105 Whitebeard Crew's Hidden Danger!

As the entire Flower Country Navy was defeated, Stussy also walked out with Katie.

"The destructive power is truly terrifying, Vista."

Looking at the terrifying battlefield remnants before him, Nicholas descended from the sky and exclaimed.

"It's all thanks to the captain's good training. Without the captain's guidance, I wouldn't have thought that Devil Fruit abilities could be developed to such an extent."

Facing Nicholas's praise, Vista scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

Nicholas also took some time to rest, then the crew set off to Devil's Triangle to pick up Brook.

During these few days, several major events also unfolded in the New World. This included another intense conflict between the Golden Lion Flying Pirates and the Roger Pirates. Over thirty ships and more than twenty vassal flying pirate crews participated, but ultimately, the Roger Pirates easily escaped.

At the same time, Whitebeard Edward Newgate and Charlotte Linlin clashed fiercely in the Totoland Sea. Despite Big Mom's crew investing heavily, they suffered heavy losses, even being pushed close to the core area of the world by Whitebeard's crew.

Apart from pirate clashes, there was also news spreading in the New World. The G5 branch of the Marines welcomed a powerful new Rear Admiral. Upon taking office, they aggressively swept through pirate ships in their area.

Several well-known pirate crews in the New World suffered losses in that area, with many marking the waters near the G5 branch as a high-risk zone.

Besides the events with the G5 Marines, there was also a major development where two admirals of the Marine Headquarters chose to retire. For now, it was Vice Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr who temporarily took the roles of the Marine Headquarters Admirals. The Marines would temporarily abandon the reinforcement of the New World and focus on strengthening control over the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line, a message that spread wildly through major news outlets.

This decision sparked celebration among people worldwide, as it meant tighter control over pirates in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line, a boon for ordinary folks.

Meanwhile, the Sea Monarchy set sail following its original route, crossing the Calm Belt from the East Blue into the Grand Line and heading towards the Devil's Triangle to pick up Brook.

In the main conference room of the Sea Monarchy, a brief meeting involving all members was underway.

"An invitation to a tea party?"

Seeing the item placed on the table, Simon couldn't help but frown and asked, "Captain, isn't Big Mom currently busy with the war against Whitebeard? Why would she invite us to her headquarters for a tea party? Could there be something fishy about this?"

"You're overthinking it."

Nicholas, sitting in the main seat, looked at the invitation with a smile and shook his head. "Seems like Linlin took a major hit from Newgate. As for inviting us to the totoland to attend a tea party, it's likely she wants to propose an alliance with us."

Pausing to gather everyone's attention, Nicholas continued, "Now, the New World is in chaos. Except for Roger, everyone is aggressively expanding their influence. I wanted to hear your opinions on whether we should also develop our power in the New World."

"Yes! Why wouldn't we?" Stussy was the first to speak up. For her, having power meant less personal intervention in many matters. With expanding influence came more resources, a must-have for a Sea Sovereign.

"Exactly," Vista chimed in unexpectedly. "Captain, now that you stand at the pinnacle of the world, countless eyes are watching us."

"Very well."

Nicholas smiled with satisfaction.

"In that case..."

He slowly stood up and slammed his hand on the invitation letter on the table, issuing a command in a deep voice, "After passing over the Red Line, change our course to the Totoland Sea!"

...

New World, Fire Maple Island.

This small island fell within Whitebeard's sphere of influence, renowned for its maple trees that produced copious amounts of maple syrup, forming the island's main trade industry.

It was also the nearest island indicated on the Log Pose. After a week of sailing, the Sea Monarchy arrived and spent half a day replenishing various supplies on the island.

During this time, a minor incident occurred. Simon, tasked with purchasing food, and Vista were taken advantage of at a fruit shop, where they were overcharged a hefty sum for ten baskets of ordinary apples. The bald shopkeeper demanded five million berries, acting aggressively, even when surrounded by several locals.

Enraged, Simon immediately resorted to violence, giving the shopkeeper a beating and then marching out with Vista and the apples.

However, just a few streets away, they were surrounded by a group of thugs dressed in the unmistakable attire of Whitebeard's crew. The leader, a young man, claimed to be an official member of Whitebeard's crew, chastising Simon's group for causing trouble on an island under Whitebeard's protection. He insisted they pay the price.

To these thugs, the fact that the island was under Whitebeard's control meant that Whitebeard's crew was supreme, and outsiders like them dared not provoke Whitebeard's crew members.

Unfortunately for them, they had picked a fight with Simon's group.

In the face of this situation, Simon didn't even lift a finger, letting Vista handle it. Soon, the thugs were sent packing.

Upon hearing Simon's report, Nicholas didn't pay much heed. To him, if they were overcharged, so be it. As for Whitebeard, if he wanted to help those thugs, he could come himself.

"Gurararara, Little Nicholas, I heard you've been causing trouble on an island under my territory as soon as you arrived in the New World?"

Nicholas received a call from Whitebeard shortly after leaving Fire Maple Island.

"I caused trouble? Big brother, I haven't come looking for trouble with you yet, but you seem to have already started causing trouble for me?"

Nicholas replied nonchalantly, enjoying Stussy's massage. To him, Whitebeard's crew relied entirely on Whitebeard himself. Besides, there was always the potential for rebellion among Whitebeard's subordinates, such as the insidious Teach, who was swayed by Akainu with just a few words during the Summit War.

He could see that many crews under Whitebeard were just using Whitebeard's name as a shield.

With a smirk, Nicholas ended the call with Whitebeard, dismissing the issue entirely.

To Nicholas, Whitebeard's crew, just as he had previously assessed, was entirely dependent on Whitebeard himself. Except for Teach's long-standing rebellion, the fact that he was swayed by Akainu's words during the war showed that the members under Whitebeard's command also had their own ideas.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye.

And the Sea Monarchy arrived safely at the outer periphery of the Totoland Sea island chain.