beasts), and the older generation of dominant crews John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku.

Alexander Caesar, Satan Pirates of the same generation as Kaido of the Beasts, is Mythical Zoan Human- Human-Human Fruit user in Devil Form.

Akane Rickster, the Trickster of the Weird Pirates, is a Paramecia Mind-Mind Devil Fruit User.

Demon Sword Apep of the Demon Sword Pirates, is Great Swordmaster and Devil Fruit User.

These ten are the World's Strongest overlord-level Great Pirate in the New World. Even though the three older generation of strongmen are showing signs of decline, several of these overlords have not yet reached their peak and still have the potential to rise to an even higher level.

There won't be many emperors at sea, at most no more than five.

Moreover, many people know that the position of Sea Emperor has already been reserved for two people: Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard Newgate the Newgate.

These two pirate crews surpass other dominant pirate crews in terms of captain strength, overall crew power, and territorial reach.

Below these dominant pirate crews, there are many other pirate crews vying for the throne, including the powerful "Heir of the Devil" Douglas Bullet. You can imagine how fierce the competition is.

Furthermore, in addition to defeating his rivals, he also needs to gain the recognition of two legends, Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard, in terms of strength, which is even more difficult than defeating his rivals.

Besides expanding its military and sending troops to suppress the seas, the navy's internal reform and replacement movement has also attracted much attention, and it even seems to be intensifying.

Compared to the three Logia Devil Fruit User, although they are powerful, they have been in the Navy for less than ten years in total, and their influence and connections are not as strong as those of the older generation of competitors.

Furthermore, after learning that the requirements for becoming Admiral might be lowered, several strong individuals within the Navy who lacked sufficient strength and were not Devil Fruit User users began searching for powerful Devil Fruit to enhance their abilities and reach Admiral level, like Brom who ate the Smash Fruit.

Although Brom's strength was still insufficient, he had the potential, but after being killed by Teach, this potential was nipped in the bud.

Becoming Admiral- level expert isn't easy, and finding a powerful Devil Fruit isn't easy either. To further enhance the strength of those who are already top-tier powerhouses on the high seas and may have reached their limits, Devil Fruit must at least be Ancient Species.

And some people have already done so. Although their strength is not yet sufficient, after a few years of accumulation and the Devil Fruit Awakening, they will be able to reach the Admiral level.

The position of an Admiral has captured the attention of countless people, with various interest groups vying for this opportunity, even if the chances are slim.

This increased the number of competitors for the position of Admiral, a situation that surprised not only the Navy's top brass and Sengoku, but also the World Government; their proposal seemed to have gotten out of control.

However, nothing was said, because as for the selection of the true Admiral, time would prove who was qualified and capable of competing for Admiral position, and in the end, it would definitely be based on strength.

Furthermore, these contenders for the Admiral position are supported by many people, including officials from the World Government and even Celestial Dragons.

The obvious disadvantages did not materialize; on the contrary, there were significant advantages. The combat strength of the navy's high command visibly improved, and this was noticed and spread by the spies of various hidden forces.

This angered and alerted the other factions who had been mocking the navy, and the navy's power increased.

Within the Navy, seemingly driven by an inflated sense of power, there has been talk of a renewed push to return to the New World in just a few months since the Navy withdrew.

Becoming Marine Admiral requires a large amount of merit, and the best way to obtain a large amount of merit is to kill and capture those Great Pirate.

However, the high command within the Navy disagreed with this issue, as did the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.

Due to the immense losses caused by the Great Pirate Era, many countries have proactively reduced their Heavenly Gold, and some small countries have even been destroyed.

Under such circumstances, both the World Government and the navy are under tremendous pressure, both in terms of public opinion, reputation, and the loss of trust from Affiliated Nation.

Don't think of the Affiliated Nation as mere appendages of the World Government. In name, Affiliated Nation of the World Government are equal and hold a high position and rights within the World Government.

Therefore, at present, protecting the security and interests of the World Government Member States and suppressing the seas are the main tasks of the Marine Headquarters.

However, this trend has already taken hold and has aroused the apprehension of pirates in the New World, especially these powerful Great Pirate. They have shown some restraint in their competition and have not fought each other to the death.

Because the Marine Headquarters is also preparing that if any of the top-tier pirates becomes weak or seriously injured, they will seize the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack on the New World and eradicate this scourge.

Although the Navy may have left the New World, they have never stopped paying attention to the situation New World, and they will not let any opportunity pass them by.

These rulers of the New World naturally knew that, even for the sake of the entire pirate force, they would not give the Navy this opportunity.

Now, the strongest members of the Navy are constantly taking action to capture and kill pirates from all over the world and along the Grand Line, in order to accumulate military merits as quickly as possible. There are only three Admiral, and whoever achieves the required merits first might become Admiral first.

It is precisely because of this that some people have also turned their attention to the Night Pirates.

Because the Night Pirates can be considered the most powerful pirate crew outside the New World.

Teach was unaware of all this.

News of the Navy's suppression of the four seas has spread, and those pirate crews that were previously very active have all gone into hiding. Due to the spread of the news, pirates across the seas have gained a clear understanding of the Navy's power. At the same time, intelligence agencies in various regions have developed rapidly, and a large number of pirates have obtained information about the Navy's whereabouts through these intelligence organizations.

With an intelligence advantage, why would they throw their lives away knowing they couldn't win, especially those powerful navies who would quickly flee and hide after receiving advance warning?

This made it difficult for these powerful individuals to gain military merit, and also made the navy's operations to suppress the four seas more troublesome, requiring more time.

Besides these, the West Blue was most affected by the establishment of the Dark Council.

Although ordinary people may not know about this force, it is well-known among the upper echelons of the West Blue.

The infamous "Ghost Fire" assassin group was wiped out overnight, thanks to the Dark Council and a joint operation by various underground forces in the West Blue.

More than half of the major underground forces joined the Dark Council and became its members. The Dark Council expanded rapidly until it covered the entire West Blue in just a few months.

Furthermore, Kagris Island, which was originally an unnamed island in the West Blue, now holds a special position as the headquarters of the Dark Council. The first Dark Council meeting lasted for eight days, handling all matters large and small.

All departments have been fully established, Hades, the chairman of the Dark Council, is now the true head and ruler of the Dark Council and the Underworld the West Blue.

Following discussions at a dark meeting, the Dark Council increased the number of slots for top-tier forces in the West Blue Underworld to twelve.

Including the heads of the other five departments of the Dark Council, the Dark Council consists of seventeen people.

After discussion, the Dark Parliament made some adjustments. In addition to the twelve slots for the first-tier forces, the number of slots for the Gear Second forces was also increased by three, reaching a total of twenty-seven.

The number of slots for the third tier of forces has also increased to eighty-one.

However, as the situation in the West Blue Underworld changes, the number of ranks may be increased or decreased as appropriate. After all, the Dark Council has clear requirements regarding the classification of the various forces.

It is normal for power levels to rise and fall for various reasons. It is precisely because of these differences in power levels that different powers enjoy benefits within the Dark Council and possess different levels of power.

The chief judge of the Dark Court was named Pushkin, who was already sixty-three years old. In order to ensure absolute impartiality, this old man who did not belong to any power was recommended to serve in this position.

Don't underestimate this old man. In his youth, he made a name for himself in the Underworld of the West Blue. He has been living in seclusion for many years, but he has been invited out again.

The head of the Dark Bank is Morgan, the most lucrative businessman in the West Blue Underworld. In addition to lending, the head of the bank also has the right to invest in other industries and develop the economy of the Dark Council.

Morgan was already in his fifties, and few people opposed his appointment; they also believed in his abilities.

The presiding judge of the Dark Arbitration Court is a strong man, a lone wolf, and was recommended by many. He is "Mad Wolf" Wolson, Ancient Species Dire Wolf Devil Fruit User. In recent years, he has been wandering the New World for many years and even challenged the current overlord-level Great Pirate "Kaido of the Beasts". After fighting for two days and two nights, he was defeated.

Finally, he received an invitation from Kaido, but was refused by Wolson. Wolson was at his peak, but had reached his limit and was already considering leaving the New World. After that, he returned to his hometown, West Blue.

While Wolson's strength didn't reach the level of Admiral, he possessed the combat power of Admiral Candidate. He also had a bounty of 800 million Beli on the high seas and enough prestige in the Underworld of the West Blue, making him fully qualified to become the chief judge.

The remaining eight deacons, along with an enforcement team of eight thousand men, including eighty captains, naturally held positions based on their strength.

These eight deacons are all quite powerful, and there are also several individuals with special abilities. Some of them are relatively young but have great potential and aspire to the position of chief judge.

The Dark Council is undoubtedly a better option for loners who don't want to join other factions, and offers great potential for advancement.

The final Dark Audit Court wields immense power, auditing all expenditures of the Dark Council to prevent errors or malicious individuals.

The ranking of the various powers is also entrusted to the Dark Council, which controls important intelligence.

The Dark Audit Court has a vast workload, and its director is Metternich, a renowned figure in the West Blue Underworld who does not belong to any particular faction.

In addition to the six major departments—the Dark Conference, the Dark Council, the Dark Court, the Dark Bank, the Dark Arbitration Court, and the Dark Audit Court —there are other smaller departments subordinate to these six departments. For example, the intelligence organization under the Audit Court, Dark Bank, due to its various operations, is divided into several departments.

Besides its official members, the Dark Arbitration Court also has some candidates, or the Dark Council cultivates its own strong individuals, selecting them from among orphans and children; in any case, there are plenty of such people in this world.

There are also various departments, large and small, such as the auction, all of which have been established, have been filled, and are in preparation.

In addition, there are departments secretly established by the Dark Council that few people know about: the Dark Eye and the Dark Blade. As the names suggest, they are an intelligence department and an assassination department.

The intelligence department of the Auditor General has some intelligence shared among its members, as well as intelligence it has uncovered on its own.

The Dark Eye is even more secretive, operating not only internally but also externally, targeting all aspects that threaten the Dark Council.

The Dark Blade is the assassination division, a more secretive force that sometimes operates in conjunction with the Dark Tribunal.

If the Arbitration Court functions similarly to the Navy and Army in relation to the World Government, then the Dark Blade and the Dark Eye are like the World Government's partners.

The Dark Council's structure was perfect, especially in a place like the Underworld, where information couldn't be kept secret from certain people.

The establishment of the Dark Council had far-reaching and far-reaching effects. The entire council system was a community of shared interests, an innovation that was somewhat similar to the World Government, but also different in many ways. The main difference was that there were no Celestial Dragons.

While some were surprised by the establishment of the Dark Council, many more far-sighted individuals were captivated and awestruck by the council's framework and the functions of its various departments.

In just a few short months since the establishment of the West Blue Dark Council, it has become a behemoth, a colossal beast that radiates throughout the entire West Blue and is expanding outwards.

Even Teach was shocked by the results; his previous ideas had been too conservative.