The influence of the Great Pirate Era began to gradually ferment, and the wreckage of pirate ships could often be seen at the foot of the Inverted Mountain. The New World became turbulent as well. Before Roger appeared, many pirates lacked a clear goal.
They also didn't know what their ultimate goal was. Facing uncertainty about what tomorrow would bring, they focused only on the present, which was what they needed to pay attention to.
With Roger's final declaration, it was as if these pirates had found a goal. Whether for fame or the treasure Roger spoke of, one by one, they set out on their own journey, claiming they would become the Pirate King.
In February 1499, Roger had been dead for four months. The pirates who first set out had already reached Fishman Island, and a large wave of newcomers from the Four Seas and Paradise were about to flood into the cruel New World.
In the New World, it wasn't just Roger who caused a significant impact; there was also the Golden Lion.
The Golden Lion's primary base was a chain of sky islands. Thanks to the power of his Float-Float Fruit, few could enter the main base of the Golden Lion.
But after the Golden Lion was sent to prison by Garp and Sengoku, these floating sky islands naturally couldn't be maintained anymore. The collapse of the islands caused even greater damage to the Golden Lion's remnants.
Without the leadership of the Golden Lion, the pirate crews that originally depended on him began to fight over territories, battling each other, and his domain fell into complete chaos.
Yet, like Wald, the Golden Lion also had his loyal followers. They firmly believed the Golden Lion would return, and under the leadership of Dr. Indigo, they withdrew to a secret island, which was a fallback the Golden Lion had previously arranged.
While others began fighting, they had already retreated aside. However, the involvement of other Great Pirates in the New World broke the original stalemate.
The BIG MOM Pirates, the Hundred Beasts Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates all took action. Even Whitebeard did not stand idly by.
Whitebeard and the Golden Lion's territories were adjacent, and after the Golden Lion was imprisoned, the chaos within his territory gradually affected Whitebeard's as well.
So he led the Whitebeard Pirates to occupy part of the territory to maintain stability on his turf by creating barriers.
Whitebeard was also a pirate. His territory was not given to him; even he needed taxes, or he couldn't sustain the daily expenses of the pirates.
However, compared to ordinary brutal pirates, Whitebeard's style was much more gentle. The fees he collected were within the range ordinary people could accept, and now, Whitebeard's flag meant safety, enough to keep an island surviving in this turbulent era.
With the Golden Lion imprisoned and Roger dead, it was almost the same for others of that time, such as Wald, John, Ochoku. Those Great Pirates of the past had already faded with the era.
Whitebeard became the undisputed overlord, and the Red Earl was also a prominent figure, but he was always a lone wolf, so the disputes in the New World had little to do with him.
Of course, Charlotte Linlin wouldn't miss this chance, and she too expanded her subordinate territories. Although they didn't become homeland territories like the islands within the Tottland Sea Region, they still gained many subsidiary islands that could be taxed.
And in Wano Kuni, Kaidou didn't miss this opportunity either.
"King, Queen, and... Olga, I'll leave this to the three of you." Olga's identity card showed she was already eighteen years old.
Despite the influence of pure gold making her appear somewhat young, she had experienced almost ten years of training since leaving the Sea King's stomach.
She was skilled in two colors of Haki, and with basic mastery of Zoroark's abilities, she was ready to go into battle.
Now was the era of great struggles, but unlike Whitebeard and BIG MOM's stable strongholds, Wano Kuni was still developing, so the Hundred Beasts Pirates had to choose to divide their forces.
"Take half of the elite from Wano Kuni with you. The forces outside are ready; this is the mission this time: plant our flag on all these islands."
The nautical chart had marked the target of this operation. Kaidou wasn't foolhardy. This operation had been planned to avoid the operational areas of Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, focusing mainly on newcomers and the remnants of the Golden Lion.
"Zeraora, take Setsuna with you as well. Shaina's enough to handle domestic matters."
"Understood."
With Kaidou and Arceus in the country, the departure of the leaders wouldn't have much impact. After all, they were the strongest force within the pirate crew, but it was still necessary to leave some people behind to help with tasks, so ultimately Shaina stayed.
As for why Kaidou wasn't going, Yamato had already gone through over a year of physical training, and the next stage of training was underway, so he couldn't spare the time.
"Don't push yourselves against opponents you can't beat. There's no harm in retreating first. I'll lead you back to fight again later!"
Before they set off, Kaidou gave a final instruction. His mentality hadn't changed much: ordinary members could be expendable, but the leaders couldn't, so his requirement was for the leaders to prioritize themselves if they encountered an opponent they couldn't match.
Everyone understood that not everyone who left would return. This was war, and war inevitably comes with casualties, but in the face of war achievements and the benefits they bring, these pirates remained eager to fight.
And beyond the seas, in the other territories of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, residents within the domain began their usual routine of investing in the war. Pirate ships gathered at the designated locations.
Kurozumi Orochi continued his act.
"Lord Oden, Kaidou's forces have left by half; there's an opportunity here!" His tone was earnest, as if he truly wanted to drive Kaidou out.
"What about Kaidou?"
"He's still the same as usual, no changes..."
"Orochi, you should know, Kaidou is the real problem." Shimotsuki Yasuie, the only one aware of the situation, said solemnly.
"If we can't completely eliminate Kaidou, even if we seize the chance to drive him away, he'll still be able to rally his forces and return. Don't you know that? Imagine the losses the nation would suffer by then?"
In Shimotsuki Yasuie's view, Kozuki Oden had already lost face. Since he had lost face, he needed to handle the situation all at once.
He still had the same serious demeanor at the moment, completely different from the time he ate a failed SMILE.
"Yes, yes, it's my naive thinking. I'll keep a closer eye on Kaidou's information..."
Orochi left the room again, but his expression was full of smugness. He knew Kozuki Oden and Shimotsuki Yasuie well and could say his words were intentional.
"Fight all you want. I'll be the ultimate ruler of Wano Kuni. Oden, Kaidou, the humiliation you brought upon me, I'll give it back to you..."