Above the vast White Sea, five enormous pirate ships cut through the endless clouds, sailing straight toward Birka.
Half a month had passed since they entered the White Sea. Sitting casually upon his throne at the bow, Teach could already sense it, Birka was close.
Scattered across the cloud sea were several smaller vessels. These belonged to Sky Island residents, ships rented out by the Temple. Only those with deep connections were qualified to use them; ordinary people could only dream of such privileges.
The White Sea was not water, but clouds.
Fall into it, and you did not swim back up.
How could anyone swim through clouds?
The five massive pirate ships were impossibly conspicuous, like black shadows tearing through the white expanse. From far away, the Sky Islanders aboard their vessels had already spotted them.
"Oh no! Blue Sea people!"
"So many of them, pirates!"
"Quick, notify the Temple!"
Panicked shouts rang out. Communication devices were activated, and urgent reports were sent toward Birka's Temple. The Sky Islanders abandoned their fishing and hastily steered back toward the island.
Birka consisted of a central town surrounded by several villages.
Enel had already awakened, though his body was still wrapped in white bandages. His injuries had not fully healed, and the town had become far too dangerous for him. After waking, he immediately left and retreated to one of the villages, where he often stayed anyway, far from the patrol teams and hostile gazes.
That day, a sudden, heavy rhythm of footsteps echoed through the village.
Residents looked up in alarm.
A large number of Divine Guards were marching in.
"Why are so many Divine Guards here?"
"Did something happen?"
Enel's heart skipped. Instinctively, he shrank back.
Are they here… for me?
At a glance, there were three hundred of them.
Leading the formation were three squad leaders.
Three squads.
The Temple possessed three Grand Divisions, each commanded by a Great Priest directly under God. Each division was split into ten squads, one hundred men apiece.
Thirty squads in total.
Three hundred Divine Guards was already an overwhelming force. Aside from a distant expedition years ago against Angel Island, Birka had never deployed such numbers at once.
Something serious was happening.
Soon, the news spread.
Blue Sea people were approaching Birka.
Five massive ships were closing in, heading straight toward this village.
The Sky Islanders who had spotted them earlier had confirmed it, black flags, white skulls, unmistakably pirates.
And not small ones.
Compared to these ships, Birka's vessels were like toys.
On the lead ship, Teach observed the island drawing closer. He noticed the gathering forces below and smiled faintly.
If you wanted to greet someone properly, you showed them strength.
Peaceful negotiation had never been his intention.
And besides, he wasn't here for anything clean.
"Zehahahaha… partners, " Teach said softly, amusement in his voice. "Time to stretch our muscles."
The five ships docked without hesitation.
Planks fell.
The Nightfall Pirates disembarked.
At first, the Divine Guards were merely tense.
Then uneasy.
Then afraid.
More and more pirates stepped off the ships.
A few hundred.
Then five hundred.
Then a thousand.
Their faces drained of color.
How were they supposed to fight this?
Every one of these Blue Sea people looked terrifyingly strong. Hardened bodies, scars, weapons stained with blood. One man alone stood over six meters tall, wielding a ship's anchor as his weapon, his frame like that of a giant.
An invisible pressure radiated from them.
The aura of the strong.
It was not something that could be clearly described, but when faced with it, the body understood instinctively.
Compared to past Blue Sea visitors, explorers, lost travelers, these people were entirely different.
These were conquerors.
They stood there without speaking, and the Divine Guards felt their knees weaken.
Teach walked forward alone, smiling faintly.
With every step he took, the pressure intensified.
The closer he came, the more the Divine Guards trembled, as though they were not facing a man, but some vast, inhuman presence.
"P-Please…" one squad leader finally spoke, swallowing hard. "May I ask why you Blue Sea people have come to Birka?"
His voice shook uncontrollably.
He was not a fool. Several of the men before him gave off an oppressive feeling no weaker than the Great Priests themselves. Completing the mission God had given them, to capture or eliminate these intruders, was clearly impossible.
Charging in would be suicide.
"Zeheh heh."
Teach's low chuckle alone made the squad leader flinch.
Teach said nothing else.
He slowly raised one hand.
Palm downward.
Then, gently pressed it toward the ground.
In an instant,
A terrifying pressure crashed down.
The Divine Guards were slammed to their knees.
Some collapsed immediately. Others struggled desperately, arms shaking, teeth clenched, but one by one, they were forced down, their bodies bent, hands pressed against the ground as if the sky itself had descended upon them.
From a distance, it looked like worship.
Like three hundred Divine Guards bowing to a foreign god.
Only those beneath the pressure knew the truth.
Bones creaked.
Muscles screamed.
Sweat poured down their faces.
"So… so strong…" Enel whispered, eyes wide.
From his vantage point, he could see clearly, this Blue Sea man had subdued three hundred Divine Guards with a single gesture.
A thrill ran through him.
These Divine Guards… the same ones who ruled Birka with arrogance.
Now kneeling.
Satisfaction flickered in Enel's eyes.
At the same time, something deeper ignited.
Power.
This was power.
In Enel's mind, God had always been synonymous with absolute strength.
And now, this Blue Sea man possessed power like a god.
Desire burned.
If he had possessed such strength back then, he wouldn't have needed to fear retaliation, laws, or bullying. He could have crushed those patrol teams. He could have lived freely.
He could have done whatever he wanted.
One Divine Guard finally collapsed face-first, unable to even support himself.
Then another.
Teach remained motionless, waiting.
Waiting for Birka's God to appear.
He knew someone had already sent word.
He also knew exactly what God was doing.
But God did not come.
Instead, two Grand Divisions arrived.
Two thousand Divine Guards.
Leading them were two Great Priests, Birka's highest combatants beneath God himself.
They had mastered Mantra, and many among them possessed Observation Haki.
When they saw the three hundred Divine Guards lying prostrate on the ground, their expressions darkened.
This was humiliation.
Still, they could tell, some unknown power had been used.
Even so, it was unforgivable.
"Blue Sea people!" one Great Priest roared. "Attacking the Divine Guards is an unforgivable sin! By divine decree, you are sentenced to immediate execution!"
"Receive God's judgment!"
"All units, attack! Kill them!"
The Divine Guards surged forward, shells activating in unison.
Sky Shells lifted bodies into the air.
Wind Shells burst with acceleration.
Impact Shells roared.
Heat Shells flared.
Birka's combat system was highly developed. Compared to Angel Island, their shell technology was far more abundant and refined.
Yet,
It changed nothing.
Teach smiled.
"Go, " he said lightly. "Deal with them."
The pressure vanished.
The three hundred Divine Guards collapsed fully, gasping for air, their strength utterly spent. Before they could even rise, Nightfall Pirates swept through them like a black tide.
They were slaughtered.
All three hundred.
Not one survived.
The village froze in terror.
Such death had never occurred in Birka. Even ten deaths at once was unheard of.
People screamed and fled.
Old men, women, children, no one dared stay to watch.
"Boss! Let's go!" Ohm shouted, gripping Enel's arm. His voice trembled with fear. "This is madness! If we stay, we'll die too!"
But Enel did not move.
His eyes burned.
The battlefield before him made his blood boil.
The fear he should have felt was drowned out by exhilaration.
The clash between the remaining Divine Guards and the Nightfall Pirates erupted.
Shells detonated.
Wind howled.
Heat distorted the air.
Yet the outcome was one-sided.
The Nightfall Pirates crushed them.
Combat experience.
Brutal efficiency.
One mistake meant death.
To them, Birka's Divine Guards were barely warriors at all.
And as Enel watched the slaughter unfold, something deep within him twisted and grew,
A hunger.
A hunger for power.
And the quiet certainty that Birka's God… was not invincible.