Emperor Crocodile
Recruiting Slada was very easy and without any obstacles.
Even the villagers of Hunting Island didn't try to dissuade him. After all, Hunting Island was too small and had already limited Slada's abilities. With Slada's talent, he should be venturing out to sea and making a name for himself.
They only stayed for a day and didn't have much to say about it. Early the next morning, Slada left the Hunting Island with Teach, returned to the small island, and then set off again.
"Slada, this is the gift I prepared for you." Teach smiled, and a surge of black energy flowed from his palm, forming a dark vortex that connected to the Darkness Space within Teach's body.
A box made of a special material appeared from the Darkness Space and fell into Teach's hands. Then, Teach took out a key from somewhere, inserted it into the keyhole of the box, turned it to the side, and with a "click," the box was opened, revealing what was inside: Devil Fruit.
Inside was a Devil Fruit, treasured by Teach. Of course, Teach had more than just this one Devil Fruit, but the others were kept in separate boxes.
This Devil Fruit is among the top-tier Devil Fruit in Teach's collection.
Among them are the Ancient Species Alligator-Alligator Fruit, the Ancient Species Kraken Fruit, and the Ancient Species Giant Eagle Fruit, all from the Kraken Kingdom.
Taken from the Smash Fruit of the deceased Lieutenant Vice Admiral Brom.
Obtained during the battle on Exo Island: Logia Miasma Fruit, Ancient Species Titan Python Fruit, Explosive Sound Fruit.
The Teach took out was a top-tier Ancient Species Devil Fruit, from one of the strongest predators of antiquity, capable of traversing both land and sea.
There were other crew members and officers present, all of whom were Teach the Devil Fruit that Teach had taken out and what kind of power it possessed.
"This is a Devil Fruit I obtained a long time ago, five years ago. It's Ancient Species Crocodile-Crocodile Fruit, Emperor Crocodile Mode. This is the power I prepared for you. It suits you perfectly. Eat it and let's see its power." Teach smiled, took out the Devil Fruit, and handed it to Slada.
Upon hearing Teach's words, everyone else's eyes lit up. Just as Teach said, it was a perfect fit for Slada.
While Titan Python and Kraken are formidable, the Emperor Crocodile is undoubtedly a better fit for Slada. Slada is clearly a power-type character, and the Emperor Crocodile's immense strength, combined with Slada's physique, will produce astonishing results.
Some of them hadn't expected that Teach would be hiding such a top-tier Ancient Species Devil Fruit.
Surprised, they looked at Slada, wanting to see the power of the Emperor Crocodile Fruit.
Slada looked at the Devil Fruit, unable to contain his excitement. He naturally knew something about Devil Fruit.
However, he wouldn't be interested in ordinary abilities; they also needed to have a high degree of compatibility with him. Now, such a rare, top-tier ability, which also had a high degree of compatibility with him, was right in front of him. How could he possibly give it up?
A powerful Zoan is what he wants, but rarer Mythical Zoan are too uncommon and might not be a good fit for him.
This Ancient Species, the Emperor Crocodile Fruit, has no particular disadvantages compared to those Mythical Zoan, except for lacking special abilities. In fact, it is even more powerful in terms of increasing strength and physique.
Of course, it's definitely weaker than those top-tier Mythical Zoan, such as Kaido Azure Dragon Fruit.
However, he believed that this Devil Fruit would shine even brighter in his hands.
Without hesitation, Slada reached out and took the Devil Fruit from Teach's hand. He opened his mouth and put it in his mouth in one gulp. He knew exactly what Devil Fruit tasted like, so he swallowed it whole.
Slada stood there quietly, feeling the power surging within him, and couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Let's see the power of the Emperor Crocodile Fruit," Teach, looking at Sla with a smile.
"Hmm." Slada nodded, and then his already massive body grew half a meter taller, his strong muscles bulging, making him even more powerful.
A row of serrated teeth appeared before Teach and his companions; Slada's body was covered in hard scales.
Slada immediately entered his Human-Beast Form. Due to Slada strong foundation, he could easily master the power and transform at will after eating the Devil Fruit.
Slada unleashed an even more terrifying aura, like a savage behemoth. This surge in power put immense pressure on some of the members present. Slada was already very strong, and with the addition of the Devil Fruit's abilities, he became even more terrifying.
Slada's entire pupils turned into golden vertical pupils, looking extremely terrifying. His indifference revealed a deathly stillness that sent chills down one's spine.
The terrifying aura, along with the invisible pressure, was different from the dragon's might. It was also the oppression of the superior over the inferior, and as Emperor Crocodile, it naturally possessed such abilities.
Slada had transformed into a humanoid monster, a cold-blooded Tyrant, a symbol of absolute violence.
"Haha, not bad. Keep training hard. There's still a lot you need to improve: your Haki, your physique, and your strength." Looking at Slada, Teach nodded in satisfaction, his eyes shining with excitement, as if he were looking at a perfect work of art. Slada truly satisfied him.
Like Gari, Slada is very young. Gari is nineteen, and Slada is only one year older, yet he already possesses such formidable strength, which speaks volumes about his potential.
"Hmm." Slada nodded. An invisible gravity could be felt on his body. The gravity here was very strong, up to twenty times the normal force. Even the executives had some difficulty with it, as he developed his abilities.
Teach has been able to manipulate gravity to some extent, stratifying it so that there is one intensity of gravity within a certain range, and another intensity in the more central area.
Teach has been able to stratify gravity into two stages, which is a breakthrough. These two stages can be the gravity used for training ordinary members and the gravity used in the executive training camp, respectively.
Of course, this doesn't mean that all cadres train under 20 times the normal gravity. For example, Baccarat doesn't have such a strong pursuit of strength, and she trains in areas with weaker gravity.
Those aspiring to leadership positions, like Clemons, occasionally train under twenty times gravity. However, his strength is still somewhat lacking due to his age and limited ability to withstand the force for extended periods. He can only rely on the power of the Muscle Fruit to enhance himself and reach a level where he can train under twenty times gravity.
In this way, he could not only strengthen his physique but also enhance his ability to develop his Devil Fruit. However, given his abilities, he couldn't maintain this for very long.
This kind of gravity division is actually quite unreasonable, since the strength of the entire pirate crew should be divided into several levels, with each level having a different gravity.
However, given Teach's abilities, dividing things into two levels is already the limit. To create a third or fourth level, he would need to further develop the gravitational pull of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The addition of a new and powerful companion brought new vitality to the ship, but also greater pressure. Each member began to train seriously and diligently.
"Next, let's go to Magu Town. There's a passage to Sky Island there, hahaha!" Teach looked towards the sea and laughed loudly.
The others' eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing the name Sky Island. It was the legendary Sky Island; if Teach mentioned it, it must really exist.
Next, they're going to go to heaven.
The news quickly spread throughout the entire Night Pirates, and all the members couldn't help but cheer. On the high seas, nothing is more exciting than the unknown and seeing and experiencing legendary places firsthand.
Soon, soon, the New World, he's coming back. He's been gone for over three years, and there are still many people waiting for him there. That's where he can truly unleash his potential.
Suppressing his inner excitement, Teach calmed himself down and entered the training room. Under the powerful gravity, the weights, and the restrictions of the Seastone, Teach began his daily training again.
Currently, aside from learning Conqueror's Haki's Entangling Technique, there's no other way to significantly enhance his combat power in a short period of time.
It requires accumulation and gradual improvement in all aspects, which takes time and a lot of effort.
Aside from consuming a Devil Fruit, it's undoubtedly a losing proposition. A strong physique, powerful Haki, and strong basic combat strength are fundamental. Focusing on Devil Fruit while being unable to use it is pointless.
Once he reveals his abilities, he will be watched by the whole world. Currently, his power is not yet fully established, and before that, he cannot use his newly acquired abilities. Since he cannot use them, he cannot enhance his combat strength, so why should he eat them?
Teach was aware of the Conqueror's Haki's Conqueror's Haki binding technique. Over the past few years, he had made some progress in mastering it, but now he could only use it roughly, at most adding it as Conqueror's Haki additive to his attacks.
For Conqueror's Haki to truly bind to oneself or one's weapon, it would take some time, and that was exactly what Teach lacked most. Compared to those monsters, his foundation was still somewhat insufficient.
His own strength has already reached this level, and he will be able to master the Conqueror's Haki's Haki soon.
The Marine Headquarters is currently very busy, mostly cleaning up internal corruption. As the Navy's internal intelligence network is being established and expanded, this network is neither perfect nor mature, given the short time frame.
However, many malignant elements were also discovered. Aside from colluding with pirates, which is a capital offense, many more were colluding with local gangs and forces to obtain huge profits.
There are many such navies. In addition to reports from some naval personnel and many citizens, the navy's mission focus, besides suppressing the seas, has shifted to cleaning up its own internal affairs.
You wouldn't believe it until you investigate; the local navy has formed a huge chain of interests with those forces, maintaining close ties with local tyrants and even Affiliated Nation. This is true in many places.
It also involves many high-ranking naval officers.
However, faced with the massive Marine Headquarters and Marine Headquarters determination, they were no threat at all. One by one, they were captured, and to their surprise, these Navy personnel were incredibly wealthy, having amassed an unimaginable amount of Beli.
During the search, there were instances of officials protecting each other, but in the end, they were all suppressed by the high pressure from the Marine Headquarters. Anyone who dared to stand up would basically be arrested.
In just one month, the navy's prisons were almost full. There were relatively few death sentences and not many serious crimes. After all, most of those who colluded with those forces and even caused damage to the navy's interests were heads or second-in-commands of the Marine Branch.
Most of them just made minor mistakes and needed to be detained for a few days, as well as undergo labor reform. After all, these naval officers who made mistakes couldn't be allowed to eat for free; it would cost money, and with so many of them, the daily food consumption was enormous.
These people are only on the surface; some are even more deeply hidden and cannot be caught. For example, several branches of the West Blue Navy have members of the Dark Council, from the branch leaders down to ordinary marines and even cooks. The entire Marine Branch has been corrupted.
If they stick to a single story, what can they possibly find out?
Furthermore, the work of the Inspection Department is semi-covert, and its identity is not secret. Once it is known, there is enough time to deal with it, and it can be easily covered up.
With Marine Headquarters as large as it is, it's impossible to clean up these cancerous cells in a short period of time. In a month, they can only investigate the Marine Branch in the first half of the Grand Line.
As for the Marine Branch in all four seas, they rely more on reports from the public.
The Navy did its best in this regard, even releasing information on some naval personnel who had committed serious offenses that same day, which was disseminated to the world through various channels, earning widespread praise.
The Navy's reputation is gradually recovering, but there is great panic within the Navy itself. This decision was made by the Navy's high command, and they have no way to resist it. All they can do is hide and keep a low profile.
Marine Headquarters could basically only catch a few naval officers who were caught off guard and unprepared.
In places like Marine Headquarters, after the news spreads, most of the problematic naval personnel go into hiding, making preparations in advance. As a community of shared interests, even if a clue is discovered, they can simply throw out scapegoats or saboteurs to protect themselves.
You should know that the people in the Inspection Department are all hawks and are extremely ruthless. Once someone is suspected of serious crimes and is arrested, they will basically be skinned alive. They will not care about the feelings of colleagues.
However, there were also side effects. Some high-ranking naval officers were captured, which directly disrupted the interest chains of some forces in the first half of the Grand Line, causing significant losses.
The world is in greater chaos. The loss of interests has led to fierce competition and even riots. The serious consequences of this have resulted in a severe shortage of manpower in the navy, which will be busy for the next year or two, or even longer.
At the same time, various forces will also plant more spies and agents in the Marine Headquarters, and hide them even deeper, making information warfare and espionage extremely important.