The difference between the Nightfall side and Whitebeard side could not have been clearer.
The Nightfall Pirates possessed a complete wartime support system.
The Whitebeard Pirates relied on far more traditional methods.
Compared to those who died outright, the Whitebeard Pirates had an even greater number of wounded, crippled, and permanently disabled members. If they wished to fully recover after the war, many would have no choice but to spend enormous sums purchasing customized life-mechanical prosthetics from the very enemy they had fought.
The gap between the two sides would only continue to widen.
Like a snowball rolling downhill, every advantage the Nightfall Pirates gained made them even stronger, while every loss suffered by the Whitebeard Pirates became increasingly difficult to replace.
Meanwhile, another major event shook the world.
The Giant Race welcomed home the long-lost captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Red Ogre Dorry and Blue Ogre Brogy, who had spent nearly a century dueling on the prehistoric island of Little Garden.
At the same time, the World Government's deception of the giants was finally exposed.
For decades, the Government had deceived Oimo and Kashii, former members of the Giant Warrior Pirates, by claiming that Dorry and Brogy had been imprisoned. They promised that if Oimo and Kashii faithfully served the World Government for one hundred years, their captains would eventually be released.
Believing that lie, the two giants had guarded the Gates of Enies Lobby for more than thirty years.
Now the truth had come to light.
Everything had been fabricated.
The Giant Race erupted in fury.
After Oimo and Kashii abandoned Enies Lobby, every giant serving in the Marines resigned one after another. Overnight, both the Marines and the World Government lost one of their greatest military assets while simultaneously earning the hostility of the entire Giant Race.
Their already declining prestige suffered another heavy blow.
At the same time, under the leadership of the returning Dorry and Brogy, the legendary Giant Warrior Pirates, whose name had once shaken the seas, were officially reestablished.
They quickly became one of the strongest emerging forces in the latter half of the New World.
Meanwhile, the rapid development of the Four Seas kingdoms further weakened the World Government's influence.
Although pirate numbers remained high, they no longer posed the same level of threat to most kingdoms. Governments increasingly focused on protecting their own territories and interests rather than actively pursuing pirate extermination campaigns.
Ironically, the shrinking living space across the Four Seas forced even more pirates to head toward the Grand Line, placing tremendous pressure on the Marines.
To address the problem, Marine Headquarters decided to establish a new Marine base near the entrance to the Grand Line.
Unfortunately, no suitable location existed around Reverse Mountain itself.
After considerable discussion, the Marines ultimately constructed the new branch near the allied Grape Kingdom instead.
Even so, its overall impact on pirates entering from the Four Seas remained fairly limited.
This changing world was far from favorable for Donquixote Doflamingo.
Although the World Government's authority had weakened, Doflamingo preferred even greater chaos. After all, warfare fueled the arms trade, which remained one of his largest sources of income.
Because of that, a scheme he had carefully prepared for years was finally set into motion.
Booklets containing the complete training methods of the Marine Six Styles were distributed across the world.
Sold for the absurdly cheap price of one hundred Beli, they spread as easily as newspapers.
The vast underground network Doflamingo had cultivated over many years moved with incredible speed. Within barely half a month, both the World Government and the various kingdoms found themselves completely unable to react.
By the time they attempted to suppress the spread of the manuals, it was already far too late.
The Marine Six Styles had reached virtually every corner of the world.
The World Government and the Marines could do nothing except watch as one of their greatest secrets became public knowledge.
Although the booklet did not include the deepest secrets or highest-level applications of the Six Styles, those techniques were mastered by only a handful of elite Marines anyway.
Even so, their monopoly on systematic combat training had effectively disappeared.
For countless ordinary people, this was a path toward strength.
It was the secret to becoming superhuman.
Many people had always dreamed of becoming stronger but lacked proper guidance.
Now they finally had it.
Anyone could begin training.
Anyone could attempt to change their destiny.
Compared to blind and inefficient self-training, the Marine Six Styles provided a complete, structured system that dramatically accelerated physical growth and combat ability.
Across the Visual Den Den Mushi network, numerous masked instructors appeared to explain every aspect of the Six Styles. They demonstrated proper techniques, taught beginners how to avoid common mistakes, and greatly shortened the learning process.
In this era, strength determined everything.
The Marine Six Styles gave hope to countless ordinary people who had long lived under oppression.
It offered them the chance to grow stronger.
Or, for some, the opportunity to seek revenge.
Over the past several years, many foolish nobles had already paid with their lives.
As more commoners acquired strength, old grudges inevitably resurfaced. Those who had once abused their authority found themselves hunted down by people they had oppressed.
According to intelligence gathered from around the world, nearly ten percent of the world's nobility had died during the past few years.
Ironically, this had significantly improved the overall quality of the remaining noble class.
Many nobles who survived became noticeably more restrained, abandoning at least some of their previous arrogance.
The rise of visual communication had fundamentally changed the world.
People could now become stronger simply by watching instructional broadcasts and learning from experts they would never otherwise meet.
Doflamingo's actions only accelerated that transformation.
In the years ahead, even more nobles would inevitably become victims, while the average level of strength throughout the world continued to rise.
The old order was collapsing.
A new one was quietly taking its place.
Who could have imagined that a simple booklet would steer the entire world toward an unknown future?
Naturally, the Marines and the World Government immediately launched a massive investigation.
A distribution network of this scale could not have appeared without leaving behind countless clues.
Unfortunately for them, Doflamingo had prepared everything years in advance.
The identity responsible for organizing the operation had been nothing more than a disposable cover.
The moment the plan succeeded, he erased every trace of it.
Anyone who knew too much disappeared.
At the same time, he deliberately muddied the waters by directing suspicion toward the Revolutionary Army.
Since he had absolutely no connection to them, blaming Dragon's organization carried no risk whatsoever.
Meanwhile, far away in the Sageros Sea, another event captured the attention of the world.
Parage Island.
The Battle Pyramid.
After five years of operation, the Battle Pyramid had finally reached one of its most anticipated milestones.
The three priceless Devil Fruits promised by the Nightfall Pirates were about to receive their owners.
Anyone capable of earning enough points to exchange for one of those fruits in only a few years could only be described as a battle fanatic.
Each of them had participated in well over a thousand battles.
That meant fighting once every day or two.
Sometimes, they even fought several matches in a single day.
Although points accumulated steadily through victories, they were also constantly being spent.
Training rooms, premium facilities, medical treatment, rehabilitation services, and countless other benefits all required points in addition to Beli.
In reality, points were even more valuable than money.
Points could be exchanged for Beli.
Beli could never be exchanged for points.
Furthermore, points were completely non-transferable.
Advancing to higher floors demanded ever greater strength.
Improving that strength, in turn, required spending points on valuable resources.
The Battle Pyramid offered countless opportunities.
Complete Marine Six Styles manuals.
Advanced development methods.
Haki training guides.
Techniques for strengthening Haki.
Swordsmanship notes.
Ancient texts collected by the Nightfall Pirates.
Even professional sparring services.
No one became powerful overnight.
Every step upward demanded enormous investment, and nearly everything required points.
The three competitors who ultimately earned the right to claim those precious Devil Fruits had climbed from the very bottom of the Battle Pyramid through countless battles.
Over the years, they transformed themselves from complete nobodies into powerful fighters capable of standing firmly within the New World.
As soon as the news broke, it spread across the entire world.
Countless people tuned in through the Visual Den Den Mushi network, eager to witness history with their own eyes.