A New Journey

Mostima nodded, and Ares remained silent. "Ares, you stay with Mostima. I'm not worried about your strength; you can ask him for help with anything." Teach smiled. "You should be even stronger when you come back next time."

"Don't let me defeat you, Teach." Ares stared at Teach with a smile on his face. He looked very heroic and was not very old. In terms of the age of the Gold Devouring Ant, Ares was only fourteen or fifteen years old in human terms. That's why Teach said that the Ant King was a real monster, a born king.

Even without Teach, it wouldn't have taken the Ant King long to rule Devil's Island.

"Hahaha! How could that be? Just you wait and see. Don't die when I get back." Teach laughed excitedly. With the Ant King's personality, he certainly wouldn't keep holding back forever. He would challenge all sorts of powerful beings on the sea and might become famous on the sea even faster than him.

Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, and at the same time, Ares's Conqueror's Haki also erupted, and they confronted each other.

In just a moment, the two of them withdrew their Haki.

The others were very surprised, not expecting that the Ant King would also have Conqueror's Haki and possess the qualities of a king. Teach had actually subdued such a powerful being who also possessed the qualities of a king. Although the two were of equal status, Ares was led by Teach.

"Then you'd better get stronger quickly. The New World is about to become even more chaotic. Without enough strength to support you, you'll be swept away by the tides of the sea." Teach laughed and said something they couldn't understand, as if something important was about to happen in the sea.

Mostima's expression changed involuntarily. He tapped his thigh with his fingers, recalling what Teach had told him before, the recent major events, and Teach's future plans.

Could it be Roger? Mostima wondered. He couldn't believe Roger would die so easily, especially after learning from Teach that Roger had a terminal illness, didn't have much time left, and had turned himself in.

However, he didn't say much. Since Teach didn't say anything, it was none of his business. Besides, he would find out soon enough.

The New World's most chaotic period was a time of epic battles, with Whitebeard, Kaido of the Beasts, Big Mom Charlotte Linlin, and now, Golden Lion Shiki at his peak, along with the powerful Flying Pirates.

Besides these, there are many other ambitious Great Pirate in the New World. Of the legendary Great Pirate, only two remain. There are several other top-tier pirates below them, Kaido of the Beasts Pirates and Charlotte Linlin of the Big Mom Pirates.

Alexander Caesar, a demon of the Satan Pirates, is Mythical Zoan Human- Human-Human Fruit user in Devil Form.

Akane Rickster, the Trickster of the Weird Pirates, is a Paramecia Mind-Mind Devil Fruit User.

Demon Sword Apep of the Demon Sword Pirates, is Great Swordmaster and Devil Fruit User.

These five are the five pirate crews closest to the two legendary pirates. Below them are many other powerful pirate crews. In the chaotic New World, countless strong individuals are hidden, and many young and powerful pirates are rising to prominence.

For example, the recently renowned Erik Pirates, whose captain is Erik, an Acid-Acid Fruit user.

Katakuri, Big Mom's second son, is Paramecia Mochi Mochi Devil Fruit User and possesses powerful Observation Haki at a young age.

Laimer, a member of the Beasts Pirates and the former third prince of the Kate Kingdom, is Ancient Species Tyrannosaurus Rex Devil Fruit User. He was lucky enough not to die at Teach's hands. After the incident, he did not hate Kaido for killing his father, King Brady. Kaido defeated his father fairly and Kaido with his own strength. Because he admired Kaido's power, he joined Kaido's ranks.

Of course, there are also Marco, Diamond Jozu, Vista the Flower Sword, all Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit users from the Whitebeard Pirates.

Teach didn't plan to stay long; he would leave after one more day, as there were some things he needed to prepare.

The next day, "Boss Teach, we're leaving. See you later!" On a ship at the port of White Sand Island, a ship prepared by Mostima, Mobius waved to Teach and shouted with a smile.

Teach smiled and stood there, watching Mobius leave. "Aren't you going to send them back? What if they encounter danger?" Mostima asked with a smile, standing beside Teach.

"They should learn to grow on their own now. From now on, if they die, it means that's all they're capable of. However, I believe in them. They're quite strong; they can already sail on this vast ocean." Teach smiled slightly as he watched the ship's silhouette gradually disappear into the distance.

"How ruthless." Mostima's lips curled up, but he was very satisfied. He didn't want the person he followed to be soft-hearted and easily swayed by emotions. This perfectly demonstrated Teach's decisive side.

"Hahaha! On this vast sea, even a strongman like Pops has to face the death of his own child. If he had only focused on protecting his family, the Whitebeard Pirates would never have reached their current level, and Pops would never have become a legendary Great Pirate. Family is Pops's constraint, but it is also the goal Pops strives to protect as he grows stronger. These Great Pirate who sail the seas may have weaknesses in their personalities, but they all possess strong ambitions and unwavering determination. On this sea where the strong are respected, human life is the least valuable thing."

Teach laughed loudly, Mostima beside him. After a long while, Teach stopped, looked at Mostima, and said, "Don't die. Wait for me to come back."

"Yes, of course. I won't allow myself to stagnate." Mostima's eyes gleamed with a hint of determination. He had sensed the immense ambition in Teach's heart and seen the bright and promising future within Teach.

He had to keep up with Teach's pace. He could imagine that Teach's Night Pirates would be full of powerful members, and he couldn't fall behind. The pride of a swordsman in his heart also wouldn't allow him to do so.

"Hahaha! Just wait and see. If you want to get stronger, finding a Beast Island is the fastest way. It's very effective for you right now. You can't just rely on hard training." Teach sensed the burning passion beneath Mostima's calm exterior and reminded him with a smile.

Mostima nodded, taking Teach's words to heart.

"Then I'll be going too." Teach said, turning to leave. He had already booked a merchant ship bound for the Grand Line. There are two routes from the New World to the Grand Line. One is through Fish-Man Island, which is more than 10,000 meters below sea level. However, very few merchant ships take this route because it is too dangerous. One wrong move and they could encounter those giant sea monsters, resulting in the destruction of the ship and the loss of life, except for those powerful pirate crews.

The other route is the one controlled by the World Government. It goes through the Red Line, passes through the Holy Land Mary Geoise, and enters "Paradise." This is the first half of the Grand Line and is the safest way. As long as you're not a pirate and pass the World Government's inspection, you can pass smoothly. Of course, to pass, you must have a pass issued by the World Government; otherwise, it's all out of the question. Such a pass is one-time use, costs a lot of money, and takes a lot of time. A large portion of the World Government's revenue comes from this.

This safe passage is heavily guarded by the World Government and the Navy. With this passage secured, pirates cannot easily pass through. Of course, many pirates also use this route as merchant ships, but the cost is much higher than that of ordinary merchant ships, since merchant ships also carry risks.

This merchant ship specializes in trade New World and the first half of the Grand Line. White Sand Island's specialty products are in high demand among some nobles in Paradise. Many nobles are willing to pay high prices for these pristine white handicrafts, which can generate huge profits. By purchasing them on White Sand Island and reselling them in Paradise, one can fetch seven or eight times the price.

With their own belongings, Teach and Pito boarded the ship, which would depart in two hours.

On the high seas, Mobius looked out the window at the ever-flowing water and felt a different kind of emotion. Before, when Teach was with them, he hadn't felt this way because he felt very safe and trusted Teach's abilities to protect them.

He was even a little nervous about this heart-pounding feeling, considering that he had spent months at sea with Teach and two years on the Moby Dick.

He had felt this way once before, on the first day he went to sea with Teach, but now it was even more intense.

Now, having left Teach, he is about to embark on a new journey—the future!

"Wos, we need to work harder now. We must catch up with Teach and become stronger. By then, Teach will definitely have many more powerful companions around him, and I don't want to leave Teach out of his circle." Mobius said firmly, clenching his fist in the air.

They had initially thought that Teach only had them by his side, but now, neither Mostima nor Ares were people they could handle. They were incredibly powerful, especially Ares Teach himself had said was on par with him and a true monster.

"Hmm!" Wos nodded, his hand unconsciously touching the hilt of his short sword, Night Raid. He completely agreed with Mobius's words. They also knew Teach. On the surface, he seemed to have a good temper and was extremely gentle with his companions, but he hid a strong ambition and a strong heart. If he was not strong enough, he would really be eliminated.

Teach trusted them and gave them such great abilities, which shows that Teach had high expectations for them, and they cannot be let down for that alone.

"Let's start training then, training can't stop." Mobius laughed, carrying even more weight, and began training, with Wos training alongside him.

In the New World, on a Beast Island, deafening roars echoed as ferocious beasts, filled with intense hostility, charged towards the short, golden-horned Half-Demon who exuded a powerful aura.

Ares's aura instantly spread across most of Beast Island. As the King of Gold Devouring Ant, he was very familiar with the habits and territorial rules of the beasts. Now, he was provoking them, informing them that he had invaded their territory and intended to occupy the entire island and become their king.

These powerful beasts, the overlords of Beast Island, would never let Ares go. They would never want another king above them. Faced with Ares, this audacious outsider, they unusually united against him, determined to eliminate Ares first.

However, this is exactly what Ares wanted. He needed to fight, to hone himself against powerful opponents. At the same time, as the former King of the Gold Devouring Ant, the overlord of a Beast Island, he was born with the instinct to invade and conquer. He wanted to defeat these powerful beasts and conquer them.

At the same time, he also possesses a Devil Fruit, the Human-Human Fruit - Savage Form, which was a candidate Devil Fruit that Teach was searching for when he was looking for a suitable ability for Ares.

The savages are a race possessing human intelligence. They are tall and covered in thick hair. In this world, they mostly live in icy and snowy areas. They are a race that is born with great strength. However, in terms of intelligence, although they possess human intelligence, they are still somewhat inferior to humans, just like the Giant race. They are slightly weaker than ordinary humans and are also very warlike.

Teach handed it over to Ares, letting him take charge of a powerful subordinate he deemed worthy.

Ares shared this idea and also wanted to see just how vast the world was.

Compared to the huge commotion in the center of the island, the commotion on the outskirts was much smaller. Mostima was fighting a ferocious beast, training his physical skills and increasing his strength. His physique was his weakness, always had been, but hard work could make up for it. Many people in this world were not born with amazing physiques and terrifying strength; many monsters were made through training. And he was working towards that goal.

This Beast Island is very close to White Sand Island. At his speed, he can arrive in just thirteen minutes. If anything happens on White Sand Island, he can quickly return. Moreover, Ares is on the island. With Ares' strength, those problems are not problems. He also doesn't believe that any top-tier Great Pirate are targeting them now.

This area borders Whitebeard's territory. The Whitebeard Pirates know their identities and won't cause them too much trouble. If any problems arise, they can pay protection money in exchange for the Whitebeard Pirates' protection.

Mobius disembarked at Seth Island and looked at the familiar island, the newly built port, and the bustling crowds. In the past two years Seth Island had recovered its former prosperity and, under Anthony's wise leadership, had become even more prosperous.

"Boss Mobius, you're back!" A familiar voice brought Mobius back to his senses. He looked in the direction the voice came from, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Haha! Dubai, it's you."

A boy in a silver guard uniform was not far away. When he saw Mobius, he excitedly ran over.

"You've become a member of the guard." Mobius was pleasantly surprised, naturally able to see that his former comrade's spirit and energy had undergone a tremendous change.

"Yes! They say I have good talent, and I even received personal guidance from Lord Anthony," the boy named Dubai said excitedly, looking up.

Becoming stronger isn't that simple; he must have endured a lot of hardship. A hint of tenderness flashed in Mobius's eyes, and he couldn't help but open his arms and give Dubai a big hug.

Then he released her. "I came back this time to join the guard team for two years of training. This is my comrade, Wos." Mobius smiled as he stated his purpose, then introduced Wos to Dubai.

"Okay! I'll take you there now." Dubai smiled and nodded to Wos, then turned and walked towards the government building, which could be seen from afar in the center of Sess Island.