The advent of the Great Pirate Era made the clash between pirates and the navy the main theme of that world.
The reason that world would eventually belong to the world of abilities was due to something.
Bai Ye was very familiar with this thing, which was—Devil Fruits.
Devil Fruits were known as the secret treasures of the sea, and after using them, one could gain different abilities, categorized into three major types: Superhuman, Zoan, and Logia.
Bai Ye's Poison-Poison Fruit belonged to the Superhuman category, while the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was naturally a Logia-type fruit.
Furthermore, only one Devil Fruit could be consumed to gain one ability.
The reason for this also stemmed from the fruit's name—Devil.
No one knew how Devil Fruits appeared. Many had searched for their origin without success, nor did anyone know if Devil Fruits were actual fruits.
Therefore, some believed Devil Fruits were the embodiment of demons, and consuming a Devil Fruit would incur a demon's curse. Consuming more than one Devil Fruit would lead to death from being unable to withstand the curse's power.
However, this notion seemed absent in the World Battlefield.
In Bai Ye's understanding, the so-called inability to withstand the curse's power and dying was purely the body giving out from being unable to bear the strength brought by the ability.
Yet, there were many ways to strengthen physical attributes within the World Battlefield. As physical attributes continuously improved and the body became stronger, it could withstand the power brought by abilities, naturally allowing the consumption of two.
Even three, four, five...
As long as the body could handle it, any number could be consumed.
It was like saying, as long as your kidneys are good, seven times a night is not a dream.
Concurrently, due to Hua Zhixiao, Bai Ye had some understanding of the forces in this region.
The forces could roughly be divided into three factions.
The first faction was naturally the Navy, with its Three Admirals representing the peak combat power of the Navy.
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 evil deeds, but in return, they had to serve the Navy, and when the Navy Headquarters issued a summons, they had to assemble and participate.
Many pirates considered them lackeys of the Navy.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea, however, viewed their relationship with the Navy as a partnership.
But one thing was undeniable.
The reason the Seven Warlords of the Sea were recruited was that they were already sufficiently powerful before their recruitment.
If the Navy could easily annihilate them, why would they recruit them?
The third faction was the pirates, but to be more precise, it should be the Four Emperors.
The Four Emperors were the most powerful pirate crews in these waters and represented the vanguard of the pirates' confrontation with the Navy.
According to the intelligence provided by Hua Zhixiao, Liu Shiyue's hidden mission and the triggering of the large-scale forbidden zone were primarily related to Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors.
Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, was captured by the Navy due to some accident and imprisoned in Impel Down's dungeon, awaiting public execution.
A remarkably high execution specification.
The first reason was that Fire Fist Ace's father was actually the Pirate King of that era, and executing Ace would help the Navy enhance its prestige.
The second reason was that the Navy wanted to lure out and annihilate Whitebeard.
And this was the content of the Summit War. To annihilate the strongest pirate naturally warranted the term "Summit."
Bai Ye had to admit that the grandeur was quite high, but Bai Ye's impression of the Summit War was not deep.
However, Bai Ye wasn't particularly surprised by this.
Bai Ye in his previous life was the type to accumulate strength before a breakthrough. By the time Bai Ye truly rose to prominence, the World Battlefield had already progressed to the mid-to-late stages.
At that time, large-scale forbidden zones were no longer rare; forbidden zones were opening in various regions. Although not as frequent as ordinary forbidden zones that opened daily and were constantly explored, large-scale forbidden zones would open approximately every half a month. Given this frequency, it was not strange that Bai Ye hadn't heard of the Summit War without having participated in it.
As for the present moment...
"The ambition of the Hidden Dragon Society is commendable."
Currently, the World Battlefield's progression was gradually shifting towards the mid-stage.
But opening a large-scale forbidden zone at this time was still very difficult, and even if it were opened, one might not necessarily benefit. Therefore, the Hidden Dragon Society daring to set their sights on the Summit War at this juncture was, in a way, quite courageous.
However, the Summit War was not easily triggered, and Liu Shiyue would likely need considerable time. Thus, there was still plenty of time left for Bai Ye.
"Regardless, let's enter that area first," Bai Ye said, stroking Lapras's head. "Head east."
Lapras tilted its head and let out a cry, then turned its direction and proceeded eastward.
Bai Ye was immediately amused; Lapras could truly understand human language.
As Lapras moved forward, ripples began to spread across the sea surface.
For the next two days, Bai Ye experienced days of calm and tranquility.
Although it was said that a true man's ambition lay in the sea, and this sea itself was synonymous with adventure, adventure wasn't an everyday occurrence. Sailing was, for the most part, quite monotonous.
On land, Bai Ye could at least be a loafer, walking dogs, feeding birds, and teasing young widows. But at sea, he couldn't do anything; it was a true embodiment 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.
But even after crossing the regional boundary, it was still the sea, just the sea of a different region.
"When will this life end!" Bai Ye lay bored on Lapras's back and said, "Give me some pirates to fight, or the Navy will do. Oh, we haven't reached our destination yet. What about sea monsters? Aren't they all said to have giant sea monsters in the sea?"
Bai Ye suddenly stood up on Lapras's back and shouted loudly, "Sea monster, come out and fight!"
And at that very moment...
Lapras carried Bai Ye across the regional boundary.
Almost instantly, the clear blue sky that was previously bright turned pitch black, giving the feeling of dark clouds covering the sun.
The surrounding waves were immense, with waves rising layer upon layer, surging up to over ten meters high, appearing incredibly terrifying.
And amidst those howling waves, a giant octopus tentacle was raised high, smashing towards Bai Ye's direction.
Bai Ye gasped, "Brother Sea Monster, I was just speaking casually, I didn't really want to fight... Glug glug... Glug... Glug..."
Before Bai Ye's words had even fallen, the giant octopus tentacle smashed down.
The sea surface immediately cracked, and the surging waves directly swept Bai Ye into the sea.
...