Influence

"Teach, let's set a date for the marriage." Big Mom said with a hint of anticipation on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

The battle for territory has begun, and Bigmon was well-prepared. With its geographical advantage, it immediately split its forces into multiple groups and set off, encountering little resistance along the way.

So Big Mom's territory suddenly increased by more than sixty places, which made her very happy.

"Are you alright on your end?" Teach countered. First, the islands are divided up, then they fight each other for territory, and finally the ownership of the territory is determined. This is basically the process of territorial disputes between forces. The struggle for territory in the chaotic seas is just like this, and it takes quite a while.

The Flying Pirates have been destroyed, but the first step is not even over yet.

Teach was also considering Big Mom's feelings; if things really couldn't go on, postponing the wedding wouldn't be a problem.

Given the current immense power of the Night Pirates, their marriage alliance with the Big Mom Pirates is merely decorative, so he doesn't care much about it.

"Mommy! Of course, no problem! I can't wait to eat the wedding cake!" Big Mom said excitedly.

Teach may not care, but the Big Mom Pirates cannot. The alliance with the Night Pirates would greatly benefit them, allowing them to leverage the Night Pirates' power to gain greater profits and more territory, making other forces wary of them.

After all, a powerful alliance is something no one can ignore.

Why would Big Mom refuse if she could gain more benefits in the shortest time and at the lowest cost?

Of course, the most important thing is that the wedding cake will be made by several of the world's top pastry chefs, invited by the Night Pirates. Just thinking about it makes Big Mom drool.

"Then let's do it in six months." Since Big Mom had no problem with it, Teach naturally wouldn't refuse. Six months wasn't a long time; Big Mom could take over more territory, and the Night Pirates would also need time to digest their gains.

Ruling over six hundred islands is a massive undertaking.

How to integrate the Sky Kingdom with the original Night Sea Domain? This requires planning.

"Six months?" Big Mom was a little confused, but she didn't react quickly. A smile crept onto her face. "Exactly twelve years!"

In another six months, twelve years will have passed since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, which is indeed a considerable amount of time.

Meanwhile, according to messages from her five daughters, she knew that the Night Pirates would also be reorganized based on combat strength during this period, facing the sea with a brand new attitude.

This is essential for a large pirate crew, allowing for better planning, orderly governance, rule, and leadership.

The power of the Night Pirates is something Big Mom greatly envies. Currently, they have over fifty affiliated pirate crews, all of which are of very high quality.

This is a formidable force, and becoming a subordinate pirate crew of the Night Pirates is no easy feat for ordinary pirates.

Even among the affiliated pirate crews of the Flying Pirates, few possess combat strength that is recognized by the Night Pirates.

Otherwise, given the power of the Night Pirates, the number of their affiliated pirate crews would have exceeded one hundred long ago.

For most pirates, becoming a subordinate pirate crew of the Night Pirates is a great honor. Although they have to bear certain obligations, the rewards are also very generous and enviable. They can also enjoy certain rights within the Night Sea Domain.

As the Night Pirates rise to the top, Night Pirates power will continue to increase, attracting more and more pirates to join Night Pirates.

Many more pirate crews surviving in the cracks of the New World choose to attach themselves to top-tier pirate crews.

With the increasing number of pirates and limited territory, competition is intensifying, making the Night Pirates undoubtedly their best option.

The number of affiliated pirate crews will inevitably continue to increase in the days to come, and the Night Pirates will not stop their efforts to become stronger.

Now that the Night Pirates have reached the top, they should seize this opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and other forces. Only an absolute difference in strength can truly solidify the Night Pirates' position.

"That's settled then, you all get ready."

"Yes, there won't be any problems."

Big Mom's eyes narrowed, and her expression turned serious.

This marriage of the century, a powerful alliance, is naturally no small matter and will undoubtedly attract much attention. Given their status, they are unlikely to resort to any underhanded tactics.

However, there are always those who do not want the two forces to truly unite, such as the Navy, the World Government, and even other forces.

Although no one dares to make any moves openly, there will be no shortage of underhanded actions.

If something goes wrong at the wedding, it won't affect the alliance between the two sides, but it will certainly cause considerable damage to their reputation.

This is something they will not allow. Both Big Mom and Teach value their reputation highly, so they will not allow any problems to occur at the wedding.

At the same time, this is also a good opportunity for them to expand their prestige; it remains to be seen how they will respond.

This was not a case of a man marrying into another family; the wedding was not held in the Whole Cake Island Totto Land, but in the Night Sea Domain, on an island near Pagila Island.

With the powerful support of the Night Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, the wedding is unlikely to encounter any problems. However, it's better to be safe than sorry, so preparations need to be made to prevent any unexpected events and resolve them as soon as possible.

"We can start warming up now, and we can also begin to strengthen cooperation."

The news of the wedding can be spread in advance, and invitations also need to be sent out.

Attending the weddings of the Night Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates is not something everyone is qualified for. To avoid trouble, most attendees are partners or close associates of both pirate crews.

As for other forces, they won't invite just anyone. For example, would the Big Mom Pirates invite other Sea Emperor to their wedding? Of course not.

They are mostly Underworld kings who have already established cooperative relationships with affiliated forces.

The guest list invited for this marriage alliance is sure to be very impressive.

The New World is bustling with activity, and indeed the entire world; the Night Sea Domain is equally vibrant.

While the Night Pirates haven't made any external moves, their internal situation remains highly intriguing.

The Night Pirates obtained a detailed map of the Uranus Kingdom, along with information about the conditions on each island, from the Flying Pirates.

All of this was compiled by Uranus Rhine and others, and now it's benefited the Night Pirates, making their future plans much easier.

Various islands, depending on their size and layout, some of which are situated on the sea surface and become islands again, while others serve as transit points between islands that are far apart.

Some remain suspended in the air, constantly repositioning themselves according to their needs.

In the Night Sea Domain, a huge shadow can be seen appearing in the sky from time to time. The island, under the control of the Night Pirates, moves constantly, maintaining a height of three thousand meters above the sea surface.

This is a unique sight in the Night Sea Domain, attracting more people to the Night Sea Domain and promoting Night Sea Domain economic development.

Nearly two hundred islands lie in the Night Sea Domain, and more than a dozen of them are kingdoms that have submitted to the Night Pirates.

Their fate was somewhat tragic; they left the seas where they had lived for generations, and then, due to the arrival of the Flying Pirates, their island became Sky Island.

Having finally gotten used to it, we moved from the northern part of the New World to the southern part, arriving in this relatively unfamiliar sea area.

Fortunately, the Night Pirates treated them well, and they were very sensible. In the territory of the Flying Pirates, they had long been suppressed and had no temper left.

The remaining approximately four hundred floating Sky Island are located above the Night Sea Domain and will not easily move again.

Next, the Night Pirates will create floating clouds to connect the various Sky Island, and build Sky Walk to connect the floating Sky Island with the islands in the sea below, just like the Flying Pirates did.

The Night Pirates had already figured out these technologies long ago.

Furthermore, the Night Pirates don't allow the floating Sky Island to move around freely like the Flying Pirates.

Connecting to the sea is essential for development.

The mobile island warships have been taken over by the Dark Night Pirates and are now under their command.

Completing all of this is no small project; it will take at least several months. However, once it's finished, it will be time to reap the rewards.

The island where the wedding was held was a beautiful island that originally belonged to the Flying Pirates. It was also a floating Sky Island, and it was located near Pagila Island.

Of course, all these things were proceeding in an orderly manner under planning, but the most important thing was the internal ranking of the Night Pirates.

There are currently five months remaining until the twelfth year of the Great Pirate Era.

The specific time is three months later. Three months later, the ranking will begin in the Combat Pyramid, and the competition will take place for the only ninety-two spots: the Seven Demon Kings, the Thirteen Demon Generals, Seventy-two Demon Pillars.

It will definitely be a fierce battle, a battle for supremacy, and the members of the Night Pirates will only have three months.

This matter was even more important to Teach, and it was also a major event for the Night Pirates.

It will take about a month to complete this task, involving a detailed integration of the internal structure of the Night Pirates.

In the final month, the Night Pirates will cooperate with the Big Mom Pirates to invite guests for the marriage alliance.

A month is more than enough time. I believe that no one who receives an invitation will dare to disrespect either side, and even if they have other commitments, they will make time for it.

The wedding will be held on the fifth day of the thirteenth year of the Great Pirate Era.

Therefore, the next period of time will be very busy for the members of the Night Pirates, as they work on the construction of the Night Sea Domain and strengthen their own power in preparation for the upcoming battle.

There's also the construction of the wedding venue and the sending of invitations to various close relatives and friends.

The chaos of the New World is about to begin again, involving nearly four hundred islands; moving one will affect the whole world.

In terms of the number of territories contested, the Whitebeard Pirates were second only to the Big Mom Pirates. Their territories were already close to each other. Although Whitebeard wasn't particularly interested in this, he was naturally spurred on by the high enthusiasm of his sons.

Aside from these two top-tier forces, the remaining forces are the remnants of the Flying Pirates.

Alex, along with the other two former Flying Pirates, established their own pirate crews and competed with other forces for territory.

For the time being, they are cooperating to resist attacks from other forces, but it's hard to say how long this cooperation can last.

After all, Alex is much stronger. He is the strongest among all the fleet captains. He has also had the Ancient Species Ancient Centipede Fruit several years now. As a top-tier fighter, he is a rare powerhouse in the New World.

The Beasts Pirates, not to be outdone, launched an attack on Whitebeard Pirates territory.

The Whitebeard Pirates plundered the Flying Pirates' territory, and he plundered the Whitebeard Pirates' territory; therefore, both sides' territories would eventually increase.

The territory of the Flying Pirates was divided up, which ultimately increased the territory of all factions, thus changing the power map of the New World.

Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates also had an important matter to attend to: researching the werewolf corpse that the Werewolf Mutu had somehow created.

If it could be replicated and optimized, it would greatly enhance the power of the Beasts Pirates, allowing them to mass-produce powerful warriors, much like eating Zoan Devil Fruit.

Of course, the effect isn't as strong as that of Zoan Devil Fruits, but it's perfectly adequate, and they don't have the weakness of Devil Fruit users who are afraid of seawater.

This will be the direction the Beasts Pirates will strive towards going forward.

"Teach, we've found him. He's on his way," Mostima said from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

"Oh? You've kept it well hidden." Teach was somewhat surprised, not expecting that with the Night Pirates' current intelligence capabilities, it would take them so long.

"Yes, the ability of the Disguise-Disguise Fruit is quite good. Our intelligence agents have discovered her whereabouts on Golden Island."

"Hehe! Also, keep an eye on Nico Robin's situation. Be a good person and help reunite mother and daughter." Teach chuckled softly, the air and space around him twisting strangely as he spoke, while simultaneously developing his abilities.

The person who was captured was Nico Olvia. After all, the Night Pirates had been keeping an eye on her for a while, it just took a little longer than expected.

Studying history has never been Rediat's business. He can only decipher Poneglyph through his ability to read memories. For real research, you have to look to the real archaeologists.

Although I'm not particularly interested, it's only truly mine if I have it in my own hands. If it falls into the hands of the Night Pirates, there's no escape. It's just another mouth to feed anyway.

At the same time, this can also be used to lure out Nico Robin, who is hiding somewhere.

This was probably one of his little pleasures, since the Night Pirates were full of talented people and didn't need two more.

"We can take this opportunity to arrange the next batch of people."

"Yes, preparations began quite some time ago."

The Night Pirates have never let up on their efforts to infiltrate the Navy, sending a batch of spies to the Grand Line every year, with a smaller number going to the other seas.

It would be more reasonable to send them to live locally for a period of time first, and then let them join the navy when it recruits.

The navy has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs to expand recruitment to restore its combat power; this is a good opportunity.

They can also take this opportunity to recruit some capable individuals into the Navy. Nowadays, the training methods of the Marine Six Styles are widely known, and many people who join the Navy have some foundation in the Six Powers, making them easier to train and allowing the Navy's strength to recover more quickly.

Building up the navy is a slow process that requires time to gradually erode its strength. Although the number of recruits is not large and they are recruited in batches each year, each one has the potential to become a backbone of the navy and reach the rank of admiral or colonel.

This accumulation will eventually coalesce into a terrifying force.

Novoya wasn't among the first members of the Night Pirates to infiltrate the Navy, but he was among the first elite members selected through careful screening.

Over the past few years, the members of the Night Pirates, led by Novoya, have mostly climbed into the middle and upper ranks of the Navy.

The navy's heavy losses and the resulting vacancies naturally needed to be filled by them, and their promotion speed would be much faster.

Taking advantage of this battle, Novoya will most likely be promoted to Marine Vice Admiral in a short period of time, though this will take another two or three years, as Novoya is still too young.

In contrast, the one who climbed the highest is Lawrence in Impel Down, now the Vice Warden of Impel Down, a position comparable to Marine Vice Admiral, and wielding all the powers of the Chief Warden.

They guard the fifth level of Impel Down and can play a significant role in crucial moments.

Right now, the Night Pirates have plenty of time; they have ample time to wait and for things to unfold. Their infiltration of the Navy could completely determine the outcome of a major war.

Although the Night Pirates were busy, Teach didn't have much to do; focusing on improving his own strength was the most important thing for him.

Whether it was eating the Twist Fruit or drinking the Super Gene Potion, both of these actions further enhanced Teach's potential.

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, another important meeting was held, this time concerning the Night Pirates.

This is probably the umpteenth meeting the Marine Headquarters has held specifically for the Night Pirates, but each one always involves very important Navy matters and crucial intelligence.

Especially now, with the Night Pirates rising to the top, they have officially replaced the Flying Pirates as the Navy and the World Government's greatest enemy and the one they most need to eliminate.

On the large screen, the bounty poster for Dark Lord Marshall D. Teach was projected directly.

Teach's bounty is not the original 4.432 billion, but 4.868 billion.

Teach's bounty has increased by a full 800 million Beli.

"It's only been a year and a half since the last bounty was set. In such a short time, the bounty has been increased by so Beli. Isn't that a bit too much?" This is the latest bounty for Dark Emperor Teach, which was determined by the Naval Staff Department after discussion. Such a terrifying number made Admiral Sakazuki somewhat dissatisfied.

It's normal to have objections; raising bounties requires a reason, and it becomes increasingly difficult to raise them later on. Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine Chief of Staff, Staff Department not change his expression because of Sakazuki's words.

Many others, including high-ranking naval officers and even Marshal Sengoku, were equally puzzled. He hadn't participated in setting the bounty, and they all needed a definitive explanation.

"The bounty was set very rigorously, taking into account various factors such as strength, influence, and power."

"To be honest, based on the strength shown by Dark Emperor in his battle against Whitebeard, and the overall strength of the Night Pirates, we actually gave him too low a bounty last time."

Crane calmly stated, "Currently, the Dark Emperor is still in a period of growth in strength, and his combat power will continue to increase."

"The Night Pirates have officially replaced the Flying Pirates, reaching the same level of Flying Pirates and influence. Furthermore, the Night Pirates' prestige will continue to expand in the coming years, which is a major reason for the increase in bounties."

Crane's words prompted nods of agreement. "At the same time, they took over most of the Flying Pirates' territory and some of their remaining forces. The total number of Night Pirates has reached 500,000, completely surpassing the Flying Pirates at their peak. This does not include the strength of affiliated pirate crews and forces."

"How is this possible? How could the Night Pirates have grown so fast?" The number of 500,000 was astonishing, and a Marine couldn't remain calm, exclaiming in surprise.

They've just faced Flying Pirates with an army of 500,000!

As he said, this is also what everyone is wondering about and eagerly wants to know.

How long has the Flying Pirates been established? How long has the Night Pirates been established?

"Although it's hard to believe, it's true. In the previous battle, the Night Pirates mobilized 300,000 troops to occupy the Flying Pirates' Sky Kingdom. Their actual numbers are definitely even greater than that. Just based on that alone, they've already surpassed the Flying Pirates' own numbers by a large margin."

"Our Staff Department has done research. Apart from the pirates who recently joined the Dark Night Pirates from the Flying Pirates Night Pirates, the Night Pirates' members come from many sources: recruitment, recruitment at sea, recruitment in the arena and Combat Pyramid, and the absorption of many pirates during their expansion."

"Thanks to their powerful reputation, the number of pirates who voluntarily join the Night Pirates far exceeds that of other pirate crews."

At this point, Tsuru's expression turned serious. "And the most important point is that the Night Pirates are training pirates."

"What do you mean?" Sengoku asked.

The meeting was proposed by Tsuru, so Sengoku did not receive any prior notice.

"According to intelligence, the Night Pirates have established numerous pirate camps in the Night Sea Domain, replenishing their ranks through various means such as recruitment, adoption of orphans, and purchase of slaves."

"Through training methods similar to military academy, we will improve the strength of our members and cultivate them into members of the Night Pirates."

"How large is it?" Sengoku asked seriously.

After Tsuru said this, everyone else realized how terrifying this was. The reason why the Navy was so powerful was largely because of the Naval Academy, which trained a large number of core combat forces for the Navy. And now, a pirate crew had actually established a similar institution.

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely over 100,000. The number of slaves purchased by the Night Pirates, which we've investigated, is already in the hundreds of thousands."

"The crew is constantly being replenished. The Night Pirates have taken in a large number of orphans and purchased a large number of slaves, granting them their freedom. These are important sources of future members for the Night Pirates. It is conceivable that the number of Night Pirates will continue to expand, and at an increasingly faster pace."

"Based on this alone, the Night Pirates are distinguished from other pirates. To be precise, the Night Pirates are training an army."

Such intelligence leaves one speechless.

"They're pirates? Training so many people must cost a lot of money, right? How could the Night Pirates just throw them away so easily? Do they even have that Beli?" It's truly unbelievable.

Crane sighed, "This is also the key point I wanted to make. The Dark Emperor can no longer be regarded as an ordinary pirate. He is a true emperor, and the Night Pirates are his army, and the Night Sea Domain is his territory."

"It's a sad thing. In the Night Sea Domain, the various kingdoms alone pay more than 50 billion Beli to the Night Pirates every year, while the Combat Pyramid gain more than 100 billion Beli in profits annually."

"The Night Sea Domain is open to the public, and pirates entering the Night Pirates' territory need to pay a certain fee, which adds up to hundreds of billions of Beli."

"The Night Pirates also control many important industries in the Night Sea Domain, which can be described as world-class corporations with unimaginable profits. The total order amount of the airship group alone has now exceeded one hundred billion Beli."

"Given the Night Pirates' control over the Night Sea Domain, their excellent management, internal prosperity, and vast territory, the various taxes they collect amount to hundreds of billions of Beli, and that's a conservative estimate."

"The Night Pirates have plenty of money to squander; their business acumen is truly astonishing."

"It's fair to say that our enemy is not just a pirate crew, but a colossal empire, an ever-expanding monster."

"It has long surpassed the Flying Pirates, posing ten times greater of a threat."

"Hiss!" Many people couldn't help but gasp. They hadn't expected the Night Pirates to be so terrifying. In the past, they had only focused on the Night Pirates' strength and influence.

What no one expected was that when everything was exposed, the terrifying power of the Night Pirates was devastating, yet their annual profits exceeded the World Government's Heavenly Gold and were many times greater than the Navy's military expenditure.

Now they knew the source of the Night Pirates' lavish spending.

But why are there such terrifying pirates? Some people feel utterly helpless.

The Night Pirates are hiding too well; no one knows how many intelligence personnel lost their lives to obtain this information from the Staff Department.

The more I think about it, the more terrified I become.

"Crane, the Dark Emperor's bounty will be increased by another two hundred million." Sengoku said in a deep voice. With another two hundred million, Teach's bounty will truly surpass the five billion Beli mark.

The size of the bounty represents the threat posed to the world, and Teach has now demonstrated that terrifying threat.

The Navy was powerless to stop it and could only watch as the Night Pirates stronger, unable to eliminate Night Pirates before they could expand further.

They still haven't been able to return to the New World in the past few years. Their lost power needs time to recover, the pirates on the Grand Line need to be suppressed, not to mention the increasing number of pirates they will have to deal with.

The only thing we can do is send out more intelligence agents to gather information on the Night Pirates. Most of them will be sacrificed, and only a few will be able to sacrifice themselves after delivering the intelligence.

This is enough to illustrate just how terrifying the Night Sea Domain is today.