The expansion of the Nightfall Pirates continued at a steady, relentless pace. While it lacked the spectacle of the Golden Sea War or the large-scale clashes raging across the Chaotic Sea and the frontlines of the New World, its significance could not be ignored. Territory after territory fell under their control, and with each conquest, their foundation grew stronger.
Teach had already returned to the Golden Sea.
The war showed no signs of slowing. On the contrary, its intensity only deepened. The pirate forces of Jaya Island were clearly at a disadvantage in terms of overall strength, so reinforcements were inevitable. To maintain their edge, the Allied Forces also continued to deploy fresh troops and high-level combatants.
The Marine, however, was stretched to its limits.
Most of its forces had been dispatched across the seas to maintain order, leaving little room to reinforce the Golden Sea battlefield. The New World alone consumed a vast portion of their elite strength. At the same time, affiliated kingdoms could not spare assistance either. Internal conflicts and the constant threat of pirate raids forced them to keep their armies at home.
With no external support, the World Government had only one option.
Draw from its own hidden reserves.
Forces stationed along the Red Line were mobilized, along with a large number of trained agents. Though not on the level of CP0 elites, these operatives had mastered the Six Styles and possessed proficiency in at least two types of Haki.
Two CP0 agents had already been deployed to the battlefield.
Time was running out, and impatience was beginning to show. The World Government had started to reveal fragments of its concealed strength ahead of schedule.
The two masked agents demonstrated power far beyond that of ordinary Vice Admirals. Even so, they were intercepted by newly arrived pirate reinforcements from Jaya Island, preventing them from turning the tide outright.
This alone exposed a critical truth.
The World Government was being pushed.
Their resources were thinning, forcing them to bring hidden forces into the open earlier than plAnnied.
On the battlefield, chaos surged once more.
Sarika, known as the "Fierce General" of the Nightfall Pirates and Ares's right hand, transformed into a colossal earth dragon over a hundred meters long. Flames poured from his jaws as he rampaged across enemy lines, scattering formations and crushing resistance.
At the same time, four figures entered the battlefield together.
"Thorn Woman" Loya.
"Queen" Annie.
"Cat Girl" Pito.
"Goddess of Fortune" Baccarat.
With the expansion campaign temporarily facing no resistance, it was more valuable for them to gain real combat experience in the Golden Sea. Teach held high expectations for each of them.
Among them, Baccarat was the most dangerous.
The Luck-Luck Fruit turned probability itself into a weapon.
Under normal circumstances, warships relied on coordination, positioning, and firepower. Against her, none of that mattered. Cannon fire began to land with unnatural precision, striking critical points with devastating consistency. Explosive shells slammed into decks and hulls, crippling vessels in moments.
Two or three hits were enough to render a warship unusable.
Before long, more than half of the Allied Forces' fleet had been destroyed.
The scale of the loss was staggering.
Meanwhile, Loya's growth had exceeded all expectations. Her Thorn-Thorn Fruit had reached an advanced stage of development, allowing her to dominate large sections of the battlefield. Though her physical combat skills lagged behind, her mastery of her ability more than compensated for it.
Annie had matured as well.
Once dismissed as a symbolic "queen," she had proven her worth through relentless training and battle. Mastery of the Six Styles and proficiency in both Armament and Observation Haki placed her firmly among high-level fighters. After rejecting the Snow-Snow Fruit, she chose the Bubble-Bubble Fruit instead, developing it rapidly into a versatile and powerful ability.
Her title was no longer a mere embellishment.
Pito, on the other hand, was something else entirely.
At only seventeen, her Observation Haki had reached a terrifying level. Her perception stretched across vast distances, while the malice she could project weighed heavily on those around her. Her childlike purity only sharpened her instincts, making her presence both unsettling and overwhelming.
As for Baccarat, she never appeared on the front lines.
Hidden and heavily protected, she continuously activated her ability from the shadows. Captured enemies became her source of fuel. Their luck was stripped away completely, leaving them empty, discarded without hesitation once their usefulness ended.
Her stamina consumption was minimal, allowing her to sustain this influence over extended periods.
Even so, her presence did not go unnoticed.
The Allied Forces quickly deduced her involvement. Strange battlefield phenomena, improbable destruction, and sudden misfortune all pointed to one conclusion.
Assassination attempts followed.
Some captured soldiers concealed their strength, waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, Pito remained by Baccarat's side, eliminating threats before they could materialize.
Despite the devastating impact, Baccarat alone could not decide the war.
Most of those affected were ordinary soldiers. Against top-tier combatants, her influence was limited.
Still, the damage to the fleet forced the World Government to adapt.
"Do not retreat," the order came. "Do not give them time to recover. If naval combat is no longer viable, then shift to land warfare. Kuzan will freeze the sea. Advance directly to Jaya Island."
They had finally glimpsed victory.
They would not allow it to slip away.
Warships could be rebuilt, but time could not. Waiting for reinforcements would stall momentum, and every delay carried risk. Financial strain already weighed heavily on the World Government. Constructing fleets required enormous resources, resources they could no longer spare freely.
So they changed tactics.
Kuzan froze the sea, creating a vast battlefield of ice.
Ground forces surged forward.
Sixty thousand soldiers were deployed in a single wave, their objective clear: overwhelm the pirates through sheer numbers and maintain pressure at all costs.
The scale of the Golden Sea War expanded once more.
The total number of participants approached two hundred thousand. Combined with earlier casualties, the death toll had already exceeded four hundred thousand.
Even with heavy losses, the Allied Forces maintained their advantage.
Every few days, they advanced further across the frozen sea.
The pirates attempted to shatter the ice repeatedly, hoping to disrupt the offensive. Each time, they were either repelled or undone by Kuzan, who restored the battlefield as quickly as it was destroyed.
Covert operations intensified as well.
Both sides launched raids to disrupt supply lines, knowing that logistics would ultimately decide the outcome. Yet neither achieved decisive success. The Allied Forces extended their frontline, increasing strain on their supply chain. In response, the World Government deployed ten additional CP0 agents to secure their rear.
At the same time, far from the battlefield, another storm erupted.
In the Holy Land, a silent purge began.
Wealthy merchants, nobles, and even officials were targeted. Some were executed under fabricated charges. Others vanished without explanation. Entire families were erased overnight.
Their wealth was seized.
All of it redirected to sustain the war.
At first, the targets were minor forces. Few paid attention. But the scale escalated rapidly. Tens of billions of Berries were no longer sufficient. The war demanded far more.
Trillions.
The World Government turned its gaze toward powerful figures, individuals who had once stood close to them.
The backlash was immediate.
News spread despite attempts to contain it. Panic followed. Some fled. Others resisted. Bloodshed escalated beyond control.
For the first time, the World Government's actions were laid bare.
Their authority began to crack.
Allies grew wary. Neutral forces turned hostile. Even those who had once supported them started to distance themselves.
They had crossed a line.
Yet they could not stop.
Having reached this point, retreat was no longer an option. Victory was within sight, and they would pay any price to seize it.