As the division of power in the New World gradually stabilized,
Sakazuki laid his plans across the Four Blues.
The seas entered a strange period of calm.
Time slowly advanced to the year 1495.
Over those three years, neither the pirates nor the Marines
made any major moves.
The three giants of the New World consolidated their power and halted their expansion.
After suddenly appearing at Twin Cape two years earlier, the Roger Pirates had pushed triumphantly toward the New World.
Their unusual behavior drew the attention of the Marine leadership.
They kept speculating about Roger's intentions.
As for the Marines,
they were gradually finding themselves overstretched.
The consolidation of the New World's powers had turned it into a unified whole.
Garp was pursuing Roger.
Sakazuki guarded the first half of the Grand Line.
Sengoku led forces holding down the G-1 Branch in the New World.
The monsters of the Marines' new generation gradually matured and began making names for themselves across the Four Blues.
A shortage of top-level fighters prevented the Marines from gaining a foothold in the New World.
Meanwhile, following discussions between the Holy Land's leadership and Fleet Admiral Kong,
a plan called the "Shichibukai" was put on the agenda.
Its aim was to select seven promising rookie pirates.
The government would grant them the right to plunder legally, along with certain special privileges.
They would compete with the giants of the New World for power and profit, thereby curbing their growth.
However, the right to legal plunder met with opposition from many officers.
The plan remained unimplemented.
Meanwhile, as Carol traveled the Four Blues with Enel,
countless soldiers trained since childhood were assigned to the branches.
At some point, several Branch Chiefs in the Four Blues began dying unexpectedly at pirates' hands each year...
This strange