Over those two years, the situation in the New World had changed little.
The Storm Pirates had officially risen to prominence, becoming a powerful Overlord Pirate Crew.
"Storm" Sagros Aitalga's strength could not be underestimated. At the young age of twenty-six, he already possessed terrifying combat power.
When the Flying Pirates tried to recruit him, Etalgar rejected them without hesitation.
His absence from the Golden Sea War had brought Etalgar considerable trouble, but everyone who came after him ended up defeated.
The truly strong never cared what others thought.
Etalgar was no exception.
During this lull, when all the major powers lay quiet, the Storm Pirates had grown into a new force capable of challenging for an emperor's throne in the New World.
Likewise, the Red Hair Pirates had risen over those two years, becoming a powerful force that could not be ignored.
Like the Storm Pirates, their entire crew consisted of elites.
Their rise was unstoppable, and they became more fearsome after every battle.
Even when they clashed with other Overlord Pirate Crews, they held their own, escaping unscathed or even gaining the upper hand.
However, neither the Storm Pirates nor the Red Hair Pirates pursued supremacy. They held a few islands as territory in the New World, mostly using them as bases or leaving them under the protection of subordinate pirate crews.
This spared them considerable trouble, as they avoided conflicts of interest with other powerful forces.
Likewise, the other powers were reluctant to provoke them. Neither crew's strength could be underestimated.
Etalgar and Shanks also enjoyed considerable fame across the seas as men who had not eaten Devil Fruits.
They had established themselves through their own strength in the New World, where monsters abounded and Devil Fruit Users were everywhere.
Since Ochoku's death in battle, none of