"So incredible. He wiped out Kaido's entire pirate crew all by himself again. Is this Uchiha Shin guy really human?" Shanks stared wide-eyed at the latest newspaper aboard the Roger Pirates' ship.
Roger let out a hearty laugh from beside him. "Ahahaha, Uchiha Shin made the headlines again? Kaido, huh? I heard he was a monster no less formidable than Edward. It's a real shame he died like that."
Shanks said resentfully, "Seriously, why did I have to go out when we were at the Sabaody Archipelago? I actually missed the captain meeting him. That must have been an epic moment."
"No, it may not have been quite like you imagined!" Rayleigh said quietly from the side, recalling once more how Roger had dragged the man into a drinking contest and shamelessly asked him for his Treasure Tool.
With a captain like that, he really did feel embarrassed all too often.
The world was undergoing tremendous changes at every moment. There were still several years before the Age of Great Pirates began, but pirates were already fighting and conquering across the New World, clashing fiercely to carve out new spheres of influence.
After Shin's blow, the World Government temporarily fell silent. Having lost all face, it had to endure the Celestial Dragons' rebukes, while some affiliated nations still harbored their own ambitions even after being warned by the Five Elders.
The Celestial Dragons, having endured a catastrophe, also began reshuffling their ranks. After losing the strength of "Big Bear," "Big Bear Two," and "Bald Strong," the top three families rapidly declined, while the lower-ranked families eyed their positions greedily.
The Five Elders searched for a way to repair Uranus, the "Heavenly King," but the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon, buried in history, could no longer be found.
The Revolutionary