The Sea Circle dar marked the year 1512. Over the past two years, while the world hadn't undergone drastic ges, it was far from calm. The turbuleemmed primarily from the rise of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

  In an effort to utilize the Seven Warlords of the Sea to ter Kaido and Edward e, the Five Elders reended Moria to Cudius. Moria, who harbored a deep-seated grudge against Kaido after beied in New World, seemed like a viable choice.

  Cudius, however, had little regard for Moria. After suffering a crushi at Kaido's hands, Moria had fallen into obscurity, retreating to the Devil's Triangle in the first half of the Grand Lihere, he became a recluse, obsessed with his resear zombies.

  Still, sihe Five Elders had suggested him, Cudius relutly agreed. For now, he had no suitable rept to fill the position. He figured Moria could be dealt with or repced ter if necessary.

  Thus, Moria joihe Seven Warlords of the Sea as a matter of venience.

  Another hy addition to the Seven Warlords was Boa Hancock. After her return to Amazon Lily, she became the Empress of the isnd and rose to prominence during her ing-of-age ceremony, known as the "Empress's Hunt."

  On her first voyage as a pirate, Hancock boldly attacked an isnd under Wover trol, annihiting the CP agents statiohere. Her bounty soared to 200 million berries in one swift move, which earned her an invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

  Unbeknownst to the world, Hancock was loyal to Cudius. Her e to him remained a closely guarded secret, and no one suspected that Amazon Lily and its famed Nine Snakes Pirates were aligned with CP-X.

  Unlike most pirate crews, the Nine Snakes Pirates were deeply rooted in Amazon Lily's history, with a liing back hundreds of years. Every Empress of Amazon Lily also served as the captain of the Nine Snakes Pirates, giving the group an air of legitimad heritage.

  This long-standing tradition reassured the Wover. They viewed the Nine Snakes Pirates as a stable and predictable entity, one uo the chaotic fas of New World.

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  After solidifying the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Wover unched another assault on Kaido not long ago. However, this campaign failed to achieve signifit results.

  Kaido, having witnessed Charlotte Linlin's downfall due to a decapitation strategy, had prepared meticulously to avoid a simir fate. Furthermore, Marine faced signifit logistical challenges invading New World on a rge scale, needing to guard against potential interference from the Whitebeard Pirates and other major pirate groups.

  Unlike Linlin, Kaido didn't host grand tea parties atherings that presented opportunities for ambushes. His so-called "Fire Festival" celebrations were fio Wano and carried minimal risk.

  As a result, the Wover's attempts to strike a decisive blow against Kaido ended in stalemate. Moria suffered another defeat during the campaign, further ting his reputation as a liability. Ultimately, the flict yielded no substantial gains for either side.

  The Wover, reizing the difficulty of fronting New World's pirates, shifted its focus to bating the Revolutionary Army.

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  The Revolutionary Army, taking advantage of the chaos in New World, had expanded rapidly. With a foothold in New World, they spread disorder across the seas, toppling three to five kingdoms annually, a hat tio grow.

  Meanwhile, New World's pirate ndscape experienced signifit shifts.

  Kaido's Beasts Pirates, having absorbed much of the Big Mom Pirates' legacy, surged in strength and influence. For a time, it seemed Kaido might overshadow Whitebeard as the dominant for New World.

  However, Kaido's ambitions didn't stop with his rivalry against the Wover. After rec from their flict, he turned his attention to Whitebeard, sparking a fierce csh between their crews.

  Though the battles were brutal, Whitebeard ultimately emerged victorious, reaffirming his status as the most powerful pirate in New World. The Whitebeard Pirates once again demonstrated their strength, solidifying their position as the foremost pirate crew.

  While Kaido and Whitebeard were locked in flict, another tender quietly rose to prominence: Red-Haired Shanks.

  Shanks' Red-Haired Pirates followed ae model, fog on quality over quantity. Their crew was small but formidable, and they gained notoriety by defeating several promi pirate fas.

  As a former member of the Roger Pirates, Shanks carried signifit clout. His e to the Pirate King, bined with his growing strength aation, made him a rising star in New World.

  Cudius k was only a matter of time before Shanks reached the same level as Kaido and Whitebeard, standing as an equal among the Pirate Emperors.

  As for whether anyone else would rise to fill Charlotte Linlin's vat position, Cudius wasn't certain. Perhaps someone would emerge, but it wouldn't happen easily or quickly. Kaido and Whitebeard wouldn't allow a rival power to gain tra without resistance.

  ---

  In addition to these major shifts, maritime trade experies own transformations. The Fish-Man Isnd had bee a hub of erce, with its uer treasures gaining immense popurity. Nobles and merts scrambled to acquire these rare goods, driving demand to unpreted heights.

  This lucrative trade was trolled almost entirely by CP-X. Cudius, as its overseer, ensured substantial taxes were paid to the Wover, keeping them satisfied.

  While smaller traders were allowed to participate, they were limited to scraps, leftovers that Cudius deemed unworthy of his attention. Even so, these scraps were enough for them to earn signifit profits.

  Beyond treasures, the seabed surrounding The Fish-Man Isnd tained valuable mineral deposits. These resources fueled another burgeoning industry: arms manufacturing.

  Crocodile and Dofmingo capitalized on these minerals to establish a robust ons trade. Using Abasta as a produ hub, Crocodile oversaw the creation of high-quality cold ons, from swords to spears.

  Through Tesoro's shippiwork, these arms were smuggled into Dofmingo's dark world es. Dofmingo sold them indiscrimio pirates, revolutionaries, govers, and anyone willing to pay.

  While the current mineral reserves he Fish-Man Isnd were limited, untapped deposits existed in the vast o floor. However, these were difficult and expeo develop, with only The Fish-Man Isnd possessing the means to do so.

  Cudius, wary of any single faonopolizing these resources, began leveraging the Calm Belt for further development. By w with Marine and CP-X, he ehat trol of the o's hiddeh remained banced.