Ace returned to the harbor and decided to meet up with Deuce.
Perhaps Deuce had thought of something while Ace was wandering around aimlessly.
Besides, he needed to tell him that the Witch was in the castle.
He returned to the ship, and one of his crew members told him that Deuce was at a nearby bar. So, they began searching for him.
Merchant ships and pirate ships never docked in the same harbor.
Pirate harbors usually had bars where scoundrels gathered.
Most of the ships in the harbor belonged to Twilight or their affiliated crews, but there were a few others. And there were many bars.
After searching three or four bars, they found Deuce talking with someone.
"Deuce, there you are."
"Ace! Just in time. We were talking about you."
Skull, one of their crew members, was sitting with him. He was a man with a skull mask and a bone necklace, a rather morbid fashion sense.
And there was another man Ace didn't recognize.
"You're "Fire Fist", huh?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
He was taller than Ace, even though he was sitting down.
He was over three meters tall, with a large build. Ace's first impression was that he looked like a bear.
He talked with his mouth full, farted freely… a rather vulgar fellow.
"I'm Teach. Your friend here is buying me drinks."
"And he's giving us information in return. He's a Twilight crew member, and it's faster to hear it from someone who knows the situation."
"He said he's one of the older members. I think he has the information you need, Captain."
"Really…"
Ace took a seat, and Teach ordered a meat pie from the waitress.
They ate and drank as Teach spoke.
"So, what do you want to know?"
"I want to meet the Witch. How do I do that?"
"Zehahahaha! You want to see my captain! She's at the castle right now! Just barge in and she'll be forced to come out!"
Considering it was almost time for the Reverie, she was probably there to discuss things with the Rommel Empire's royalty.
Teach, laughing heartily, suggested a direct assault, but Ace, sighing, leaned back in his chair.
"You're talking about your captain… Don't you think it's dangerous?"
"If she was that easy to take down, Big Mom and Kaido wouldn't be having so much trouble!"
Ace tilted his head, wondering if that was true.
But a direct attack was out of the question. Deuce crossed his arms and asked Teach, "The castle must be heavily guarded. Even if the Witch is strong, I doubt she's without protection."
"Yeah, at this time… Ragnell's probably on guard duty. She's tough and annoying. You'll probably just get beaten up if you try to barge in."
Most of Twilight's crew members didn't have bounties, except for the older ones. Since their captain was a Warlord, they couldn't have bounties placed on their heads.
And those who had been famous pirates with high bounties – the "Six Harmonies Great Spear," "Red Mane," "Giant Shadow"… Their bounties had been removed over two decades ago and hadn't been reinstated. People aged, and they also grew stronger. Without any bounty updates, it was difficult to gauge their strength from an outsider's perspective.
The same applied to those who had joined Twilight after they became a Warlord. Without bounties, there was no way to objectively judge their strength or who to be wary of.
Teach, the man sitting before them, also didn't have a bounty.
Ace, remembering something, said, "I met her." He was thinking about the woman who had stopped him at the castle gate.
"You mean Ragnell? That woman who's bigger than you?"
"Yeah, she's a giant woman with a huge chest, a huge ass, and a huge attitude. And she's stubborn as a mule."
"She was serious, though. She asked me if I had an avocado."
"An avocado…? You mean an appointment?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Ace, taking a bite of his meat pie, nodded.
Teach, guzzling sake, remembered Ragnell.
"She's not weak. She could easily take down someone with a 300 million berry bounty."
"A 300 million bounty…?"
Ace's own bounty wasn't that far off. While it was difficult to judge strength based solely on bounties, it was a decent indicator.
It would be difficult to get past Ragnell.
"Is there any other way?"
"Yeah."
"Really?"
Ace sighed, "Tell me already."
Teach, grinning, said, "It's not that complicated."
"My captain likes strong people. Do you know that giant Colosseum in town?"
"Yeah, I saw it. Everything in this city is huge, including the buildings."
"Zehahahaha!! There are a lot of giants living here! They hold fights there every few days. Anyone can participate, regardless of their background or affiliation."
"Fights…? You're not saying I should participate, are you?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying!"
Twilight had a large number of crew members.
Over 30,000 affiliated pirates, and over 50,000 in the main crew. But most of the main crew weren't combatants. They worked on the merchant ships.
Less than 10,000 were actual fighters.
They had less than 30 affiliated crews. Twilight often absorbed entire crews, so the number didn't increase significantly. Some pirates, realizing that working for Twilight was more profitable, gave up their pirate life.
Those who were classified as combatants in the main crew had two options – protect merchant ships around the world, or train to advance within Twilight's ranks. The former were paid well, and the latter were subjected to rigorous training.
And within those combatants, there were two elite units.
The Valkyries, a unit composed solely of women.
And the Einherjar, a unit composed solely of men.
"They usually hold betting matches to train the lower-ranking members, but these elite units have replacement matches at the Colosseum every now and then. There's no point in going easy on the weak."
"You're talking about your own crew… What does that have to do with me?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. This is the important part."
While most of the participants were Twilight crew members, outsiders could also participate.
Of course, defeating them wasn't easy. But if they succeeded, they would receive preferential treatment when joining Twilight or one of their affiliated crews. If they lost, they wouldn't gain anything, but they would get a firsthand experience of the elite unit's strength.
If they won once, they would earn the right to challenge another elite member. The more they won, the better their chances.
They could even earn a reward, depending on who they defeated.
"If you win four or five times, an executive will come out. And if you defeat them, my captain will come to see you personally."
"Has that ever happened?"
"Nope!"
"Seriously?!" the three of them exclaimed in unison.
Even the first opponent would be an elite fighter. Winning wouldn't be easy. Winning four or five times in a row was even more difficult.
And the final opponent would be an executive – the "Six Harmonies Great Spear," "Red Mane," "Giant Shadow"… or perhaps one of the powerful figures who had joined Twilight after they became a Warlord.
But it was the perfect opportunity to gauge their strength and avoid antagonizing the entire Twilight organization.
Ace, Deuce, and Skull pondered the situation. They had no other options.
Besides, they would eventually have to face Twilight if they wanted to reach the top. It wouldn't hurt to assess their strength now.
"I think they're having a replacement match today. Seeing is believing."
Teach stood up and headed for the exit.
Deuce hurriedly paid the bill, and Skull and Ace followed Teach.
"This is getting a little weird, Captain."
"Yeah… But it seems like we don't have a choice."
He had received some useful information. Teach wasn't lying.
Ace, adjusting his hat, watched as the bear-like man walked away.