The Sabaody Archipelago had undergone a remarkable transformation.
After spending years mired in collapse and chaos, a new order had been restored in just a few short months. At the center of it all stood one man: Commodore Ian Novoa, the undisputed ruler of the archipelago.
Whether openly or behind the scenes, no one dared challenge him. Those who had tried had either been wiped out or crushed into submission. The remaining factions knew better than to cross Novoa's line.
With stability restored, prosperity soon followed.
The World Government was highly satisfied with the results. Even within the Marines, few believed anyone else could have managed the Sabaody Archipelago better than Novoa.
After all, what they needed most was order.
As long as Novoa's actions remained within the law, even when they occasionally pushed against Marine sensibilities, both the Marines and the World Government were willing to look the other way.
Complaints held little weight against him.
First, he had committed no serious violations. Second, he had already established valuable connections with the World Government.
His daily routine was simple. He trained relentlessly while continuing to develop his Devil Fruit abilities. Since the archipelago had stabilized, he rarely involved himself in day-to-day affairs unless pirates caused trouble or unrest threatened the peace.
Ever since joining the Marines, Novoa had deliberately avoided contacting the Nightfall Pirates, and they had likewise made no attempt to reach him.
Both sides understood why.
There were undoubtedly people inside the Marines assigned to watch him.
Not because they suspected he was another organization's spy, but because they wanted to ensure he never crossed the line. His methods were unconventional but effective, and while everything he had done remained legal, there was always the possibility that success would make him increasingly reckless.
If that ever happened, Marine Headquarters intended to intervene immediately.
Despite that scrutiny, Novoa had quietly become one of the wealthiest officers in the Marines.
Official intelligence estimated his assets at over 210 million Berries, all accumulated in only a few months.
As the saying went, those who spend enough time in ink cannot help but be stained black.
A loyal circle of trusted subordinates had naturally gathered around him, influenced both by his methods and his personal charisma.
Serving under Novoa was simply better than serving under most Marine officers.
His men received generous bonuses, and anyone who wasn't wasteful could steadily build a respectable personal fortune.
Naturally, Novoa never neglected their training.
If anything, he was even harsher than other commanders.
He believed elite troops could never be built through comfort, and his subordinates quickly learned that he showed absolutely no mercy once training began.
Novoa never forgot his true identity.
He was a mole planted inside the Marines by the Nightfall Pirates.
Ironically, the intelligence he currently had access to was of limited value. Most of what he could observe through his position was likely information the Nightfall Pirates had already obtained through other channels.
The truly valuable intelligence lay much higher.
Only after rising into the upper ranks of Marine Headquarters would he gain access to information worth risking exposure.
Strength alone was not enough for an infiltrator.
He also needed authority.
Ideally, he would one day command an entire Marine branch.
If a Marine base suddenly revolted during a major war, striking from behind while the Navy's attention was fixed elsewhere, the consequences would be catastrophic. Even destroying a major logistics hub at the right moment could completely change the course of a campaign.
The Navy itself had also changed dramatically over the past few years.
Although it still relied on the World Government for military funding, it had begun moving toward self-sufficiency.
Large tracts of farmland had been cultivated around Marine bases, producing enormous quantities of food. Those projects had already yielded successful harvests over the past two years.
The expansion was only beginning.
Compared to ordinary civilians, Marines possessed superior physical ability and organization, making agricultural work far more efficient. Rotating soldiers through farming assignments also doubled as practical training while strengthening morale.
Watching crops grow from seed to harvest gave many young Marines a stronger sense of purpose.
Now that the results were undeniable, the Navy was investing even more resources into the program.
The entire organization was changing.
From Novoa's perspective, the Navy was steadily regaining its strength.
Although the Nightfall Pirates had never contacted him after his enlistment, he still possessed the Den Den Mushi they had provided before he entered the Marines. He also knew the locations of several Nightfall intelligence agents operating throughout the first half of the Grand Line.
Over the years, he had carefully recorded everything he observed.
The Navy's reforms.
Its internal atmosphere.
Its long-term strategic direction.
He had even written his own predictions regarding its future development.
Whether those reports would ultimately prove valuable remained uncertain, but he intended to deliver them when the opportunity arose.
That opportunity would come when the Navy finally returned to the New World.
For now, Marine influence there remained limited. Their strongest force in the region consisted of only a single Vice Admiral.
Two or three years simply wasn't enough time for the Navy to recover from the devastation it had suffered.
Even so, Novoa could clearly sense the change.
The organization had shed the despair that once hung over it.
Its morale was high.
Confidence had returned.
When he first enlisted, the Marines had been at their absolute lowest point, and he had experienced that decline firsthand.
It was only through the combined efforts of Marine Headquarters and countless ordinary Marines that they slowly climbed back out of that abyss.
At the time, the Navy had faced overwhelming financial pressure. The World Government's military budget alone had been nowhere near enough to sustain its operations.
Fortunately, losing control of the Four Seas had also reduced many of its expenses.
Even then, it had taken two full years just to emerge from its lowest point.
Only recently had the Navy begun to regain its footing.
Although they had worked tirelessly to restore order throughout the first half of the Grand Line, they still controlled only about thirty percent of its waters.
Most of their forces remained concentrated around World Government member nations and the surrounding sea routes, where they could provide the greatest protection.