The Jam Island campaign in the New World is generally considered by later generations to be the foundational battle that changed the entire era.
It's just that, currently, no one fully grasps the profound significance of this yet.
But the ripple effects of this battle have rapidly swept across the entire world, stunning everyone.
A power struggle for the pirate kingship in the New World, and the Marines ended up being the biggest winner?
Undoubtedly, the name of the Warlord of the Sea, Smoker, is now thoroughly reviled within the pirate world.
Countless pirates frantically curse him as a running dog, a traitor, and a shameless bastard.
However, countless other pirates, seeing Smoker's ruthlessness, cunning, and powerful backing, quickly chose to pledge allegiance to him.
The Whitebeard Pirates suffered immense damage. Edward Newgate's injuries, as Diarmuid predicted, would keep him bedridden for at least half a year!
The territory of Totto Land has shrunk by a third, most of it being seized by Smoker. Charlotte Linlin and Kaido have strategically retreated to Whole Cake Island, not daring to undertake any further pirate actions.
And Smoker seems to be busy consolidating the benefits of this war, refraining from pursuing the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and the allied pirate forces of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
Of course, most people believe the underlying reason is that Smoker himself is stretched too thin.
The prestige of the Marines has surged to an unprecedented high. Marines on the front lines in the New World are ecstatic, and morale has increased dramatically. Many have written to request authorization for combat, proclaiming their desire to end the so-called Great Pirate Era.
However, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has suppressed all these requests.
At the same time, the Marines' report to Mariejois did not heavily emphasize the Marines' valor. Instead, it stressed the importance of strategy, claiming that by coordinating with CP agencies to use the Dyna Stone plan in the New World, they were able to severely damage the pirate forces at Jam Island in one swoop.
This should be viewed as a strategy of concealing strength. The Gorosei didn't overthink it, assuming that Sengoku was merely being humble. Furthermore, the compiled intelligence they received from the CP agencies was largely consistent with this narrative.
With the conclusion of this New World war, Diarmuid's fame has already reached the pinnacle!
Rumors claim that during the Great Jam Island Battle, Diarmuid successively defeated the World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate; the Pirate King's Right-Hand Man, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh; and Big Mom Charlotte Linlin!
Although these are, so far, just rumors, none of the parties involved have stepped forward to clarify anything.
But it is precisely this state of 'tacit agreement' that further solidifies the veracity of the matter.
It's a joke: Whitebeard is currently bedridden, Charlotte Linlin is holed up in Whole Cake Island, scarred psychologically by Diarmuid, and Rayleigh has been captured by the Marines. Who can step forward to clarify?
And although the facts have some deviation, if one were to say that Diarmuid defeated all three of them, it's not entirely inaccurate.
All in all, Diarmuid hasn't even returned to Marineford yet, but he has already become a worldwide sensation.
The title 'Strongest Marine Admiral in History' seems to have been unanimously bestowed upon Diarmuid by the entire Marineford contingent!
…
North Blue, Donquixote Family territory.
Donquixote Doflamingo was currently reading the latest newspaper.
News regarding the Great Battle of Jam Island in the New World had been released days ago, but the subsequent reports have focused on compiling the details of the situation, along with the opinions and historical significance of various scholars and experts.
Today's newspaper had a very clickbait-style headline.
"The New World's Strongest Undeniably Belongs to the Marine Admiral!"
That birdman Morgans must have caught wind of something; his stance now leans toward the Marines. In this report, he praises the Marines' immense power to the extreme and acts as Diarmuid's flatterer, calling him the embodiment of justice on the seas, the representation of power, and the undisputed Strongest in the World!
Morgans then dug up all of Diarmuid's old achievements.
Things like thrashing Shiki the Golden Lion, pummeling Patrick Redfield, single-handedly taking down Roger, capturing Kaido, and now defeating Whitebeard.
"Looking at the history of the past two decades, since Admiral Diarmuid stepped out of the North Blue and arrived at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, his legend began to be written. In front of this hero, widely recognized and referred to by countless Marines as the 'Strongest Marine Admiral in History,' several pirates with legendary stories have fallen one after another. They include, but are not limited to, Shiki, the Redfield, the Pirate King, and the recently defeated Whitebeard!
"Undoubtedly, the emergence of a hero like Admiral Diarmuid from the righteous Marines is the choice of the era and a stroke of luck for the populace.
"In the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar, the Great Pirate Era began, and countless crazed and evil pirates emerged in the world. Yet, I have always firmly believed that this chaotic and frantic era would one day be rewritten, the confusion and disorder resolved, and peace and justice restored to the seas. And that person seems to have already appeared.
"He is the most powerful and the most representative figure of justice in my heart, Marine Admiral Rodriguez Diarmuid! I firmly believe that twenty years from now, people will realize that this era does not belong to the Great Pirates, nor to Roger, nor to Whitebeard. If this era is truly to be given a name, then I, Morgans, will be the first to declare its true name: This era belongs to the Marines! It belongs to Diarmuid!!!"
Looking at the newspaper in his hand, Doflamingo couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He felt that he was already shameless enough, but comparing himself to that newsmonger Morgans, he suddenly realized he still retained some integrity.
That guy Morgans had completely abandoned his dignity. He was openly flattering Diarmuid in the newspaper...
And he was doing it with such self-righteous indignation, as if he had always been expecting justice and order.
But in reality, what did a news reporter like him crave the most? Big news! And where does big news come from? Chaos and evil!
Yet, here he was, starting to praise justice and order. What the hell...
Although he somewhat despised Morgans' lack of integrity, Doflamingo keenly sensed something deeper.
He knew Morgans and had met him a few times. This guy might lack integrity, but he was undoubtedly a smart person, a very smart person.
It couldn't be fear that suddenly made this bastard Morgans draw closer to the Marines and praise Diarmuid so excessively.
He didn't need to fear the Marines. The Marines wouldn't bother him under normal circumstances. As long as he didn't actively cause trouble for them, no one would likely pay him any mind.
Therefore, this shift toward the Marine stance could perhaps be attributed to... sucking up.
Digging deeper into the core motivation, one could speculate that it was a 'bet.'
Morgans was betting on the future of the Marines?
In the underworld intelligence scene, two 'intelligence agencies' are extremely formidable, and superficially, neither of them appears to be a legitimate intelligence organization.
The first is the Pleasure District organization, which operates under the guise of a food and liquor business.
No need to elaborate on that.
The second is the World Economy News Paper, which operates under the veneer of a news press agency.
Indeed, the World Economy News Paper, currently has the largest circulation and the widest readership worldwide. But in the underworld, they are also in the business of selling information.
And relying on this newspaper business, their intelligence gathering capabilities are truly outstanding.
Thinking of this, Doflamingo murmured softly: "That guy Morgans must have discovered something..."
He then folded the newspaper, tossed it onto the table nearby, and picked up a glass of red wine. After taking a sip, his eyes held a hint of confusion: "What did he discover? What secret are the Marines hiding? What kind of future is Morgans betting on for the Marines?"
He couldn't figure it out.
Doflamingo felt like he was close to touching the truth, but there was always a hazy veil, and he couldn't see through it.
Thinking this, he picked up a different newspaper, one that detailed Diarmuid's personal history summary, which was also mostly flattering him.
After studying it carefully once more, Doflamingo's gaze settled on the year 1503 of the Sea Calendar.
This was a very special year for the Marines, and a very special year for Diarmuid.
It was at the end of the Sea Calendar 1503 that Diarmuid was promoted to Marine Headquarters Admiral!
Doflamingo's eyes focused on the word 'Admiral'. The more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong. This issue... suddenly, he seemed to realize something and looked at the beginning of 1503.
Early Sea Calendar 1503 - The Warlord of the Sea System is enacted!
In a flash, it was as if a bolt of lightning split Doflamingo's mind. He suddenly grasped a fact!
The Warlord of the Sea organization, so hated by the Marines, might have been compromised from the very beginning!
The first Warlord of the Sea... Smoker the White Hunter. He came from the Marines. He was Diarmuid's junior!
He had heard that Smoker and Diarmuid had a deep grudge, and that Diarmuid had been the one to drive him out of the Marines. He didn't think much of it at the time, but looking at it now...
It's very possible that Smoker is actually a Marine agent!
Connecting this to Smoker's current status—wealthy enough to rival a nation, the mysterious Amway Group...
Doflamingo felt like he had touched the truth. The Marines, perhaps, were secretly breaking free from the economic constraints and budget limitations imposed by Mariejois?
Were they planning to split from Mariejois?
Doflamingo had previously felt that the Marines were behaving strangely and that Diarmuid was off. He had once suspected they were planning to split from Mariejois, but Doflamingo himself later rejected the idea because the Marines couldn't solve their own financial support problem. Without Mariejois' economic aid, the Marines could never stand on their own feet.
But now, he seemed to have discovered the truth!?
He also recalled his conversation with Diarmuid back then.
'I didn't have a choice before.'
And now, it seemed, he did have a choice!
His thoughts paused for a moment, and Doflamingo recalled the Warlord of the Sea organization in detail.
As a smart man, he naturally understood why the Marines were so resistant to the Warlord of the Sea plan initially. It was obvious that the plan involved rearing a tiger to cause trouble, which would inevitably bring disaster to the world.
But looking at it now, the entire Warlord of the Sea organization seemed to be in a bizarre state.
Including himself, Doflamingo.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now that he'd uncovered some 'truth,' Doflamingo had to think more deeply.
The Warlord of the Sea organization, which should have been actively harming the world, was not exhibiting the destructive power expected...
"...Could it be that, besides me, they're all Marine agents?" Doflamingo wondered suspiciously.
"No, impossible... How could that bastard Crocodile be a Marine? I must be overthinking this, Fufufu..." Doflamingo reassured himself.
Then, he leaned back on the sofa, took another sip of red wine, and after a long silence, he finally couldn't help but mutter to himself again:
"Could it be impossible?"
Goodness, he had talked himself into an existential crisis!
Regardless, Doflamingo knew that it was time for him to truly place his bet!
Should he stake everything on the Marines, and on Diarmuid!?
What chip did he possess that would appeal to them!?