On the day the war at the summit ended, the World Government announced the results to the public. However, their focus wasn't on Whitebeard's final declaration or the depiction of any pirate's strength. Their emphasis was always that Whitebeard was dead.
Whitebeard's death marked the end of a Legendary Great Pirate, signifying that there would no longer be a monster named Whitebeard on The Sea.
Those with some insight knew what consequences Whitebeard's death would lead to, but ordinary people were different; they would only celebrate this as the "victory" of the Navy.
The truth was gradually diluted in the transmission of the news, and in the end, the message people received was entirely different from the real situation of the war.
The Navy won, Whitebeard died; this was the sole understanding of most people.
As for the episode in the war, such as the mass escape of prisoners from Impel Down, the departure of Whitebeard's remnants, and the heavy casualties of the Navy, these events gradually faded from memory under the World Government's encouragement.
In essence, pirates are a group that lives off plundering, only a few can reach the position of a Sea Emperor and establish their own Sea Empire.
And these non-productive, robbery-only fellows were also objects of public hatred.
Even though Whitebeard protected many islands with his power, in the eyes of others, he was no different from those pirates who only looted and pillaged.
[Great! Whitebeard is finally dead!]
[Now The Sea can finally return to peace, let's have a feast, I'm buying today's drinks!]
They were excited about the war results they received, celebrating their beautiful day with a festival, playing freely, envisioning the future, only for this joy to be short-lived.
The ordinary people saw Whitebeard's death, but those with ambition focused on that mysterious Grand Treasure.
Whitebeard's confirmation of the existence of the Grand Treasure drove countless pirates to madness.
To seize that Grand Treasure, more people chose to set sail, the first among them being the ones who had just been celebrating.
The war at the summit mobilized elite Navy forces worldwide, including a few capable leaders from the Four Seas' Navy.
In these leaders' inability to return to their posts, the Navy's deterrent power sharply declined. Faced with countless new pirates, the Navy could only frequently strike to curb these new pirates.
The dispatch rooms in various branch offices almost entered a continuous operational state; just after dealing with one group of pirates, new alarms reached their ears.
The sea areas of the Four Seas were overwhelmed by these emerging pirates, and the New World was even worse, with Whitebeard Pirates' territory already plunged into chaos.
...
In New World territories, Whitebeard originally occupied a large part, but to rescue Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates were practically all-out.
The main team of sixteen divisions were out with full force, and the Affiliated Pirate Group also went all out, leaving very few people behind to guard.
This led to Jack and Olga, when claiming territory, being restricted not by the enemy's strength but by the journey.
Many islands in the New World had become accustomed to living under the protection of the Pirate Flag, so Jack and Olga's job was easy; find an island, subdue the island's ruler, hoist their own flag, leave a few people to guard it, and move to the next place.
The issue of island management would be arranged later; their task was to carve out territory, take control first, and discuss management later.
Letting Jack claim territory was fine, but having him manage the new islands was truly a difficulty for him.
Even though the Hundred Beasts' cadres divided forces upon entering Whitebeard's territories, the sheer number of islands still restricted their steps; although the war at the summit had ended, their task was far from over.
"Jack, my big brother! Governor Kaido has sent new orders, asking you to return to Ghost Island to host a feast after completing this mission."
"I know, brother Kaido truly is the strongest, Sheepshead, Ginrummy, you two are responsible for this island, I'll go and occupy the nearby islands, then complete our task."
"Yes!"
The Hundred Beasts have taken over many territories that originally belonged to Whitebeard. According to recent feedback from Olga about the battle situation, the newly occupied territories are now nearing the handling limit of the Hundred Beasts.
For them, conquering this territory is not difficult; raising the flag and collecting protection fees is also easy, but to govern an island well requires a lot of effort and personnel, and the handling limit refers to this aspect.
...
With new orders, Jack also plans to return after occupying the nearby islands, leaving only a few people to guard, while Jack's Steel Mammoth continues to sail to the sea ahead.
And here, the flag belonging to Whitebeard has already been put away by the island's residents. Whitebeard was very popular within his own territories; most people were very grateful for the protection brought by his flag.
Even though Whitebeard was dead, this situation didn't change immediately.
The Hundred Beasts' pirates did not insult that flag; even Kaidou recognizes Whitebeard's strength, so they naturally wouldn't do anything meaningless.
However, from the eyes of some island residents, Sheepshead could see an expression of reluctance.
When Jack and the others had just landed on the island, these people resisted, but were easily defeated.
"There's no need to feel frustrated. In a few days, you'll be grateful for our flag being hoisted here. Do you think with your own trifling skills, you can defend this island?"
This is the New World; without us, there will be other pirates. If it's another pirate group, their methods won't be as gentle as ours."
Sheepshead fiddled with a piece of ore in his hand, which was also one of the reasons they occupied this island.
Islands without enough interest value were not in the Hundred Beast's priority occupation sequence unless the geographic location of the island was very crucial, failure to occupy it might lead to other territories becoming enclaves.
"You supply us with resources, and we protect your safety. Everything is just as before, and you may even live better.
Time will prove all of this, or you can try and see if you can defeat us."
Crushing the ore in his hand single-handedly, Sheepshead drew a pie to the residents in front while also revealing a display of power.
He was not mistaken, in fact; islands in the New World without self-preservation capabilities do not usually fare well, like Jack's destination.
Due to location reasons, he would arrive at this island a few days late. When he landed, the originally peaceful island had already become dilapidated. Houses were set ablaze; the sound of crying spread outward in the sea of flames...