On the day after the World Government tentatively leaked the Shichibukai plan, documents concerning a secret Shichibukai recruitment plan by the Marines and the World Government spread rapidly across the seas through the newspapers of the World Economic News Agency.
According to reliable intelligence, Admiral Zephyr went to see Fleet Admiral Sengoku that very night, and the two had a fierce argument. If Garp and Tsuru had not stepped in to calm them down, they might even have come to blows.
Meanwhile, out on the seas, the situation on the Grand Line began to shift with the news.
As long as they accepted the World Government's compulsory summons and paid the government a portion of their earnings, they could act freely without government interference, plunder legally, and no longer worry about being arrested. No matter how one looked at it, the terms were tempting.
The true gold-medal rulers of the seas would naturally never agree to become the World Government's dogs, but the silver-medal contenders were clearly very interested.
They were no longer naive rookies fresh out to sea.
Their experiences on the Grand Line had taught them that neither the throne of Pirate King nor the treasure of Laugh Tale was something they could touch. Only the rulers of the New World had a chance at such things.
As for them, their only choices were to attach themselves to those rulers or struggle on at the edge of survival.
Now, the Marines and the World Government had given them a new path: Shichibukai.
And in order to meet the conditions listed for becoming Shichibukai, namely fame, strength, and influence, the once-stable seas were thrown into chaos again. The slaughter between pirates began anew.
For these pirates, what faster way was there to raise their fame, strength, and influence than challenging the rulers of the seas?
...
New World, Totto Land waters.
Totto Land, where the BIGMOM pirate crew was based.
On the very day the newspapers spread across the seas, a few fools who did not know their own limits had already appeared around the Totto Land waters.
Inside the castle on Whole Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin, captain of the BIGMOM pirate crew, whose body had grown even more massive and imposing, like a demon lord bringing chaos to the world, sat on her throne and looked at the newspaper in her hand.
"Mamamama, so that's it. This is the plan of the Marines and the World Government, is it? My children!"
As Charlotte Linlin's voice fell, the sons and daughters seated on both sides below her throne immediately grew excited.
"Since the Marines and the World Government have made their move, we can't leave them without a response. Next, let them experience the true terror of the BIGMOM pirate crew! Mamamama!"
"Yes, Mama!"
In an instant, killing intent surged through the entire BIGMOM pirate crew, turning the place into something like hell.
...
New World, territory of the Whitebeard Pirate crew.
On the Moby Dick, the members of the Whitebeard Pirate crew had naturally received the newspaper as well.
Looking at the Shichibukai plan in the paper, Marco immediately understood the intentions of the Marines and the World Government. He spoke to Whitebeard, who was gulping down wine, and to the others.
"Looks like there are still some smart people among the Marines and the World Government. They actually thought of using pirates to deal with pirates."
Whitebeard saw it differently. A thoughtful light flashed in his eyes as he said, "The Marines and the World Government are opening the gates of hell."
Marco froze, not quite understanding. "What do you mean, Pops?"
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
After draining a large bowl of fine wine, Whitebeard glanced at his son and said, "Darkness without restraint is the most terrifying kind, because it can live openly in the sunlight, and even replace the sunlight itself... Once a group of people loses all restraint, no evil they commit should come as a surprise."
Marco immediately fell into thought.
...
New World, Wano Country, Onigashima.
The moment Kaidou saw the newspaper, he summoned his subordinates.
With a roar like a ghost's howl, and under the slightly panicked gazes of his men, Kaidou bellowed in dissatisfaction.
"Queen, how many subordinates do we have right now?"
"Boss Kaidou, we lost some men in the last battle with Moria, but we've mostly replenished our numbers over these past three months. We're up to five thousand now. On top of that, with the three new Headliners who joined us, the strength of the Beasts Pirates has reached a new peak."
"Not enough. Still not enough. That's far too few... The Marines and the World Government have already started moving. We Beasts can't just sit around and wait!"
Queen froze for a moment, then looked at the news in the paper and was startled. As a scientist, his mind was far sharper than that of an ordinary person.
Naturally, he could see through the Marines' plan.
At that moment, Kaidou continued roaring.
"I'm asking you, if we start expanding at full force right now, how many can we reach?"
Queen began to understand what Kaidou was thinking. After considering it, he said, "With the financial resources the Beasts Pirates currently have, if we expand with everything we've got, we can double our numbers to ten thousand."
"Ten thousand? That's nowhere near enough..."
"Then... there's only one way. The Sky Pirates have a huge demand for Seastone, but the output of Wano Country's factories has never been enough to satisfy them. If we can meet that demand, then we could expand by another ten thousand men."
"Tell Kurozumi Orochi to figure something out. He must expand the scale of Seastone production."
"Uh... understood."
"What about the Devil Fruits?"
"That's going very smoothly. We've obtained five more Devil Fruits. As you requested, Boss, they're all Zoan-type, and one is even an Ancient Zoan. We're currently selecting suitable people to eat them."
"Mm. Also, are the Sky Pirates still unwilling to trade their shipbuilding technology with us?"
"That's how it stands for now. The Sky Pirates say they won't trade the technology, but they are willing to sell completed ships. As for the details, they said you'll have to discuss them personally with Fire Dragon Yemu."
"Hmph..."
Kaidou's heavy breathing sounded, but he did not say much more. Instead, he asked, "Has the time been set?"
"After the Reverie ends, Fire Dragon Yemu will personally come to Wano Country."
As soon as those words came out, everyone was shocked.
After all, whether in bounty, fame, or strength, Fire Dragon Yemu was currently firmly above their captain, Kaidou of the Beasts. For such a major figure to take the initiative to come to Wano Country clearly meant he was not coming with simple intentions.
At that moment, Queen thought for a while, then said uncertainly, "According to our intelligence, the Sky Pirates have been making major moves recently, and their captain, Fire Dragon Yemu, has also been unreachable for a long time. So it's possible that they're planning something big right now..."