The Trouble with the Dark Council

"Haha, that tiny place called Judicial Island, who knows what they're doing? They can't even monitor the ocean, let alone our navy. The navy is outside the monitoring range of Judicial Island." A Marine General couldn't help but laugh, showing no respect for Judicial Island.

"But this organization has infringed upon Judicial Island's rights, and even some of Impel Down's rights," a colonel said with some concern.

"It definitely needs to be handled internally by the Navy; otherwise, what's the difference from before?"

"I think Staff Officer Tsuru He's plan is good. This is an internal matter for the Navy, and we can handle it ourselves."

"What's the name of this department? And who's in charge of it?"

He didn't speak, turning her gaze to Sengoku and Marshal Sora; this was not a matter she could decide.

Sengoku looked at Sora, who nodded to him, letting Sengoku decide for himself. In the end, all he needed to do was stamp and sign the document, and contact the World Government.

"Then let's have the Inspection Department. As for who will be the head of the Inspection Department," Sengoku said, looking at the Marine Vice Admiral.

This is a job that can easily offend people, and the people in the Inspection Department need to enforce the law strictly and without showing any leniency; otherwise, their power will be abused, and the purpose of establishing this department will be lost.

"We'll discuss this later. First, let's inform the World Government of our plan. If they agree, we'll need to discuss various matters concerning the Inspection Department, as well as the formulation of regulations."

The establishment of a department is not so simple. The Inspection Department has a lot of power, and the formulation of regulations also requires a lot of time and discussion.

Many people know that such a department will inevitably be handed over to members of the hawkish faction, but the power struggle will involve some wrangling and disputes.

However, given the current situation, the navy doesn't have much time and needs to make a decision as soon as possible.

Among these factors, obtaining the World Government's approval is crucial, as the Navy is, after all, a subordinate agency of the World Government, and such an important matter requires the World Government's consent.

Such a thing certainly cannot be done through Den Den Mushi; one must go to the Holy Land Mary Geoise in person.

This was a secret naval meeting, known to very few. However, the establishment of such an organization would inevitably infringe upon the interests of many naval personnel. But this was the prevailing trend. Normally, no one would pay attention to them, but now the navy was facing a major crisis. If they dared to step forward, they would be ruthlessly purged.

This is very important for the navy, and as Tsuru said, it could very well make the navy even stronger.

Everything is for the sake of making the navy better.

The many leaders of the Dark Council and the Dark Council appeared in a conference room. This was the conference room of their Dark Council, with only eighteen seats in total. Five people were seated here, namely the heads of the five departments of the Dark Council. The one in the lead was naturally the Speaker of the Dark Council, Rediat's successor, a calm and ambitious man named Ulysses.

After Hades abdicated, he became the Speaker of the Dark Council with a majority of more than two-thirds of the votes at the Dark Meeting. This demonstrates the prestige and ruthlessness of this man who, though nearing fifty, was still in his prime.

In addition, there are twelve screens corresponding to the leaders of the twelve first-tier forces. These underground dark giants have their own businesses and cannot come here in person.

And the last position is that of "Hades," the founder and cornerstone of the Dark Council. In less than two years, the implementation of precise laws and policies put the Dark Council on the right track and allowed it to develop rapidly.

This surprised countless people, highlighting Hades' formidable strength and exceptional political acumen.

In Hades's seat, there was a sign indicating his code name. On the chair, there was a sleeping Den Den Mushi. On the back of the chair, there was the symbol of the Night Pirates' flag, three skulls, and behind the crossed bones, an eerie dark vortex.

Hades' identity is a secret in the Underworld of the West Blue, except for the leaders of these dark forces and the ministers of the Dark Council present.

Although Hades' true face has never been seen, what he left behind completely represents Hades identity: the Night Pirates, a dominant pirate crew with monstrous strength.

He is now a prominent figure worldwide, Great Pirate crew.

It was an empty space, but no one dared to ignore it, for it belonged to someone.

Today was their routine meeting to discuss matters. The Dark Council once a month, but its members have the right to convene the Dark Council members unexpectedly.

Today's Dark Council was convened by its Speaker, Ulysses.

"Everything in the West Blue has been back on track, but due to the circumstances of this era, our business has been greatly impacted. We are frequently attacked by reckless pirates, which has resulted in significant losses despite our existing defensive capabilities, and our profits have undoubtedly decreased considerably." Ulysses stood up, turned on the video feed, and displayed the information he held to the others.

"The Dark Council has lost a full 30% of its economic gains from trade. This is the data from last month. Last month, the Dark Council's profits from trade reached 7.3 billion Beli. That means we are losing more than 3 billion Beli from trade every month. This needs to be addressed. Do you have any good ideas?" Ulysses asked.

Upon hearing this, the giants of the underworld couldn't help but frown. The Dark Council controlled the Underworld the West Blue, and naturally, they earned more money than this. However, the Dark Council was somewhat like an intermediary. Most of the trade was done through cooperation with internal forces, with the Dark Council only taking a small portion of the profits, while the majority went to those forces with resources and channels.

One can imagine how much they will lose—30%, definitely over a billion.

With the establishment of the Dark Council, its internal power grew rapidly, and money came in large sums. While gaining huge profits, they forgot about the losses. When they thought that they had lost 30 percent of their earnings, they couldn't help but feel a little heartache.

"What can we do? It's always been like this. The navy is too useless. They can't control the pirates in the West Blue at all. Moreover, in this era, there are more and more pirates, and some of them are quite strong. If a battle breaks out, we will suffer heavy losses as well," one of the leaders complained.

"Yes, there are too many pirates, and the West Blue is too big. Even with the Arbitration Court's intervention, it's not very effective; they're short-handed." The judge of the Dark Arbitration Court, Wolson, nodded and spoke. Their Dark Council was still relatively new and had too few members.

For orphans, the upbringing of these children is only just beginning; there's simply not much time left.

Pirates are not considered part of the Underworld. In their minds, the Underworld has its Underworld rules, especially after the establishment of the Dark Council. These pirates do not follow the rules of the Dark Council, and the rules of the Dark Council were not made for pirates.

The Dark Arbitration Court is very powerful, basically capable of sweeping across the West Blue. However, most of the transactions there are left to these forces to handle themselves, Dark Arbitration Court rarely intervenes unless it is a serious matter that causes great losses, or some pirates are too arrogant and affect the interests of the Dark Council. In such cases, the Dark Arbitration Court will take action.

"We need a better way to minimize our losses. The Dark Council is still in its development stage, and it's spending a lot of Beli. If we can reduce the amount spent, the Council's expansion will be faster. Although we have already ruled the entire West Blue, there are still many profits and wealth that can be extracted. While expanding outwards, it will take at least five years, maybe even longer, to digest the entire West Blue. We still can't get fat overnight." Morgan, the bank manager of the Dark Bank, looked a little tired, but he was enjoying himself.

"The main problem is that we have too many loans from the Dark Bank, which has left us without enough funds. Bank loans are a long-term source of profit, but I have already limited the loan amount and the repayment period. If anyone fails to repay within the stipulated time, they will not be able to leave the West Blue alive."

"Because of the Dark Bank's reputation, people have started depositing money Dark Bank, and some have even been Devil Fruit. This is a good thing."

"Well, the council hasn't been established for very long, but it's already quite good to have reached this point. However, dealing with these pirates using violence is definitely not an option; it might even cause greater losses and provoke a pirate rebellion."

"Hehe! Why don't we ask Hades? He should have a solution." A familiar voice rang out. It was Stephanie. Due to the increase in the number of slots for the first-tier forces, Stephanie's Phantom Street barely made it into the first tier.

Phantom Street 'Phantom Street business extends far beyond prostitution; it also deals in intelligence, and controls much of the cosmetics and clothing used by women.

Therefore, the power of Phantom Street is still very large.

"Uh!" Stephanie's words startled everyone present.

That makes some sense. After all, Hades has never made a mistake in his decisions during his long term, so he may very well have a solution to this problem.

However, they were still somewhat nervous about "Hades" because the Night Pirates had not been exposed before, and only a very few people knew about it. The one who knew the most was Stephanie.

It wasn't until Hades abdicated that the members of the Dark Council truly understood what Hades represented—that he represented the Night Pirates.

They also guessed the identity of "Hades," who had been making decisions all along: Rediat, the vice-captain of the Night Pirates.

It's normal to feel nervous, because the Night Pirates represent absolute power, especially after the recent Battle of Exo Island, where they demonstrated the dominant strength of the Night Pirates, particularly "Dark Emperor" Teach, easily destroying the Dark Council.

Even the formidable Wolson admitted that he would suffer a crushing defeat against either Rediat or Teach.

What also relieved them somewhat was that the Night Pirates' departure from the West Blue indicated that, for the Night Pirates, the Dark Council was merely a pawn, and that the Night Pirates would not interfere in the affairs of the West Blue's Underworld because they had no interest in it.

However, the better the Dark Council develops, the more advantageous it will be for the Night Pirates.

"In that case, let's call Dark... Hades," Morgan said, stroking his beard.

Then, the air fell silent, and none of the five people present made a move.

Ulysses' face stiffened, his body paused, and he turned his head slightly to look at both sides. He sat in the main seat, but the other four people present, as well as the twelve giants of the underground dark world displayed on the screen, all the members of the Dark Council had their eyes on him.

"Is it me?" Ulysses chuckled dryly, completely unprepared for what was to come.

"Who else could it be but you? You are the Speaker, the head of the Dark Council, with heavy responsibilities. This important task is naturally entrusted to you," Stephanie said with a light laugh.

The other members also unanimously agreed that he should do it.

"Alright." Ulysses sighed, stood up, and walked to the opposite side of the round table, which had exactly eighteen seats.

The gazes of the others followed Ulysses's movement and landed on the seat belonging to "Hades".

He reached out and activated the Den Den Mushi. This type of Den Den Mushi is a special Den Den Mushi; it can only dial one number and connect to one Den Den Mushi at a time. It is also frequently used by the leaders of various factions.

Meanwhile, the Night Pirates, celebrating their victory in the war, were preparing for their evening banquet.

The ringing of the Den Den Mushi instantly caught Teach and the others' attention. "Is this Den Den Mushi calling from the Dark Council?" Teach asked with a smile.

He vaguely remembered that Teach didn't only have one Den Den Mushi; each Den Den Mushi corresponded to a person, and this particular Den Den Mushi was brought back by Redart Redart.

"Hmm, it seems something's happened, but they already know who we are." Rediat smiled easily.

"So what? They wouldn't dare to even think of resisting, especially against overwhelming force." Teach didn't seem to care.

"Let's connect and see what they want."

"Hmm." Rediat nodded and answered the Den Den Mushi.

"What's the matter? If nothing unexpected happens, we won't interfere in the Dark Council's internal affairs."

Rediat's voice rang out from the Den Den Mushi, making everyone in the Dark Council recognize him and know that it was Rediat had answered.

This is not Hades' voice, because Rediat changed his voice when he became Hades.

Now, Rediat no longer hides, nor is there any need to hide, as he faces these members of the Dark Council.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines; it was merely a question, yet they felt immense pressure.