Another month passed.
Marine Headquarters, conference room.
"Keep monitoring the World Pirates and prepare for battle. That madman will make his move soon."
"Yes, sir!"
The meeting ended with a chorus of assent.
Kong felt a headache coming on. For the Marines, it seemed nothing good had happened in years.
The results from the Elite Training Camp were the one thing he looked forward to.
Monkey D. Dragon had graduated from the Elite Training Camp after just one year. His combat strength had been exceptional from the start.
Sakazuki and Borsalino had both graduated three months earlier, after roughly a year and a half of training.
They still needed real-world experience before they could truly come into their own.
For now, they had to deal with the World Pirates.
The World Pirates were mustering their forces, steadily pulling them back and recalling the crew members stationed on various islands, along with some of their affiliated pirate crews.
The move puzzled everyone.
It looked like preparation for all-out war, but by concentrating his forces this way, Byrnndi World had left his target unclear. He almost seemed ready to abandon the territory he already held.
The World Pirates' strange movements kept every nearby faction from acting rashly.
They quietly moved their forces closer to the World Pirates' territory, ready to respond to an attack at any moment.
The Whitebeard Pirates and Overlord Dragon Pirates reacted most strongly.
The John Pirates, Silver Axe Pirates, and Five Peaks Pirates—
Their war with the Flying Pirates was still going on.
Atlas the "Titan" and Reinhardt of the Flying Pirates had successfully held off the pressure from Silver Axe and Captain John.
But the main event remained the clash between Golden Lion Shiki and Ochoku.
A war like this would not end easily. A drawn-out conflict