The Rocks Pirates' operation had failed.
But it would not end so easily. This was only the beginning.
They simply changed targets, setting their sights on islands along the way. The pirate fleet plundered as it sailed.
The frenzied Rocks Pirates showed the world what true fear meant.
One day, an island was slaughtered. The next, a town was looted.
Red marks spread across the sea chart, marking every stretch of sea they had invaded.
Pirate warships scattered, raiding several targets at once.
If the terror of the Rocks Pirates had once been only a rumor, now the whole world had seen it firsthand.
What could the World Government do? It could only stop them wherever possible.
For a time, the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line fell into chaos.
But all of this was within the World Government's tolerance. The Affiliated Nations were what mattered. Those that had been plundered had not fallen, and even where members of a royal family had been slaughtered, others had survived elsewhere.
They could simply back one of the survivors to take the throne.
The rest mattered less. It would not damage the World Government's foundations. Once the Rocks Pirates left, some supplies could be sent to calm the survivors.
The slaughter wrought by the Rocks Pirates would also give the Marines countless more young people willing to enlist.
"What a mess. And the people at the top are actually fairly pleased?"
Garp grumbled.
The scene before him was a wreck. Blood and corpses lay everywhere.
What could possibly remain after the Rocks Pirates had ravaged a place?
Tsuru sighed beside him. "To them, as long as the Affiliated Nations are safe, everything else is a minor matter. So much of our strength is tied up protecting those nations