The Dark Bell Tolls

A woman wearing sunglasses, dressed in a fashionable and avant-garde style, with an average appearance and long green hair, carrying a suitcase, passed through the Navy's inspection.

They boarded a merchant ship that was leaving the island.

This woman is Olvia, who uses the Disguise-Disguise Fruit's power to change her attire, her demeanor, and even her appearance and body to some extent. This is the effect of the Disguise-Disguise Fruit, which Olvia has certainly developed herself, as it is the foundation of her survival.

She didn't bring anything related to the Poneglyph in her suitcase, only a few books. Those books had all been burned by Olvia, and their contents were preserved in her mind.

Olvia possesses an extraordinary memory, or rather, Nico Robin inherited Olvia's talent.

Like mother, like daughter.

This is a safe shipping route, with virtually no need to worry about pirate attacks. The islands along this route have also become very prosperous in recent years.

The enormous profits brought about by the Four Seas Guard's efforts to create safe shipping routes and maintain trade security have attracted various kingdoms and powers along the Grand Line.

They didn't want to become an isolated island at sea; the kingdom also needed to develop.

This clause is explicitly written in the regulations governing the provision of Heavenly Gold by Affiliated Nation to the World Government.

Besides protecting Affiliated Nation and establishing Marine Branch, the navy also dedicates a significant portion of its resources to protecting this shipping route.

Although it's called a shipping route, it actually connects various islands like a spider web, especially the Affiliated Nation.

The islands along this route are not necessarily safe, after all, the pirates on the Grand Line are quite powerful and numerous, and some peripheral islands are also invaded and plundered by pirates.

However, Olvia's location is in the center of this route, so it is basically safe, and nothing has happened for quite some time.

Olvia didn't know where to go next. Finding other archaeologists was impossible, and she couldn't contact them either, as they had previously communicated with each other through Ohara.

Now that Ohara has been destroyed, their connection has naturally been severed.

She can't return to Ohara anytime soon; it's far too dangerous. Nobody knows if there are still World Government agents hiding there. Without sufficient power, she won't go back to Ohara.

Olvia felt somewhat lost. Although her goal remained unchanged, she needed a place to settle down.

At that moment, her first thought was of her daughter Robin, who had become the Child of the Devil at the age of seven and was now missing, her fate unknown. She was extremely worried but had no clue what to do. The only thing she could do was to trust her daughter.

Therefore, the place she chose to settle down was Gaya Island, now known worldwide as the Golden Island, a place of the Golden Sea.

In just a few years, Gaya Island has become extremely prosperous, with an astonishingly large population. Compared to the smaller islands that Golden Lion Shiki relocated from, Gaya Island is quite large.

As a recognized neutral island, no one dares to cause trouble on this island. Various top pirate crews and forces from all over the world have strongholds on Golden Island.

Although the World Government was defeated, it will not give up its interests, and Golden Island is now an important foothold for the safe shipping route.

On Golden Island, safety is one aspect, but the other is the Sky Island above Gaya Island. Since the Night Pirates, a large number of pirates have gone to the Sky Island.

Initially, they had to rely on the Sky-Rending Current to reach Sky Island, a very dangerous route. Later, the Flying Pirates used their own technology to build a cloud path to Sky Island, allowing them to safely reach and land there.

On the Sky Island, there is a portion of the island that originally belonged to Gaya Island, but was swept to the Sky Island by a super-massive Sky-Rending Current four hundred years ago.

There was also an ancient ruin up there, which piqued Olvia's interest.

According to their research, there should be a Poneglyph on Gaya Island, which may now be on the Sky Island.

However, as everyone knows, the Night Pirates took the Golden Land and the Golden Bell. If the Poneglyph cannot be found, it means it is in the hands of the Night Pirates.

She has no chance of getting her hands on the Poneglyph in the hands of the Night Pirates.

Regardless, she had to go and see it. As an archaeologist, even if it wasn't Poneglyph, that massive site still had great research value.

Before this, she had already received some information about Sky Island, and many pirates were "following" the footsteps of the Night Pirates.

There once lived a Shandia on the Sky Island, who were also the original inhabitants of Gaya Island. In order to reclaim Gaya Island, which had been occupied by the Sky Island residents, the two sides began a war that lasted for hundreds of years.

The Shandia have now disappeared, and everyone knows their fate: they were wiped out by the Night Pirates. Judging from their injuries, the only person who carried out the attack was likely "Devil Patrolman" Lafitte.

Now that Marshall D. Teach, the Dark Emperor, is the Sea Emperor, and has wiped out countless naval forces, who would care about the lives of some natives?

At the same time, she felt a pang of sadness, knowing that the other surviving archaeologists would likely also find it difficult to escape the clutches of the World Government.

She herself was very likely the sole survivor, just like her daughter—how similar that was.

She herself had no idea what the future held.

"We've been discovered? It seems our initial plan was ultimately useless?" Teach frowned slightly, looking at the message coming from below, but he didn't really take it to heart.

After all, at his current level, how could he possibly care about some archaeologists?

There were plans back then, and there are plans now; after all, the situation is constantly changing, and even he didn't know how far things would develop now.

It was just a side game. In his original plan, one day the traces of these archaeologists would be exposed to the world, and then various forces around the world would go through a great war to compete for these archaeologists, thus confusing the world situation.

After all, deciphering the Poneglyph is an important part of becoming the Pirate King. Even without the Poneglyph, having archaeologists who can decipher Poneglyph is a good thing.

Moreover, it can hinder the World Government's plans. As long as archaeologists exist, someone can be called the Pirate King.

This is intended to incite conflict between various factions and the World Government.

Although they didn't care much, the Night Pirates still sent people to keep an eye on the archaeologists' whereabouts.

However, the World Government acted too quickly, and even the Night Pirates didn't have time to react. Moreover, neither the World Government's agents nor the Night Pirates' agents noticed each other.

By the time the World Government intervened, it was too late.

Of the scholars rescued from Ohara by Rediat, only a few have been captured by the World Government. Only Olvia, who ate the Disguise-Disguise Fruit, escaped the World Government's pursuit.

Olvia, who possesses the ability of the Disguise-Disguise Fruit, was so outmaneuvered that even the Night Pirates' intelligence network lost track of her, and they had no idea where she had gone.

However, Teach wasn't worried. Even if his appearance could be changed, it wouldn't be by much. After all, it was the Disguise-Disguise Fruit, and people tend to have habits and habitually change into certain outfits.

The agents of the Night Pirates had already taken note of this. They only needed to spend some time to find Olvia, and the places Olvia could actually go were not many, all within the Night Pirates' observation range.

But after going to great lengths to rescue them, although mainly for the sake of Ohara's vast library, they couldn't let Olvia die so easily; she still had some value.

"Bring her here."

Rather than letting it go unchecked and risking an accidental death, it's better to hold on tightly. Only what you control truly belongs to you, and you can also learn about things from eight hundred years ago. After all, these archaeologists have studied several Poneglyph, though they are not the most important ones.

In addition, this is also a form of checks and balances, a handle to limit Nicole Robin, Olvia's daughter, who can also read the Poneglyph.

Nico Robin is very well hidden. This clever girl's location was so well concealed that even the Night Pirates' intelligence couldn't pinpoint her location, let alone the West Blue, which is Teach's sphere of influence.

It's highly likely that Nico Robin has already escaped the West Blue.

Although they weren't of much use to Teach, since the Night Pirates themselves had the ability to interpret history, he didn't want anything to get out of his control.

As the levels changed, Teach became somewhat expectant, anticipating what kind of wind would blow up in the future.

Although he hasn't reached that level yet, Teach already has a sense of being at the top and is yearning for someone to challenge him.

This can be seen as both a benefit and a drawback of the advent of the video era.

But there will always be someone who challenges his position, as long as he stands at the very top.

Who could it be?

Redheads?

Navy?

Pirate Alliance?

Or will he become the future "Wise King"?

But one thing will never change: he will not be defeated, the Night Pirates will not be defeated, and he will eventually become the King of the World!

Teach firmly believed this, as did many of the officers and crew members of the Night Pirates.

The bells of a new era have tolled; soon, the era of the Night Pirates and the Dark Emperor will arrive!

Teach's gaze fell into the distance, on the Sky Kingdom that belonged to the Flying Pirates.

A group of islands flying in the sky is exactly what the Night Pirates need. Although their territory has not expanded, it does not mean that the number of territories will not increase. More territory is necessary to match their status and the immense power of the Night Pirates.

For the first twelve years of the Great Pirate Era, the Flying Pirates were the uncrowned kings of the New World and even the world, the strongest pirate crew—that's a fact. The Night Pirates' influence was always slightly weaker than that of the Flying Pirates.

But after that, everything will change.

With the fall of the old king and the ascension of the new, the Night Pirates will continue to grow by drawing strength from the Flying Pirates.

In the Sovereign's Palace, atop the solitary throne, Teach's aura grew increasingly heavy, his power ever more formidable.

High above, the sky constantly changes, with strong winds, torrential rain, dark clouds, Thunderclap, and then the weather clears up again. These strange phenomena, born from nothingness, form unique landscapes.

The weather there is even more unpredictable than in the New World.

The citizens of the Christie Kingdom city were used to it; they knew who was responsible.

The strange weather only affected the area above the Night Palace and did not affect other ordinary residents.

His reverence for the Dark Emperor grew even stronger, to the point of worship.

This trend permeated the entire Night Sea Domain.

In terms of overall strength, the Night Pirates are already the World's Strongest, but others are unaware of this, as it is overshadowed by the overwhelming power of the Flying Pirates.

Who knows how formidable Teach is now? Besides, Teach has two deputies who are on par with him.

Having digested the Golden Horn, Ares was no less powerful than if he had eaten another Devil Fruit, resulting in a terrifying increase in strength and an all-around improvement, especially in power.

Rediat also trained under intense gravity, constantly improving his strength.

The other members are also preparing for their next move; becoming the Sea Emperor is far from enough for them and cannot satisfy their ambitions.

The air was thick with the smell of blood; blood clung to Shiryu's blade and body, the pungent stench of blood Shiryu more terrifying than ever before.

Now that Shiryu has eaten the Blood-Blood Fruit, he has the ability to create and control blood. As Special Paramecia, Shiryu can even transform into blood to become immune to physical attacks, just like Logia.

Wallace was a regular at the gravity chambers Teach built, where he physically trained his strength and physique.

He combined his ability to forge steel with the lightning from the Lightning Stone Homie Set to stimulate his physique.

The lightning released under Seth's control wasn't as violent, making it a good exercise for the body. Combined with Wallace's strong physique, no accidents were likely to occur.

He employed a three-pronged approach, strengthening himself through both internal and external forces.

Charlotte Sinnamon of the Long Leg Tribe gazed at Wallace as he trained diligently, her eyes already filled with deep affection. How charming a serious man was! In their considerable time together, she had long been captivated by Wallace.

This also motivated her to become stronger; she didn't want to fall too far behind Wallace.

The environment of the Night Pirates allows them to unleash their potential. They train in a nearby gravity chamber with low gravity intensity, swinging their longswords.

The gravity chamber is no secret within the Night Pirates; it's a space with immense gravity created by Dark Emperor Teach using his own abilities.

And they were able to maintain this state continuously, thus creating gravity chambers that were basically only accessible to members of the Night Pirates.

Strong gravity can enhance the effects of training and accelerate the progress of strength.

It's practically a cheat code for cultivation; even Sinnamon, who has now joined the Night Pirates, has access to it.

With his increased strength, especially the Awakening of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teach has been able to do this.

For the sake of his pirate crew, Teach built many gravity chambers and gravity fields of varying intensities.

Mobius is training relentlessly in battle, increasing his strength while also seeking the Awakening of his Devil Fruit. Once the Eight-Headed Serpent Orochi Devil Fruit Awakening, his power will definitely skyrocket.

The other cadres, aside from taking turns guarding the area, all followed the same pattern, and more importantly, they enjoyed the thrill of their increased strength.

Unbeknownst to them, they have now been taking Super Gene Potion, enhancing their potential and strengthening their lives.

To subdue the ocean requires absolute power.

The Super Gene Potion is of paramount importance; even within the Night Pirates, only a few members, including Teach, Rediat, and Otto, know about it.

Like the scientists researching Super Gene Potion, Teach would closely monitor their actions to prevent intelligence about Super Soldier Serum from being leaked.

Conversely, the Elixir of Immortality is no secret; the core members all know about it.

Even Teach, who has taken the Super Gene Potion, won't wait until he reaches his limit to take it. How long would that take?

We should make use of the resources we have as soon as possible.

"Dong... dong... dong--" The loud sound of bells echoed throughout the Night Sea Domain, heralding the arrival of night.