The former territory of the Sword Demon Pirates had become the domain of the Red Hair Pirates.
Two years earlier, Red-Haired Shanks had burst onto the scene and defeated Sword Demon.
He had seized his status as an Emperor, along with all his territory.
When Shanks first declared war on the Sword Demon Pirates, no one thought he stood a chance.
After all, he was just some barely known young upstart.
His opponent, meanwhile, was a Pirate Emperor whose fearsome reputation had long been established.
At first, things went just as everyone had expected.
Under the Sword Demon Pirates' onslaught, the Red Hair Pirates could only flee from place to place.
But after just a year, the Red Hair Pirates were already trading blows evenly with the Sword Demon Pirates.
Another year passed, and even Sword Demon, captain of the Sword Demon Pirates and a Pirate Emperor, could no longer defeat Red Hair.
In the final year, the situation had even reversed.
The Sword Demon Pirates could no longer beat the Red Hair Pirates.
Each successive reversal left the spectators utterly dumbfounded.
Where had this monster come from, and how had he improved so quickly?!
No matter how shocked everyone else was,
the Red Hair Pirates had already taken their place among the new Three Emperors.
Two years later, the Red Hair Pirates' position had become even more secure.
By now, the Red Hair Pirates had learned about the Road Poneglyph.
Red Hair remained expressionless, unmoved by the news that had driven countless pirates into a frenzy.
In truth, with almost everyone from the Roger Pirates dead, no one knew better than he did what the so-called One Piece really was.
Laugh Tale was the name Roger had given that island.
Laugh Tale. A joke.
The meaning was already obvious.