Swordsmanship Tournament
The auction lasted for three full days, not just one whole day, but four hours each evening.
On the third night, the last item was auctioned off, and after waiting for a while, no one else came up.
At this point, everyone knew that the auction had officially ended.
Some people were already preparing to leave, but a voice stopped them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is one more thing to announce before the auction ends," Baccarat's voice rang out, causing many pirates to stop and turn around.
Teach stood up from his seat and slowly walked towards the center of the platform.
The crisp sound of footsteps rang out, and the entire venue fell silent. The scene of Teach's actions two nights ago was still etched in many people's minds.
At the same time, they were also curious about what the Night Pirates were going to announce.
Such solemnity must indicate that this is a major event.
"Bang!" Teach snapped his fingers, and a Night Pirates next to him took out a Den Den Mushi, pressed a button on it, and immediately a huge projection appeared on the wall behind Teach. The projection, tens of meters high, was visible to everyone.
Many people stared wide-eyed at the magnificent building in the picture.
Its height alone is astonishing, because in the picture, the surrounding houses look like ants compared to it.
Due to their perspective, they could see very clearly that the triangle was incredibly large and covered a vast area.
Some people realized that this was a structure that the Night Pirates had been building for some time, and even now, the top was still not fully completed.
"This is the Combat Pyramid built by the Night Pirates, and the entire pyramid is a staggering 3,800 meters tall." Many people were shocked by this number, but what exactly did the Night Pirates intend to do by building this structure?
Teach looked at the shocked pirates below, smiled slightly, his eyes filled with excitement, and his voice rose involuntarily.
"After the Expo, I will hold a World Kendo Tournament. Any swordsman can participate. Through continuous elimination battles and rounds of selection, the ultimate winner who reaches the top of the pyramid will be awarded the title of the World's Number One Swordsman under the watchful eyes of the world," Teach said enticingly.
"In addition, there are 5 billion Beli, and the other top-ranked powerful swordsmen will also receive substantial rewards."
Then the scene changed, showing the reward amounts for various rankings, making one's heart skip a beat. The total reward amount reached a staggering 30 billion Beli.
It's not just about Beli; just Beli would be too mundane, although a large amount of Beli is very appealing.
Among them are rare and precious metal ores that can be used to forge Great Grade Sword, which are fatally attractive to many swordsmen.
After all, Famous Sword are few in number, especially Great Grade Sword, and the materials used are a major limitation.
"In addition, I will invite three of the world's top Great Swordmaster to witness this event. Each of them possesses combat strength no less than that of an emperor. They will not participate in the competition, but the top three ranked swordsmen will be able to challenge them."
No one believed Teach was lying, but the fact that his combat power was comparable to that of a King—and this King was undoubtedly the Sea Emperor —made their hearts skip a beat. Many powerful figures watching the auction became serious. When did a King become so worthless?
Since the title of "Sea Emperor" appeared, "Emperor" has become a new classification of combat power, representing the world's top-tier combat force.
With such combat power, it doesn't matter if he doesn't participate in the competition; he has the qualifications to be recognized by "Dark Emperor" Teach.
They were also very curious about who these three powerful Great Swordmaster Teach had invited were.
The World's Number One Swordsman is just that—a title for the ultimate victor. If he is not as good as the three mysterious swordsmen that Teach invited, it doesn't matter. Being able to climb to the top of the pyramid through continuous battles naturally makes him one of the strongest swordsmen in the world.
Having a powerful Great Swordmaster present to witness the event undoubtedly increases the authority of this swordsmanship tournament, making it more than just a competition organized by the Night Pirates.
"Let me first announce the names of two Great Swordmaster. One is the current shogun of Wano Country, Kozuki Oden, and the other is 'The Lone Red' Redfield. As for the last one, we'll keep it a secret for now; he's a reclusive powerhouse." Teach said with a smile.
Upon hearing these two names, many people's expressions changed. "The Lone Red" goes without saying; he is absolutely Daimyo. After escaping from Impel Down, he disappeared without a trace. Even so, his strength is still among the world's top.
The same goes for Kozuki Oden. In recent years, with the partial opening of Wano Country to the outside world, Wano Country's reputation in the New World has grown. With its powerful samurai, virtually no one dares to provoke it. It is one of the World's Strongest, and can be said to be on par with the Sea Emperor.
Several years ago, the revelation that Wano Country possessed a large amount of Seastone attracted many greedy pirates, but they were all defeated by Wano Country Kozuki Oden's overwhelming strength.
He earned a formidable reputation, and gradually, no pirates dared to come. Moreover, Kozuki Oden had served on the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates in his youth and had a good relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Kozuki Oden, Teach had already spoken with him beforehand, and he was very interested in this Swordsmanship Tournament. As the shogun of Wano Country, he hadn't been to sea for several years, and this was an opportunity for him.
Moreover, Wano Country is very close to the Night Sea Domain.
Redfield had Rediat's contact information Rediat connections, so there was naturally no problem. Besides, Teach had released him, and Redfield owed Teach a huge favor.
Redfield was also very interested in this matter, and according to Teach's guess, Redfield had regained his youth, which meant that he had obtained the Mythical Zoan -type Bat-Bat Fruit in Vampire form, a long-lived fruit like the Werewolf form.
Now, Redfield has no worries about aging, and his mindset has undergone a huge change since he learned that he has children.
With the added boost from the Mythical Zoan, Redfield's strength is terrifying; he is undoubtedly a top-tier, all-around warrior.
A legendary samurai, a veteran legend—both are great figures and among the world's top Great Swordmaster. As for the other reclusive powerhouse, they are even more curious.
However, Teach didn't say anything; we'll just have to wait and see.
"The kendo tournament will officially begin in three months. The venue will be the Pyramid on Pagila Island. Registration will open before the tournament begins," Teach said with a smile.
"One last thing: the only restriction on identity this time is that you're a swordsman. To be precise, anyone who wields a sword is eligible. However, if you don't have enough strength, you can't blame anyone else if you die."
"Now that everything has been said, the auction is officially over."
The auction was over, but the emotions in everyone's hearts were still running high.
One can't help but admire the Night Pirates' extravagance. If this Expo a celebration for pirates, then the upcoming Swordsmanship Tournament will undoubtedly be a celebration for swordsmen. However, the competition will be even fiercer, and there will certainly be deaths, all for the title of the World's Number One Swordsman.
Moreover, the prizes for the competition are very attractive.
Many swordsmen present gripped the hilts of their swords tightly.
"Swordsmanship Tournament? I'm getting a little excited." Among the crowd, a swordsman with eyes as sharp as Hawk Eyes's, carrying the supreme Great Grade Swords, the World's Strongest Black Blade, Yoru, on his back.
Mihawk's eyes gleamed with excitement. He didn't care much about the rewards from the Swordsmanship Tournament, since he already possessed arguably the best sword in the world.
His wish is to fight against the world's most powerful Great Swordmaster in order to hone his swordsmanship.
Today, Mihawk has made a name for himself on the high seas. He is not only Shichibukai, but also a rising star and a powerful Great Swordmaster. Many strong Great Swordmaster have fallen to him, and he has killed countless people who had their eyes on his Black Blade, Yoru.
If he hadn't become Shichibukai, his bounty would have soared to seven or eight hundred million Beli.
Meanwhile, swordsmen around the world were already stirring. Famous and unknown, many were after the title of the World's Number One Swordsman, some for the prize money, others for the precious materials for forging swords, and some even wanted it all.
Wano Country, the land of samurai, has become more connected to the sea, no longer isolated, Wano Country can now receive much information from the ocean, especially after the advent of the Transponder Snail).
"Hahaha! You're all excited now, aren't you? If you want to participate, go ahead! Spread the word, tell all the people of the country that any interested samurai can participate and fight against the world's most powerful swordsmen."
In the Capital of Flowers, at the Shogun's residence, Kozuki Oden looked at the message on the Transponder Snail Den Mushi and laughed excitedly, "The time has come to demonstrate the swordsmanship of Wano Country!"
This Expo was truly eye-opening. Putting aside the eleven Devil Fruit of the Night Pirates, that mechanical hand was a truly groundbreaking invention.
In this chaotic sea, battles, wars, and injuries among pirates are very common, but the invention of the Night Pirates allows them to be reborn.
The Expo featured a large number of items, including an astonishing number of over eighty Devil Fruit, which are usually very rare.
Many people, including pirates, collect Devil Fruit. Seeing that each Devil Fruit fetches an astonishingly high price at auctions, many pirates bring out their useless Devil Fruit to auction off.
In addition, several Famous Sword also appeared, including three fast swords and one Great Grade Sword.
The Night Pirates also made considerable gains, acquiring a number of Devil Fruit and possessing the Golden Land; they were far from short of money.
The final Swordsmanship Tournament was even more exciting news. This magnificent Combat Pyramid caught the attention of many, and many pirates and even nobles couldn't wait to set off to watch the Swordsmanship Tournament live.
News of the Swordsmanship Tournament is still spreading and rapidly reaching the entire world. Such a grand spectacle is something that virtually no swordsman would miss. Even just watching it would be of great benefit to them, as observing the battles of these Great Swordmaster would be a valuable experience.
The final battle will undoubtedly be fought by those powerful Swordmaster. Perhaps the bottleneck that I have been unable to break through all this time will be broken through because of this tournament.
Although the auction has ended, the Expo continue for a long time; the auction is just one important event within the Expo.
The most important purpose of the Expo is trade; it is itself a super-large trade market.
Sicily Island remained very lively, with even some late-arriving pirates joining in, and the number of pirates leaving was still relatively small.
Furthermore, more and more pirates are heading towards Sicily Island and the Night Sea Domain, drawn by events like the Expo and the Swordsmanship Tournament.
Meanwhile, many pirates are drawn to the arenas in the Night Sea Domain, where the rewards for victory are substantial.
Through this series of activities, they aim to attract pirates and other people from outside the Dark Sea, keeping them in the Night Sea Domain and promoting the economic development of the entire Night Sea Domain.
This was all planned, and so was this Swordsmanship Tournament. Through the Swordsmanship Tournament, the Combat Pyramid could be made incredibly popular.
Otherwise, it will be very deserted because it is too big. It will take a long time to become popular, and it may even become so deserted that no one will come.
It's worth mentioning that the Expo's success exceeded Teach and his crew's expectations. In a short period of time, the number of pirates joining the Night Pirates has already reached over four thousand. It's believed that by the end of the Expo, this number could very well reach six or seven thousand, which has greatly strengthened the Night Pirates' power.
At the same time, various underground dark forces have also discussed some cooperation with each other. In the New World, it is certain that contact with these forces will be necessary, as the interests of the underground dark world are also very large. Moreover, outside the territory of the Night Pirates, having the help of these forces would undoubtedly bring great convenience.
Whether it's intelligence or searching for something.
Teach even had dinner with the leaders of these underground forces and kings of the underworld who came to the Expo.
They naturally wouldn't refuse the cooperation from the Night Pirates, as it would be of great benefit to them as well.
The day after the auction ended, Garp, Tsuru, and the other three left Sicily Island aboard a warship.
"Tsuru, are we going back so early? I haven't had enough fun yet!" Garp was a little disappointed, but since Crane was the leader of this operation, he had to obey her orders.
"Besides, we can also take a good look around the Night Pirates' territory and maybe get some important information." Garp suddenly thought of a plan and said to Tsuru with some excitement.
Gion and Kake were behind them, were somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected Vice Admiral Garp to come up with such an excuse to investigate the Night Pirates' territory; it was perfectly reasonable.
"No, the Night Pirates won't allow it. Although there haven't been any obstacles these past few days, they've been monitoring us all along," Tsuru said calmly, shaking her head.
"Besides, we need to hurry back to discuss this Expo, especially the impact of the auction, whether it's that mysterious mechanical technology or the Swordsmanship Tournament." Crane's heart was not at peace. During the few days at the Expo, she had seen many things and secretly kept them in mind.
She understood that the rise of the Night Pirates was unstoppable.
News from all over the world, in all sorts of forms, is flooding in, and it's almost all about the Expo hosted by the Night Pirates.
The news about the robotic arm was also suppressed a couple of days ago, especially the Swordsmanship Tournament, which became the focus of world attention. The same goes for the Combat Pyramid on Pagila Island.
A true landmark; few buildings in the entire world can compare to it.
Information about it was also leaked through Morgans, which was naturally with the tacit approval of the Night Pirates, and it occupied a large section of the World Economic News Report.
Its interior consists of eighteen levels, each reaching a height of two hundred meters, with a total of six hundred and seventy-two battlegrounds. The entire Combat Pyramid is large enough to accommodate more than one million people.
Aside from the battleground, the interior is fully equipped, making it a super-large luxury hotel with up to 50,000 rooms for rest. Located next to the Combat Pyramid, it boasts excellent views and beautiful scenery.
There's also a food court with plenty of delicious food for others to enjoy and recharge.
There's also a workout room, which is a place for people to exercise.
There are also various enjoyable arrangements, such as hot springs and massages, a complete service package.
Various descriptions reveal the extravagance of the Combat Pyramid, especially the staggering construction cost of one hundred billion Beli, which is enough to make one's head spin.
It's so appealing that people can't help but want to go and see it. This is naturally the Night Pirates' propaganda campaign, making the Combat Pyramid seem like a paradise beyond just combat.
This is also to build momentum for the Combat Pyramid. Meanwhile, on Pagila Island, things are still bustling with activity, and construction is ongoing. Teach intends to transform Pagila Island into a metropolis centered around the Combat Pyramid.
Connecting the various islands, and to facilitate the travel of those residents, Teach has already put the Sea Train project on the agenda. The land trains have already been built, so even if the Sea Train is a little more difficult, it won't be much more so.
Not long after, Teach returned to Saint Louis Island. With his subordinates there, the Expo running smoothly, and there wouldn't be any problems. Besides, Rediat was still keeping an eye on Sicily Island.
Next, we need to prepare for the Swordsmanship Tournament.