Time passed quickly. After a full month of indulging themselves in Cathay Village, the calendar had already turned to the year 1518 of the Sea Era.
This marked Ash's third year in the Pirate World.
At sixteen years old, he had already built a reputation that shook the seas.
On January 15th, Nami, having completed detailed sea charts of the Four Seas, decided to set sail once more. This time, her goal was to chart the first half of the Grand Line, specifically the seven routes of Paradise.
Sali and his group returned to Twin Capes, continuing to guard the entrance while steadily strengthening themselves. Wyper and the others still rotated leadership, guiding the young adults from the three villages through Paradise.
Meanwhile, those who remained on Sky Island, unable to join the voyages, trained even harder in the Six Powers.
Carina, confident that her singing had reached a professional level, obtained Ash's approval and partnered with Tsuki, who had grown bored at Twin Capes. Together, they set out for Carnival Island, aiming to make their names as renowned performers.
Having powerful backing made a difference. With Ash's status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Tsuki's appearance did not trigger any Marine suspicion, despite his past.
Their musical careers quickly gained momentum.
As for Robin, after fully lowering her guard and integrating into the Dawn faction, she disguised herself and took Carina's place, returning to Gourmet Island with Ash.
Now, regarding the dawn ship.
After more than two years of effort from Ash, Sali, Wyper, and the others, they had gathered Eternal Poses for most islands across Paradise. With Nami beginning her charting work, all of these were handed over to her.
Aside from the Marines, few forces on the sea had ever operated with such overwhelming resources.
Under Nami's command, the dawn ship began an aggressive and irregular route across Paradise, moving in sharp turns and unexpected paths.
To outsiders, it appeared as though the ship was systematically mapping the seas. To those unaware, it looked like a force sweeping through Paradise, ready to crush every pirate in its path.
The result was immediate panic.
Uninformed pirates cursed the dawn ship's actions while fleeing toward the Sabaody Archipelago. Their plan was simple, coat their ships and escape to the New World before the dawn ship reached them.
When Ash heard about this on Gourmet Island, he simply laughed it off and treated it as entertainment.
His daily routine remained unchanged, eating endlessly alongside Bonney and Robin.
Robin, who had once been slender, had gained a bit of softness after constantly enjoying gourmet dishes with him.
It was also worth noting that after more than a year of treatment, Bonney could finally step into sunlight.
Ash estimated that with a bit more time, she would fully recover. Kuma, upon hearing this, was genuinely relieved.
During the New Year period, Ash also witnessed the full return of Bonney's Age-Age Fruit ability.
Thinking of Saint Saturn from the Gorosei, the one responsible for experimenting on Bonney as an infant, Ash's expression turned cold.
"One day, I'll settle that score."
Another amusing development was Robin's disguise. To conceal her identity, she wore a wig daily, along with a strapless mini dress, stockings, and a long coat. Sometimes she used light makeup, other times darker tones, constantly changing her style.
Ash found it quite pleasing.
Bonney, now able to occasionally use her powers, began imitating Robin. She would shift from a small child into a mature and alluring woman, creating plenty of laughter around them.
Half a month passed like this.
Then, on March 2nd, 1518, an explosive piece of news spread from the New World and swept across all four seas.
The chaotic war in the New World had come to an end.
The victors had emerged.
The Whitebeard Pirates.
The Big Mom Pirates.
The Beasts Pirates.
And the Red Hair Pirates.
The defeated were crushed or forced to retreat, while the winners rose to the top.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin.
Kaido of the Beasts.
Red-Haired Shanks.
These four now stood at the peak of the New World, earning the title of the Four Emperors.
As for the losers, some were completely destroyed, while others fled or retreated to recover. The balance of power in the New World was finally established.
Under pressure from the World Government, the Marines were forced to scale back their presence. Garp's G3 Branch was abolished, leaving only G1 and G5. Even the command of G1 shifted, with Vice Admiral Momonga taking over.
With the New World's structure stabilized, the attention of major forces gradually shifted back to the Four Seas and Paradise.
What they found shocked them.
In the Four Seas, pirate crews with bounties above ten million Berries had nearly vanished. Only smaller crews remained.
Paradise was even more extreme. It was so clean it looked as though the Marines had swept through it completely. Pirates were rare, and even slave traders and smugglers were scarcely seen. Most of the remaining scum had gathered at Sabaody Archipelago, waiting for coating before fleeing to the New World.
Only then did many realize the true extent of Ash's influence.
Even while he spent his days on Gourmet Island, indulging in food, the mere movement of his subordinates was enough to drive pirates into retreat.
Over the past two years, the reputation of the dawn ship had become terrifying.
Powerful figures like former Warlord Gecko Moria and the legendary pirate Don Chinjao had already been defeated by his crew.
If his subordinates were that strong, then how powerful was Ash himself?
Because of this, Gourmet Island began attracting more attention.
Ash grew irritated with the increasing number of spies and observers. Without Conqueror's Haki to drive them away, and unwilling to cause large scale destruction on Gourmet Island, he tolerated them at first.
Eventually, after turning a few reckless pirates into ashes, the rest quickly remembered his reputation. The number of prying eyes around him dropped significantly.
Robin's disguise, meanwhile, remained flawless. None of the observing forces suspected her true identity.
After all, it was well known that new faces frequently appeared around Ash. Members of the dawn ship and rising figures like Carina had all once stayed by his side before leaving.