By June of Sea Era 1496, the chaos that had gripped the New World for six months was finally dying down.
Anyone with eyes could see that the balance of power in the New World was changing.
The John Pirates, Five Peaks Pirates, and Silver Axe Pirates could no longer be called the second tier.
The old divisions among the New World's top pirate crews no longer fit.
It had only been two or three years, yet the outcomes of their wars had changed dramatically.
In the war between the Demon King Pirates and the Five Peaks Pirates, both sides had won their share of battles. The Five Peaks Pirates could no longer keep the Demon King Pirates in check.
The Demon King Pirates' officers had grown stronger over the years.
And in nearly six months of fighting, the Five Peaks Pirates had gained little.
Islands along their border had changed hands again and again. By the war's end, the Five Peaks Pirates still had not gained the upper hand.
Even Ochoku had failed to defeat Nash, the "Demon King."
The Demon King Pirates had slightly fewer troops than the Five Peaks Pirates, but that had made little difference.
They were more united and had a reliable supply network.
Under Nash's rule, the entire stretch of sea had become his pirate kingdom.
Each year, it brought in far more wealth than the Five Peaks Pirates earned.
As a major customer of Victor, the "King of Arms," the Demon King Pirates bought vast quantities of weapons from him every year.
And as their officers matured, their greatest weakness had been remedied.
Part of Ochoku's reason for targeting the Demon King Pirates was surely their wealth.
Yet after nearly six months of war, the Five Peaks Pirates had captured only six of