Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

The world of One Piece, Beehive Island Port.

A warship flying the Blackbeard Pirates' flag dropped anchor and docked here. Soon, a group of pirates in charge of managing the ship came to collect the corresponding docking fees, landing fees, etc. Blackbeard also had his men pay the fees according to the rules.

"Captain, why should we endure such humiliation?" As a staunch supporter of Blackbeard, Burgess clenched his fists and asked Blackbeard with resentment after seeing the pirates leave with disdain after receiving the money.

If Blackbeard hadn't forcibly restrained him, he probably would have snapped the necks of those henchmen.

Shiryu, the Evil King, Devon, Jot, San Juan, and others also looked somewhat dissatisfied. The reason they were willing to join the Blackbeard Pirates was to enjoy a life of chivalry and revenge, not to be bullied everywhere.

Van Augur, however, was uninterested in these matters, busy wiping his gun with a handkerchief. Lafitte and Doc Q watched Blackbeard with normal expressions, offering no objection to his actions.

In fact, the Blackbeard Pirates are currently divided into two factions. One faction consists of the crew members recruited by Blackbeard before he entered Impel Down, namely Laffitte, Doc Q, Van Augur, and Burgess. They joined the crew because they were attracted by Blackbeard's charisma and believed that Blackbeard would become the king of the new era, so they trusted him more.

The other faction consists of Blackbeard's recruits in Impel Down: Shiryu, King Evil, Devon, Jot, and San Juan. They joined the Blackbeard Pirates primarily for safety and profit (to evade the Navy's pursuit). If Blackbeard were to cease protecting them, they would leave without hesitation.

As a top-tier tyrant, Blackbeard naturally knew what everyone on the ship was thinking, who would be more loyal to him, and who was unreliable. However, he never showed any unusualness or distance towards Shiryu and the others. He knew that as a qualified captain, he couldn't exclude Shiryu and the others based on mere personal preference, but rather needed to guide them and make them work for him.

Blackbeard, seemingly oblivious to the expressions on everyone's faces, smiled broadly and pointed to the bustling Beehive Island in the distance, saying, "Does everyone see this island?"

After drawing everyone's attention, Blackbeard laughed loudly, "The purpose of bringing everyone here today is to gather information about this island in advance, so that we can turn this island into the base of our Blackbeard Pirates in the near future."

Upon hearing Blackbeard's words, everyone's faces showed a hint of emotion. Beehive Island, the pirate paradise, was a name known to all pirates. Back then, this island was the headquarters of the Rocks Pirates, the most powerful pirate crew in the world.

Beehive Island is located deep in the New World, far from the Red Line where the Marine Headquarters is located, so it naturally became a safe haven for pirates, suitable for them to hide from the Marines' pursuit.

In addition, Rocks's meticulous management back then made Beehive Island perfect in various infrastructures. It could meet all needs, such as weapons, alcohol, gambling, entertainment district, medical care, etc., and became a veritable pirate paradise. As a result, it attracted tens of thousands of pirates to settle here, and made Beehive Island a holy land in the hearts of pirates.

Countless pirates come and go from Beehive Island every day, engaging in various forms of consumption and trade. With so many pirates, the Navy naturally dares not provoke them easily. In addition, the Navy headquarters is too far away from here, making it even more difficult to send a large number of Navy personnel to encircle and suppress them. There is also the danger of the headquarters being threatened by the other four Emperors. Therefore, Beehive Island can only be left unpunished.

Since Beehive Island is such a treasure, it naturally attracts the covetous eyes of various forces. Previously, Rocks was the undisputed leader, but after Rocks' defeat, Wang took control of Beehive Island.

Logically, Wang Zhi's strength was far inferior to Rocks', and he shouldn't have been able to control Hive Island. However, things happened by chance; Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom all wanted to seize Hive Island, but with the three forces vying for control, none could succeed. Fortunately, they eventually tacitly agreed to let their old acquaintance, Wang Zhi, take over. Wang Zhi was also a clever man; after taking over Hive Island, he made things easy for all three Yonko crews, thus ensuring his own stable position.

As for Shanks, after his rise to power, he was not particularly interested in territory, and with the other three major and four Yonko crews keeping him in check, he did not take action against Hive Island. So, until now, this precious land of Hive Island is still in Wang Zhi's hands.

However, with Whitebeard's death, the balance among the Four Emperors was broken. Blackbeard, eager to take over, set his sights on Beehive Island. Therefore, if he could take Beehive Island and prevent the other Four Emperors from getting their hands on it, he would become the new Four Emperor.

Blackbeard never fights a battle he's not confident of winning. Regardless of how others evaluate Wang Zhi, or how incompetent he's portrayed, Wang Zhi was once a member of the Rocks Pirates, and Blackbeard wouldn't underestimate him. He only trusts what he sees. Therefore, Blackbeard brought his men here today to thoroughly assess Wang Zhi's strength. As long as Wang Zhi's power is within his expected range, that will be the time for him to take over Beehive Island.

Blackbeard's smile vanished, his eyes turning cold as he stared at Burgess, saying, "So, Burgess, do you know why I paid the full amount just now?"

Although Blackbeard was only speaking to Burgess, his cold gaze swept over everyone, and those whose gazes fell upon him unconsciously became serious.

"Captain, I understand. You did this to avoid attracting Wang Zhi's attention." Burgess, a muscle-bound guy, thought Blackbeard was really asking him a question and immediately said excitedly.

Blackbeard was surprised for a moment, then his eyes flickered, the sinister look in them disappeared, and a bold smile returned to his face. He then patted Burgess's shoulder forcefully with his right hand and said, "Burgess, I really underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be able to guess my intentions. You're really impressive."

Blackbeard then turned to the others with a smile and said, "You all heard what Burgess said, right? So after you all go ashore, you must thoroughly investigate Wang Zhi's background. Don't let any information slip by. I believe that in the near future, this Beehive Island will belong to our Blackbeard Pirates."

Shiryu, Devon, and the others watched as Blackbeard's expression shifted from sinister to heroic, unable to fathom his true feelings. A sense of awe arose within them, and they quietly abandoned their own schemes.