Before I knew it, two months had passed.
Gawain stood at the bow of the Dark Bird Ship and gently raised his right hand.
"Set sail."
He said a few words, and all six hundred thousand people on board the Dark Bird Ship sprang into action!
Some pulled up the anchor, others started the engine, and the soldiers raised their weapons, some with guns, others with swords.
Even ordinary service staff placed their right hands on their ample breasts at this moment.
Their gazes were earnest, their eyes dreamy, and they kept silently repeating the word "set sail" in their hearts.
And this is the change that Gawain has brought to the Dark Bird Ship in the past two months.
To put it more simply, a war that was rife with slaughter and nearly led to the annihilation of a nation increased the fear that Gawain instilled in others.
To put it simply, it's because... the imperial power is excessive!
As the ship slowly began to move, Gawain calmly pursed his lips and looked expectantly into the distance.
Noticing Gawain's movements, Gion and Hancock, whose hair was styled in the shape of a woman's bun, gently took Gawain's arms.
Gion whispered.
"My lord, is this trip to Mary Geoise the beginning of an era that truly belongs to us?"
"Of course."
Gawain nodded, his smile gradually deepening.
One year and nine months after I came into this world.
I've finally taken the most important step!
At this moment, as time goes on, resources from all over the world have been gradually mobilized and improved.
At the same time, at least sixty sections of the Sea Train were under construction in different directions!
This number is still increasing, and it is expected that it will not happen for another two years before phenomena such as insufficient production capacity prevent the scale from being expanded occur.
But at that time, the Dark Bird Ship would not need resources, simply because the world's resources were too abundant.
If we are willing to put in the effort to mobilize resources, it is almost impossible for resources to become scarce in the short term.
By then, Gawain will likely lack will be direct wealth such as money, that is, the means to continue mobilizing global resources.
So...
Gawain has been taking the time lately to look at information related to Tesoro in his spare time.
That guy's getting fatter and fatter, so let's wait two years and then give him a good cut!
Besides the economy, what Gawain lacks most is military strength.
Note that military strength is not simply about the number of powerful individuals.
In the world of Pirate King, the number of strong individuals determines the course of war. The side with more strong individuals is almost guaranteed to win, while the side with fewer strong individuals can only win by using special abilities or unleashing their full potential.
But military affairs are different from war, and the military strength that Gawain needs is not just the soldiers needed for war.
The term "his" also encompasses a range of important personnel, such as those in the public security, procuratorate, and judicial systems.
In other words, Gawain lacks sufficient police to oversee the entire Grand Line, and also lacks sufficient personnel to implement the laws and regulations governing the Dark Bird system.
To put it simply, Gawain lacks civil servants.
We still lack troops stationed in various locations!
Gawain, who has not yet fully established himself, cannot yet fully raise his banner and wage war against the various kingdoms within the New World.
Therefore, the way he ruled over the countries along the Grand Line could only be modeled after the United States today.
He couldn't even imitate United Kingdom, because he lacked the political standing to turn the country into a colony.
In short, he needs to recruit soldiers, a large number of soldiers!
Therefore...
Gawain set his sights on the Qidian of the Grand Line!
After he completely blocked the Grand Line, tons of pirates were destined to be stopped by them every year.
At that time, we will do everything we can to forcibly conscript those pirates and give them a more meaningful job and life.
Therefore, in Gawain's plan, the Qidian the Grand Line should at least be occupied by a sufficiently gentle and attractive monster that can also discern the intentions of its subordinates to keep the place in check.
Without a doubt, Rayleigh got the job. For the next two years, the old man will personally oversee the Qidian of the Grand Line as the second-in-command of the Dark Bird Ship.
They had no intention of giving the pirates any chance, so they simply expanded Crocus's lighthouse.
While transforming that place into the Grand Line of the Sea Train and the main hub connecting the Four Blues, it will also become a secondary headquarters and troop transfer center for the Dark Bird Alliance Army.
Of the nearly 350,000 veteran warriors on board the Dark Bird Ship, at least 150,000 will remain at the entrance to the New World. Each of them will become at least one squad leader in the future, and will also lead nine men to expand the Dark Bird Ship's forces to more than twenty times their original size.
Of course, while Rayleigh was experienced, he ultimately lacked a certain amount of cunning and ruthlessness.
The old man is getting on in years and has developed a senior's mentality, especially towards the young pirates, whom he treats as just a game.
To prevent Rayleigh from falling into too many traps set by newcomers, and incidentally, to let too many newcomers go.
Gawain arranged for Crocodile and Zephyr to be stationed together, while also entrusting the three brothers Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, to Rayleigh.
Rayleigh was Ace's godfather, so he was perfect for disciplining them. Zephyr also felt that the complex environment near Reverse Mountain was more suitable for him to discipline his new students.
Incidentally, Zephyr's deep hatred for pirates also meant that he would be far more ruthless and thorough in this job than Rayleigh.
Meanwhile, the presence of Crocodile, the master strategist, also ensures that the area around Reverse Mountain won't be surrounded by too many schemes from the Four Blues Kings.
With this lineup, Gawain was confident that even if Four Emperors pirate crew attacked, they wouldn't be easily defeated.
Not to mention the young pirates from Four Blues.
Think about it, Crocodile and Zephyr are perfectly comparable to the All-Stars.
After acquiring Prometheus, Ace's strength continued to increase, reaching a solid level of a regular Yonko commander, and even Yamato might not be his match.
Although Sabo didn't eat Devil Fruit, his strength increased rapidly after being taught by Zephyr.
As for Luffy, well, the title of the Chosen One is well-deserved. He's already mastered Gear Second, and Gear Third probably won't be far behind!
With such a lineup leading a million soldiers expected to expand within a year, even if they were to attack with the combined might of the entire Four Blues, they wouldn't lose anytime soon.
The Vinsmoke Family even unified the North Blue for a period of time.
While it's unlikely that Rayleigh's team could conquer an entire sea, they certainly wouldn't be easily defeated if they were only meant to defend.
Besides Reverse Mountain, Gawain also left a large number of troops in Alabasta.
Alabasta is located roughly in the middle of the Grand Line, and at this time, Alabasta was also carrying out a Sea Train project that would connect the Grand Line horizontally.
That's right!
The Grand Line does indeed have routes, but the strong ocean currents do not allow most ships to cross these routes and freely sail between different routes.
But the Sea Train doesn't have so many problems; forget about horizontal routes, Franky says none of that is an issue.
The Sea Train was completely unharmed even when faced with a tsunami thousands of meters high.
Can a mere strong ocean current really stop us?
Therefore, Shiryu, along with Shiryu Doflamingo, stationed themselves in Alabasta.
They will oversee the construction of the transverse Sea Train in the future, using this as a starting point to spread the influence of the Dark Bird Ship throughout the entire Grand Line as quickly as possible.
Of course, it couldn't have been just three people doing this; the three of them also brought most of their subordinates with them.
For example, Crocodile's Baroque Works.
Or perhaps it's Doflamingo's family influence.
Rob Lucci's Black Ice Terrace is also heavily stationed in the middle section of the Grand Line.
All three organizations are primarily engaged in espionage and covert operations.
Although they do not belong to the same division, the work of the Grand Line is not something that a single division can accomplish.
Logistics and other support must be in place, right?
Therefore, although the captains were stationed in their respective locations, the thirteen squads were actually divided into three groups, centered around Reverse Mountain, Alabasta, and Sabaody Fish-Man Island in Sabaody Archipelago.
In addition, since Issho and his group are mainly the action team, their overall work is to investigate the chaotic situation in the countries within the Grand Line and intervene as appropriate.
Therefore, the number of soldiers assigned to them was not large.
It's only around 70,000. Although this number will increase, it will still be the smallest in terms of overall size.
As for the remaining approximately 180,000 troops, and all the remaining strongmen...
Oh.
Gawain personally led Gion and Mihawk to suppress the Sabaody Archipelago and Fish-Man Island!
Compared to the Four Blues and the Grand Line, the New World is simply too strong, truly too strong!
It's important to know that even lowly soldiers in the New World are very likely to possess at least one type of Haki.
If this were the Grand Line, perhaps only one in ten thousand people would know about Haki!
Even with Luffy Gear Third activated, Luffy couldn't break through the Kizaru's command.
Although that chubby kid is quite strong, there's no doubt that Gear Third Luffy doesn't understand that Armament Haki is the true essence.
A person with Haki presence fighting someone without Haki is almost like the Straw Hat Crew two years later fighting the Straw Hat Crew two years earlier.
It's no exaggeration to say that they would win quite easily two years later; Zoro two years later could probably defeat Luffy two years ago in no time...
Therefore, the main military force of the Dark Bird Ship was used to deal with potential impacts from the New World.
After all, without a constant influx of pirates to provide fresh blood, all sectors of the New World would suffer heavy losses.
At that time, when the order to blockade the Grand Line was first announced, the pirates of the New World might not have any objections.
But it will be two or three years later, when they truly realize the importance of new blood.
Even if Gawain, Newgate, and Shanks reach an agreement by then, a battle between them is inevitable!
Because the remaining Three Emperors of the Pirates are, in essence, just three representatives of the pirate cause!
Whitebeard certainly didn't want to fight, but could all his sons accept the potential losses?
If they can, can Blackbeard?
If Blackbeard could do it, could Whitebeard Grand Fleet do it?
If Red-Haired Shanks can do it, can his tax-collecting kingdom?
Not to mention, although the Three Emperors of the Sea are incredibly powerful, the New World is not entirely their domain.
The world is a deep place, and there are always some people who don't show their talents, but whose strength is in no way inferior to that of the Four Emperors!
What did Beard rely on to become one of the Four Emperors?
He truly ascended to the throne of the Four Emperors because he and Koby together resolved the Beehive Island and occupied Beehive Island!
Such a wonderful place, who controlled it before him?
Captain John, one of Rocks' men!
But Rocks was ultimately a child of his time, existing only for a few decades. In the last eight hundred years, who knows how many stubborn forces have been entrenched in the most dangerous New World?
Of course, even though the New World is dangerous, Gawain felt that he, Gion, and Mihawk were fully capable of protecting it.
But they not only had to guard against the New World, they also had to guard against the Mary Geoise above them!
It's important to know that although the vast majority of the navy had secretly sided with Gawain...
Apart from the generation of the Sengoku, almost all of the Three Admirals of the new era became Gawain's men.
But Gawain only controls one generation; there are two generations above them!
Sengoku and Garp's fighting strength hasn't weakened much yet, and at this point in time, it will still be four years before Luffy becomes the Fifth Emperor.
Four years later, Garp arrived at Beehive Island and unleashed Conqueror's Haki Black Flash that stretched over a hundred meters with a single punch!
This kind of Haki might even rival Red-Haired Shanks's for the strongest Conqueror's Haki.
If he had such fighting power four years later, imagine how strong he is now.
Even with Kaido's physique, Mihawk's swordsmanship, Rumble-Rumble Fruit's speed, and Gawain's own Conqueror's Haki, it would be impossible.
Gawain doesn't even think he can reliably beat Garp right now.
After all, although he has a lot, he has only had it for a short time. He still needs to grow, to grow rapidly!
Garp has this level of combat power, and while Sengoku is weaker than Garp, he's not that much weaker.
Among the Navy of the same generation, there are also special figures like Tsuru, whose strength should not be underestimated!
But that's not the key point. The key point is the Kong!!!
This old guy is actually Garp and Sengoku's teacher, and he's almost a hundred years old now.
But he looks even younger than Garp!
Although he hadn't asked the Five Elders, Gawain strongly suspected that the Five Elders must have offered longevity methods as an incentive for exceptionally outstanding individuals.
Did everyone in the Kong really die?
Is Kong Zhen, a character from a bygone era, destined to become the last remaining member of the old-fashioned navy and serve as its commander-in-chief?
Moreover, the Three Admirals of the Navy are powerful allies.
However, when facing veterans like Garp, their combat strength would naturally be halved.
Garp and his group aren't like Zephyr; they won't receive special treatment from the disciples.
Facing elders who have not committed crimes, the Three Admirals are unlikely to use their full strength.
In addition, Vegapunk's plans continue to unfold, and the Pacifista are constantly deepening and strengthening their own.
Adding to the mix Imu, who is above the Five Elders; Gawain has no idea what other cards she holds up her sleeve.
For various reasons, Gawain had no choice but to regard the Five Elders as his hypothetical enemy.
He now believed that the Five Elders were not his enemies, as those elders adored him.
But what about Imu?
Gawain had no idea whether, one day, he too would suddenly become the subject of a photograph pierced by Imu.
He didn't know if he would become the light that Imu wanted to extinguish!
Therefore, Gawain not only focused all his forces on Sabaody, but he also planned to strengthen the area further.
Next, he was going to see Bullet, he was going to find Ryokugyu, and he was also going to take Shirahoshi to have a good talk with Zunesha.
However, while those things were urgent, they weren't particularly urgent.
In Gawain's mind, the most urgent thing at this moment was...
He could no longer tolerate a door that was even slightly ajar!
Although there is still much to be done in the future, this is a rare opportunity for Gawain to catch his breath.
He was determined to bring Kaido's army and forces with him, no matter what.
Go see a truly New World!