In the days that followed, the seas were completely dominated by news of the Nightfall Pirates.
Even with Morgans releasing both written reports and full video footage, the World Economic News still struggled to keep up with the sheer volume of stories flooding in. Some reports bordered on the absurd.
One headline spread especially fast.
"The Secret Past of the Dark Emperor and Whitebeard!"
The article boldly claimed that Marshall D. Teach was Whitebeard's biological son, who had gone to sea to surpass his father and carve out his own legend.
The story was clearly fabricated. Teach and Edward Newgate shared no resemblance whatsoever. Even so, the public devoured it with enthusiasm, dissecting every sentence as if it were gospel.
After all, the Nightfall Pirates, and Teach in particular, had become an undeniable all star presence on the seas.
At the headquarters of the World Economic News Agency, Morgans stared at the numbers before him with visible pain in his eyes.
The figure displayed was 6.8 billion Berries.
It was an astronomical sum, but none of it belonged to him.
Every Berry had to be handed over.
Morgans dared not skim even a fraction. The consequences were not something he could afford.
That total represented more than two hundred thousand video Den Den Mushi actively watching the footage. While the number sounded impressive, spread across the entire world, it was still relatively small.
Video Den Den Mushi were difficult to cultivate, but production was accelerating. For now, they remained high end equipment. In a few years, both the devices and the footage itself would become far more accessible.
This was only the beginning.
Sales would continue to climb, and total revenue would easily surpass tens of billions of Berries.
Even so, Morgans was not truly heartbroken. The World Economic News Agency had already earned a fortune through distribution rights and related coverage.
Still, this video marked a historic milestone for him.
And yet, the biggest share of profit slipped through his fingers.
That same afternoon, the Marines finalized the bounties.
Once issued, the wanted posters spread across the world at terrifying speed.
These were the bounties of the Nightfall Pirates.
"Dark Emperor" Marshall D. Teach
Bounty: 680,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Hunter" Raine Gar
Bounty: 180,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Steel" Wallace
Bounty: 150,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Thief" Nelson
Bounty: 84,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Lady Luck" Baccarat
Bounty: 53,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Devil Patrolman" Lafitte
Bounty: 60,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"White-Haired Devil" Kaguya
Bounty: 72,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Cat woman" Pito
Bounty: 93,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Death Gun" Van Augur
Bounty: 88,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Enchanting Butterfly" Pouf
Bounty: 130,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Lion" Miles
Bounty: 84,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Muscle Monk" Clemons
Bounty: 24,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
"Blade Monk" Daz Bonez
Bounty: 18,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
There were also numerous smaller bounties issued for the remaining members.
At the very end was a poster that drew particular attention.
No name.
No title.
Only a picture.
???
Bounty: 250,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
This was Redyat.
Although his identity remained hidden, his bounty alone was enough to send shockwaves through the underground world.
Before the Nightfall Pirates had caused even greater incidents, their bounties had already skyrocketed. Even so, many believed the numbers still failed to fully reflect Teach's true strength.
Time passed in a blink.
One month later, night fell over the open sea.
The cadres of the Nightfall Pirates gathered once more. Even Lafitte and Redyat, who had been dispatched earlier, had returned.
This month had been a storm soaked in blood.
Across the underground world of the West Blue, the leaders of multiple major powers were quietly eliminated. Some were assassinated in secrecy. Others were killed outright.
Yet the identity of the killers remained unknown.
Power structures collapsed overnight. The fallout spread like waves. What had once been a stable underground order descended into total chaos.
Strangely, the remaining major forces did not act.
They dared not.
Those who understood the situation knew exactly why.
Every victim had been someone who strongly opposed the formal establishment of the West Blue Dark Council.
The Dark Council promised unimaginable profit. It also meant unavoidable loss for others.
The dead had simply been in the way.
Their deaths sent a clear message.
Someone had already set their sights on the entire dark world of the West Blue, clearing obstacles in advance while demonstrating absolute authority.
Killing chickens to scare monkeys.
And it worked.
If even the heads of major powers could be erased so casually, no one felt safe challenging the unseen hand behind it.
Many underground forces had existed for centuries, deeply rooted and immensely wealthy. But what they valued most was stability.
They did not seek conquest.
They preferred to be second, or third, but never first.
So they waited.
They observed.
And some had already guessed that when the Dark Council convened on Sin Island a month later, the true master behind it all would finally step into the light.
The ones who acted were Lafitte and Redyat.
Redyat returned as calmly as ever.
Lafitte, however, carried a thick, lingering scent of blood.
Killing had clearly delighted him.
Those who died by his hand met ends so cruel they defied description.
They arrived at a prison holding Devil Fruit users captured from the Kraken Kingdom.
Among them were:
Ancient Zoan, Giant Eagle Fruit user, former King Bond.
Ancient Zoan, Giant Demon Fruit user, King Jones.
Rage Rage Fruit user, Hocheng.
Penetration Penetration Fruit user, Masolin.
Hedgehog Hedgehog Fruit user, bounty hunter Tyera.
Wave Wave Fruit user, pirate Cayo.
All were alive.
Seastone reinforced chains bound their bodies, suppressing their abilities. Some had limbs severed, leaving them completely helpless.
To prevent suicide, rags were stuffed into their mouths.
Only one had already died.
Oaks, the Black Panther Fruit user, killed by Gar.
The cages were housed within captured Kraken Kingdom warships, vessels once used to transport slaves and prisoners.
None of them had imagined they would one day be imprisoned aboard their own ships.
Why were they still alive? What did the Nightfall Pirates want?
Their eyes were wide with terror, but they could not speak.
The stench of confinement filled the air. These were cages, not cells meant for comfort.
Outside, the Nightfall Pirates stood on alert.
They knew their captain was about to do something important.
Every cadre was present. Even at sea, vigilance was absolute.
Inside the dim prison hold, Teach stood before the cages.
In his hand was a sharp knife, slowly polished with a damp cloth. The faint sound scraped against nerves like a whisper of death.
Beside him sat a table filled with fruits of every imaginable kind.
The cadres exchanged glances. A realization struck them.
Their bodies trembled with anticipation.
Van Augur's eyes burned brighter than anyone else's. He had desired the Penetration Penetration Fruit for a very long time.
"Teach, let's begin," Redyat said with a smile. "We've waited long enough."
Teach laughed, eyes gleaming as he turned toward the prisoners.
"Then let us witness a miracle."
The bound Devil Fruit users shook violently.
Tyera struggled the hardest, shaking his head in desperate denial.
He had survived Wallace.
Only to end up here.
Teach's voice was calm, almost pleasant.
"When a Devil Fruit user dies, their power transfers to a nearby fruit with high compatibility, forming a new Devil Fruit."
"The probability is extremely low."
"But I can make it absolute."
"One hundred percent."
The meaning struck like a thunderbolt.
Nelson stared wide eyed. "You can… seize Devil Fruits?"
"If that's true," someone whispered, "we can hunt users directly."
Excitement spread through the cadres.
Fear consumed the prisoners.
Teach glanced sideways, smiling faintly. "Nelson, would you like to know another method?"
Nelson nodded eagerly.
Teach's smile deepened.
"You eat the Devil Fruit user."
Silence fell.
"You consume them entirely. Treat the person as the fruit."
Baccarat nearly vomited. Even Redyat stiffened. Only Kaguya and Lafitte remained unfazed.
Lafitte licked his lips.
Disgust twisted Wallace's face. "Enough. Let's focus."
Teach said nothing more.
In his mind, an image surfaced.
Charlotte Linlin 'Big Mom'.
The monstrous woman who inherited the Soul Soul Fruit by unknowingly devouring Mother Carmel.
A method possible only for a monster with an equally monstrous body.
Teach looked back at the prisoners.
And raised the knife.