News of Shiki joining forces with the Roger Pirates, along with Kaido's capture, quickly sparked heated discussions across the seas.
"We're doomed! Hero Garp just crushed the Rocks Pirates, and now another terrifying force has appeared!"
"Look at them leaning against that railing with such serious expressions—they must be planning something huge, right?"
"Maybe they're going to attack the Holy Land, Mary Geoise this time?"
"I bet it's Marine Headquarters instead!"
"By the way, isn't anyone paying attention to Kaido? He got captured!"
"Tons of pirates get captured. Why focus on him?"
"He's just a loser. Compared to that, Roger teaming up with Shiki is way more terrifying, okay?"
"Who the hell is this 'Jaygar Valthior'? Never seen him before."
"No idea, but anyone sitting with Roger and Shiki like that is definitely not some nobody."
"Didn't you see? When they were leaning on the railing, he was right at Roger's right-hand side, first position! Maybe he's already replaced Dark King Rayleigh as Roger's vice-captain!"
"No way, that's Rayleigh we're talking about!"
"What's impossible about it? I heard Rayleigh got that number one beauty, Shakky, at God Valley. Maybe he's about to leave the crew soon."
"Huh? When you put it like that, it kinda makes sense!"
...
However, within a few days, Marine Headquarters and the World Government issued a clarification.
They stated that Shiki's group had already left the West Blue for the first half of the Grand Line and had not joined forces with the Roger Pirates. They urged the public not to panic and assured everyone that the Marines would do their utmost to protect civilians and maintain peace across the Four Blues.
Over the following months, the seas truly became turbulent—especially the New World, where wave after wave of explosive news broke out, leaving people utterly captivated.
First, it was Wang Zhi.
He was the first to return to the former Rocks Pirates' base—Hachinosu—and declared it his territory.
Though despicable and known for betraying his comrades, in the pirate world, treachery was hardly a flaw.
He already had his own power base, having formed a cult-like organization of pirate followers, earning him the title of "Pirate Patriarch." He had plenty of loyal subordinates.
With a single call on Hachinosu, many answered, allowing him to quickly establish control.
Next, Charlotte Linlin returned to her stronghold—Whole Cake Island—and officially announced the formation of the Big Mom Pirates.
This didn't surprise many.
Linlin had long been a veteran pirate. She had a bounty at the age of five and had been causing chaos on the seas with Streusen ever since. Even before joining the Rocks Pirates, she had her own crew and had occupied Whole Cake Island for years—it just hadn't been formally defined.
Now, it was official.
She was the captain of the Big Mom Pirates.
The early signs of what would later become the famed Totto Land were already beginning to emerge.
Then came news of other former Rocks members—Ganzui, John, Gill Bastar, and more.
Without exception, they all established their own pirate crews and began fighting each other throughout the New World.
In particular, Ganzui, the Bomb-Bomb Fruit user, and John, the Magnet-Magnet Fruit user, seemed to have formed a grudge at God Valley. They clashed repeatedly in the New World, effectively igniting the chaotic infighting among the remnants of the Rocks Pirates.
After that—
In Water 7, in the first half of the Grand Line, the Golden Lion Shiki built his warship—the Flying Lion—and announced the formation of the Flying Pirates together with Silver Axe "Kyo" and the Catfish Strongman Babel, declaring himself captain.
Unlike others such as Charlotte Linlin, Ganzui, and Wang Zhi—who had essentially gone solo and rebuilt from scratch—
Shiki's Flying Pirates immediately boasted three former top executives of the Rocks Pirates.
Even before entering the New World, many already considered them the most likely force to dominate the new era.
...
However, before Shiki could even enter the New World, shocking news spread across the seas—
The Giant King Harald had cut off his own horns at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Afterward, the World Government appointed him as a right-hand force of the Marines, and Harald began relentlessly cracking down on pirate forces across the seas.
By sheer coincidence, while suppressing pirates in the New World, he clashed with Polo Gram—the same man who had fought in the God Valley battle and once sent Silver Axe flying with a kick.
But just because Gram had once fought Silver Axe didn't mean he was stronger.
The battlefield at God Valley had been chaotic—anything could happen. Later on, even Borsalino had been kicked away by Marco, but that didn't mean Marco was stronger than Borsalino.
Regardless of whether Gram was stronger than Silver Axe or not—
He was definitely no match for the Giant King Harald.
With overwhelming superiority, Harald defeated Polo Gram and destroyed the Polo Pirates.
As a well-known pirate in the New World, Gram's defeat stirred significant waves. Many wondered if he would fall into decline after such a crushing loss.
Yet not long after, another shocking piece of news emerged.
Polo Gram, who had just been beaten down by Harald, somehow tracked down Whitebeard—Edward Newgate—who had remained quiet since the God Valley incident.
Then, leading the remnants of the Polo Pirates, he joined under Newgate's command.
Soon after, Newgate officially announced the formation of the Whitebeard Pirates, declaring himself captain.
Whitebeard's strength had always been unquestionable.
Even back when the Rocks Pirates still existed, many had considered him the second-in-command—though Shiki strongly disagreed with that claim.
Still, there was no denying his power.
After God Valley, he had vanished, leading many to believe he might retire into obscurity.
But after months of silence, he reemerged with a bang.
With the late arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates, the tides of the New World grew even more violent. Pirate conflicts intensified, shaking the region and weakening the influence of the World Government.
The most notable change—
Several Marine bases in the New World were successively destroyed by these pirates.
Even with Harald, the Giant King, backing them, the Marines still couldn't seem to regain control against these ruthless pirates.
An interesting phenomenon began to appear in the New World:
While these pirates fought each other fiercely, the moment it involved the World Government or the Marines, they would quickly set aside their conflicts, unite, and drive the Marines out—before resuming their own battles.
This was especially true for factions formed by former Rocks Pirates members.
Perhaps having witnessed the terrifying power at God Valley, they shared an unspoken understanding when it came to opposing the World Government.
Compared to these wildly warring pirates—
The Roger Pirates, who had once been rumored to have allied with Shiki, became increasingly low-key.
Aside from occasionally surfacing and causing minor disturbances, they continued roaming the world unpredictably, their movements impossible to track.
No one knew what exactly they were doing.
...
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