The events on Zou were reported to the Nightfall Pirates almost immediately. They only needed a handful of scouts stationed at a safe distance to monitor developments.
Whether it was Wano Country or Zunesha itself, the Nightfall Pirates had already placed personnel in advance to keep watch.
What surprised Teach and the others, however, was the Beast Pirates' choice of target.
Originally, they had expected Kaido to strike directly at Wano Country and force a large-scale war. Instead, the Beast Pirates bypassed the powerful nation altogether and targeted Zou, somehow learning that a Road Poneglyph was hidden there.
They still could not confirm whether Kaido had successfully obtained the Road Poneglyph, but the odds were high. According to the intelligence reports, the Beast Pirates had not remained on Zou for long after their attack.
"I still underestimated the Beast Pirates," Teach said with a soft chuckle as he read through the report.
Their actions had deviated from his predictions, yet the final result was not much different.
Teach had originally planned to find an opportunity to seize the Road Poneglyph hidden on Zou himself.
Now, whether the Road Poneglyph had truly fallen into Kaido's hands or not, one thing was certain: the Mink Tribe had suffered devastating losses, and conflict between the Beast Pirates and Wano Country had become inevitable.
Whether it was to reclaim the Road Poneglyph or avenge the Minks, Wano Country would never let the matter rest.
Sooner or later, they would seek out the Beast Pirates.
As a result, the Whitebeard Pirates would no longer be able to rely on Wano Country for assistance.
The outcome of the war between the Nightfall Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates was becoming increasingly clear.
"Then all we have to do is wait."
A gleam flashed through Teach's eyes as excitement spread across his face.
He rose from his seat and headed toward his private training chamber.
Teach was waiting for Whitebeard.
Given Edward Newgate's character, after losing so many family members, there was no way he would remain silent. A father protected his sons. That was simply who Whitebeard was.
As for pride and reputation, Whitebeard would never place such things above his family.
Of course, this was war.
Death was unavoidable.
Whitebeard could accept the deaths of comrades and family members because that was the reality of life at sea. He had walked this path for decades. At his core, he was still a pirate.
If a captain could not accept the possibility of losing crew members, then in the eyes of most sailors, he was unfit to lead.
Pirates clashed with pirates.
Pirates fought Marines.
No one could guarantee that nobody would die.
Yet accepting death and seeking vengeance were two entirely different matters.
Once the casualties inflicted by the Nightfall Pirates reached a certain threshold, Whitebeard would inevitably act.
Teach knew that.
The Nightfall Pirates knew that.
And they were ready.
Whitebeard and Teach were destined to clash.
Once the war reached its conclusion, the focus would inevitably shift toward the two of them.
Strength was everything.
Teach understood Whitebeard better than most.
He also understood exactly how terrifying Whitebeard truly was.
Facing that monster head-on, Teach could guarantee his survival.
But survival alone was not enough.
He did not want to stand before Whitebeard looking helpless and battered.
Prime Whitebeard was a monster capable of shaking the world itself. He was also the mountain Teach needed to overcome.
Victory or defeat mattered less than the battle itself.
Whitebeard's existence had become a chain wrapped around Teach's heart.
Only by crossing blades with him could that chain be broken.
Teach firmly believed that once the battle ended, regardless of the result, his spirit would rise to another level and truly reach the summit of the world.
In truth, the war itself held little significance for the Nightfall Pirates.
They were not short on islands.
Losing or gaining a few dozen territories would not meaningfully affect their growth.
The resources of West Blue alone were vast enough, and the Battle Pyramid generated hundreds of billions of Berries in annual profit.
In some ways, controlling a slightly smaller territory was even easier to manage.
To put it simply, this war existed primarily for Teach himself.
The conflict also served several secondary purposes: tempering the crew through battle and displaying the Nightfall Pirates' power to the world.
Teach never doubted the potential hidden within this body. Yet he could clearly feel his growth beginning to slow. He still had room to improve, but further progress would require more accumulation.
Only after reaching a true bottleneck would he rely on external means.
The future path had already been laid out before him.
The Super Gene Serum.
And another Devil Fruit.
Inside the darkness within Teach's body rested a white Devil Fruit covered in twisted patterns.
Some things felt almost predetermined.
Just as Teach had chosen this sea as his foundation and built his empire here.
The Kingdom of Christi had been conquered years ago.
That Devil Fruit had once been the royal family's treasured heirloom.
The Paramecia-type Twist-Twist Fruit. One of the strongest Paramecia abilities in existence. Compared to the Crush-Crush Fruit, it suited Teach far better and could potentially be combined with the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Three years after the Nightfall Pirates conquered Christi Kingdom, the fruit had been personally presented to Teach.
The kingdom's improved prosperity and stability had earned their sincere loyalty.
Offering the fruit was their way of demonstrating absolute submission.
Meanwhile, before the bell tower that housed the Golden Bell stood an enormous statue.
A three-headed dragon.
The symbol of the Nightfall Pirates.
Its image had spread throughout the Sageros Sea and far beyond.
Pirates who admired the Nightfall Pirates loved purchasing miniature replicas.
Children adored them as well.
The creature possessed three ferocious heads, two tails, massive bat-like wings, powerful hind legs, and a body covered entirely in golden scales.
Ghidorah.
That was its name.
And the fruit had already begun to grow.
Inside Teach's private garden stood a dwarf tree barely two meters tall. Hanging from one of its branches was a strange golden fruit. It was only the size of an egg, clearly immature, yet its appearance unmistakably resembled that of a Devil Fruit.
The tree itself had appeared suddenly and grown at an astonishing pace.
Within a short period, it had sprouted from a bud into its current form.
The moment Teach discovered it, he immediately ordered the area sealed off and had an isolated compound constructed around it.
Now he waited.
Patiently.
For it to mature.
For it to be truly born into the world.
Time was something Teach could afford.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the present and glimpse the future.
A future where he possessed three Devil Fruits. A future where he wielded the Dark-Dark Fruit, the Twist-Twist Fruit, and the power represented by that golden fruit.
At that point, he would truly become unstoppable.
Before then, however, he intended to rely on his own strength and the power of darkness to shatter Whitebeard's shadow over him.
Or more accurately...
His fear of Whitebeard.
That was right.
Fear.
Teach understood exactly how terrifying Whitebeard's power was. Even after leaving the Whitebeard Pirates and severing most of the emotional chains binding him to them, certain memories remained impossible to erase.
The fear inspired by overwhelming strength.
It had become a hurdle within his heart. A hurdle only he could overcome. The only solution was battle.
A battle against Whitebeard himself.
Victory did not matter.
Defeat did not matter.
Only the battle mattered.
Teach knew that Whitebeard would eventually grow old.
His body would weaken.
Countless wounds would accumulate.
His strength would decline.
At that point, defeating him would not be difficult.
But Teach would never be satisfied with such a victory.
There would be no sense of accomplishment.
Only regret.
He wanted to fight Whitebeard while the old monster still stood at his peak. Only then could the deepest fear within him disappear completely.
The contradiction tore at him.
Part of him wanted the battle to begin immediately. Another part wanted more time to grow stronger.
"Come."
Teach's eyes burned.
"Come quickly, Whitebeard... Edward Newgate!"
His blood surged.
His muscles trembled with anticipation.
Every instinct in his body screamed for that battle.
Meanwhile, Kaido had already returned to the Kingdom of Barbarossa.
After obtaining the Road Poneglyph he had coveted for so long, his mood was exceptionally good.
Naturally, he immediately ordered a grand banquet.
News of the Road Poneglyph could not be concealed.
More importantly, Kaido had no intention of hiding it.
When he descended from the sky, countless members of the Beast Pirates witnessed the gigantic red stone clutched within the Azure Dragon's claws.
Of course, the inscriptions themselves were quickly concealed.
No one wanted photographs of the text to spread. A photograph was effectively the same as a rubbing.
Even so, spies belonging to countless organizations existed within the Beast Pirates and throughout Barbarossa's royal city.
Since Kaido made no effort to hide the Road Poneglyph's existence, information quickly spread across the world.
Many were shocked.
Only a few months had passed since the news about the Road Poneglyphs became public.
Yet Kaido had already secured one.
People immediately connected the acquisition to Kaido's recent disappearance.
Clearly, his departure had been related to obtaining a Road Poneglyph.
The question was:
Which one?
Based on existing intelligence, only two possibilities existed.
The Whitebeard Pirates.
Or Wano Country.
The intelligence networks of countless factions sprang into action.
Everyone wanted to know whether Kaido had attacked Whitebeard's territory or invaded Wano Country.
Either option would inevitably trigger a major war.
The situation in Wano appeared normal.
As a result, many assumed that Kaido had somehow discovered the location of Whitebeard's hidden Road Poneglyph and stolen it.
After all, the Beast Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates were already at war.
This speculation immediately alarmed the Whitebeard Pirates. They suspected their homeland had been infiltrated.
The Road Poneglyph taken from Fish-Man Island had been hidden for years in an extremely secret location.
Furthermore, Kaido had apparently acquired a Road Poneglyph without causing any large-scale disturbance.
The possibility seemed disturbingly plausible.
Marco immediately left the battlefield against the Nightfall Pirates and disappeared without explanation.
As one of Whitebeard's closest sons, he naturally knew where the Road Poneglyph was hidden.
When he finally arrived and saw the massive red stone with his own eyes, he let out a long breath.
"Good... it's still here."
Relief washed over him.
Then his expression changed.
"If it isn't ours..."
A shadow crept across Marco's face.
"Then it's Wano?"
His heart sank.
Something had happened. Whether directly or indirectly, Wano Country was involved. Yet the Whitebeard Pirates had already decided to seek Oden's help.
If something had happened to Wano, their plans might collapse before they even began.
Once again, the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable.
Marco replayed recent events in his mind.
The more he thought about them, the more uneasy he became.
Everything seemed interconnected.
As though an invisible hand were manipulating events from behind the curtain. There were simply too many coincidences.
A vague suspicion surfaced.
Teach.
The Nightfall Pirates.
After all, they benefited the most from recent developments.
Yet Marco had no evidence. Nothing directly linked the Nightfall Pirates to these incidents. Besides, how could they possibly know so much? And if they were responsible, why reveal information publicly?
Shaking his head, Marco forced the thoughts away.
Speculation alone accomplished nothing.
He immediately accelerated and returned toward the battlefield.
What Marco did not know was that the Nightfall Pirates had already received news of his departure.
Someone had been following him from the shadows the entire time.
The distance was simply too great for him to notice.
"Is this Whitebeard's hometown? It's hidden surprisingly well."
Laffitte descended slowly from the clouds after Marco left, a smile spreading across his pale face as he gazed down at the island below.
The moment Marco departed, Mostima had ordered Laffitte to follow him.
Tracking Marco was easy.
Laffitte possessed Marco's Vivre Card. Years ago, Teach had secretly created Vivre Cards for several close companions from his Whitebeard days.
Marco happened to be one of them. Teach had never expected the cards would prove useful at a moment like this.
After learning Marco had left the battlefield, Mostima immediately guessed his destination and handed the Vivre Card to Laffitte.
Marco had a head start.
It did not matter.
As long as the Vivre Card existed, he could never truly disappear.
Besides, Laffitte was faster. A master infiltrator by nature, Laffitte slipped onto the island without alerting anyone. At first glance, the island appeared deserted.
Yet the ultrasonic feedback from his ability clearly revealed the presence of inhabitants.
Quietly finding a large tree, Laffitte sat down and removed a blank Log Pose.
Slowly, he began recording the island's magnetic field.
Once complete, the Log Pose could be converted into an Eternal Pose.
With it, the island's location would forever be known.
The needle would always point directly toward it.
The Whitebeard Pirates would gain a dangerous weakness.
Family was Whitebeard's weakness.
His hometown was another.
Virtually all of Whitebeard's wealth was poured into supporting and developing this island.
As for the Road Poneglyph...
There was no need to touch it yet. One day, they could simply create a convincing replica and switch the two.
The stone was not going anywhere.
And within Whitebeard's territory, there was likely no safer hiding place.
"How fascinating."
A genuine smile appeared on Laffitte's eerie face.
"You never expected this, did you?"
When the Eternal Pose finally finished recording the island's magnetic field, Laffitte carefully placed it inside a protective box.
He glanced back one final time.
Then he spread his wings.
Moments later, he vanished into the distant sky.