Two years had passed since the Calamity Company completely conquered the world.
In these two years, the world underwent immense changes.
A surging, turbulent wave swept across the entire globe, crashing down indiscriminately upon every person.
The world entered an unprecedented state of chaos, with all order and rules completely collapsing.
Although the world was already governed by the law of the jungle, at least in the past, the Navy maintained some semblance of order. Peace and tranquility were not mere empty words, at least within the borders of the affiliated nations.
However, things were different now.
The ruler of the world, known to the people as King of Calamity, Lord Roa, treated most nations of the world equally.
Apart from the two countries established by the Charlotte Family, the Giant Kingdom, and Fish-Man Island, all other nations worldwide suffered equal levels of exploitation.
Leaving aside the colossal annual taxes, merely being forced to work for free in the mines and factories established by the Calamity Company everywhere had already brought immense suffering to the people.
Not to mention the countless pirates—now numerous as locusts on the seas. Because the Calamity Company treated pirates differently, a large number of people took to the seas to survive, hoisting sails and making the oceans feel somewhat crowded.
To what extent had the number of pirates in the world grown?
The answer was that they had become so numerous that even Roa felt it might be affecting the efficiency with which he collected 'dark energy.'
With too many pirates, the very populace that should be exploited was becoming insufficient.
This wouldn't do. The reason for treating pirates differently was that pirates could generate more dark energy.
But now, the situation was completely reversed.
Pirate ships had become a refuge for many. Too many people were flying the pirate flag without doing what pirates should do. Roa would not permit this.
Therefore, a few months ago, the Calamity Company even set a barrier for pirate entry.
Yes, one needed an entry barrier to become a pirate now.
Being a bad guy wasn't something you could just decide to be; you had to have a certain level of professional competence to become a 'bad guy' recognized by the world's ruler.
Roa decreed that all pirates must register with the Calamity Company and must meet corresponding destruction targets within a set period.
People traversing the seas now have likely realized one thing: the Calamity Company possesses some means of monitoring the ocean.
Even the countless pirates on the high seas find it nearly impossible to hide once targeted by the Calamity Company.
Therefore, after the Calamity Company executed a number of disobedient pirates a few months ago, all pirates could only dutifully register their information at the Calamity Company's local branches.
The term 'legitimate pirate,' which once belonged exclusively to the defunct Warlords of the Sea, now applied to all pirates.
Legitimate or illegitimate, the status itself didn't practically change much.
Even if pirates gained the Calamity Company's approval, Roa wouldn't pay them a salary.
But the terrifying part was that there was no salary, but there were KPIs.
The Calamity Company set different KPIs for each pirate crew based on their strength.
Destruction, plunder, and even fighting amongst themselves.
Anything was acceptable. As long as they could cause sufficient destruction and inflict pain upon people, the Calamity Company would not trouble them.
Conversely, if they failed to meet their targets, they could only fend for themselves.
The good news was that there were simply too many pirates now. While it wasn't hard for the Calamity Company to find one crew, finding all of them was another matter entirely.
They could only conduct periodic spot checks.
But even this was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the pirates.
They were forced to dutifully engage in burning, killing, and looting.
Well, this was the pirates' original duty, after all.
Thus, naturally, the world moved one step closer to complete collapse.
People all over the world struggled in despair.
East Blue, Goa Kingdom.
This place, once renowned as the most beautiful country in the East Blue, was now no different from any other nation on the seas.
The once immaculate urban area was now dilapidated, and the vast, lush forests outside the city had been uprooted, replaced by factories spewing black smoke.
This country was one that lacked mineral resources.
But because it still had a decent population, the Calamity Company built many factories here. Large quantities of minerals were transported and refined into various metals.
It was morning, inside one of the factories on the island.
Accompanied by a crisp, pleasant melody, a group of workers, utterly exhausted, shuffled out of the factory area.
Dressed in dirty work clothes and wearing a helmet, Sabo rubbed his eyes and yawned.
Since the Calamity Company conquered the world two years ago, they, the New Revolutionary Army, had completely gone into a state of dormancy.
Because Mr. Dragon feared that there might still be Roa's people among them, all cadres were separated and hidden, maintaining only one-way contact with Dragon.
In addition to hiding, Dragon also hoped for everyone to develop more strength and lay a solid foundation for the future decisive battle against the Calamity Company.
Sabo deliberated and finally chose to return to his hometown, the Goa Kingdom.
Although he couldn't openly stand up to protect his home when the pirates attacked, he could still do something.
After all, the nobles of this country had long abandoned it, shamelessly plundering vast amounts of treasure and sailing away, calling themselves Noble Pirates.
Although they were wiped out by a pirate crew called the Krieg Pirates not long into their voyage, the country was indeed left without any protection.
So Sabo returned.
After the factories were constructed in this country, he chose to enter one and become a worker.
The best way to hide is to turn yourself into a drop of water and merge into the ocean.
However, life as a worker was not easy.
Those bastards from the Calamity Company showed no intention of paying wages. Moreover, the factory machines ran non-stop day and night, and the workers had to keep pace, working at least sixteen hours a day.
Even Sabo would feel fatigued in the long run, let alone ordinary workers.
But even so, the exploited workers still lived slightly better than the ordinary populace.
This was because the factory areas were places the Calamity Company strictly forbade all pirates from attacking.
Though heavily exploited, at least their safety was guaranteed.
Sabo blended in with the workers, completely inconspicuous, and streamed out of the factory with the crowd, arriving at a collection of shabby shantytowns outside the factory.
The Calamity Company wasn't kind enough to provide dormitories for the workers; essentially, all workers set up simple shacks outside the factory as their residences.
Sabo returned to his own place. Calling it a residence was a stretch; it was just a simple shed with a few newspapers spread on the ground, incredibly rudimentary. It didn't even have a door, as there was genuinely nothing worth stealing.
He picked up a battered kettle in the corner, took a drink of water, and then pulled a small pouch from his pocket.
He poured out a pill from the pouch and swallowed it with the water.
"Phew—"
After taking the pill, Sabo's complexion looked much better.
It must be said that the Calamity Company didn't genuinely intend to eliminate everyone in the world.
Roa had even issued an order.
If pirates attacked civilians, they should try not to kill them.
Destruction or plunder was enough.
The great King of the World claimed that the population was the world's most valuable asset.
It was contradictory, brutally exploiting the world while simultaneously hoping for people to thrive and multiply.
To ensure that the destitute could survive, the Calamity Company wasn't completely inactive.
They distributed something called 'Soldier's Rations Pills,' which was the pill Sabo had just consumed.
It was said to be the ration used by the Calamity Legion's clone troopers back then.
A miraculous medicine created by an internal pharmacologist of the Calamity Company.
One pill could provide ample energy, enough for an adult's daily needs.
It was rumored that to produce enough Soldier's Rations Pills, the Calamity Company even terraformed the Red Line.
They opened up vast cultivation areas on the extremely barren Red Line, specifically for growing the crops needed to manufacture the pills.
As for why the utterly barren Red Line could grow crops, Sabo wasn't entirely sure, but the newspapers claimed that Roa had personally intervened to modify the Red Line.
By now, almost every country had factories producing Soldier's Rations Pills.
Many ordinary people on the seas hadn't eaten fresh food in a long time.
However, while the Soldier's Rations Pills provided enough energy, they had a major drawback: they couldn't completely negate the feeling of hunger.
Meaning, taking the pill wouldn't cause you to starve to death, but you would still suffer the pain of hunger.
Sabo even suspected that this flaw might have been deliberately left by Roa, purely to torment the people of this world.
Even so, only workers in factories and mines received one Soldier's Rations Pill daily. Ordinary citizens didn't have this privilege; they had to buy them.
Although the price of the pills was low, it was still a huge burden for the impoverished populace.
After eating, Sabo was about to lie down and rest when a suppressed voice suddenly came from the adjacent shack, "Mr. Sabo, when exactly are we going to make our move?"
Sabo paused. He whispered, "Wait a little longer, Rudy. It's not time yet."
Honestly, building strength in this country was a very easy task.
Everyone in the world now harbored deep hatred for Roa.
Even their fear of Roa struggled to suppress this hatred.
Sabo easily established a Revolutionary Army branch in this country.
Although the manpower wasn't extensive, he was certain that when the time was right and he raised the call, the entire nation would rally in response.
"We have to wait even longer?"
The voice next door carried a suppressed sob, "Finch died, worked to death right at his station—"
"Three days ago it was Dam, last week it was Karl. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."
"Sometimes I even think that death might be a relief, Mr. Sabo, but I won't die resignedly!
"I have lost everything. Even if I die, I want to die with some value, to at least cause some damage to the Calamity Company, however small my power allows!"
"..."
Sabo silently clenched his fists, his teeth grinding audibly.
Roa, you monster, how much further do you have to ravage this world?
To what depths of hell do you have to plunge the people of this world before you are satisfied?
"It won't be too long..."
But at this moment, Sabo could only say slowly, "Rudy, wait a little longer! Just wait!"
Mr. Dragon, we cannot delay any further.
For every day we delay, we don't know how many people will die in despair under Roa's tyranny!
Also in the East Blue, on a certain deserted island.
This was an island so poor it didn't even have minerals, so even now, no one paid it any mind.
But no one knew that beneath this island was a somewhat spacious underground area.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A series of crisp collision sounds echoed through the empty space.
"Three Sword Style: Purgatory Onigiri!"
Three blades, simultaneously wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, slashed through the air, leaving three dazzling trails of light.
The next moment, these three blades fiercely collided with a single blade also wrapped in Armament Haki.
The ground instantly cracked with deep fissures, and the two figures were rapidly separated by the violent impact.
The man in glasses staggered to stabilize himself, then looked up at the green-haired man not far in front who was already poised for action again. He said with some emotion, "You have completely surpassed me, Zoro."
"But this power is far from enough, isn't it, Sensei!"
The Three Sword Style swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, removed the sword from his mouth and said seriously, "It's still too far behind those monsters from the Calamity Company!"
The man in glasses, Koushirou, had a complex look in his eyes. "Zoro, you don't have to be with us. You really don't need to be an enemy of the Calamity Company."
His disciple's strength was enough to be called a powerhouse, even within the Calamity Company.
He could live comfortably anywhere.
"I'm not interested in the Calamity Company."
The green-haired swordsman merely curved his lips. "But Kuina and I made a promise long ago! I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"And to achieve that goal, I have no choice but to defeat Roa!"
Everyone knew that the King of Calamity possessed the world's greatest physical combat skills, the world's greatest Haki, the world's greatest devil fruit ability, the world's greatest black blade, and the world's greatest swordsmanship!
What more could Koushirou say?
"However, you might not have any more time to grow, Zoro,"
He said, "Dr. Lilith's research has yielded results, and Dragon received a call from Shanks and rushed off. It seems Luffy's training has borne fruit."
"Which means!"
Zoro's eyes suddenly lit up.
"The decisive battle is coming!"