The advent of the Great Pirate Era made the conflict between pirates and the navy the main theme of that world.
The reason that world would ultimately belong to the world of superpowers lay in a certain thing.
Bai Ye was all too familiar with this thing, which was—Devil Fruits.
Devil Fruits were known as the sea's secret treasures, granting various abilities upon consumption. These abilities were divided into three major categories: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia.
Bai Ye's Doku Doku no Mi belonged to the Paramecia type, while the Goro Goro no Mi was, of course, a Logia type.
Furthermore, only one Devil Fruit could be consumed, granting a single ability.
This was also due to the fruit's name—Devil.
No one knew how Devil Fruits came into being. Many searched for their origin without success, and no one knew if they were actual fruits.
Therefore, some believed Devil Fruits were the manifestation of devils, and consuming one would incur a devil's curse. Consuming more than one would lead to death from an inability to bear the curse's power.
However, this theory didn't seem to apply in the World Battlefield.
In Bai Ye's understanding, the so-called inability to bear the curse's power and dying was simply an inability to withstand the power of the superpower, leading to bodily exhaustion.
But in the World Battlefield, there were many methods to strengthen physical attributes. As these attributes continuously improved and the body became stronger, it could withstand the power of superpowers, thus allowing for the consumption of two fruits.
Even three, four, five…
As long as the body held up, any number could be consumed.
Much like how with good kidneys, seven times a night wasn't a dream.
At the same time, thanks to Hua Zhi Xiao, Bai Ye had some understanding of the powers in this region.
The powers could be roughly divided into three factions.
The first faction was naturally the Navy, with its three Admirals representing the peak combat strength.
The second faction was called the Seven Warlords of the Sea. These individuals were originally pirates but were eventually recruited by the Navy for various reasons.
The Navy tacitly allowed them to commit some wicked deeds, but in return, they had to serve the Navy and must mobilize collectively when summoned by the Marine Headquarters.
Many pirates considered them the Navy's lackeys.
Within the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they saw their relationship with the Navy as a cooperative one.
However, one point was undeniable.
The reason the Seven Warlords of the Sea were recruited was that they were already sufficiently powerful before being recruited.
If the Navy could easily annihilate them, why would they recruit them?
The third faction was the pirates, but more accurately, it should be the Four Emperors.
The Four Emperors were the most powerful pirate crews in these seas, representing the vanguard against the Navy.
According to the intelligence provided by Hua Zhi Xiao, Liu Shi Yue's current hidden mission and the triggering of the large-scale forbidden zone were primarily related to Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors.
Portgas D. Ace, the captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates, was captured by the Navy due to some unforeseen circumstances and imprisoned in Impel Down, awaiting public execution.
A remarkably high-profile execution.
The first reason was that Portgas D. Ace's father was, in fact, the former Pirate King. Executing Ace would help the Navy enhance its prestige.
The second reason was that the Navy intended to lure out and annihilate Whitebeard.
This was the content of the Summit War. To annihilate the strongest pirate was naturally worthy of the name "Summit."
Bai Ye had to admit that the grandeur was impressive, but his impression of the Summit War wasn't very deep.
However, Bai Ye wasn't particularly surprised by this.
In his previous life, Bai Ye was the type to gradually grow stronger. By the time he truly rose to prominence, the World Battlefield had already entered its mid-to-late stages.
By then, large-scale forbidden zones were no longer rare, and they opened in various regions. While not as frequent as ordinary forbidden zones that opened daily and were constantly explored, a large-scale forbidden zone would open about every half month. Given this frequency, it wasn't strange that Bai Ye hadn't heard of the Summit War without having participated.
As for the present…
"The ambition of the Cang Long Society is commendable."
Currently, the World Battlefield was gradually transitioning into its middle stage.
However, it was still very difficult to open large-scale forbidden zones at this point, and even if one did, it wasn't guaranteed to be beneficial. Therefore, for the Cang Long Society to set their sights on the Summit War at this juncture showed considerable courage in a way.
But the Summit War wasn't easily triggered, and Liu Shi Yue would likely need considerable time. Thus, Bai Ye still had ample time.
"No matter what, let's head into that area first," Bai Ye said, stroking Lapras's head. "Head east."
Lapras tilted its head, let out a cry, then turned and proceeded eastward.
Bai Ye was amused; Lapras truly understood human language.
As Lapras advanced, ripples spread across the sea.
For the next two days, Bai Ye lived a peaceful life.
Although it was said that a true man's ambition lay on the sea, and the sea itself was synonymous with adventure, adventure wasn't a daily occurrence. Sailing was, for the most part, quite monotonous.
On land, Bai Ye could at least be a loafer, walking his dog, teasing birds, or flirting with a pretty widow. But at sea, there was nothing to do; it was a true illustration of idleness.
However, the good news was that after two days, Bai Ye saw the regional boundary.
The regional boundary at sea was no different from that on land.
However, even after crossing the regional boundary, it was still the sea, just the sea of a different region.
"When will this life ever end!" Bai Ye, utterly bored, slumped on Lapras's back and said, "Give me some pirates to fight, or the navy will do. Oh, we're not there yet. How about sea monsters? Aren't they said to inhabit the seas?"
Bai Ye suddenly sat up, stood on Lapras's back, and shouted, "Sea monster, come out and fight!"
At that very moment…
Lapras, carrying Bai Ye, crossed the regional boundary.
Almost instantly, the clear blue sky turned a pitch-black, giving the impression of dark clouds covering the heavens.
Waves raged all around, one after another, churning and rising, with the crests reaching over ten meters high, appearing incredibly terrifying.
And within those roaring waves, a colossal octopus tentacle was raised high, smashing towards Bai Ye's direction.
Bai Ye gasped, "Brother Sea Monster, I was just saying, I didn't really want to fight… *glug glug*… *glug*… *glug*…"
Before Bai Ye could finish speaking, the massive octopus tentacle slammed down.
The sea surface instantly cracked, and the churning waves directly engulfed Bai Ye.
…