The War in the Golden Sea
With the conclusion of the grand naval medal-awarding ceremony, a brand-new navy has emerged.
Just one or two years after being driven out of the New World, the Navy made a comeback and officially returned to the New World.
In the following three months.
Admiral Akainu has entered the New World, and many high-ranking naval officers are guarding the naval fortresses under construction. Naval soldiers are constantly arriving in the New World to replenish the New World's naval strength.
The Navy's intentions are obvious. In the western part of the New World, near the Red Line, warships have begun to operate, provoking resistance from pirates.
For a time, the Navy, with its morale high, clashed fiercely with pirates in the New World multiple times. Despite this, the New World remained the New World of pirates, and that remained unchanged.
The pirates' power was exceptionally strong, and with the help and covert assistance of the Sea Emperor and other Great Pirate, the Navy's operational area was reduced to a very small region, just in the front part of the New World.
As for venturing deeper into the New World, any such thought will be met with brutal retaliation from the Sea Emperor and the dominant pirate crews.
After losing several warships, the Navy realized the New World's bottom line and therefore refrained from further provoking them.
This result was very satisfactory to the Navy, and it could be considered Sengoku's achievement. He had made such a contribution as soon as he became the Fleet Admiral. The number of Marine Branch in the New World increased to eight, which was three more than after the great battle with the Whitebeard Marine Branch.
Although construction was still underway, the basic completion of the project greatly satisfied the World Government's top brass, leading to an increase in naval spending.
At this critical moment, in the waters off Gaya Island, where chaos mingled with a semblance of order, after a prolonged stalemate, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer, and a fierce conflict was about to erupt.
With the navy's growing strength and its re-entry into the New World, the World Government seems to be getting impatient and wants to completely occupy the Golden Sea and Gaya Island.
In this way, they were able to acquire enormous wealth. In just six months, some people calculated that the total amount of gold produced from the Golden Sea reached as high as 500 tons.
What an astonishing fortune! And they didn't forget that the amount of gold buried at the bottom of the sea is finite; the more they dig, the less there is, and the wider the sea becomes, the harder it is to dig.
The waters around Gaya Island are extremely dangerous, with whirlpools and reefs that not only restrict access but also frequently cause boat accidents.
Now, World Government officials want to clear away all the dangerous areas and hidden reefs in the waters around Gaya Island, which requires sending warships.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, with the overwhelming power of the navy, we will completely occupy Gaya Island and the waters surrounding it, this "Golden Sea".
This was a joint plan by many high-ranking officials from various World Government. They were all greedy and had calculated the consequences. They had had this idea for a long time, but due to various reasons, the time was not right.
They were completely unconcerned about bribes from various factions; they preferred to monopolize the gold mining operation rather than have it mined by multiple factions.
Once the World Government annexes the entire Gaya Island waters, given their status and position, the wealth they could acquire would be astonishing, far exceeding hundreds of millions or even billions of Beli.
It was precisely because of this that someone had this idea and started it. Soon, these high-ranking officials of the World Government joined together and wrote to the Gorosei, wanting the World Government to have exclusive control of the Golden Sea.
More importantly, they saw the strength of the navy today, and it was because of this that they were confident in conquering the Golden Sea.
They even wanted to send the army stationed on the Red Line to guard Gaya Island together with the navy.
With this two-pronged approach, the Golden Sea was practically theirs for the taking.
At the same time, they also persuaded some Celestial Dragons, who, as the Celestial Dragons, naturally did not want to share so much wealth with those commoners.
In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, the entire Golden Sea already belongs to them, and all other forces are merely plundering their gold.
These World Government officials maintain the operation of the World Government, wield enormous power, and are trusted by the Gorosei.
With their encouragement, a consensus quickly formed within the World Government, after all, it was also in the World Government's interest. They were extremely unwilling to have so much of this huge pie divided up.
Even the Gorosei readily agreed to this decision.
However, they saw further ahead; not only did they also have the idea of annexing the Golden Sea, but they also foresaw the war that would break out around the Golden Sea.
After all, the cake needs to be divided, and to gain a greater share of the benefits, one needs to demonstrate their strength.
The total amount of gold remains constant, so it will become increasingly scarce. Rather than letting other powers take it, it's better to start this war first.
As for the losses caused by the war, that was not their concern, and the war could also reduce [their losses].
These messages also circulated from within the World Government.
After all, the World Government has become so corrupt that it can't possibly keep any information hidden.
To be precise, it couldn't be kept secret from these powerful forces.
Soon, all parties received the news.
This caused a huge mess. You have to understand that in just over six months, the population of Gaya Island has increased tenfold, with various forces moving in.
At the same time, there are also a large number of pirates and ordinary people who are chasing gold and want to get rich overnight.
This action undoubtedly triggered the interests of many forces. How could they be willing to let a huge gold mine be taken away by the World Government for nothing?
Moreover, with such immense wealth, the World Government and Navy will undoubtedly become even stronger, which is not beneficial to most powers.
They wouldn't just stand by and watch the World Government reap such huge benefits.
Almost simultaneously, all parties sprang into action.
The chaos in the New World is still intense, but the Great Pirate crews have still deployed their forces to the Marine Branch in the New World, putting enormous pressure on the Marines.
Meanwhile, the navy also sprang into action. Although they were cursing under their breath, while expanding the New World Navy's combat power, they dispatched a fleet of 10,000 men from the Marine Headquarters to the waters off Gaya Island.
They had anticipated this flashpoint in the waters off Gaya Island, but they hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
However, they were also aware of the interests involved in this sea area, and they could not back down, even knowing that a major battle would break out.
Moreover, this is also an order from the World Government.
The Night Pirates is almost complete, a luxurious building resembling a royal palace. Such a setup is unique in the Christie Kingdom, except for the royal palace, and is even more exquisite than the royal palace.
The only thing missing is the atmosphere that comes with the passage of time that a royal palace possesses.
This vast area is now entirely the territory of the Night Pirates. The core area has been completely completed, with only a few areas on the periphery still unfinished.
After all, such a project is no less than rebuilding a palace, and it also has to meet the requirements and preferences of the Night Pirates. Reaching this stage in just over three months is already extremely efficient.
In the plaza in front of the central palace stands the Golden Bell from the Sky Island, connected between two Golden Bell pillars over a hundred meters high.
This Golden Bell has amazed countless people.
For the past month, every morning at eight o'clock, a loud and deep bell has been ringing precisely.
Furthermore, the sound of the bells travels very far; through broadcasts connected throughout the entire Saint Louis Island, every time the bells are rung, all the residents of Saint Louis Island can hear them.
Over the course of the past month, the residents of the Christie Kingdom have largely gotten used to it.
Moreover, the sound of the Golden Bell is very special, possessing a unique power that can cleanse the soul and is very soothing to listen to.
Beneath the platform that holds the Golden Bell, the Poneglyph embedded in the stone wall has disappeared, hidden by Teach. Apart from the members of Roger Pirates, probably no one else knows about it.
Despite their great curiosity about the legendary Golden Bell, this was the territory of the Night Pirates, and no one dared to enter.
Behind the Golden Bell stands the tallest building in this Night Palace, known as the "Hall of Domination," a predominantly black palace three times the height of the Golden Bell.
Inside, the walls are like Starry Sky, and the light of precious gems glitters.
At the deepest point, atop thirty-six steps, stand three thrones. The throne on the left is undoubtedly several times larger, as it was specially made for Ares.
Then, near the three thrones, at a height of twenty-four stories, there are twenty-four seats, twelve on each side.
Below, there are rows of black pillars, each three meters in diameter and eight meters tall.
Along the sides of the pillars are lifelike carvings of three-headed dragons with wings on their backs. There are a total of seventy-two of these black pillars.
However, there are no people on these pillars now, and there are mechanisms underneath that can raise and lower these pillars.
Currently, these pillars have not been raised.
"Lafitte, why don't you go for a bit, but don't overdo it," Teach joked, looking at Lafitte.
The war in the Golden Sea is about to begin, and they need to send out their top-tier forces. The Night Pirates naturally have influence on Gaya Island as well. Besides the Dark Council, Mostima had already established a base on Gaya Island.
This is, after all, a huge fortune, Teach certainly couldn't give it up. Besides, doing nothing would be a big problem.
He was quite confident in Lafitte's strength and mobility, and this war was also a good training opportunity for Lafitte.
"Then leave it to me." Lafitte gently pinched the brim of his hat and nodded with a smile.
This division of spoils will inevitably prevent the World Government from gaining too much, while also ensuring that it profits from the process. This is a consensus among the Great Pirate of the New World and other forces.
The World Government is too arrogant. Even though they have the advantage of playing on home ground, it's really too ugly for them to make enemies of so many forces all at once.
The battle that truly decides the war is the clash of high-end combatants. Faced with so many powerful individuals, even if the World Government deployed CP0 members, victory would not be assured; defeat was inevitable. Teach seemed to already foresee the moment when the World Government would compromise.
However, when the World Government and the Navy really get serious, they will need to send out more, and perhaps even more powerful, officers.
At that time, just to be on the safe side, Rediat will have to step in to prevent any problems from arising with Lafitte. Besides, there are many secret properties of the Dark Council on Gaya Island that need to be protected.
Compared to these Great Pirate, the Dark Council's power is rather weak. If Chief Justice Wolson of the Inquisition doesn't intervene, the Dark Council's display of too much power is likely to attract the attention of the World Government and lead to its targeting.
Lafitte turned around, and a pair of blood-red bat wings sprouted from his back. He flapped his wings rapidly and disappeared almost silently in a flash, flying out of the palace.
The palace was quiet; they knew Teach had more to say.
"It's too comfortable. So, let's prepare for war." Teach looked at everyone, then patted the armrest of the throne and laughed.
Three months had made his men restless, and it wasn't good for improving their strength either. Teach needed elites, not useless people who were feeding off the Night Pirates.
An overly comfortable environment can erode a person's fighting spirit.
In places like the New World, war and battle are always the best way to train people.
Upon hearing Teach's words, some of the members present became excited. War was exactly what they wanted; endless ascetic training was simply too boring.
A huge map unfolded; it was a nautical chart of the Night Sea Domain, specially drawn by Mostima, detailing the surrounding islands.
It was also clearly marked that some areas were occupied by powerful forces, while others were unoccupied, representing blank areas.
Looking at the map, Teach casually picked up a pen and drew a two-thirds circle on the edge of the territory belonging to the Night Pirates, starting from the Calm Belt.
This circle also encroaches on the territories of several maritime overlords, including the Whitebeard Pirates, the Satan Pirates, and other Great Pirate territories.
At the same time, it also brought it close to the territory of the Beasts Pirates.
It encompassed more than forty islands, nearly half the number of islands currently in the territory of the Night Pirates.
"Occupy all these islands for me, and expand the Night Sea Domain by another half." Teach put down his pen, smiled confidently, and a powerful aura erupted from his body.
The current chaotic situation in the New World presents the best opportunity for expansion. Once the situation stabilizes in a few years, it will be more difficult to expand.
Besides, why should we give up those empty areas to others if we don't want to occupy them ourselves?
Mostima looked at the map and memorized the information. Since the captain had given the order, they had no choice but to obey. Besides, he had been looking forward to this moment of competing with other overlords for a long time.
Shiryu smiled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, a large cigar dangling from his mouth.
Whether it's Gari, Wallace, or Mobius, they all have a strong fighting spirit.
A bloodthirsty and crazed glint flashed in the eyes of the Fish-Man Radon; his aura was now far stronger than before.
Because he gained a powerful ability from Teach: the Zoan - Ancient Species Mosasaurus Form, a Devil Fruit that Teach had treasured for a long time.
He had obtained a mysterious Devil Fruit from Thunder God Island in the New World a long time ago. He felt that this Devil Fruit must be good, but he didn't know what its power was.
After obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, he would have people eat unknown Devil Fruit, and once they learned about the Devil Fruit's abilities, he would kill them and retrieve the Devil Fruit.
In this way, Teach learned about the Devil Fruit's abilities.
This powerful, top-tier Ancient Species is a perfect fit for Radon.
Although he was a Fish-Man, his enormous size made him less agile in the water.
Moreover, he is an absolute power type and cannot learn Fish-Man Karate, nor can he master that kind of soft power. As for reaching the level of Jinbe, that is even more impossible.
Slada was also somewhat excited; he couldn't wait to see his current strength.
Meanwhile, in the New World, other Great Pirate groups and factions capable of interfering in "Paradise" all dispatched strong individuals who could stand alone.
Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates, King the Conflagration of the Beasts Pirates, Marco the Phoenix, the Captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Chronos the Thunder Tyrant, the third-in-command of the Flying Pirates.
As the Sea Emperor, they dispatched powerful and highly mobile officers, especially "Thunder Tyrant" Chronos. As the left arm of Golden Lion Shiki, if "Uranus" Rhine relied on wisdom, Chronos relied more on his combat strength.
The combination of their powerful talents and top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit was a key factor in the Flying Pirates' ability to surpass the Whitebeard Pirates in high-end combat.
Besides these, there are other Great Pirate who can't fly, already sailing towards Fish-Man Island -Fish-Man Island in their coated pirate ships, aiming to reach the first half of the Grand Line.
The war surrounding the eye of the storm, the Golden Sea, is about to begin.