Solving the Problem
"Yes, Lord Hades, I have come to consult you today because of something important." Ulysses swallowed hard, not addressing Rediat by his real name. Here, Rediat is Hades, representing the Night Pirates.
Even though he holds a high position as the chairman of the Dark Council and the head of the West Blue's underground dark world, he is still incomparable to Hades. The difference in their levels is too great. The rules may restrict him, but they cannot restrict Hades, because Hades is the one who truly sets the rules, and his words represent the rules.
"Oh, so the others are here too."
"That's right, all the council members are here." Ulysses nodded.
"What's the problem? Isn't there Staff Department? They should be able to handle any issues."
"Well, they're on vacation these past few days, and it just so happens that the Dark Council is here today, so they thought of you." Ulysses wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Then speak." Rediat valued the Staff Department's capabilities highly; they were a treasure of the Dark Council and needed to be carefully protected.
"It's like this..." Then, Ulysses recounted the whole story about the West Blue pirates.
"Is that so? Pirates, huh?" Rediat frowned, sensing some trouble. Pirates were such a chaotic and unruly force that they were impossible to control, and just as Ulysses had said, there were simply too many pirates.
Even powerful pirate crews with the strength to control a sea area are constantly bombarded by other pirates. They are either overthrown, replaced, or sent to the Grand Line. Therefore, they cannot stabilize their operations and have to spend even more money protecting these commercial trades. There are also many losses and compensation payments. Otherwise, the profits would undoubtedly be much greater.
This is just the profit earned by the Dark Council, merely the intermediary fee. The bulk of the profit comes from the entire underground dark world of the West Blue. It should be noted that the total trade volume of the entire West Blue Underworld driven by the Dark Council is as high as tens of millions. You can imagine how huge the losses are.
Rediat, who once ruled the Dark Council, was well aware of the interests involved. However, he hadn't paid attention to these pirates during the development phase, but now he couldn't ignore them because the losses they caused were too great. Due to the changing times, his successor was under great pressure.
Ulysses' abilities are undeniable, and this is also a problem that needs to be addressed for the development of the Dark Council.
Rediat didn't speak, but glanced back at Teach. Teach gave him a meaningful look, Teach Rediat understood. "Wait a few minutes."
After saying that, Rediat hung up the phone.
"Let the pirates deal with the pirates," Rediat said, stating his idea.
"Yes, that's what I think too, but it needs to be refined. Pirates are untrustworthy; they can be used, but they could betray you at any time." Teach nodded, his eyes deep in thought.
"Then let's train some pirates. These pirates are trustworthy; with their abilities, they can definitely do it." Rediat smiled.
"That's right, but it takes time. Besides, the West Blue is very large, so there will definitely be a lot of pirates to train. It's not worth it. We can support some pirates and cooperate with them. If they have bad intentions, we can just abandon them and let other pirate crews replace them, or give them to the Navy as credit. We can also gradually bring the West Blue Navy under our control."
"Then let's do it this way. I'm confident they have the ability to perfect this plan."
"Um."
Rediat nodded, turned on the Den Den Mushi, and on the other side, the Dark Council knew that Rediat and his group were definitely discussing something, but as time passed, they couldn't help but feel more and more nervous, wondering how long they would have to wait.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang. Ulysses had been waiting, quickly Den Den Mushi the moment it rang and then waited for Rediat's voice.
"The method is already in place: specifically train some pirates belonging to the Dark Council, let pirates fight pirates. In addition, cooperate with some pirate crews in the West Blue. Those who cooperate well can continue, and those with bad intentions can be discarded, eliminated, or given to the Navy as credit. We can also plant spies in the Navy along the way, so that the Dark Council can control most of the Navy in the West Blue. The rest is up to you to refine."
"Yes, Lord Hades." Rediat's words made Ulysses' mind clearer. In this way, the Dark Council could not only control a portion of the pirates in the West Blue and protect the Dark Council's trade, but also continuously plant spies in the Navy. With the Dark Council's intelligence, these spies would be promoted quickly in the Navy, and it was believed that in a few years, they would be able to control the entire Navy of the West Blue.
Complete control is an exaggeration, but turning the West Blue Navy into the Dark Council's navy is perfectly feasible.
Meanwhile, Ulysses had already developed some more refined ideas for this plan. In this way, the Dark Council's trade losses would be reduced in no time, and they would gradually gain control of the Navy and the pirates, which would be a win-win situation.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
Seeing that nothing else was wrong, Rediat hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Ulysses and his companions breathed a sigh of relief.
"Next, we need to refine this plan. How should we do that? Should we handle it covertly, or hold a secret meeting to draft a bill?" Ulysses returned to his seat and asked the others.
Everyone else shared their thoughts, and soon it was decided that the matter would be handled covertly while also establishing regulations, since it concerned the trade security of the entire West Blue Underworld and required the consent of other forces.
Things like planting spies and training pirates must be done in secret, hidden from public view.
The Dark Council meeting ended quickly, and Stephanie promptly called Teach afterward.
"When is our Dark Lord going to the New World?" Stephanie's smiling face was evident even through the Den Den Mushi.
"No rush. What about you? When are you coming to the New World?" Teach didn't really care about such things, because all he needed was information about Stephanie and to provide him with Devil Fruit.
However, the World Government also needs Stephanie to maintain a good relationship with Teach, to gather crucial intelligence on the Night Pirates, and even to deliver a fatal blow to them at a critical moment.
The World Government has done many such actions. The annihilation of the World Pirates, targeting "World Destroyer" Bondy a, was a prime example. Not only did the Navy collude with the pirates, but there were also World Government spies hidden within the World Pirates themselves. This betrayal at a crucial moment was a major factor in the World Pirates' destruction.
Then there's the future Whole Cake Island incident. Stussy, the Queen the "Pleasure Street" who has been hiding for many years, has always been on good terms with Big Mom and cooperated with her. At a crucial moment, she betrayed the Big Mom Pirates, causing them huge losses. Big Mom wanted nothing more than to capture Stussy and strangle her.
By then, Stussy's identity had been exposed, and Pleasure Street was no longer important, being taken over by others.
Unlike the original plan, Stephanie's plan has been slightly changed. As Stussy's sister, Stephanie looks the same, and this identity cannot be changed, which would make things more reasonable.
However, once one of the two is exposed, the other's identity will also be exposed. In that case, the other's years of planning will definitely fail, and all the years of effort will be wasted.
But there's nothing that can be done about it. Once Stephanie arrives in the New World, their identical appearances will definitely attract attention. Besides, Teach already knows what Stephanie looks like, and Stussy is a big shot in the New World.
Changing her appearance would easily arouse Teach's suspicion, unless Stephanie is prevented from coming to the New World. However, Stephanie maintains close ties with the Night Pirates, so not sending her would be a waste, especially considering the significant initial investment.
This is undoubtedly a contradiction, and in the World Government's estimation, the threat posed by the Night Pirates, specifically "Dark Emperor" Teach, is far greater than that of the Big Mom Pirates.
While Big Mom is a born monster, "Dark Emperor" Teach is even more difficult to deal with, especially after developing the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that anyone could defend against him. He can absorb the fruit's power and easily withstand physical attacks. In terms of ambition and intelligence, Teach is also far superior to Big Mom.
The Night Pirates cannot give up. Big Mom has been planning this for many years, so their identities cannot be easily exposed. Even if they need to do something targeted, they must do it in secret, or have the Navy or the World Government take action directly.
"Soon. I'll go there soon after you arrive in the New World. But for now, I still need to keep control of Phantom Street. After all, I'm a member of the Dark Council, and that's an important position for the World Government. However, the impact on the lower levels is quite severe, so I can only hold on for a while longer. Phantom Street's power has reached its peak, and I feel that it won't be long before it's pushed down. At that point, it won't be important anymore, and I can go to the New World."
After all, how could a small Phantom Street compare to the crucial intelligence of the Night Pirates? The World Government knew exactly what to choose.
Stephanie smiled, took a sip of red wine, and felt a surge of excitement. This moment was finally almost here; she had been looking forward to it for a long time. The New World was a grand stage, while the West Blue, though vast, held no appeal whatsoever.
Meanwhile, she hadn't seen her sister for a long time and missed her. She remembered hearing Stussy's surprise when she spoke to her sister on the phone before.
"Really? Then let's wait for you. What's the World Government's, or rather CP0's, attitude towards the Night Pirates? Are they planning another attack?" Teach asked. This was a crucial question. If so, Teach could prepare in advance. If the force they sent was too powerful, Teach also considered hiding for a while to avoid the limelight.
After all, the Navy's power is terrifying. Even if a true top-tier expert were to appear, Teach would have to flee, despite his current strength.
"Hmm, not yet. I haven't received any news either. After all, the war has just ended, and even if there are discussions, it won't be over in a few days. However, based on my understanding, it shouldn't be. But we'll have to wait until the Night Pirates reach the latter part of Paradise."
"It seems I was too hasty." Teach looked into the distance. If the World Government really mobilized all its forces, the Night Pirates wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"The Navy can't spare any manpower, ultimately because there are too many pirates. The four seas are still not stable, and the number of pirates has not decreased. Moreover, the Navy doesn't have the mind to deal with the Night Pirates right now. I have to say, the Night Pirates are really ruthless. Even if there is a good solution, it will take several years to restore your former reputation," Stephanie suddenly laughed.
Teach was well aware that this was the original plan: to damage the Navy's reputation and prevent them from focusing on other matters. The Navy needed to not only deal with the pirates but also restore its former prestige and regain the public's trust. Only in this way could justice be better served.
Otherwise, if justice cannot even be represented, how can it be enforced?
Furthermore, the Navy's internal efficiency is currently extremely low, and most of the sailors have lost their fighting spirit, distrust of their superiors, and confusion about the Navy's justice. If this is not resolved, everything else is just empty talk.
"That's true. Just look at the Navy's actions. The longer it drags on, the greater the Navy's losses will be. Right now, the Navy's war machine has somewhat stalled. Without the Navy, it's impossible to contain the pirates, and the seas will become even more chaotic. The chaos among the Affiliated Nation will also cause distrust of the Navy and the World Government, seriously affecting the World Government's reputation." Teach saw all of this clearly and couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation, waiting for the Navy's next move. Without a proper response, this turbulent sea would be far too boring.
It's true that the Navy is the overlord of the seas, but with the advent of the Great Pirate Era, it has lost its right to be the overlord. The four seas, which were originally its base, have been out of control, and the first half of the Grand Line has been driven out of the New World by pirates.
The navy is currently in a very difficult situation. A slight misstep could plunge it into an abyss. The most serious issue is the damage to the navy's public image. Without proper measures to salvage the situation, all hope will be lost.
After all, in this era of Great Pirate, the only people can trust is the Navy.
"The seas are raging, and now that the navy has lost its restraint, we'll see what the navy does next. According to my intelligence, the Marine Headquarters held an important meeting, which has now concluded. It's said that Admiral Sengoku is heading towards the Holy Land, so they should have come up with a countermeasure." Stephanie revealed her intelligence and couldn't help but laugh, having thought the navy would collapse under this blow to its prestige.
"So fast, they're not to be underestimated. The wisdom within the Navy." As he spoke, Teach's mind drifted to Vice Admiral Tsuru, whom he had dealt with before. It must be her.