On the surface, the Flying Pirates' growth had slowed.
But had it really? The forces commanded by their Fleet Commanders were still growing stronger.
It was just like the Thirteenth Division of the old Rocks Pirates.
Reinhardt had limited the initial size of each fleet.
But he couldn't stop them from expanding afterward.
With no chance of becoming Fleet Commanders themselves, ambitious pirates naturally joined a Fleet Commander's ranks to gain status and better prospects.
They weren't going to remain ordinary pirates in the Flying Pirates' core territory.
Without status or rewards to offer, who would follow you?
Shiki couldn't spare his attention for anyone but the Fleet Commanders and a few ordinary members whose strength approached theirs.
There was no path upward, and the Flying Pirates were no longer expanding.
Absorbing their vast territory alone would take more than a decade.
And their forces were as bloated as they were vast.
That was one drawback of growing too powerful.
Pirates who saw no future at the top naturally moved down into the Flying Pirates' various fleets.
Among the Fleet Commanders, the fastest-growing fleet was naturally the Tyrant Fleet, led by Gurado the Tyrant.
Yes, every fleet had a name.
The Flying Pirates had too many fleets to number them from one to thirteen like the Rocks Pirates' Divisions.
Many were like Gurado, making no effort to hide their ambitions and developing the fleets they commanded as if they were their own pirate crews.
Shiki the Golden Lion had said nothing about it. He seemed not to care.
He was confident he could keep every ambitious Fleet Commander in line.
Without that much confidence, how could he turn the Flying Pirates into the next Rocks Pirates?
If Gurado lacked that potential and boldness, why would Shiki have taken an interest