In the great naval war of the New World, the Sunagakure Pirates dealt a devastating blow to the Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin was decapitated and slain in battle, while Charlotte Katakuri led the surviving remnants of the Big Mom Pirates to flee Totto Land!
With Shiraishi's tacit consent, undercover journalists and CP0 intelligence agents present on the scene leaked the full story. In an instant, the entire world was thrown into an uproar.
The eye-catching, shocking headlines drew intense global attention. As a veteran titan of the seas, BIG MOM had long held the credentials of an established ruler of the New World. No one had anticipated that such a mighty faction would be thoroughly dismantled and wiped out by the Sunagakure Pirates.
Photographs of Charlotte Linlin's severed head resting beneath Shiraishi's boots symbolized the ultimate resolution of the surrounding thirty-four islands and this decisive naval war in the New World.
Following the Battle of Ice Island, the geopolitical landscape of the entire New World was fundamentally rewritten, directly altering the Navy's strategic directives.
Marine Headquarters & World Government Emergency Conclave
The World Government convened an emergency summit. It was abundantly clear that the thirty-four islands of Totto Land would now be incorporated into the Sunagakure Pirates' sphere of influence. Compared to BIG MOM, Shiraishi's crew—notoriously prone to destabilizing the global order—represented an exponentially greater threat.
"The Navy's current strength is insufficient to confront the Sunagakure Pirates head-on. More accurately, even if we commit all our top combat assets, how could we possibly manage the other hostile factions across the seas?"
The Sky Corridor combined with the thirty-four islands of Totto Land...
The Sunagakure Pirates had grown far too powerful. Furthermore, intelligence suggested that Aoki Shiraishi maintained secret ties with the rising Revolutionary Army.
To Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this was a massive headache. Right then, a representative of the World Government stepped forward with an unconventional proposal.
Speaking in a low, measured tone, the head of CP0 suggested: "Why not alter our strategic approach and use pirates to keep pirates in check?"
Sengoku hesitated slightly at the intelligence chief's suggestion: "Use pirates to check pirates...?"
"Legitimized piracy. In essence, a policy of co-optation and royal pardons."
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference chamber grew tense. Zephyr erupted in fury, his imposing aura flaring as if ready to swallow the World Government representative whole.
"Compromise with pirates?!"
"The global situation has deteriorated to this point," the CP0 director countered calmly. "It would be far wiser to recruit seven formidable pirates and station them across the seven major sea routes in the first half of the Grand Line.
They will intercept rookie pirates attempting to enter the New World, cutting off the talent pipeline and suppressing the growth of the great pirate fleets at their very root."
The proposal plunged Sengoku and the top brass into deep silence. Unable to accept such a compromise, Zephyr stormed out of the room in disgust.
He despised the idea of bowing to pirates, yet he was painfully aware of the Navy's current overstretched state; walking out was the only way to register his protest.
"It seems the Gorosei have already made their decision?" Sengoku asked grimly.
"A preliminary one, though candidates will require thorough evaluation and observation."
The World Government planned to reference a pirate's standing, personal combat prowess, and global influence to extend offers of co-optation. For instance, to promote racial harmony, they were already considering inviting a prominent Fish-man pirate into the fold.
Having briefed the Navy, the World Government formally initiated preparations for the initiative.
The Underworld & The Rise of the Warlords
"Fuffuffuffuffu...! Unbelievable! Aoki Shiraishi has officially cemented his title as an Emperor of the New World, alongside Whitebeard..."
Reading the global newspaper headlines, Donquixote Doflamingo let out his signature cackle, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. His partnership with the Sunagakure Pirates had proven fruitful; by riding their momentum, he could rapidly accelerate the expansion of his underground empire.
His previous transactions with Shiraishi had gone smoothly. Although the Snow-Snow Fruit (Yuki Yuki no Mi) was a Logia, it sat elementally below the Ice-Ice Fruit (Hie Hie no Mi) and Shiraishi's Articuno powers.
Doflamingo had traded it to Shiraishi in good faith, and was actively mobilizing his network to locate other rare elemental gems.
Beyond Doflamingo, various allied factions—including the Vinsmoke Family of Germa 66—dispatched emissaries to Totto Land to pay their respects to the undisputed new sovereign of the sea territory.
The Road Poneglyph & The Timeskip
"So this is the Road Poneglyph..."
Following the collapse of the Big Mom Pirates, the single greatest prize was the crimson stone tablet. Shiraishi immediately arranged for it to be transported up to Sky Island's grand library before turning his focus to reorganizing and administering the thirty-four islands of Totto Land.
Over the next several years, the Grand Line remained in a state of turbulence.
Leading the surviving remnants of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Katakuri withdrew from the New World into Paradise (the first half of the Grand Line). There, he clashed fiercely with Gecko Moria, who had recently suffered a crushing defeat in his own bid for supremacy against Kaidou in the New World.
Mastering advanced Observation and Armament Haki, Katakuri grew deeply intrigued by Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit (Kage Kage no Mi). After defeating the veteran pirate several times, Katakuri extended an offer of alliance.
Outmatched and demoralized after being bested even by the remnants of BIG MOM's crew, a disillusioned Moria accepted Katakuri's invitation, becoming the second-in-command of the newly reconstituted Charlotte Pirates.
The alliance between Katakuri and Moria rapidly formed a dominant force across the first half of the Grand Line. Recognizing Katakuri's immense influence and his deep-seated enmity with the New World Emperor Aoki Shiraishi, the World Government extended him an official invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea (Royal Shichibukai).
The Era of the Three Great Powers
Over the subsequent five years, the geopolitical structure of the Four Emperors (Yonko) in the New World solidified:
Whitebeard (Edward Newgate)
Aoki Shiraishi (Sunagakure Pirates)
Kaido (Beasts Pirates)
Red-Haired Shanks (Red Hair Pirates)
Like reigning monarchs, these four figures held absolute dominion over the New World in the second half of the Grand Line. T
ogether with the Seven Warlords of the Sea and Marine Headquarters, they formed the Three Great Powers of the Grand Line—though the prestige and military might of the Four Emperors far eclipsed that of the Warlords.
Unlike the Warlords, the title of "Four Emperors" applied not only to the captains themselves, but to their entire organizations.
The fleets of the Four Emperors were commanded by monstrously powerful leaders, while their top executives possessed combat prowess rivaling Marine Admirals.
Among them, the Sunagakure Pirates stood as the most formidable of the Four Emperor factions.
Beyond their captain Aoki Shiraishi, core executives such as Uchiha Madara, the shrine maiden Kikyo, the Masked Warrior Ace, and the Sword Demon Yachiru Unohana all commanded Admiral-level combat power.
Combined with their sovereign control over both the Sky Corridor and the thirty-four islands of Totto Land, even the highest echelons of Marine Headquarters were forced to tread with extreme caution.
By contrast, the standing of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was far more complicated. Relying on their individual strength and renown to deter and crush ordinary pirates, most Warlords were top-tier powerhouses in their own right.
Yet among the broader pirate populace, they were widely reviled as the "hunting dogs" of the World Government. Aside from submitting to mandatory government summonses and surrendering a portion of their plundered revenue, they operated with complete autonomy and zero state interference.
Upon receiving the title of Warlord, a pirate's active bounties were frozen, and all prior criminal offenses were officially expunged. The World Government turned a blind eye to privateering by Warlords, requiring only tributary tax upon discovery.
To maintain cooperative relations with the Warlords, the World Government routinely granted tailored concessions—such as prohibiting Marine warships from approaching the territorial waters of Amazon Lily for Boa Hancock, or issuing full pardons for the Sun Pirates under Jinbe.
Doflamingo utilized his Warlord authority to aggressively expand his legitimate business fronts and illicit underground arms networks.
With the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Four Emperors, and Marine Headquarters established years ahead of schedule, the Three Great Powers locked into balance, ushering the world into a brand-new era.