While the Four Blues and Paradise were stirred up by the World Military Draft, the New World in the second half of the Grand Line was barely affected.
Here, the Navy and the World Government had so little influence it might as well have been nonexistent. With only the G-5 branch to rely on, how stupid would they have to be to stir up trouble right under the noses of the Yonko and Loa?
Besides, Vergo, the commander of the G-5 base, had "disappeared" months ago. There had been no word of him since, and it was safe to assume he had met a grim end. His replacement had his hands full getting subordinates who acted more like street thugs than sailors to obey their new commander and keeping the surrounding area stable. He had no time to take part in the draft.
And so, a strange scene unfolded.
Every day, residents of the New World read news about someone arresting some notorious pirate or the Navy discovering another promising recruit. Then they looked around their own islands and found that nothing had happened at all. It was as if they lived in two different worlds.
Life went on as usual, with little changing.
If there was one change, it was in the waters of the New World near the Sabaody Archipelago, where civilians had begun a mass exodus.
They would rather venture deeper into the New World or apply to cross the Red Line than remain in waters under Loa's control. His astonishing feat had shown everyone just how terrifying he was. Unlike the Yonko, whose fearsome reputations far outstripped the rare sightings of them, the Ice Domain stretching across the Grand Line was something people could see and touch.
As a precaution against Loa, the Navy had also