September, Sea Era 1509.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, most eyes were fixed on the former territory of the Flying Pirates.
The Flying Pirates had completely fractured.
The Tyrant Pirates, the Swift Pirates, and many other powerful pirate crews were officially established.
Goenitz, wielder of the Breath of the Blue Wind, had vanished. All his territory was swallowed by the Tyrant Pirates.
To the east, the force bordering Kronos Kingdom was no longer the Flying Pirates, but the Tyrant Pirates.
The Tyrant Pirates were Kronos Kingdom's own people. Years of planning had paid off: the kingdom had quietly absorbed the Buffer Zone between them.
Kronos Kingdom's sphere of influence extended farther east.
Most of the Flying Pirates' territory was divided among powerful pirate crews.
In one stroke, several new overlord-level forces appeared in the New World.
But the Black Emperor Pirates drew the most attention.
They had absorbed a quarter of the Flying Pirates' territory.
After that war, most of the Flying Pirates whom Teach had rescued joined the Black Emperor Pirates.
The crew's strength swelled dramatically.
They gained not just territory and pirates, but many of the Flying Pirates' High-End Combatants.
That even included Shiryu of the Rain.
When word spread that Shiryu had joined the Black Emperor Pirates, countless people were stunned.
He was a Top Combatant. If he chose to form his own crew, the New World would gain another Overlord Pirate Crew.
But Shiryu had no interest in fighting for supremacy on his own.
He knew his limits and preferred to follow a monster like Teach.
Besides, he was sharp enough to guess that Teach had been the one who saved him at the critical moment of the war.
He already thought well of the Black Emperor Pirates,