In the territory of the Beasts Pirates in the New World, Bege had penetrated deep into their heartland. Most of their forces had been deployed to the former territory of the Fear Pirates, leaving their home base vulnerable. Bege had crushed all resistance along the way; no one was a match for him.
Bege knew very well that he couldn't take on both the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates at the same time. Since a direct confrontation was impossible, he had chosen another path to force them out. He had led a surprise attack on the Beasts Pirates' home base and Big Mom's territory of Totto Land.
He didn't believe for a second that Kaido and Big Mom would be willing to give up the empires they had spent decades building for a piece of new territory.
"Brat, if you dare to destroy my Totto Land, I will personally go to your sky island and wipe it off the map!" Big Mom's voice was grim, her face twisted with rage. Her aura was running wild, and she was on the verge of a full-blown rampage.
"As long as you leave my territory, we can talk," Bege said calmly. He had no intention of actually causing large-scale destruction in their home territories. Kaido was a madman, and Big Mom was a psychopath. If he made true enemies of them, they would undoubtedly hunt him down relentlessly.
He was especially worried about Kaido. He was a user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit and could fly. In the original story, he had actually made it to a sky island. Bege was genuinely concerned that Kaido would fly up to his sky island and destroy it.
"Mama! Bad news!" A slender man wearing a top hat, with a very long nose and tongue and carrying a candy cane, ran over. "The Vice-Captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, Modi, has appeared in the kingdom! He's leading a large number of Freaks and has broken into Totto Land! The defensive forces on the island can't stop them!"
This was Big Mom's eldest son, Charlotte Perospero, the user of the Paramecia Lick-Lick Fruit.
He had rushed over in a panic to report the sudden attack on Totto Land. Modi and the Freak Squad had already breached their defenses.
"Brat, you win," Big Mom's voice turned grim again as she roared into the Den Den Mushi. "But you remember this. You've made an enemy of me."
"You're the one who made an enemy of me first. Big Mom, your threats don't scare me," Bege's cold voice came from the other end.
Big Mom's face twitched with rage.
Kaido, however, burst out laughing. "See that, old hag? You can't even scare a little brat anymore. You'd better hurry back."
"You think you can scare him? Hmph," Big Mom shot Kaido a glare and then stared at the Den Den Mushi with such a menacing look that the poor creature trembled in fear.
"Interesting. Brat, I'm heading back now," Big Mom snorted. "I'll remember this. We'll have plenty of chances to meet in the future. I hope you're strong enough to face my wrath then." She turned and strode away.
It wasn't just her; even Kaido couldn't possibly give up his own empire to fight a war of attrition with Bege.
Of course, Kaido was much crazier than Big Mom. He let out a low, sinister growl into the Den Den Mushi. "Do you know what you'll be facing after I leave? Your base is on a sky island, right? I can fly up there. I'll sink your entire sky island."
Bege gripped the Den Den Mushi, his face instantly turning cold. A terrifying aura spread out from him, causing all the nearby Beasts Pirates to faint.
"If that's how you want to play it, then let's see who gets destroyed first," Bege retorted, not showing any weakness. "I'm the user of the Castle-Castle Fruit. My body is big enough to hold all of my crew. I wonder if you can protect all of yours." He would not be so easily intimidated by Kaido.
If it came down to a war of mutual destruction, the most Bege would lose was the strategic advantage of his sky island. But with his Castle-Castle Fruit, he could completely destroy the vast majority of Kaido's territory.
Kaido clenched his fists in anger. The crew member in his hand was brutally crushed to death, blood splattering everywhere.
"Capone Bege, you're playing with fire."
"You're the one who pushed me too far. You're the one who started this fire. I don't mind playing along," Bege said, his voice firm with resolve.
Kaido's face grew dark, the veins on his forehead bulging. The murderous aura around him began to spiral out of control.
"Captain, calm down! You have to calm down!" a member of the Beasts Pirates ran over, his face pale with terror at the sight of the enraged Kaido. They all knew that once Kaido lost control, he lost all reason.
"Kaido, if we fight without holding back, it won't do either of us any good," Bege's voice came through the Den Den Mushi again. "How about we have a fight? Just the two of us. No matter who wins or loses, this matter ends here. Neither of us will cause trouble for the other again. If you have what it takes, then kill me in that fight."
Kaido's eyes lit up. He agreed almost without hesitation.
"Good! You've got guts, brat. Just for that, if you can survive a fight with me, I won't attack your territory."
"It's a deal. In half a month, we'll find an island in the New World and have our fight."
"Good! Hahahaha! Then let's do it in the Burosu Sea. I'll be waiting for you there. If you dare to run, I'll lead my army to your sky island and wipe it out."
"Don't worry," Bege said with a cold laugh before hanging up. "It's not yet certain who will win and who will lose."
After awakening his Castle-Castle Fruit, Bege's strength had increased significantly. That was the source of his confidence in fighting Kaido.
Kaido let out a booming laugh.
"Gutsy. I like it. I can't wait."
One second he was excited, the next his face turned extremely ugly. He looked down at his crew and roared, "Notify all fleets to prepare to return home! Our home base was almost taken over! What a disgrace!"
"Yes, sir!" the crew members said, breaking out in a cold sweat as they scrambled away.
The Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates left the territory of the former Fear Pirates at almost the same time, heading back to their respective homes.
When Bege received the news, he told Modi to leave Totto Land immediately. Bege also departed, meeting up with Modi and the others before heading to the former Fear Pirates' territory.
With the two Emperor-level crews gone, the remaining major pirate crews were no match for the Fire Tank Pirates. The sea was controlled by the Sea Patrolling Beasts, leaving them with no escape route. They were surrounded and wiped out by Moria and his forces. Some were killed, some were captured, and some surrendered. Three major pirate fleets were eliminated in one fell swoop.
The eyes of the entire world had been focused on the former territory of the Fear Pirates, expecting it to become a slaughterhouse, a battlefield of a long and chaotic war.
No one had expected that in just a few short days, the chaotic free-for-all would be instantly quelled. The Fire Tank Pirates had then forced back two Emperor-level powers and, in another two days, had decisively eliminated three major pirate fleets, completely pacifying the region. They had taken control of the former Fear Pirates' territory, and all the islands under it had submitted to Bege.
The name of the Fire Tank Pirates once again resounded throughout the world. For several days in a row, Bege was the headline of every newspaper. Having conquered such a vast territory, the Fire Tank Pirates had truly ascended to the level of an Emperor's crew.
And the young Bege himself became a role model for the new generation of pirates. Many young people were inspired by his story and fanatically set out to sea.
It could be said that Bege had pushed the Great Pirate Era forward.