The Beasts Pirates launched another invasion into the Whitebeard Pirates' territory. Their war against Wano Country had barely slowed them down, and their losses had been minimal.
Vista remained behind to support Marco and the others, while Jozu departed to intercept the Beasts Pirates. No matter the circumstances, the Whitebeard Pirates had to dispatch one of their strongest fighters to hold Kaido's forces back.
Against an enemy that specialized in brutal close combat, Jozu was unquestionably the better choice.
Originally, Vista's arrival, along with the pirates under his command, had significantly eased the pressure on the front lines. Their resistance against the Nightfall Pirates had grown stronger, slowing the enemy's advance.
Unfortunately, the Whitebeard Pirates simply could not compete with the Beasts Pirates in terms of wealth, manpower, industrial capacity, or military technology. They lacked the advanced weapons and massive stockpiles of artillery that Kaido possessed. If they had enjoyed those advantages, the war would have been far less difficult.
Under the relentless suppression of the Nightfall Pirates' overwhelming firepower, they could only fight defensively. Every direct engagement resulted in mounting casualties and steadily increasing pressure.
To buy enough time for Pops to free himself from the Chaotic Sea, they had no choice but to continue retreating while delaying the enemy's advance. They intentionally turned the conflict into battles between elite fighters whenever possible, minimizing losses among ordinary crew members.
No one knew how much longer it would take before the situation in the Chaotic Sea stabilized. The Whitebeard Pirates controlled an enormous amount of territory there, and the circumstances surrounding that battlefield remained incredibly complicated.
Many factions had silently joined forces to pressure the Whitebeard Pirates. Combined with the Nightfall Pirates' invasion, their objective was obvious. They wanted to force Whitebeard to abandon the Chaotic Sea and confront the Nightfall Pirates directly.
Once he left, they would carve up the Whitebeard Pirates' territories throughout the Chaotic Sea.
Even so, the Whitebeard Pirates refused to yield.
The more than one hundred islands they possessed in the Chaotic Sea were vastly more valuable than those in the Notting Sea. They simply could not abandon them. Once those islands were lost, reclaiming them later would cost an even greater price.
Compared to that, the Notting Sea held relatively little value to the Whitebeard Pirates. It represented prestige more than practical benefit.
In truth, if they simply gave up the Notting Sea to the Nightfall Pirates, nearly all of their current difficulties would disappear.
However, pride would not allow it.
The Whitebeard Pirates refused to admit defeat before the Nightfall Pirates. Their plan was to hold out until the Chaotic Sea had been completely stabilized, allowing Whitebeard to return personally before driving the Nightfall Pirates back.
That was the belief shared by many within the crew.
The Whitebeard Pirates still possessed tremendous strength. Although their number of top-tier monsters was limited, their core combat force remained exceptionally powerful.
While their casualties had been considerable, most of those losses came from ordinary crew members. Although several core fighters had also fallen, the overall foundation of the Whitebeard Pirates remained intact.
After all, a pirate empire of this scale did not rely solely on Whitebeard's personal strength.
Even so, their continued suppression by the Nightfall Pirates was undeniable.
War was the greatest forge.
As time passed, the Nightfall Pirates did not become weaker despite their constant fighting. Instead, their numbers gradually shrank because fresh recruits continuously volunteered to enter the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates' overall strength steadily declined.
The departure of yet another powerful combatant placed even greater pressure upon them.
Island after island fell into the Nightfall Pirates' hands and was formally annexed. Every retreat cost the Whitebeard Pirates another seven or eight islands.
After suffering repeated defeats, more than half of the Whitebeard Pirates' original sixty-plus islands in the Notting Sea had already been swallowed by the Nightfall Pirates.
Whether they accepted it or not, this sea would eventually belong to the Nightfall Pirates.
Teach paid little attention to the campaign itself.
He trusted the Nightfall Pirates' strength, and he trusted his subordinates even more.
Unless intelligence arrived confirming Whitebeard's appearance, he had no intention of interfering personally.
Instead, he devoted every day to preparing for his inevitable battle against Whitebeard, never relaxing for even a moment.
Soon, the entire Notting Sea would belong to the Nightfall Pirates.
Even then, their advance would not stop.
Teach had already envisioned the future.
A buffer zone separating the Nightfall Pirates from the Beasts Pirates would be the ideal arrangement. It would prevent direct friction between two top-tier powers while allowing New World pirates to move freely without constantly trespassing into Emperor territory.
Likewise, another buffer zone would eventually be established between the Nightfall Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates after the war ended.
Preparations for this plan had already begun.
Creating such an isolation zone would require carving roughly fifty islands out of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
Naturally, those islands first had to be conquered. Otherwise, there was no reason for the Whitebeard Pirates to agree.
The Whitebeard Pirates had never excelled at governing territory. Losing those islands would significantly reduce their annual income, serving as another means of weakening them.
The Nightfall Pirates, meanwhile, intended to secretly cultivate influence throughout the region.
Countless pirates would naturally gather within this buffer zone, stimulating commerce and generating enormous wealth.
Once established, numerous organizations would settle there, surviving between the territories of greater powers without submitting to any Emperor while still maintaining a certain degree of freedom.
The buffer region between the Nightfall Pirates and the Beasts Pirates had already begun displaying this trend.
Its population was growing visibly.
Its economy expanded rapidly.
After all, pirates remained the primary consumers throughout the New World.
Underground organizations and black market groups had likewise begun establishing businesses on these islands.
The region served both as a buffer between great powers and as a lawless paradise for pirates unwilling to submit to an Emperor.
Large and small factions gathered there, lacking the strength to challenge the giants but still determined to survive.
If two Emperor territories directly bordered one another, conflict would become inevitable. Patrols, military deployments, and constant friction would consume enormous resources.
An isolation zone eliminated much of that burden.
At the very least, it prevented the needless deployment of top combatants.
For example, the buffer between the Nightfall Pirates and the Beasts Pirates usually required only a single affiliated pirate crew to patrol it, with rotating assignments among subordinate crews.
A captain carrying a bounty between 200 and 300 million Berries was sufficient to discourage the overwhelming majority of pirates.
That alone effectively prevented disputes between the two Emperor-level forces.
As time passed, however, the pirates gathering within these buffer zones would naturally become stronger.
If war ever became necessary, clearing them all out would require tremendous effort.
Should particularly powerful pirates emerge there, surprise attacks and undeclared wars would become even more difficult.
In the future, the Sageros Sea would enter a period of long-term stability.
Although the Nightfall Pirates could certainly continue expanding, their existing territory was already more than sufficient.
Combined with the buffer zone bordering the Beasts Pirates, it formed a natural shield protecting the eastern and northern regions of the Sageros Sea.
There had once been discussions about connecting the two buffer zones into one continuous neutral region.
Ultimately, the idea was abandoned.
The cost was simply too great.
More importantly, the Nightfall Pirates had no reason to fear outside forces. There was no need to invest such tremendous effort into unnecessary defenses.
Compared to total defeat, territorial concessions were easier for the Whitebeard Pirates to accept.
Their continuous withdrawals also revealed an unspoken understanding.
They were intentionally yielding territory to the Nightfall Pirates.
Without reinforcements, they simply lacked the strength to stop them. Persisting blindly would only produce losses they could no longer afford.
Thus, both sides silently accepted this arrangement.
However, if the Whitebeard Pirates believed the Nightfall Pirates would soon be satisfied and retreat, they were gravely mistaken.
Countless people across the world were eagerly waiting to witness the Whitebeard Pirates become a laughingstock.
On one side stood a legendary pirate who represented the previous era.
On the other stood the fastest-rising overlord of the new generation.
To many, this conflict symbolized the struggle between the old age and the new.
Whitebeard had already reached the peak of his life.
The Dark Emperor, however, was still climbing.
Throughout recent years, countless young pirates had risen to prominence.
Most had been swallowed by the ruthless tides of the New World, but a select few had rapidly built terrifying reputations.
They had become the new generation's leading figures.
Red-Haired Shanks.
Buggy the Clown.
Sulfuric Eric.
Gecko Moria.
Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo.
And many others whose bounties had already surpassed one hundred million Berries.
Among them all, the Dark Emperor Teach stood as the most representative figure.
One could even call him the benchmark of the new era.
His ascension carried greater significance than that of any previous Sea Emperor.
Unlike the other four Emperors, Teach had no intention of earning his throne by defeating another ordinary overlord.
After all, the old generation of legendary rulers like John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi had already disappeared from the stage.
Simply defeating another regional overlord would never be enough.
Teach intended to seize the title of Emperor in a single battle against Whitebeard himself.
That achievement would shake the entire world.
After all, Whitebeard was universally acknowledged as the strongest man alive.
The man who possessed the power to destroy the world.
Although many believed the Dark Emperor was still inferior to Whitebeard, no one dared underestimate Teach's strength.
The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit was the natural enemy of every Devil Fruit user.
In Teach's hands, that fruit had displayed terrifying abilities beyond imagination.
Darkness capable of devouring all things.
Darkness capable of swallowing even the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit itself.
Because of that, the coming showdown between Dark Emperor Teach and Edward Newgate had become the most anticipated battle on the seas.
Its anticipation even surpassed Kaido's battle against Kozuki Oden.
At the same time, everyone understood another reality.
The number of Sea Emperors was limited.
Five, perhaps six at most.
Teach's ascension would likely become the final addition unless someone managed to conquer nearly the entire first half of the New World or earned worldwide recognition through overwhelming personal and organizational strength.
Neither possibility was remotely easy.
After that, anyone wishing to become an Emperor would have only one path left.
Defeat an existing Emperor and take their throne.
When individual strength proved insufficient, alliances would inevitably emerge.
Multiple great forces would unite to oppose stronger Emperors together.
Likewise, every Emperor had to remain wary of newly rising pirates.
Compared to challenging another Emperor, replacing a newcomer was always easier.
This had become the current structure of the New World.
Countless dragons coexisted beneath several giant elephants, maintaining an uneasy balance while power shifted within that framework.
The Emperors ruled the seas, but they did not casually exterminate every lesser force.
Those organizations served their own purpose.
In many ways, they functioned as a system of mutual restraint.
There were simply too many overlords.
If threatened, they could unite.
Even a Emperor would pay an enormous price trying to crush them all.
Within the Chaotic Sea, atop a gigantic whale-shaped pirate ship, a towering figure stood at the bow.
A bisento rested in his hand.
His white captain's coat fluttered violently in the sea wind as he silently gazed toward the horizon.
It was Whitebeard.
The world's strongest man.
The strongest user of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Teach..."
Whitebeard muttered quietly, his voice carrying unmistakable resolve.
"Are you really trying to sever every remaining bond between us? Are you provoking me so that I won't hold anything back?"
The deaths of so many members of the Whitebeard Pirates filled him with grief and burning anger.
Many familiar faces.
Many sons he had personally accepted into his family.
During the war alone, four affiliated pirate crews had been completely wiped out. Their captains had fallen on the battlefield against the Nightfall Pirates.
Whitebeard could clearly sense Teach's intentions.
Teach wanted to provoke him.
He wanted to enrage him through the bloodshed of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He wanted Whitebeard to abandon every trace of restraint during their inevitable duel.
Teach wanted to challenge him at his absolute strongest.
Whitebeard understood all of it.
Although he remained trapped within the quagmire of the Chaotic Sea, he knew their battle could no longer be avoided.
Everyone could see it coming.
Whitebeard could as well.
Had they merely lost territory, he would not have been angry.
If his sons lacked the strength to defeat their opponents, then that failure would become motivation to grow stronger.
But watching so many of them die...
That was something he could never ignore.
One report after another arrived.
Each carried another familiar name.
Another beloved face that would never smile again.
The fury within Whitebeard continued to build, waiting only for the moment it finally erupted.
"One by one..."
His expression suddenly twisted into one of terrifying rage.
Whitebeard tightened his grip around the shaft of his bisento, slowly raised it into the air, then slammed it downward.
Invisible shockwaves burst outward in every direction.
The previously calm sea exploded into towering waves, roaring endlessly as though venting Whitebeard's wrath itself.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky.
Lightning tore through the heavens.
Violent winds howled across the ocean.
Every faction in the Chaotic Sea had silently joined together to pressure the Whitebeard Pirates.
These hundred-plus islands should have been pacified years ago.
Had they not deliberately prolonged the conflict, the Whitebeard Pirates would never have suffered such devastating losses.
Five or six years had already passed.
Instead of becoming peaceful, the Chaotic Sea had become an even deeper quagmire.
Whitebeard understood their intentions perfectly.
Precisely because he understood them, he refused to let them succeed.
Their schemes had completely enraged the strongest man in the world.
He was Whitebeard.
How dare these ignorant youngsters believe they could manipulate him with such petty tricks?
He would teach every one of them a lesson they would never forget.
Not a single faction would escape.
And in doing so...
He would vent every ounce of the fury burning within his heart.
Whitebeard had already made his move.
His first target was the territory occupied by the Satan Pirates.