The day after the World Government tentatively released the Shichibukai plan.
A document concerning the Navy and World Government launching a plan called the Shichibukai Secret Recruitment Plan quickly spread across the seas through the World Economy News Paper.
According to reliable intelligence, that very night, Admiral Zephyr sought out Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the two had a fierce argument. If not for Garp and Tsuru calming them down, they might even have come to blows.
Out at sea, the situation on the Grand Line also began to stir with this news.
As long as they accepted the World Government's mandatory summons and handed over a certain portion of their earnings, they could act freely without government interference, legally plunder, and never worry about being arrested. No matter how one looked at it, those terms were tempting.
The true gold-medal kings of the sea naturally had no desire to become the World Government's lapdogs, but the silver-medal winners were clearly tempted.
They were no longer naive rookies fresh out of the gate.
Their experiences on the Grand Line had made them understand that neither the throne of One Piece nor the treasure of Laugh Tale was within their reach. Only those kings of the New World had a chance to touch such things.
All they could do was either attach themselves to those kings or barely scrape by.
Now, the Navy and the World Government had given them a new path: the Shichibukai.
And in order to meet the listed requirements for becoming a Shichibukai—fame, strength, and influence—the once-stable seas descended into chaos once more, and the slaughter between pirates began again.
For these pirates, what could be a faster way to increase their fame, strength, and influence than challenging the kings of the sea?
New World, Totto Land