Meanwhile, at the naval harbor of New Marineford.
The grand Reverie had drawn to a close. The impassioned echoes in the assembly hall had yet to fully fade, but the bustle at the harbor had gradually shifted to the business of departures.
Ships flying different flags began raising their sails and weighing anchor.
The kings and delegates of various nations boarded one after another, some buoyant, others weighed down by worries, ready to bring home everything they had seen and heard that day.
Yet beside a relatively secluded berth in the harbor,
a burly figure who looked entirely out of place showed no intention of leaving.
It was Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach.
The reason he had gone to such lengths, even risking a dangerous deal with the World Government, to secure Hachinosu's legal status as a "nation"
was ultimately to legitimize his territory and gain the right to conduct normal, lawful trade with other countries,
freeing himself from a model that relied solely on plunder and underground dealings,
and truly establishing a "pirate empire" with stable, sustainable revenue.
Half his reason for venturing onto Navy territory to attend the Reverie was to provoke and spite Gern.
You want to hold a grand meeting to show off your authority? Then I'll butt in as a "king" and see if you dare lay a hand on me with everyone watching.
The other half was a practical calculation.
He wanted to make private contacts at this gathering of national leaders,
seeking out potential partners willing to trade with the "newly established nation" of Hachinosu,
especially in gray-market or scarce commodities such as arms, rare resources, and intelligence.
Unfortunately, reality dealt him a merciless blow.
During the meeting, needless to say, he had only been able to sit on a little stool in the