Chapter 559
In a castle deep within Dream Island, Teach and Big Mom stood facing each other, ten meters apart, surrounded by members of their respective pirate crews.
Big Mom enjoyed several delicious desserts, while Teach savored some wine.
After some pleasantries, silence fell over the room, and no one from either side made a sound.
Both of them were secretly observing each other, sizing up each other's members.
A year had passed since they last met, but Teach could clearly sense that Big Mom's strength had increased. She wasn't using Observation Haki to sense her presence, but Teach still had that intuition.
Behind Big Mom, the towering Oven and Daifuku were quite intimidating, but the most powerful was Katakuri, who stood to one side with his arms crossed.
The power of the Big Mom Pirates surprised Teach; it was terrifying, not much weaker than the top-tier combat power of the Beasts Pirates.
The future Three Sweet Commanders will be no weaker than the Beasts Pirates' calamities, and even if there is a gap, it can be made up for by the power of the Homie.
Add to that Oven, a hidden asset.
Especially Katakuri, whose current strength is even slightly inferior to that of King, the second-in -King of Flames command of the Beasts Pirates. With his own strength plus the two powerful Homie, Teach could feel a sense of threat from Katakuri.
I just don't know where this threat comes from.
However, Teach didn't think much of it; it was just a slight threat, which meant it might hurt him.
In addition, the Big Mom Pirates' low- to mid-level combat power is far superior to that of the Beasts Pirates in both quantity and quality. Since no one else wanted to join her, Big Mom created her own.
In addition to a large number of ordinary Homie of varying strengths, which are Chess Piece, Big Mom prepared exclusive Homie for her children.
There are even Homie, combatants specially created by Big Mom. The Soul-Soul Fruit allows them to anthropomorphize animals. For example, Homie created by injecting human souls into rabbits possess considerable combat power. There are many such Homie in Big Mom's seas.
Even in a small jungle, powerful Homie exist, transforming the entire land.
Therefore, the core territory of the Big Mom Pirates is extremely dangerous; the sheer number of Homie alone is enough to give anyone a hard time.
The Soul-Soul Fruit's power is like a panacea, allowing one to turn the battlefield into their own domain at any time.
If a war were to actually break out, the Big Mom Pirates would actually have a smaller chance of losing. If the war were to take place in the Big Mom Pirates' core territory, their chances of winning would be at least 80%.
Teach was very satisfied with the Big Mom Pirates as an ally, especially now, perhaps due to the situation on the seas, the Big Mom Pirates' condition and strength were quite different.
The Big Mom Pirates' connections in the Underworld and their powerful intelligence network also greatly helped the Night Pirates.
But all of this is contingent on the Big Mom Pirates not being seen as rivals.
The Night Pirates need to demonstrate sufficient strength to prevent the Big Mom Pirates from developing any disloyal intentions, as pirates are driven by self-interest.
If the Night Pirates were to fall into decline, lose their current power, or even become very weak, Big Mom would definitely break the alliance without hesitation.
They even considered annexing the Night Pirates.
The Flying Pirates were destroyed, and their forces were absorbed by the Night Pirates.
In addition, there are a large number of forces that are affiliated with the Flying Pirates, who used to bully others and suppress other forces by relying on the Flying Pirates' flag.
Now, most of the major powers have been purged from this great tree. The survival rules of the New World are extremely cruel, especially with the major powers entrenched in their positions, leaving most other forces to survive in the cracks.
Every day, forces are destroyed or established, and countless people fight over even the smallest piece of cake.
Teach will not let that happen. The Flying Pirates have already been wiped out, and there is no force in the New World that can threaten him now.
Moreover, the Night Pirates could have easily wiped out the Flying Pirates with their strength, but the price they would have paid was too high, and it would have brought them no benefit whatsoever.
If they were to do that, the other forces would benefit. The Navy and the World Government would easily face a siege from various powerful forces, just like the Whitebeard Pirates before. They wouldn't give the Night Pirates a chance to recover.
But none of that will happen. The Night Pirates have fought their way up with invincible force, and that's how it is now, and it will be in the future.
Big Mom can now clearly feel the power of the Night Pirates; when they met a year ago, the Night Pirates didn't have many members in Totto Land.
During the Sequence Battle, people were sent to observe, but without visual evidence, the strength of the Night Pirates could not be truly understood through verbal explanations.
Now, aside from the Seventy-two Demon Pillars, most of the high-end combat power has gathered in this ancient castle, putting considerable pressure on her and the Big Mom Pirates.
Because the Night Pirates are truly powerful, as clearly demonstrated by their battle against the Whitebeard Pirates.
The number of these highly promising monsters far exceeds the number of her favored children, and the average age of the Night Pirates' officers is under thirty, not yet reaching their limit. The next few years will be their period of growth.
This is the foundation they have built; their speed of becoming stronger will only surpass that of the Big Mom Pirates.
On the other hand, the Dark Emperor Teach gave her an unfathomable feeling, with a terrifying power hidden within him. As a user of the Soul-Soul Fruit, Big Mom has a strong mind and a powerful intuition when she is calm and rational.
Since his battle with Whitebeard, Teach's strength has undoubtedly improved further.
However, Big Mom couldn't have imagined the second Devil Fruit. She probably guessed that Teach had fully mastered the Awakening power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, and that he had improved in other aspects as well.
She had no doubt about this rate of progress. For her, Whitebeard, the late Golden Lion Shiki, and even Kaido —all former members of the Rocks Pirates —Dark Emperor Teach was the one with the greatest potential to become the next Rocks.
How powerful Rocks once was! He nearly ruled the seas until he attacked and shattered the God Island.
That was the era of Rocks, who single-handedly suppressed one ambitious Great Pirate after another and formed the Rocks Pirates.
The World Government has now covered up information about Rocks, but some details have still been left behind.
After all, something that happened more than twenty years ago is hard for many people to forget.
The World Government's show of weakness and its declining control over the New World and the Four Seas have led to some leaks of information.
Rocks D. Xebec set sail at a young age and made a name for himself on the high seas in just over a decade. By his thirties, he was already the world's top monster, and his era had begun.
Before this, he had always wandered the seas as a lone wolf.
By his forties, he had reached the pinnacle of his abilities, possessing terrifying strength unmatched by anyone.
It was at this time that Rocks established the Rocks Pirates on an island called "Hachinosu".
The Rocks Pirates were attracted by their immense fame, terrifying strength, wealth, and treasure.
The expansion of their power attracted a number of terrifying criminals, including the young Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and the three deceased veteran overlords, John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe, all of whom Rocks Pirates during this period.
The powerful Rocks and the lone Rocks were two different threats. The terror known as Rocks began to spread throughout the world, and the Daimyo of Rocks resounded throughout the world.
How terrifying Rocks was at his peak.
With a powerful physique and terrifying Three Types of Haki, he has practically broken through limitations. His physical skills and techniques are also unmatched, and he is a world-class Great Swordmaster.
He is a well-rounded warrior who has reached the pinnacle in every aspect, and is also a user of special abilities.
Whitebeard and his crew hadn't reached their peak at that time, but Rocks' terrifying power was undeniable.
Before the navy and pirate forces reached their peak and were comparable to the present era, he was already the ceiling of the sea, and his strength was in no way inferior to Garp, Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki at their peak.
If it weren't for the passage of time, the growing power of these ambitious individuals, and their unwillingness to submit to Rocks, leading to their tacit betrayal...
With his advancing age and declining physical strength, he was defeated by the combined attack of Garp and Roger, two young legends who had not yet reached their peak. He might actually be able to create a legend if the power under his protection could be combined.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs. "Rocks' downfall was in line with the trend of the times.
The God Valley, an important second land for the Celestial Dragons, is the burial ground of many Celestial Dragons and a place where a large number of Celestial Dragons and slaves reside.
The island thus disappeared from the map of the sea, and the remnants of the Rocks Pirates also obtained a large amount of treasure belonging to the Celestial Dragons.
Among them was the Mythical Zoan, the Fish-Fish Fruit, or the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, which Kaido, marking the true beginning of his rise to power.
Teach bears a resemblance to Rocks, Night Pirates' terror also reflects the Rocks Pirates, but in terms of top-tier combat power, they cannot compare to the Rocks Pirates at their peak; they need time to develop.
When that time comes, the Night Pirates will be even more terrifying Rocks Pirates, because the Night Pirates will have stronger cohesion and will not repeat the mistakes of the Rocks.
Similarly, the Dark Emperor's strength is unlikely to decline.
The Flying Pirates were wiped out, most of their territory was swallowed up by the Night Pirates, and even the corpse of Golden Lion Shiki was devoured by Teach. Many people speculate that the Pure Gold in Golden Lion Shiki's possession may have fallen into the hands of the Night Pirates.
It's highly likely that the Dark Emperor has already achieved a long lifespan and no longer needs to worry about the decline of his strength.
Although the Night Pirates didn't say it, many people already believed that Pure Gold was in their hands.
This conjecture is actually quite accurate. The radiance of Pure Gold affected the battle, and perhaps anticipating defeat, Shiki hid the Pure Gold.
The Night Pirates already possessed Pure Gold, and after annexing the Sky Kingdom of the Flying Pirates, the Pure Gold that Shiki had hidden was found by the Night Pirates using the power of the Baccarat Lucky-Lucky Fruit.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Teach is the next Rocks.
While this may seem like an overstatement, it reflects the views of many, including Big Mom.
Big Mom has already achieved her goal of becoming the Queen of the Seas. She doesn't dare to aspire to become the King of the World; she knows that much about herself and knows that it's impossible for her to do so with her own strength and influence.
The era of believing that becoming the Pirate King and finding the One Piece would allow one to dominate the world is over. Such thinking is extremely foolish, and the defeat of the Flying Pirates has taught everyone a lesson.
Even possessing Ancient Weapon doesn't make one invincible. While the power of Ancient Weapon is terrifying, they are ultimately just weapons, and the same applies to Pluton.
The Revolutionary Army dared not reveal their location even after finding Pluton, because they simply could not keep it a secret.
Crocodile, now one of the Shichibukai, wouldn't be foolish enough to think that obtaining Pluton would allow him to defeat the Whitebeard Pirates.
As for the treasure hidden by Roger Pirates on the Laugh Tale, Big Mom didn't care at all. Roger Pirates was just a pirate crew, and even if they stole a lot of treasure, it would still be limited.
Is it comparable to the treasure of the Rocks Pirates, which destroyed no fewer than ten Affiliated Nation?
If she wanted to, she could amass a vast territory and collect 10 billion Beli in a short time.
Moreover, with Teach's rise to power, the details of the great battle between the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates two years before the start of the Great Pirate Era have also been revealed.
After the war, Kozuki Oden joined the Roger Pirates, and the Roger Pirates paid off at least half of their treasure, which, although plentiful, was worth at most 15 billion Beli.
Therefore, while the Laugh Tale may contain a considerable amount of treasure, it is far from enough to truly tempt Big Mom.
This is still less than what the Big Mom Pirates gained on Golden Island.
Besides these, there is the Void Century of history, which is the dark history of the World Government that Rediat revealed many years ago.
In this way, the title of Pirate King seems somewhat meaningless.
Therefore, Big Mom has begun to place her bets, optimistic about the future of the Night Pirates, and the two sides have formed an alliance.
Following the great battle between the World Government and the Flying Pirates, many believe that the Night Pirates, the new overlords of the New World, will also have a major battle with the World Government in the future.
Because Dark Emperor Teach also harbored ambitions to become the King of the World, he began preparing to establish a pirate crew before the Great Pirate Era even began.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, many people could tell.
The stolen remains of Uranus were, in a way, part of the Uranus Night Pirates' plan to develop powerful weapons to fight the World Government.
Other dominant pirate crews are still unable to influence the overall situation, but the Big Mom Pirates have already taken the lead in choosing sides, which further solidifies the prestige of the Night Pirates.
The silence didn't last long; Teach took out a document and passed it to Big Mom across the table.
"Linlin, this is the wedding schedule and our arrangements. Although the chances of something going wrong are slim, we still need to be prepared."
"Also, here's the list of all the wedding guests. You can see they've all arrived on Pagila Island and will be leaving soon. We'll send people down to greet them together."
After discussing some details about the wedding, Mostima was standing nearby, added her comments.
Actually, the Night Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates had discussed some things beforehand, but there were some adjustments later.
Big Mom listened quietly. This was also her first time holding a wedding outside of Totto Land. This wedding process would be more complicated and larger in scale than the weddings she had held before.
"Finally, regarding the Giant race, you should be prepared by now, Big Mom." Teach looked at Big Mom, narrowed his eyes, and asked seriously, not wanting to say anything wrong that might cause trouble.
The Giant race is important to both the Big Mom Pirates and the Night Pirates. The Giant race 'Giant race intimidation and power are something even the World Government greatly desires.
"Mama Mama! Don't worry, I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time." Big Mom laughed. Although she cared a lot about her reputation, she had always hoped for reconciliation with the Giant race, even if it meant losing some face. Besides, the other forces didn't know.
For years she had hoped for reconciliation, but the Giant race had never given her the chance. Now this was arguably her only chance, and she would naturally seize it.