The world was changing.
As Nautical Calendar Year 1508 drew to a close, this extraordinary year added one final page to its legend. After years of bloodshed, the war that had engulfed the Chaos Sea finally came to an end.
The conflict had begun with the fall of the veteran overlords Silver Axe and Wang Zhi and the rise of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido to the ranks of the Emperors. From the fourth year of the Great Pirate Era to the tenth, the Chaos Sea had remained engulfed in constant warfare.
Countless pirates had perished as one faction after another fought to seize territory.
After more than six years of relentless conflict, every major force had reached its limits. Whitebeard's sudden offensive had not merely been the will of one man. It was the inevitable outcome of an era that had exhausted everyone involved.
Now, under the watchful eyes of the entire world, history was unfolding live.
An otherwise nameless island in the Chaos Sea had become the center of global attention.
Pirate ships crowded every stretch of water surrounding the island. Countless Jolly Rogers fluttered in the sea breeze as crews from every corner of the Chaos Sea gathered together.
They had not come to fight.
They had come to sign an agreement that would determine the future of the sea itself.
Representatives from all four Emperor crews were present.
The Whitebeard Pirates, the Flying Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and the Beast Pirates all occupied seats at the negotiating table.
Although the Big Mom Pirates and the Beast Pirates had largely avoided participating in the prolonged struggle that followed, they had been the ones to destroy the Silver Axe Pirates and the Wang Zhi Pirates before claiming vast portions of their former territory.
Those lands had never become points of contention. They had originally belonged to Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, and everyone acknowledged that Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had earned them through strength.
Even so, both pirate crews now controlled significant territory within the Chaos Sea. Future disputes between the Emperors were inevitable, making their participation in today's negotiations essential.
Of the Four Emperors, only Edward Newgate attended personally.
The other three captains remained absent for their own reasons.
The Beast Pirates were still locked in open war with the Whitebeard Pirates. Combined with the ongoing situation in Wano Country, Kaido's appearance would almost certainly have led to another battle.
Charlotte Linlin was busy hosting one of her tea parties and had little interest in political negotiations.
As for Shiki, no one knew where the Golden Lion had disappeared to or what he was plotting.
Instead, each crew dispatched one of its core executives, demonstrating that they still took the negotiations seriously.
With so many notorious pirates gathered in one place, only a universally acknowledged monster possessed the authority to keep everyone in line.
Whitebeard alone was enough.
Under the witness of countless pirates, everyone understood that this agreement would benefit the Whitebeard Pirates more than anyone else. Once the matter of the Chaos Sea was settled, they would finally be free to focus entirely on their other battlefields.
Many pirates with no stake in the negotiations had also sailed here simply to witness history.
The agreement itself still required discussion.
Drawing territorial boundaries alone solved nothing. If no additional rules were established, the Chaos Sea would descend into another bloody free-for-all before long.
After years of warfare, every faction had finally secured land worth exploiting.
Mines had to reopen.
Trade routes had to recover.
Economies had to be rebuilt.
None of that could happen if another war immediately erupted.
Now was the time to enjoy the rewards they had fought so hard to obtain.
Since the war had finally ended, there had to be a period of peace.
At the very least, none of the major powers should deliberately provoke another large-scale conflict for a fixed period.
That single issue became the centerpiece of the negotiations.
Whitebeard sat at the head of the long table.
His towering frame radiated the authority of a king.
Some looked at him with admiration.
Others with fear.
Whitebeard himself remained completely composed.
Representatives from every major and minor force in the Chaos Sea occupied the remaining seats.
At the center of the table rested a massive sheet of paper mounted on a wooden board.
It displayed a detailed map of the Chaos Sea.
Reporter birds circled overhead carrying visual Den Den Mushi, allowing audiences across the world to zoom in and read every detail.
Different colors divided the territories claimed by each faction.
The largest domains belonged to the Whitebeard Pirates and the Flying Pirates.
The second largest belonged to the Big Mom Pirates and the Beast Pirates.
Immediately after the Emperor War, both crews had seized enormous territories while suffering very few losses. Throughout the following years of chaos, the other factions had deliberately avoided provoking them.
Everyone tacitly acknowledged that those lands rightfully belonged to Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
Without the Emperor War, neither pirate crew would have gained such an advantage.
Had they joined the later scramble instead, they would likely have been left fighting over whatever scraps remained.
Because they had secured their territory so early, both the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates had already finished digesting their new holdings.
While other forces continued bleeding themselves dry in endless battles, those two Emperor crews steadily expanded their economies and strengthened their foundations.
Beneath the map, only a single sentence had been written.
"Under the witness of all forces, this sea shall remain stable for the next... years."
It was blunt.
Simple.
Completely fitting for pirates.
The agreement could have contained dozens of additional clauses, but no one present believed such details carried any meaning.
This was the New World.
True peace had never existed here.
Every force remained an enemy of every other force.
They merely agreed that, for a limited time, they would refrain from launching large-scale wars.
Once that period expired, the agreement would naturally become nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.
Not everyone was satisfied.
Some believed the territory they had obtained was too small and that their strength entitled them to greater rewards.
Others had already gained everything they wanted and wished only to enjoy a period of peaceful development.
The atmosphere inside the meeting remained tense.
Killing intent drifted through the air like an invisible fog.
Many of the pirates seated around the table had spent years trying to murder one another.
Their willingness to attend was already a testament to Whitebeard's overwhelming prestige.
Even then, pirates with blood feuds glared across the table, their eyes filled with undisguised hatred.
One careless movement could have ignited another massacre.
Finally, Whitebeard spoke.
"Five years. Does anyone have any objections?"
It sounded like a question.
In reality, it was an announcement.
No one present possessed either the strength or the influence to challenge Whitebeard's decision.
This was Whitebeard.
It was only natural for him to speak that way.
He had already earned that right through overwhelming power.
Besides, five years was a duration most factions found acceptable.
Whitebeard had not chosen the number at random.
One or two years would never be enough to rebuild and develop newly conquered territory.
At the same time, expecting lasting peace in the New World for longer than five years was unrealistic.
Eventually, accumulated conflicts would explode.
There were simply too many reasons for pirates to go to war.
Those dissatisfied with their gains preferred a shorter agreement.
Those already content wanted a much longer one.
Whitebeard had weighed both sides carefully.
Although he personally wished for an even longer peace, some things could not be enforced through strength alone.
Five years represented the best compromise.
That was enough.
The pirate leaders had already anticipated a similar proposal before arriving.
After only brief consideration, they nodded one after another, accepting Whitebeard's terms.
"In that case..."
Whitebeard lifted the enormous basin-sized bowl beside him and drained it in one long gulp.
"Let's sign the agreement."
The giant sheet of paper had already been fixed securely to its wooden backing.
Once the terms were finalized, someone stepped forward and wrote the number five in the blank space.
Whitebeard rose from his seat.
Walking to the board, he produced a small knife, sliced open one finger, and pressed it firmly against the paper, leaving behind a bloody fingerprint.
The leaders of every other force followed his example.
Some left fingerprints.
Others pressed down an entire bloodied palm.
To monsters of their caliber, such a wound was insignificant.
It would likely heal completely before the next day.
Before long, the lower half of the agreement had been stained crimson with blood.
The war for the Chaos Sea had officially come to an end.
The territories of every major force were now formally recognized.
For the next five years, the New World's most turbulent sea would enjoy an unprecedented period of stability.
Of course, "peace" among pirates merely meant they would stop waging large-scale wars against one another.
It was still pirate territory.