The New World was growing chaotic, but the Marines had no intention of intervening. In fact, this was exactly what they wanted.
They planned to let the pirates slaughter one another until they became bitter enemies, then look for an opportunity to act.
There was a downside: as the big fish kept eating the small, the most powerful pirate crews would only grow stronger and harder to defeat.
But they had no other choice.
Besides, the Marines needed more top-tier fighters, and developing them would take time.
During the war against the Rocks Pirates, Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong had focused on cultivating young Marines with potential, bringing the most promising ones at Marine Headquarters together for training.
It had produced results, but not efficiently enough to meet the Marines' current needs.
That became especially clear when outstanding young talent began appearing at Marine Branches and Marine Fortresses across the Four Seas.
Kong's desire to establish a Marine Elite Training Class and help promising Marines grow quickly only grew stronger.
Crucially, he wanted to bring them all to Marine Headquarters for training.
If he did not act soon, the Four Seas Faction might rise again.
Having witnessed the faction at its peak, Kong knew how formidable it could be and remained deeply wary of it.
The Four Seas Faction was no longer powerful. It had suffered heavy losses in the war, and many of its members had later resigned from the Marines after being courted by other powers, joining the Kingdom Navy.
Even so, it still had considerable resources to draw on.
The Four Seas were far from central oversight, and as the Affiliated Nations grew stronger, some Marine Branch bases there developed closer ties with them.
With so many interests already intertwined, those bases were also easy to infiltrate.