On the other side.
On a nameless island far from Mary Geoise.
Blackbeard's maniacal laughter echoed through the desolate air like deafening thunder.
“Zehahahaha…”
He stepped off the hijacked warship, his face beaming with a bright and arrogant smile, as if proclaiming his resurrection.
However, the warship behind him was a different story; dark red blood dripped continuously from the deck, stretching towards the sea like a scarlet river, paving a horrifying route.
The seawater, stained with blood, appeared even darker and more profound, as if narrating the tragic scene that had unfolded on the warship.
Blackbeard clenched his fist, feeling the continuous surge of power within his body, his eyes flashing with fervent light.
A smug grin crept onto his lips as he muttered to himself, “I survived, and I've gained new power!”
Within him, the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Gum-Gum Fruit intertwined, forming a completely new experience of strength.
The feeling was like being enveloped by an invisible tide, every nerve in his body was throbbing with excitement.
Using the Dark-Dark Fruit brought him extraordinary pain, while the Gum-Gum Fruit granted him amazing recovery and endurance.
The combination of these two powers was not just 1+1=2, but a qualitative change, making him invincible.
Even the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which he had desperately wanted to seize before, had become much less attractive to him.
“It’s just a pity about those subordinates I painstakingly recruited.”
Although he said it like that, Blackbeard didn't care in his heart.
He knew that the world of pirates was ever-changing, and losing and gaining were simply insignificant in this industry.
“The world has no shortage of pirates.”
He sneered, a flash of ambition in his eyes.
“As long as the world is still like this, as long as One Piece still exists, pirates will continue to emerge.”
He looked down at the sea, as if seeing endless possibilities in the future, his heart filled with anticipation for the next goal.
“And I will recruit even more subordinates!”
Blackbeard laughed, his voice like a howling gale, stirring the tranquility of the nameless island, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.
He possessed an ambition greater than anyone else in this world, he wasn't satisfied with the present.
He wanted to continuously expand his strength until he stood at the top of the world.
“Fortunately, I didn't bring all my core members when I went to Impel Down; the potential of those new generation pirates is much higher, it just takes some time and resources to cultivate them.”
“But as long as I have power, these things can be bought with resources!”
“Zehahahaha!!!”
Blackbeard only trusted himself, only the power he controlled.
Everything else was just a means for him to achieve his goals, everything could be discarded.
......
After Mary Geoise was attacked again, the atmosphere in the entire Holy Land was like a sudden storm, shrouded in a tense and fearful shadow.
Those Celestial Dragons, who were originally arrogant and reckless, seemed to be truly frightened, and the decision to leave the Holy Land became much less frequent, even the schedules that had been set long ago were cancelled, becoming unusually cautious and timid.
They were supposed to enjoy a luxurious life, grabbing a few slaves to show off back home, but now they stayed indoors all the time, becoming homebodies, unwilling to handle even the trivial matters in their homes personally.
Some of the already obese Celestial Dragons became even fatter due to overeating out of fear.
Some Celestial Dragons had turned into balls.
The inconvenience of movement aggravated these Celestial Dragons' unwillingness to go out.
So the fatter they got, the more they ate, and the more they ate, the fatter they got.
The world also became much more peaceful because there were fewer of these World Nobles.
And in the New Pangea Castle.
In the meeting room of the Five Elders.
The tense atmosphere was like a oppressive cloud, making it hard to breathe.
They looked at each other, their expressions solemn, with unease brewing in their hearts.
The chaos caused by Blackbeard was actually just that.
What frightened them the most was the warning they had just received from Lord Imu.
They all knew what the consequences of angering that great one meant—not only the loss of status, but even the end of life.
“Blackbeard!!!”
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro Saint gritted his teeth, anger and helplessness intertwined, as if wanting to tear this name apart.
His voice was like thunder, shaking people's hearts.
“Given his mastery of the Dark-Dark Fruit's abilities and his mysterious body, I reasonably suspect that this guy is very likely to have developed his abilities to the awakened stage.”
Topman Warcury Saint analyzed calmly, but his tone could not hide the sense of urgency.
His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his brows furrowed.
“The main thing now is that even if we know the whereabouts of that guy, if we don't invest a lot of combat power, I don't think we can pose a threat to him.”
Jaygarcia Saturn Saint frowned, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness.
He knew that facing an enemy like Blackbeard, just talking about it was far from enough.
Marcus Mars Saint, after a moment of silence, finally spoke: “Why don't we let the God's Knights take action, with the Navy assisting?”
His proposal was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
“......”
There was another long silence in the hall, the Five Elders each pondering the feasibility of this proposal, and finally reaching a consensus in their hearts.
Then, the five said in unison: “Agreed!”
“We can also take action when necessary!”
This sentence further increased the weight of the decision.
After the meeting, the God's Knights quickly received orders, and Figarland Garling Saint, as the current leader, personally went to discuss the specific matters with the Five Elders.
After the discussion, he led the members of the God's Knights to contact CP, which was the largest and most mysterious intelligence system in the world. They urgently needed to obtain information about Blackbeard as soon as possible in order to prepare fully for the upcoming confrontation.
The fate of the entire Holy Land seemed to be reshuffled at this moment, with undercurrents surging and a storm coming.
......
On this day, the direction of the wind in Mary Geoise seemed to have changed subtly.
Rumors about Mary Geoise were spreading everywhere.
A tense and anxious atmosphere permeated all over the world.
Whether it was the Celestial Dragons, the Five Elders, pirates, or various forces, they were all on alert, waiting for an opportunity to act.
And when Jin An returned to the Marine Headquarters and heard about what had happened in Mary Geoise, a disdainful smile hung on his face.
He muttered to himself: “They know to repair the house when it leaks, and they know to chase after their wife when she runs away, but is it really too late?”
Deep in his heart, he vaguely felt a sense of urgency, Blackbeard was indeed not that easy to kill.
Even though he had dismembered the other party into eight pieces, he actually survived, which made Jin An feel tricky for the first time.
However, these things were no longer his responsibility, the World Government could do whatever they wanted.
A trace of indifference flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself: Anyway, the storm will eventually come, they brought it upon themselves.
At this moment, the only thing that made him happy was that the situation in the North Sea was gradually improving and was about to be captured by Byrnndi World, and this entire plan was under his control.
He silently calculated in his heart.
Jin An knew that Germa 66 was still resisting Byrnndi World's attack, but he was confident that capturing the North Sea was only a matter of time.
In order to ensure that the North Sea could quickly restore order after the war, he decided to let Doflamingo go there to handle all the affairs.
“In this way... the Four Seas will all be in the hands of our New Navy.” A smile crept onto his lips, and he was secretly satisfied.
It is worth mentioning that the East Blue had already been controlled by that guy Dragon, and it was becoming more and more stable now.
Jin An had great confidence in Dragon's strength, and even spread some of the ideas he knew in the original world to him.
Now the ideological waves of the Four Seas are constantly colliding, and will eventually spark a flame of change.
You know, a single spark can start a prairie fire!
This change was not just about the expansion of power, but also about the collision and integration of ideas, Jin An's blueprint for the future became clearer.
He stared at the sea outside the window, the sunlight shining on the water, sparkling with light, as if foreshadowing a greater storm to come.
“Let the storm come more violently......”
...
