"What kind of island is this?" Enel asked, staring ahead as the five pirate ships slowly approached land. "The creatures look strange. Don't they?"
This was Enel's first time visiting an island in the Blue Sea. Compared to Skypiea, where soil was precious beyond measure, the ground here felt ordinary and unremarkable.
From a distance, he studied the animals moving across the island and frowned slightly in confusion.
They were hard to describe.
They were just… long.
"This should be Long Ring Long Land," a crew member familiar with sea charts said with a grin. "It's not far from Water 7."
Long Ring Long Land was a ring-shaped archipelago made up of ten small islands connected in a chain. Its name came from that very structure.
The island was famous for its bizarre wildlife.
Because of the moon's tidal influence, Long Ring Long Land experienced extreme tides. For three-quarters of the year, the tide remained high. During the remaining low-tide period, the receding seawater caused massive surges that could even reach Water 7.
The animals that lived here had adapted to this environment. Over time, they had grown unusually long.
Reaching Long Ring Long Land meant the Nightfall Pirates were close to their next destination.
Water 7 was not far.
Teach already knew where they were the moment the archipelago came into view. Thanks to the constant tides, the soil here was fertile. Vast grasslands stretched across the islands, dotted with those peculiar long-bodied creatures.
There were residents living here as well, but the Nightfall Pirates had landed in a remote area, far from any settlements.
That was deliberate.
Teach had no intention of lingering. This was only a short rest stop before heading to Water 7.
Still, arriving at a new island always stirred excitement among the crew. One of the joys of sailing the seas was seeing places unlike anything else. Every island had its own character, its own customs, and its own strange beauty.
Long Ring Long Land was no exception.
Because of the island's unique environment, its residents lived like nomads. They migrated in cycles that could last more than ten years.
Several crew members disembarked, stepping onto the grasslands. Enel was visibly thrilled, hopping around and pressing his feet into the ground.
Compared to Birka, this felt completely different. Clouds and soil were worlds apart.
Most of the Nightfall Pirates had grown up in the Four Seas. This was their first time encountering a place like this. The more curious among them had already run off, hunting the long-bodied creatures to see how they tasted.
Those were the self-proclaimed gourmets.
Others observed quietly, while a few considered catching some of the creatures as pets.
Teach stayed aboard the ship.
Long Ring Long Land held no interest for him.
Although he appeared relaxed, seated on his throne at the center of the deck, he was still training.
In front of him, two black spheres floated silently.
Dark Orbs.
In battle, a Dark Orb could shift and reshape itself to counter incoming attacks. A single orb could completely envelop Teach's body, forming a full defensive shell.
But there was a limit.
If an opponent's attack exceeded the Dark Orb's transformation speed, it could slip through the defense and strike Teach directly.
Ultimately, this came down to reaction speed.
Teach had confidence in this area. His Observation Haki had already reached the level of future sight. As long as he saw the attack coming, he could respond first.
That said, future sight was not a cure-all.
In battles between top-tier fighters, the future changed constantly. Relying on it blindly could be dangerous. If the body could not keep up, seeing the future was meaningless.
This became especially problematic when facing multiple opponents of similar strength.
That was why Teach was not satisfied with a single Dark Orb.
He was training himself to control several at once.
By multitasking and coordinating multiple Dark Orbs, he could respond to attacks more efficiently and even stack defenses when necessary.
Double defense.
Double safety.
For now, two Dark Orbs were only the beginning.
More importantly, Teach was training precision.
True mastery meant absolute control. No hesitation. No loss of focus.
That level of control was difficult. Each additional Dark Orb multiplied the mental strain.
Multitasking at this level required time, repetition, and talent.
As the crew watched, shadows suddenly spread across the deck.
From within them, sharp shadow spears burst forth, shooting straight toward Teach.
The two Dark Orbs reacted instantly, reshaping themselves to intercept the attacks. They formed an incomplete black sphere, blocking the spears head-on.
The shadow spears did not stop.
They kept coming.
The Dark Orbs shifted continuously, sealing gaps and intercepting each strike. Their shapes changed in perfect coordination, like pieces of a puzzle snapping into place.
Teach could have fully enclosed himself with a single orb and ended it instantly.
But that would defeat the purpose.
The incomplete sphere forced him to manage every opening manually. Each connection point had to be controlled with precision.
That was the training.
Teach's Observation Haki remained active throughout.
The one launching the attacks was Redyat.
The shadow spears were manifestations of his ability, created specifically to assist Teach's practice.
Each spear carried terrifying piercing power. To an ordinary observer, they looked lethal enough to shred a body in seconds.
To Teach and Redyat, this was nothing more than a warm-up.
The power was restrained, but the speed was pushed to Redyat's current limit. Even so, the Dark Orbs showed no damage at all.
Among the executives watching, however, the scene felt dangerous.
Redyat was not holding back on speed. The spears moved so fast they appeared as fleeting shadows.
One mistake would be fatal.
Teach blocked them all.
Otherwise, there would be no point in training.
This exercise benefited Redyat as well.
As a user of shadow powers and the inheritor of the Shadow Dragon's bloodline, he focused heavily on layered applications of shadow, both offensive and defensive.
One of his greatest developments was Shadow Leap.
By expanding his shadow domain, Redyat could move freely within it, appearing anywhere he wished. Since he could even manifest in midair, the movement resembled a leap.
Shadow Leap.
Compared to his earlier methods of movement, which could still be detected, this was fundamentally different. It combined spatial movement with the concealment of shadows.
Fast.
Silent.
Deadly.
Calling him a master of shadows was no exaggeration.
Redyat's growth had been astonishing.
With a bloodline inherited from a world-class monster and talent comparable to Red-Haired Shanks, his progress during this period of rapid development was terrifying.
In this world, most people reached their peak between the ages of thirty-five and fifty.
Some, like Teach and Shanks, reached it early.
Others bloomed late, experiencing explosive growth after years of mediocrity.
Secondary and even tertiary awakenings were not rare.
Potential took time.
Teach was simply ahead of the curve.
Redyat, who had naturally awakened Observation Haki and possessed top-tier talent in it, progressed rapidly. His next goal was future sight.
He already stood at the threshold.
All he needed now were real battles.
At that moment, both Teach and Redyat stopped.
The Dark Orbs drifted back into Teach's body, dissolving like liquid darkness.
The shadows on the deck retreated, gathering beneath Redyat's feet.
Redyat turned his head slightly, sensing a weak but unfamiliar presence approaching at high speed.
Soon, Teach noticed it as well.
"I'll check it out," Nelson said, already guessing what it was.
Before anyone could respond, he vanished, flashing toward the source.
Out at sea, a young man wearing glasses rode a sea motorcycle across the waves. His face was filled with dread.
He was a reporter.
And he deeply regretted his life choices.
His boss had given him a task that was both important and suicidal.
The bonus was massive. Morgans's promise had dazzled him. His pride as a reporter and his hunger for exclusive news had pushed him to agree without thinking.
Now, fear caught up with him.
This was the Nightfall Pirates.
Taking photos from a distance would have been risky enough. An exclusive interview with the Dark Emperor himself was madness.
But there was no turning back.
The reward was life-changing.
Enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Enough to escape frontline reporting forever.
Reporters died every year. Some were caught in battles. Some uncovered secrets they should not have. Some were killed simply for filming the wrong person.
That was why he had agreed.
Nelson appeared above him, using Moonwalk to hover in the air. After a quick assessment, he relaxed.
A reporter.
No threat.
Since he was here, he must have been sent by Morgans.
Nelson returned to the ship.
"It's a reporter. Probably from Morgans," he said.
"Hmm," Teach replied with a grin. "Let him come."
The reporter's name was Azer.
Right now, his legs were shaking.
He stopped his sea motorcycle about a hundred meters from the ship, gathered his equipment, and forced himself forward.
Den Den Mushi.
Camera.
Pen and paper.
And a heart braced for death.
With unsteady steps, Azer walked toward the Nightfall Pirates' ship, ready to face the interview that could change his life.