The appearance of Pure Gold upon the seas was little more than an interlude.
On the surface, the impact seemed limited. Yet beneath the calm waters, countless undercurrents surged in silence. Whether it was the Flying Pirates or the World Government, both became targets of scrutiny from every major force across the world. Intelligence agents were dispatched one after another, all seeking information regarding Pure Gold.
At the same time, the World Government launched another massive internal purge.
Under direct orders from the Gorosei, the highest authority within the World Government, the hunt for traitors officially began. In the short term, they simply had no spare energy to focus on outside forces unless the matter was of the highest importance.
The losses suffered during the Golden Sea Battle had been too severe.
Neither the World Government nor the Marines had fully recovered from the damage. For the next several years, their intention was clear: stabilize their foundations, recuperate quietly, and avoid any large-scale conflict.
However, while the World Government attempted to recover, the world itself had already begun changing.
A tidal wave of enthusiasm for independent naval forces swept across the Four Blues.
The first spark erupted in the West Blue.
Under the grand banner of establishing a new order for the West Blue, numerous kingdoms united to form a massive organization known as the West Sea Alliance.
The already famous West Sea Marine Guard officially became part of this alliance.
From this alone, it was obvious that the creation of the West Sea Alliance had been planned long ago. In fact, many suspected the alliance had effectively existed in secret before the Marine Guard was ever publicly established.
With the power of the West Sea Marine Guard, secure shipping lanes were rapidly opened throughout the West Blue.
Warships patrolled these routes constantly, linking kingdom after kingdom together into a vast maritime network.
Trade began flowing at unprecedented speed.
After witnessing the prosperity brought by this network, more and more kingdoms recognized the enormous benefits of joining the alliance.
Not only did the Marine Guard provide security, but the interconnected trade routes also stimulated the economies of every participating kingdom.
As a result, the West Sea Alliance expanded at a terrifying pace.
The number of member kingdoms grew from twenty-one to forty-seven in only a few months.
More than eighty percent of the West Blue's kingdoms eventually joined.
Thus, a colossal power spanning nearly the entire West Blue was born.
The West Sea Marine Guard alone numbered over five hundred thousand personnel.
A considerable portion consisted of former West Blue Marines, while the remainder came from newly recruited soldiers and military forces supplied by the member kingdoms.
With the Marines serving as a blueprint, establishing the West Sea Marine Guard was not particularly difficult.
More importantly, its combat strength far surpassed that of the former West Blue Marines.
Many powerful fighters native to the West Blue had joined willingly.
Combined with overwhelming artillery firepower, the impact on piracy was immediate.
Pirates across the West Blue suffered devastating losses.
They were gradually forced away from the protected trade routes, their operating space shrinking further and further.
From the very beginning, the West Sea Marine Guard displayed astonishing military power.
Coupled with extensive propaganda spread throughout the West Blue, its prestige rose rapidly, completely replacing the influence once held by the Marines.
Of course, this was still the Great Pirate Era.
The number of pirates upon the seas remained enormous.
The West Sea Alliance did not deliberately seek total war against pirates.
The Marine Guard's primary responsibility remained protecting the trade network shared by the alliance kingdoms.
This alone consumed the majority of their military strength, leaving relatively limited manpower available for large-scale pirate hunts.
After all, the West Sea Alliance was ultimately a coalition of kingdoms.
Their own interests naturally came first.
If problems arose outside their trade routes, they could only deal with them later.
Even so, pirate suppression could not be ignored entirely.
Otherwise, how could they speak of creating a new order in the West Blue?
More importantly, they did not want to give the Marines or the World Government an excuse to return.
The establishment of the West Sea Alliance and the West Sea Marine Guard immediately caused the number of newly emerging pirates in the West Blue to plummet.
The sense of safety among civilians rose dramatically.
Most importantly, the burden carried by ordinary people became much lighter.
The Heavenly Tribute demanded by the Celestial Dragons had never been a small amount.
Even kingdoms struggled beneath its weight.
Naturally, that pressure was transferred downward to common civilians, causing taxes within most affiliated kingdoms to become extraordinarily heavy.
Countless kingdoms had either collapsed or fallen into chaos because they could not afford the Heavenly Tribute.
The rulers of those kingdoms were not fools.
They simply had no choice.
Under the pressure of the World Government, failing to pay the Heavenly Tribute often meant destruction.
Now, however, things were different.
Without the burden of Heavenly Tribute payments, the financial pressure on the kingdoms dropped drastically.
As a result, taxes throughout the West Blue were reduced significantly, often by more than half.
For ordinary civilians, life immediately became easier.
For the first time in many years, people began feeling hope for the future.
After experiencing the benefits of separating from the World Government, very few wished to return.
The final remnants of the World Government's prestige within the Four Blues gradually faded away.
People were selfish creatures.
When their own interests improved, loyalty naturally shifted.
The rise of the West Sea Alliance sent enormous shockwaves throughout the world.
Especially among the other Three Blues, the Marines, and the World Government itself.
Although the East Blue, South Blue, and North Blue had already shown signs of establishing joint naval forces, none had expected the West Blue to move so quickly.
In such a short period, they had already formed the West Sea Alliance and transformed it into a gigantic ruling force that covered nearly the entire sea.
In many ways, it resembled a miniature version of the World Government itself.
After all, the World Government's true sphere of influence only covered the first half of the Grand Line and the Red Line.
And even the Red Line had fallen into constant rebellion and instability, requiring endless resources simply to maintain control.
Though the West Sea Alliance could not completely compare to the World Government, in certain areas it had already surpassed it.
Many people could not help but sigh.
The times had truly changed.
The Golden Sea Battle had shattered the myth of the World Government and the Marines standing at the absolute peak.
Now, the West Sea Alliance and the West Sea Marine Guard stood before the world as living proof that a new order was possible.
The concentrated power of an entire sea unleashed terrifying energy.
The efficiency displayed by the West Sea Marine Guard alone was enough to shock countless ambitious individuals.
The horn of the new era had already sounded.
Especially within the other Three Blues, many kingdoms became deeply tempted.
The West Blue's reforms had succeeded.
With such a perfect example before them, replication became inevitable.
The East Blue, South Blue, and North Blue all began boiling with hidden currents.
Breaking away from the World Government not only reduced pressure on ordinary civilians but also dramatically reduced the burden on the ruling kingdoms themselves.
Some kingdoms immediately awakened to reality.
Driven by both internal pressure and outside influence, they openly refused to continue cooperating with the World Government.
Of course, not every kingdom desired change.
There were still many kings and nobles deeply influenced by the Celestial Dragons.
Even after cutting ties with the World Government, they refused to lower taxes.
Instead, they simply pocketed the extra wealth themselves and indulged in even greater luxury.
The influence of the Celestial Dragons was not something that could vanish overnight.
Even within kingdoms where reform movements had begun, resistance remained intense.
Naturally, the World Government would not sit quietly and allow such events to unfold.
Countless covert operations were already underway.
Still, the seeds of revolution had already been planted.
All that remained was for them to take root and bloom.
The establishment of the West Sea Alliance completely severed the World Government's ability to regain influence within the West Blue.
As for the Marines, they had effectively already lost the Four Blues.
"How interesting."
Inside the Night Palace, Teach laughed softly after hearing the latest reports.
Although he had known this would happen eventually, he had not personally participated in creating the West Sea Alliance the way the Dark Council had.
At most, he had offered covert support from the shadows.
Still, watching the world change step by step was undeniably entertaining.
The South Blue had already begun taking action as well.
This was not merely the result of popular support.
It was also happening under the direct influence of the South Blue's hidden emperor.
Compared to the West Blue, wars between kingdoms in the South Blue were far less frequent.
Many islands containing two or three nations had long since unified under a single government.
Behind the scenes, the South Blue Emperor had deliberately pushed for this outcome.
He had no interest in seeing the South Blue descend into endless chaos.
Kukulkan Coatl.
The ruler of the South Blue underworld.
The uncrowned emperor of the entire South Blue.
Even the kingdoms feared disobeying his will.
As for pirates, Coatl hardly cared about them at all.
The World Government had previously attempted to eliminate him through a massive encirclement operation.
Because of that, Coatl held deep hatred toward the World Government.
Now, beyond simply causing trouble for them, he also desired to improve the South Blue itself.
After all, it was his homeland.
During the chaos following the Golden Sea Battle, a large amount of classified World Government intelligence had leaked.
Through these leaks, Coatl learned a chilling truth.
The World Government had already been preparing another large-scale operation to eliminate him.
In their eyes, the Four Blues had no need for an "Emperor."
To ensure success, the planned force included Kong, CP0 Deputy Chief Arest, Chief Zero, and numerous elite CP0 operatives.
The lineup was terrifying.
Its strength was no weaker than the reinforcements deployed during the Golden Sea Battle.
Even someone as confident as Coatl understood the reality.
Against such overwhelming power, survival itself would have been nearly impossible.
Fortunately for him, the Golden Sea Battle erupted before the operation could begin.
In a sense, that war had saved his life.
His primary base was hidden on an uncharted island in the South Blue.
The island possessed an eternal spring climate similar to Delta Island within the New World.
Above it floated a sky island that housed his palace.
Coatl had no intention of waiting passively for death.
Immediately after learning of the World Government's plans, he launched a massive purge throughout the South Blue.
Nearly ninety percent of the World Government's influence in the region was crushed and erased.
At the same time, reforms similar to those of the West Sea Alliance rapidly spread.
The South Sea Marine Guard began forming.
Discussions regarding a South Sea Alliance intensified.
Within the South Blue, Coatl's authority was absolute.
Those beneath him merely needed to obey.
His influence had already penetrated deeply into the kingdoms themselves.
Destroying a kingdom was an easy matter for him.
And he did not necessarily need military force to accomplish it.
That was precisely why even powerful kingdoms feared offending him.
Coatl possessed the Zoan-type Snake-Snake Fruit, Nue form.
Beyond granting flight and overwhelming mobility, the fruit also gave him control over the power of the sun.
There had once been a kingdom in the South Blue that dared resist him.
For three consecutive months afterward, the entire nation suffered beneath relentless sunlight and temperatures exceeding forty degrees Celsius.
Not a single drop of rain fell.
Rivers dried up.
Crops failed completely.
Countless people fell ill or died.
That terrifying display of power permanently convinced the kingdoms of the South Blue never to oppose Kukulkan Coatl openly.
At the same time, living beneath Coatl's rule was not particularly difficult.
Unless major events occurred, he rarely interfered with the daily lives of ordinary people.
In many ways, it resembled worshipping an invisible throne.
Some believed that after several decades, Coatl would eventually grow old and die.
But the future was unpredictable.
Now that Pure Gold had appeared upon the seas, Coatl naturally had no intention of ignoring it.
For a king who already stood at the pinnacle of power, immortality represented the ultimate temptation.
Even the Celestial Dragons desperately sought longer lives to continue indulging in pleasure.
Having such an emperor in the South Blue brought certain benefits.
As a result, the South Blue ranked as the third most chaotic sea among the Four Blues.
The West Blue ranked fourth.
The East Blue, once called the "Weakest Sea" and later the "Most Peaceful Sea," ranked second.
Garp had previously returned there and personally wiped out numerous pirate crews.
However, after his departure, pirate activity gradually surged once again.
Finally came the North Blue.
The most chaotic sea of all.
Pirates ran rampant everywhere.
Wars between kingdoms erupted constantly.
Compared to that, the West Blue appeared relatively stable.
Although wars still existed there, many kingdoms outside the West Sea Alliance remained trapped in endless conflict and therefore failed to meet the requirements for joining.
Only unified island kingdoms were eligible.
Eventually, the West Sea Alliance planned to promote complete unification across the remaining islands.
Once that happened, the trade network would truly spread across the entire West Blue.
The islands connected to those trade routes would inevitably enter an era of explosive prosperity.
The great age of development for the West Blue was about to begin.
Among all Four Blues, it would likely become the first truly stable sea.
The East Blue's naval power remained weak.
Even after absorbing the local Marine branches, overall combat strength remained limited.
Still, it was enough to suppress most East Blue pirates.
After all, sufficient artillery firepower could solve many problems.
The issue was consumption.
Relying entirely upon their own resources exhausted many kingdoms.
When they looked at the flourishing West Blue kingdoms and the enormous West Sea Marine Guard, envy naturally emerged.
At the same time, the South Blue had already begun constructing the South Sea Marine Guard.
The kingdoms there gradually united amid the cheers of the populace.
Seeing this, many East Blue kingdoms also desired an alliance of their own.
Unfortunately, without a powerful figure capable of unifying opinions, progress remained slow.
Though the calls for an East Blue alliance were loud, the process advanced at a crawl.
A coalition involving only a handful of kingdoms would never possess sufficient deterrence.
To truly matter, they needed large-scale unity.
That required endless negotiations.
In the short term, results were unlikely.
Meanwhile, the North Blue moved in an entirely different direction.
The establishment of naval forces and increased artillery production only intensified the scale of warfare there.
Ironically, this development delighted one man greatly.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
The escalation of war caused his arms business to expand explosively.
Within the New World, the majority of the arms trade was controlled by the Brotherhood.
Doflamingo's own business mainly focused on the Four Blues and the Grand Line.
Although weapons manufactured in the West Blue had begun cutting into his market share slightly, the overall impact remained limited.
The West Blue specialized in high-end weaponry.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, focused on mass-produced mid and low-tier arms.
Cheap.
Reliable.
Available in enormous quantities.
As long as war continued, he would never lack customers.
And the more intense those wars became, the greater his profits grew.