Amidst the chaos, the wheels of history rolled ever onward.
At the beginning of Marineford Era 1512, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's New Marines waged war across the seas under the leadership of numerous powerful figures. After more than a year of effort, the towering tree that was the New Marines had finally spread its roots throughout the New World.
In the past, people had called Tsugikuni Yoriichi the "Sea Emperor" out of fear of his individual strength. But now, Yoriichi and his New Marines had truly earned that title.
Over the past year or so, no one knew how many pirates had fallen beneath the New Marines' slaughtering blades. Having been stained in blood, the New Marines' name had become even more resounding.
The New Marines' reputation intimidated the Four Blues, yet countless pirates continued to pour into the New World year after year.
The threat of death was terrifying, but "death" was far away. The suffering before one's eyes was what people desperately wanted to escape.
In this world, what quicker way was there to escape poverty than setting out to sea as a pirate?
Before things like money and power, countless people were still willing to take a gamble, even at the risk of death.
It was precisely for this reason that the pressure on Fish-Man Island, where Jinbe was stationed, had increased dramatically.
In recent years, far too many pirates had attempted to pass through Fish-Man Island and enter the New World. As a high-ranking New Marines officer at the rank of rear admiral, Jinbe was responsible for commanding the Fish-Man Island branch, and the burden on his shoulders was exceedingly heavy.
There was no strict chain of command between Fish-Man Island and the New Marines. Only the several thousand Fish-Man Marines under Jinbe's command were officially part of