Countless eyes turned to the World Pirates and the Overlord Dragon Pirates.
They watched the World Pirates' massive fleet enter waters ruled by the Overlord Dragon Pirates.
Yet to everyone's surprise, the Overlord Dragon Pirates put no obstacles in their way.
Even their patrol ships moved aside when they encountered the World Pirates.
That strange harmony led many to suspect the Overlord Dragon Pirates were not the World Pirates' target.
If the fleet's course were drawn as a straight line, it would lead nowhere near Dragon Country, the Overlord Dragon Pirates' current headquarters.
Some had already guessed where the World Pirates were headed.
The massive fleet plunged straight into the Calm Belt, then vanished.
Their destination was the West Blue. There was no doubt about it.
Word spread rapidly through certain circles.
The World Economy News Paper published the news at once.
The World Government warned every Affiliated Nation in the West Blue. Each braced for a crisis and began preparing for the unrest that might follow.
The approach of a terrifying fighter and one of the world's strongest Pirate crews stirred memories of the fear the Rocks Pirates had once inspired.
Unrest spread across the West Blue.
The disaster seemed inevitable. Residents of islands near the Calm Belt began to flee.
People throughout the West Blue prepared for its arrival.
The Rocks Pirates had attacked more than once, so they knew what to do: seek protection from a powerful force or a Kingdom.
Others hid deep in the mountains, planning to emerge when it was over.
Some went further and fled to other seas.
The World Pirates had not even arrived, yet fear gripped the outwardly calm West Blue. Prices—especially food prices—rose by a fifth in just three days.
And that was only the beginning.
It was another lingering