The expansion of territory largely depended on the cadres and pirates under Teach's command. Unless the captain of the opposing pirate crew personally intervened, Teach himself would not take action.
After all, the rule in the New World was simple. King against king, general against general.
Once the captains of two great pirate crews stepped onto the battlefield, the conflict would escalate to an entirely different level.
Under normal circumstances, neither side wished to reach that point.
The situation in the Sea of Chaos held the attention of every major pirate force. The value of the territories there far exceeded that of the outer islands.
Not only were the resources abundant, but these regions had been developed for many years by the sea's overlords. The profits they generated were enormous.
Compared to that, the islands in the southern New World were relatively ordinary.
For such islands, the Emperors and great pirate captains would not personally intervene, nor would they deploy their main forces.
However, that did not mean they would simply abandon those territories.
Four division commanders from the Whitebeard Pirates had already arrived to confront the Nightfall Pirates.
Diamond Jozu, commander of the Third Division.
Rakuyo, commander of the Seventh Division.
Namur, commander of the Eighth Division.
Haruta, commander of the Twelfth Division.
Each of them brought their entire divisions with them, along with several subordinate pirate crews.
Every division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates possessed formidable strength. Most of them were comparable to Marine Vice Admirals, and some were even stronger.
Such a lineup clearly demonstrated how seriously the Whitebeard Pirates regarded the rise of the Nightfall Pirates.
In response, the Nightfall Pirates had long prepared themselves. Their intelligence network had already learned that members of the Whitebeard Pirates would be dispatched.
Their subordinate pirates and powerful fighters had been placed on high alert.
Several powerful cadres were stationed in the territories that once belonged to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Slada.
Mobius.
Gar.
And the Fish-Man Mog Ratoon.
Other cadres and pirate crews were also spread throughout the region, resisting attacks from other pirate forces.
Before long, war broke out.
The battlefield between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Nightfall Pirates was an island that had recently fallen under Nightfall control.
A pirate ship approached the island through rough waves.
Standing at the bow was the famous Ice Witch of the New World.
Whitey Bay.
The moment she set foot on the island and confirmed that the territory had been taken by the Nightfall Pirates, she immediately understood.
The war between the two pirate crews had already begun.
Whitey Bay had answered the call of the Whitebeard Pirates and led her own crew to support them.
Although she now commanded her own pirate crew, she still considered herself a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
After all, she had once sailed as a crewmate on Whitebeard's ship.
Several captains of Whitebeard's affiliated pirate crews had the same origin.
They had all once been part of Whitebeard's family.
As a user of the Cold-Cold Fruit, Whitey Bay possessed the ability to release extremely low-temperature cold air.
Waiting for her on this island was Gar, a powerful cadre of the Nightfall Pirates.
Gar was an exceptionally strong Mink warrior who could freely transform into his Sulong form.
The Whitebeard Pirates had once traveled with two Minks alongside Kozuki Oden, so they had a certain understanding of the Mink tribe's characteristics.
Even though Whitey Bay was confident in her own strength, she did not dare underestimate Gar.
Still, a confident smile remained on her face.
"Kill!"
Gar's eyes flashed with savage excitement the moment he locked onto his prey.
In his hands were a hunting knife and a claw weapon.
His entire body radiated a ferocious beast-like aura.
His white fur bristled like an enraged lion, and the ground beneath his feet cracked apart, forming a crater under the pressure of his explosive power.
Facing Gar's charge, Whitey Bay narrowed her eyes.
In a flash, the rapier in her hand moved.
A brilliant sword light flashed across the battlefield, carrying a sharp and chilling sword intent.
A thin layer of frost instantly condensed in the surrounding air.
Whitey Bay rushed forward with astonishing speed, meeting Gar head-on.
Clang!
The weapons collided violently.
Gar's hunting knife struck against Whitey Bay's rapier, sending a shock through her arm.
Her body involuntarily stepped back.
The difference in physical strength was clear. Gar's raw power was overwhelming.
Whitey Bay had never been known for brute strength.
Cold air burst from her body.
The ground around them instantly froze over, turning the battlefield into a field of ice.
Gar was directly at the center of the freezing storm.
The cold air was impossible to completely defend against.
At the same time, the icy energy flowed along Whitey Bay's arm, traveling from the hilt of her sword all the way to the blade.
Whitey Bay was a swordswoman.
More precisely, she practiced a unique style known as Cold Ice Swordsmanship.
Her Cold-Cold Fruit ability perfectly complemented her sword techniques, dramatically increasing the destructive power of her strikes.
Gar reacted instantly.
Armament Haki coated his entire body, forming a powerful defensive layer that resisted the invasion of the freezing air.
However, Armament Haki could only weaken the cold.
It could not completely block it.
Within moments, the two had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.
To weaker pirates watching from afar, their movements were almost impossible to follow.
What surprised Whitey Bay was Gar's speed.
Despite his large frame, Gar moved just as fast as she did.
So far, the battle remained evenly matched.
Gar held a slight advantage in strength.
But something puzzled Whitey Bay even more.
Heat.
An intense heat radiated from Gar's body.
That heat constantly dispersed the cold air she released.
Normally, her freezing power would gradually invade the opponent's body. The cold would slow their blood flow and weaken their physical performance, gradually reducing their combat power.
But Gar seemed completely unaffected.
What Whitey Bay did not know was that Gar possessed the Rage-Rage Fruit.
The Rage-Rage Fruit produced what was known as the Flames of Rage.
As Gar's anger increased, his combat power rose alongside it.
At the same time, intense heat erupted from his body.
The angrier he became, the higher his body temperature climbed.
This Devil Fruit ability had been plundered by the Nightfall Pirates and remained a carefully guarded secret.
Aside from the Nightfall Pirates' core cadres, no one else knew about it.
Gar himself rarely relied on Devil Fruit powers in battle. Most of the time, his Sulong transformation alone was enough to crush his opponents.
As his mastery improved, the duration of his Sulong state continued to increase.
The Rage-Rage Fruit turned out to be perfectly suited to Gar.
By slightly adjusting his emotions, he could raise his body temperature enough to counter Whitey Bay's freezing attacks.
Even if it was not obvious to the eye, Whitey Bay could sense the heat inside Gar's body.
As a Cold-Cold Fruit user, her perception of temperature differences was extremely sharp.
Whenever she increased the intensity of her cold air, Gar's body temperature rose in response.
The heat radiating from him formed a protective barrier that resisted the icy air.
Whitey Bay assumed this was some kind of special combat technique.
She never suspected a Devil Fruit ability.
As the two leaders clashed, the pirates under their command charged into battle.
"Attack! Take them down!"
"This island belongs to the Nightfall Pirates now! If you want it back, keep dreaming!"
"Haha! So what if you're the Whitebeard Pirates? We're the Nightfall Pirates!"
Facing the forces of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Nightfall Pirates felt pressure.
But more than anything, they felt excitement.
Taking territory from the Whitebeard Pirates was something they had never imagined before.
Now it had become reality.
The overwhelming strength displayed by the Nightfall Pirate cadres had given them immense confidence.
During the conquest of these islands, Gar and his men had crushed every opponent.
The original pirate crews that controlled these islands had only three choices.
Leave.
Submit.
Or die.
"Don't underestimate us, you Nightfall Pirate rookies!"
"We'll show you the cruelty of the New World!"
The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies fought back fiercely.
As an affiliated pirate crew under Whitebeard's banner, they considered themselves part of the Whitebeard family.
Whitey Bay's crew was also well known in the New World for their combat ability.
If Whitey Bay had chosen to remain within the Whitebeard Pirates, she would likely have become a division commander herself.
Her home territory, Tomo Island, was a winter island located within the Whitebeard Pirates' domain and not far from this battlefield.
Silver sparks of static electricity coiled around Gar's body and weapons.
The shimmering lightning enhanced the power of his attacks and surged through his blades into Whitey Bay's body.
Electricity was nearly impossible to defend against.
It caused numbness and paralysis.
The weaker the opponent's body, the stronger the effect.
As the battle continued, Whitey Bay gradually began to feel the impact.
The static electricity from Gar's attacks was slowly numbing her body.
Her movements became slightly sluggish.
More than once, a sudden wave of paralysis gave Gar an opening.
Gar did not show mercy.
Whitey Bay's right arm was slashed by his hunting claw.
A deep wound tore open, blood pouring out before instantly freezing under the cold air she released.
The pain was intense.
The balance of the battle shifted.
Despite the advantage, Gar had no intention of killing Whitey Bay.
Before the campaign began, Teach had given a clear order.
The Nightfall Pirates were not to kill the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates or the captains of their affiliated crews.
They were all sons acknowledged by Whitebeard.
Killing them would provoke the Whitebeard Pirates into true fury and possibly trigger a full-scale war between the two pirate forces.
That was not what Teach wanted.
The losses from such a war would be enormous, and the Nightfall Pirates were not yet ready to directly challenge Whitebeard's full power.
As for the ordinary pirates under them, there were no such restrictions.
Whitebeard likely did not even know their names.
No one would start a massive war over them.
In pirate warfare, death was simply part of the game.
Whitey Bay's growing disadvantage quickly affected the morale of her crew.
Several pirates attempted to rush forward to support her.
They died almost instantly under Gar's attacks.
Meanwhile, Gar's overwhelming dominance greatly boosted the morale of the Nightfall Pirates.
Whitey Bay was a famous figure in the New World.
Even though her bounty was only 190 million Berries due to operating mostly within Whitebeard's territory, many people considered her extremely powerful.
Yet now she was being suppressed by Hunter Gar.
If nothing unexpected happened, her defeat was only a matter of time.
Whitey Bay understood that clearly.
Compared to territory, survival was more important.
Gar's strength had made one thing obvious.
She needed outside support.
Otherwise, this battle could not be won.
"We're retreating!"
"You go first. I'll cover the rear!"
Whitey Bay made her decision immediately.
She led her crew while fighting a retreat.
But Gar had no intention of letting her escape.
Teach had said not to kill her.
He never said she had to be released.
This was war.
They were not running a charity.
Captured enemies were valuable bargaining chips.
Gar's aura suddenly surged. His pupils turned a faint blood-red. His white fur grew longer and denser. His muscles swelled as power flooded his body.
Within three seconds, Gar completed his Sulong transformation. A terrifying aura exploded outward.
Many pirates watching the battle were stunned.
It was the first time they had witnessed the legendary Mink transformation. Gar's power had increased several times over.
The static electricity surrounding him became even more violent.
Whitey Bay felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
Her face darkened. This was bad.
Gar roared and shot forward. His speed became even faster.
Whitey Bay had no chance to evade. She raised her sword to block. But the moment their weapons collided, she felt an irresistible force. The rapier flew from her hand.
The difference in strength had become absolute.
Electricity surged through her body, instantly paralyzing her muscles.
In that instant, Gar launched a powerful kick.
The impact struck Whitey Bay squarely in the chest. Her eyes widened.
Blood burst from her mouth as her body flew backward through the air.
The blow shattered her defenses.
Without Armament Haki protecting her body during the moment of paralysis, she had taken the attack directly.
By the time Whitey Bay regained some awareness, a cold, sharp claw pressed against her throat.
Gar stood before her, his eyes calm and merciless.
The battle was over.
The Ice Witch had been defeated.
"Ice Witch" Whitey Bay was captured by the Nightfall Pirates.
Her crew quickly surrendered. Those who tried to resist or escape had already been cut down by Gar's men.
The battlefield fell silent.