Long time no see

Sea Circle Calendar, year 1498.

That year, a piece of news shook the entire New World.

—the Roger Pirates had disbanded.

The legendary pirate crew that had crossed the Grand Line and reached the end of the world vanished from the seas, leaving behind only a name powerful enough to change an era.

Yet the news did not bring peace to the world.

Quite the opposite.

The entire sea grew even more frenzied.

Countless pirates scoured the seas like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.

Some wanted to challenge him.

Some wanted to steal the secrets he had brought back from Laugh Tale.

Others simply wanted to meet the man who had reached the end of the world.

And so.

In the New World.

Along the Grand Line.

Battles erupted across the seas almost every day.

Pirates slaughtered one another for information, treasure, and fame, while cannon fire exploded endlessly across the water.

Islands were destroyed by war, and the seas ran red with blood, as though the entire world had been swept into a lawless frenzy.

And yet—

The Navy's response took everyone by surprise.

They did not launch a frantic hunt for Roger, nor did they send fleets around the world to chase down pirates.

Instead.

The Navy abruptly changed its strategy, deploying large numbers of troops to civilian areas.

Major ports.

Trade routes.

Densely populated islands.

Their presence could be seen along virtually every important shipping lane as well.

Like an invisible net, they held the world of ordinary people firmly under their protection.

But in the waters where pirates slaughtered one another, the Navy rarely appeared.

At first, many pirates failed to understand what this meant, until the first incident occurred.

Somewhere at sea, two pirate crews were locked in a fierce battle.

Cannon