The Child of the Devil
"The mother and daughter look so alike; they both ended up on that island. Bring him here." Mostima was somewhat surprised as she heard the news from below.
He didn't inform Teach this minor matter. Now that he had acquired Nicole Olvia, Nicole Robin was practically an afterthought, and his subordinates could easily handle the task.
This was just a side note. Mostima continued to handle some matters concerning the Night Pirates, and also set aside time each day for intensive training to ensure his strength didn't fall behind.
Mostima had already given up on the position of one of the Seven Demon Kings after learning about Teach's plans.
Whether it's the Seven Demon Kings, the Thirteen Demon Generals, or the Seventy-two Demon Pillars, they will all lead an army composed of elite members of the Night Pirates.
This makes command and adjustment much easier.
Mostima sees himself as a strategist and advisor, not someone who charges into battle on the front lines. There are too many people like that in the Night Pirates.
Therefore, the position of Seven Demon Kings is of no use to him; it is an honor, but it is not suitable for him.
On the other side, the rapidly developing Golden Island is already very prosperous, with commercial streets offering all kinds of products in abundance.
Pirates, residents, and a money-making frenzy have always permeated this island.
It developed by relying on the Golden Sea, and has a huge port where many gold-dredging ships can be seen on the sea.
Every day, vast amounts of gold are salvaged from the seabed, and the victors of the Golden Sea Battle have earned countless amounts of Beli.
Calculations show that the total value of gold salvaged from the seabed has now exceeded two trillion Beli, meaning Golden Island will remain prosperous for at least another two or three decades.
At that time, Golden Island was already a world-class metropolis, and even without gold, it wouldn't have had much of an impact on its development.
"When a lie becomes the truth, even a master liar becomes a hero admired by everyone."
No matter how Golden Island changes, it does not affect the statue of the world-famous "adventurer" Noland. After enduring four hundred years of slander, it has finally been exonerated.
Today, Noland is revered by everyone, and countless people come to visit his Noland.
On one side of the central square of Golden Island, at an open-air café, stood a woman dressed in a blue-black leather jacket and pants, and a black top hat.
She has long, straight, jet-black hair, blue-black eyes, delicate features, and a near-perfect figure. Her zipper is pulled up to her chest, revealing her impressive cleavage, exuding a mature and intellectual beauty.
At first glance, one could tell that she was a noble lady who had received an elite education from a young age, and that she was here on vacation on Golden Island.
Holding a newspaper in my hand, gazing at the tall and magnificent Noland statue, I couldn't help but sigh, "This is history too."
A young Gentleman in a sharp white suit, wearing a large hat and carrying a walking stick approached the table and politely invited, "Miss, may I invite you to dinner?"
Such attire is not uncommon on the high seas, but the most representative example is Lafitte, the "Devil Patrolman" of the Night Pirates.
"I'm sorry, but I have an appointment..."
The sophisticated "aristocratic lady" put down her coffee, gave him a charming smile, and politely declined without making him feel awkward.
"Then I'll take my leave." The Gentleman left with a hint of regret.
This woman is Nico Robin, the "Child of the Devil," who has changed so much that it's hard to reconcile her with her wanted poster.
This is also the main reason why she has not been found by the World Government.
She now uses an alias and travels the Grand Line as a traveler. The World Government and the Navy would never have imagined that Nico Robin is right under their noses; they still believe she is hiding somewhere in the West Blue.
Not long after the Gentleman left, another well-dressed man approached and sat directly opposite her.
This made Nicole Robin somewhat suspicious, and she had a bad feeling. Although she didn't show any change on the surface, her body was already tense, as if she was about to make a move and then run away at any moment.
The man took a photograph out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it forward, passing it under the newspaper in Nicole Robin's hand, so that no one else could see what was in the photograph.
Nicole Robin's gaze fell on the photograph, her pupils suddenly contracted, her hands, holding the newspaper, clenched tightly, and she stared at the familiar figure in the photo with trembling hands, unable to remain calm.
"Want to see her? Then come with me." The calm voice of the man in front of me rang out.
The person who could make Nicole Robin lose her composure like this was naturally her mother, whom she had only met a few times, but looking at the photo, one could feel a sense of closeness.
The moment she saw the photo, a thought popped into her mind: her mother was not dead, and she was not the last one.
Nico Robin felt a surge of excitement mixed with apprehension towards the man before her, whose origins she didn't know.
"Who exactly are you? Whom do you represent?" Nico Robin asked earnestly, suppressing her breath.
"You'll find out soon enough. Of course, you can refuse, but I guarantee you won't be leaving here," the man in front of her chuckled, making no move whatsoever, seemingly unconcerned that Nicole Robin would escape.
Nicole Robin glanced around. Years of life on the run had made her acutely aware of everything, and she quickly realized that people were watching her from all directions. There was no way she could escape.
Heavenly Net had already been set, which terrified her.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Nicole Robin nodded firmly, though she felt powerless. She couldn't escape, nor did she want to, if she still wanted to see her last remaining family members.
Nicole Robin longs for family affection, but has never experienced it, so she cannot refuse it, if she were truly alive.
Soon, Nico Robin left with the man and eventually arrived at the Night Pirates' territory on Golden Island. At this point, Nico Robin realized which force was targeting her.
Now that she's joined the Daimyo Night Pirates, she suddenly felt an urge to join their crew, something she hadn't had the chance to do before, and now she felt it even more.
Although Golden Island is not guarded by the most famous key members of the Night Pirates, the forces left behind are absolutely formidable, arguably the most terrifying among all the factions.
Even the original Flying Pirates couldn't compare. Now, the Flying Pirates have been destroyed, and their interests in the Golden Sea have been divided up by various forces in a short period of time. The Night Pirates directly plundered half of it, showing no mercy whatsoever.
After all, besides gold, the other interests on Golden Island are also terrifying, including commerce and real estate, all of which contain enormous profits that can bring them great gains.
In an open area, Nico Robin boarded the airship bound for the Night Pirates and flew towards the Night Sea Domain.
High in the air, looking out at the sea through the airship window, she felt a sense of bewilderment about the unknown. She knew that once she fell into the hands of the Night Pirates, there was basically no way to escape.
But what she looked forward to even more was seeing her mother. After all, she had only seen her mother once in her life, on the day Ohara was destroyed.
I thought that meeting would be our last, but I never expected to have this chance again.
To reassure Nico Robin, they even showed her a video about Olvia. They treated Nico Robin well, since Robin could be considered a member of the Night Pirates in the future, even though there was a hint of Robin involved.
There were other things she desperately wanted to know: how her mother had survived the Buster Call, and whether the Night Pirates had saved her.
After all, she knew that some Night Pirates were in Ohara on the day Ohara was destroyed, since Rediat himself revealed it.
Now that his mother survived, what happened to the other archaeologists?
On the other side, in the Night Pirates, Olvia was staying in the Night Pirates' library, a huge library that inherited most of Ohara's collection of books.
It even contains books collected by the Night Pirates from other places, and its total collection even exceeds the original number of books in Ohara, making it the world's largest library.
Furthermore, these books were all organized and categorized by people sent by the Night Pirates.
For Olvia, this library felt like a return to a bygone era, evoking a sense of familiarity.
Although she was brought back by the Night Pirates, she harbored no ill will towards Night Pirates. The Night Pirates' power could protect her, so she didn't need to worry about being hunted down by the World Government.
Moreover, upon seeing this library, Olvia realized who had helped them, who had helped them survive, and Night Pirates had created the cave to avoid the Buster Call.
There have been some negative comments about Ohara in the past, but that's all in the past. It's a fact that the Night Pirates did Ohara a favor.
She saved their lives, even though she is now the only surviving archaeologist from that group.
More importantly, the Night Pirates preserved the knowledge of Ohara, preventing it from being lost among cannon fodder and thus preserving a valuable treasure for human civilization.
She had been brought back for a few days, but quickly adapted to her new life, living in the library and doing the things she used to enjoy. The Night Pirates didn't make any demands on her.
She knew she couldn't escape; the Vivre Card were made immediately, and she would be found no matter where she went.
That day, the Night Pirates brought her some exciting news: her daughter had been found and was on her way, though she didn't know whether this was good or bad for her and her daughter.
But for her personally, it was a very happy thing, and she couldn't wait to see her daughter, wondering what her daughter looked like now.
Being on the run alone and being hunted down, she had to endure such experiences at such a young age, which made her feel somewhat bitter.
The reunion of Olvia and her daughter was a trivial matter, not as noteworthy as the current Combat Pyramid.
The atmosphere inside the Combat Pyramid is incredibly intense, especially the competition for the Temperature Fruit. It all comes down to the Combat Pyramid score, and everyone has a chance, but it's all about time.
The formidable power of the Night Pirates has made the Combat Pyramid even more intense, attracting countless pirates who come here to earn money, fame, and glory, as long as they possess sufficient strength.
If the Combat Pyramid hadn't offered a large amount of Beli as a reward for victory, its profits would have been even more terrifying. Beli is precisely what makes the Combat Pyramid attractive.
After all, only the strongest can reach the top rewards.
The Combat Pyramid sees numerous battles every day, driving the development of various industry chains and occasionally hosting large-scale events such as culinary competitions.
Although it may be several years before the Temperature Fruit is traded away, the candidates who are committed to obtaining Temperature Fruit have already made their mark, and each of them is very popular and has many supporters.
Who wouldn't want to obtain the Temperature Fruit and quickly become a powerful ruler with their own strength?
Apart from the Sea Emperor, the Overlords were all top figures in the New World and even the world.
Rare Devil Fruit are scarce, and the Combat Pyramid is one of the few places where powerful Devil Fruit can be obtained.
In addition, joining the Night Pirates can also grant powerful abilities. In the current state of the seas, becoming a sea overlord is no longer desirable. Even if one becomes a overlord, apart from a few top-tier individuals, there is generally little room for survival.
The era of fierce maritime hegemony and territorial disputes has passed, and the territory has been largely divided up.
Since that's the case, why not just join the Night Pirates? The Night Pirates possess a large number of Devil Fruit, and many more are added to their inventory every year—these are fruits found by their members, purchased, handed over by affiliated forces, or obtained from close associates.
Currently, the Night Pirates have the most Devil Fruit on the high seas, and they also have the largest number of Devil Fruit users. Anyone with decent strength and potential can obtain Devil Fruit.
You can apply directly, exchange Devil Fruit, or buy them with Beli. Of course, only members of the Night Pirates have this qualification, and they cannot trade with outsiders.
Furthermore, the Night Pirates have an internal organization dedicated to developing Devil Fruit, making them quite famous in the Night Sea Domain and even the New World.
Knowledge can change one's destiny, and this is especially true for the development of Devil Fruit. Even those seemingly ordinary Devil Fruit can be developed into decent, or even powerful, abilities.
The Night Pirates' small organization is coveted by many, mainly for internal use. As a result, many of the pirates who join the Night Pirates are Devil Fruit users, drawn in primarily by this organization.
The development of fruit requires wisdom to maximize its characteristics and advantages.
Even Doflamingo came to learn from him, Teach didn't mind his close associates, the Night Pirates, increasing their strength.
In any case, it won't affect the Night Pirates' rule, and they are simply no match for the Night Pirates.
Moreover, the Night Pirates' sphere of influence does not only include the Night Pirates and their affiliated forces; it is a group of interest groups headed by the Night Pirates, with the Night Pirates at the core of their interests.
It includes many forces such as Dressrosa, the West Blue Dark Council, and dark forces, and the Big Mom Pirates will join in the future.
The combined power would be terrifying, but even the Night Pirates couldn't bring all these forces together.
But the energy it generates is unparalleled, even by World Government.
The Night Pirates' ascension to the top is a fortunate event, and various forces have sent their congratulations. Queen Stephanie of Glorious Street, is the dark ruler of the New World's Underworld.
Operating numerous casinos, possessing immense wealth, and having the power to safeguard it, Stephanie officially became the Dark Queen of the New World within the past two years due to the growth of her influence.
Now that a new era has begun and the Night Pirates have risen to the top, Stephanie, who maintains a close relationship with the Night Pirates, plays an even more important role, perhaps even surpassing Pleasure Street Queen Stussy, with whom she also maintains a good relationship.
Stephanie also gained more attention from the World Government, which did not abandon its support for Stephanie even when the World Government was in a critical moment.
However, they couldn't imagine that she had already betrayed them, and no matter what she invested, it would eventually fall into the hands of the Night Pirates.
The same applies to the agents sent to support Stephanie; by combining hypnosis and the power of the Memory-Memory Fruit, they were forced to switch allegiances, from being loyal to the World Government to being loyal to the Night Pirates.
Teach also developed the ability to distort minds through numerous experiments, which can cause people to become confused and also enhance the effects of the Memory-Memory Fruit and hypnosis.
As for memories, they are far too abstract for Teach to grasp, unless Teach could see them, which is clearly impossible.
As for the gifts brought, they were naturally Devil Fruit, which were provided by the World Government.
It's common knowledge that the Night Pirates are obsessed with collecting Devil Fruit; after all Night Pirates, they're very wealthy, and they don't care for things like treasure.
Furthermore, the growing power of the Night Pirates greatly benefits Doflamingo's own power, as he enjoys leveraging existing influences and will maintain a good relationship with the Night Pirates regardless of the circumstances.
He knew that although he was very strong, he would be easily wiped out like an ant when facing the Night Pirates alone.
He also brought a precious gift this time: Devil Fruit he had obtained some time ago. He was training his own subordinates, but unfortunately, none of them were suitable to eat the Devil Fruit.
Giving it to the Night Pirates as a gift is perfect now, and he can also gain more benefits in the future.
Many forces arrived with their prepared gifts, not daring to refuse. What if a rival force formed an alliance with the Night Pirates, and then the Night Pirates used their power to eliminate them?
The Night Pirates appear quite amiable, but they are actually very domineering. Umit, the Sea King and fellow Dark Lord of the New World, is the Night Pirates' representative in the New World's Underworld.
Although Umit was originally a powerful force, it still had many competitors. However, the addition of the Night Pirates wiped out Umit's other competitors overnight, completely annexing and controlling the New World's maritime transportation industry.
The maritime transport industry is extremely important, and its influence extends far and wide, even along the Grand Line.
The Night Pirates also possess a wealth of intelligence through Umit's extensive shipping network spanning the New World Umit, allowing them to conceal their activities.
The Night Pirates readily accepted the gifts from various factions, and also discussed numerous collaborations and exchanges of benefits.
Several more Devil Fruit suddenly appeared, but the most precious one was the Paramecia Kamaitachi Fruit Doflamingo brought out, which could unleash powerful wind blades and possessed formidable attack power.
If they find the right person, they can definitely train a strong person, and the Night Pirates don't lack such people. Even if they don't have one yet, they will in the future.
The number of talented people will only increase.
The Night Pirates will only grow stronger.