Teach watched the conversation among the Great Pirates with keen interest.
Many of his officers stood behind him.
He had also sent plenty of his crew to plunder the Four Seas.
The forces he had kept in the Golden Sea were more than a match for any other Sea Emperor.
But he said nothing.
Strength would speak for itself. If he wanted these veterans' recognition, he had to show them what he could do.
His battle with Marine Vice Admiral Garp alone was not enough.
In truth, he underestimated himself. Which of the Sea Emperors would dare look down on him?
They took young Teach very seriously, even if they kept it to themselves.
The Black Emperor Pirates had the support of numerous Superpowers. Public opinion and future prospects alike overwhelmingly favored them.
What had once happened with the Flying Pirates was now happening with the Black Emperor Pirates.
Back then, none of them had come into their own. Some had not even formed their crews yet.
But they had all lived through that era.
Now they had reached the pinnacle as Sea Emperors. The Flying Pirates still existed, but that had not changed their standing.
That alone showed how formidable Teach and the Black Emperor Pirates were.
They could even faintly sense that some extraordinary force might be pushing things along behind the scenes.
It was another sign that the Black Emperor Pirates had potential no less immense than the Flying Pirates'.
Who would ignore a young monster of nineteen or twenty who could fight Garp?
In a sense, many of them had watched Teach grow up.
He had been a star of the Sky Arena, with plenty of fans even among Pirates.
Crew members from all sorts of Pirate crews watched Sky Arena fights in their spare time.