This is a turbulent world, and the sea is not stable. If you have to choose the most stable area, the Red Earth Continent and the various allied nations' territories largely make the cut.
But in the New World, the safest places are absolutely the heartlands of the Sea Emperors. Under heavy protection, the core of their territories is the safest place.
And all of this is their hard-earned reputation through real battles. Even the Hundred Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates, two cooperative pirate groups, will have conflicts, for example over the ownership of some islands.
However, because of their cooperation, the scale of these conflicts is small, usually just skirmishes between subordinates, and the victor claims the right without involving higher-ranking officials to expand the battle.
Moreover, in the New World, there are still many unclaimed lands, and many scattered pirate alliances occupy territories; these areas are the primary targets for the Sea Emperors' expansion.
They do not loot and leave but aim to fully incorporate an island into their territory, assign personnel for stationing, and develop the island's economy, all requiring human and material resources.
So, although the Sea Emperors are expanding, their speed is not very rapid, and the greatest conflicts arise precisely during this expansion process.
Strictly speaking, this was not initially a war between Whitebeard and Kaidou, but a conflict between two ordinary pirate groups.
As long as the number of pirate groups ≥ 2, they can be called a pirate alliance. That island originally belonged to a pirate alliance, but betrayal is rife within these alliances.
Since the day Roger spoke those words at his execution, the situation in the New World has become increasingly chaotic, and this ordinary pirate alliance could no longer hold on.
In this situation, they split over uneven distribution of spoils, with one side planning to join Whitebeard and the other looking to align with the Hundred Beasts, using the island as their pledge of allegiance.
To join another's pirate group, you must have a significant gift to present.
But within the pirate alliance, the strength gap between pirate groups isn't very large; otherwise, it wouldn't be an alliance but a takeover. In this situation, neither could do anything to the other, so they began acting unilaterally to secure their positions.
Using the island's ownership as a pledge of allegiance, they simultaneously sent SOS calls to the two pirate groups.
Thus, a developer's betrayal, a double-dealing sale, and a rift between two clients came to pass.
In some sea region of the New World, on Kedelin Island, gunfire has been raging for half a month. From the initial skirmishes to the battle between Whitebeard's subordinate pirate groups and the Numberers of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, this fight has been relentless.
Day and night, the sound of battle cries echoed across the island. Although there were brief truces, the fighting resumed quickly, with both sides wanting to resolve the battle before the enemy reinforcements arrived.
At this moment, a person wearing attire decorated with magatama patterns, wielding dual blades, and sporting a metallic chin was fighting someone holding a shell. The shell extended water blades like curved sabers, and the person had NO.61 inscribed on their forehead.
Whitebeard Pirates' Affiliated Captain Bizarre vs. Hundred Beasts Pirates NO.61, Coby the Shell Blade Wielder, and it appeared from the battle that Whitebeard's side had the advantage, with Bizarre gaining the upper hand.
Since Roger's downfall, the title of World's Strongest Man gradually came to rest upon Whitebeard. The Quake-Quake Fruit allowed him to quake the seas and the earth with a mere gesture, making him a monstrous natural disaster in the New World.
Whitebeard's flag shielded numerous islands in the New World, and many of his commanding captains and the captains of his affiliated pirate groups were well-known figures.
Bizarre had more stamina than Coby. The prolonged battle had left Coby somewhat exhausted, though their showdown still showed no sign of a clear victor.
"This island will be Dad's territory. You little brats better crawl back to your own land!"
"That old geezer amounts to nothing. Kaidou-sama is the one destined to become the Pirate King. Do you think you've already won? See this number? There are 61 more stronger than me, and there's a high-level official, so you'd better run now while you still can!"
The water blade on the shell gradually became unstable, a sign of his depleting stamina. However, Coby countered by transforming the long blade-like shell into a short dagger, reducing energy consumption and slightly lengthening his combat time.
No one backed down in the face of the other's words. Whether it was the Numberers of the Hundred Beasts or Whitebeard's affiliated captains, they all had their convictions that brought them to this point; retreating due to threats wasn't an option for them.
Occasionally, other pirates would intervene in their battleground. This was a war for territory, not a fair 1v1, and the shockwaves from their battle hadn't reached a level that prevented others from approaching, so often other pirates would try to aid their leader.
The battle had been going on for a long time, and these people were gritting their teeth, holding on while waiting for reinforcements.
But the stalemate on the battlefield was soon disrupted by a sudden attack. Countless star-like objects flew in from a distance, carving a dividing line across the battlefield with their high-speed flight.
Those were high-speed stars launched by Drake. Due to technological disparities, the Hundred Beasts' ships moved faster, so their reinforcements arrived sooner.
This high-speed stars attack was intended to split the battlefield, making it easier for her to take action.
This attack naturally caught the attention of both sides. When the skull flag symbolizing Kaidou appeared in the sight of both sides, morale shifted. For both fatigued forces, the earlier arrival of one side's reinforcements was a deciding factor.
"Alright, folks! Begin the plunder, and the spoils are all yours. Even my share is the same, move out!"
The war seemed to ignite her cells. The moment she arrived here, she forgot her original intent was the spoils.
But that's her habit; she plunders wealth to squander, and giving those treasures to her underlings is her way of spending.
She relished the feeling of scattering wealth, and that's why she never manages to save money.
"Iscariot, follow me. Let me see your level in combat."
These pirates were exhausted, yet even though Iscariot was still young, in this environment he was more than enough.
"Yes."
Their bodies began to change, with crimson armor and black-blue fur appearing on them, then two streaks of light charged into the battlefield even faster...