November, Sea Era 1500.
More than two months had passed since the great battle between the World Government and the pirates at G-1 Fortress.
The Flying Pirates had suffered no major upheaval.
The decrease in Fleet Commanders had greatly increased the territory ruled by each surviving commander.
The size of those increases had largely depended on their strength.
Take the Tyrant Fleet led by "Tyrant" Gurado, for example.
The number of islands under his rule had jumped from over fifty to more than a hundred, almost rivaling the Great Pirates who held smaller territories among the regional overlords.
To effectively govern such vast territory, changes had been made.
The forces directly commanded by "Golden Lion" Shiki had grown substantially, and their territory had expanded considerably as well.
Squad leader positions had also been established within the Flying Pirates, filled by pirates of considerable strength.
They were tasked with managing the individual islands.
"How cowardly, Ochoku. You always scorned the idea of eating a Devil Fruit, but now even you've begun to sink."
As Hades read the intelligence in his hands, a disdainful sneer crept onto his face.
Just a month earlier, the Demon King Pirates had begun their "northern expedition," launching an attack on the Five Peaks Pirates' territory.
Only after several of their islands had been occupied by the Demon King Pirates did the Five Peaks Pirates receive the news and react.
There was little reason to expect anything from the Five Peaks Pirates' intelligence network.
Few pirate crews in the New World understood the importance of developing an intelligence network.
Counting carefully, there were really only the Flying Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
Even those two crews relied heavily on the Underworld's intelligence networks and the Underworld Kings.
Perhaps the Demon King Pirates counted too. "Demon King"