24th, Year 1514 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
"Hey! Did you hear? The Chris Pirates just issued a recruitment call!"
"Golden Ring Aeridar is actually recruiting new crew members?"
"Looks like he's gearing up for the New World."
"That's amazing! I have to join that man's crew!"
"Damn it, that guy's influence just skyrocketed again..."
"A pirate that brazen, recruiting publicly? Why isn't the Navy doing anything?!"
[Comrade Recruitment!]
Join the Chris Pirates!
Gathering Location: Grove 7 — Bubbledance Tavern.
Time: 24 hours after this notice is posted!
The recruitment flyer swept through the entire Sabaody Archipelago like wildfire. The island chain, which had only just begun to settle down after recent chaos, was once again teetering on the brink of upheaval.
Countless pirates, gangsters, and underworld figures began stirring, eager to pounce on the opportunity. But at the same time, civilians, merchants, and nobles were gripped with rising anxiety.
Grove 66, Marine Garrison Base.
"Rear Admiral, sir, he's recruiting on such a large scale! Are we seriously not going to intervene?"
In a stark, orderly office, a Marine officer in a Justice coat spoke up.
The voice came from a brown-haired man seated behind a desk, also wearing a Justice coat, tailored over a gray suit. A long, narrow scar ran from his temple to his chin.
"Commander, have you thought through what it'd mean for a garrison of barely a thousand men to go up against that man? You want them all dead?"
His tone was steady, even casual, yet every word weighed heavy.
"We just wrapped up a fairly amicable joint operation with him, and the higher-ups won't tolerate us provoking him. Besides... he's a Warlord of the Sea. Even if he recruits publicly, it's technically allowed."
This man was Edgeven Karnte, a veteran Rear Admiral of exceptional combat prowess. Once one of two Rear Admirals assigned to Sabaody, he'd been deployed to the New World for an expedition.
But after a bloody battle against the Demon Mask Pirates left the other Rear Admiral, Branly, critically wounded, Karnte had been recalled to take command of the crippled local garrison.
"My apologies, Rear Admiral Karnte. That was thoughtless of me."
The Marine Commander broke into a nervous sweat and bowed deeply.
Grove 48, Tourist District.
Strolling the sunny streets in loose beachwear and oversized shades, Aeridar had one arm draped around each of the slender waists of Millie and Mina. Despite the fierce battle just days prior, the tourist area buzzed with its usual vibrance.
"Our recruitment window's so short this time," Mina mumbled through a mouthful of ice cream. "How many do you think we'll actually get?"
"Who knows," Millie huffed, puffing out her cheeks as she squeezed her small fists. "Shame most of the Supernovas already left. I'd have loved to beat 'em into joining."
Aeridar's eye twitched at her words. Back when he'd first rescued these two, they were sweet and gentle, now they were like miniature war machines.
Pere... pere... pere... pere...
A Den Den Mushi buzzed in his pocket. Aeridar pulled it out, glanced at it, then gave a crooked grin.
"Marine call, huh?" he muttered before flipping it open.
"Moshi moshi, this is Aeridar. Who's calling?"
The voice exploded from the other end, loud enough to nearly burst the Den Den Mushi's shell.
"Can't go one day without causing chaos, huh? A mass recruitment? Are you TRYING to humiliate the Navy?!"
Aeridar smirked, he knew that voice well.
"Hey, hey, hey! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, last I checked, I've got the right to recruit crew members. Where in our agreement does it say a Warlord of the Sea can't build his crew?" he fired back, unamused by the tirade.
"If it were any other pirate pulling this in Sabaody, I'd have already ordered their arrest!"
Back in Marineford, Sengoku was seething.
"Don't forget, you're still a pirate at heart! You think flaunting your title gives you free reign to trample Marine dignity?!"
Even for a Warlord, there were unspoken rules: keep your activities low-key, especially in Marine territory. The Navy often looked the other way, but only if pirates didn't rub it in their face.
Publicly recruiting in Sabaody, of all places?
It made the Marines look powerless. If the people started thinking pirates could act with impunity, especially ones sanctioned by the World Government, what was to stop others from doing the same? What happened to the public's faith in justice?
Warlords already had legal rights to plunder. If they started recruiting , they'd become unstoppable raiding machines. The balance of power would tip dangerously, and the World Government would never allow it.
"Are you serious right now?" Aeridar snapped. "This is your fault! I was all set to track down those Supernovas and recruit them, but you guys had to drag me into that mess with Demon Mask Gutte!"
His tone grew more heated as he continued.
"I end up taking a hit, didn't gain a squat, and because of that yellow monkey of yours, that damn Admiral Kizaru, most of those guys bolted! Now I'm stuck with a few hundred and you expect me to storm into the New World with that?!"
By the end of the battle, Grove 53 was reduced to a warzone with only Borsalino, Aeridar, and Gutte still standing. The rest, pirates and Marines alike, had scattered to other islands to avoid being collateral damage.
This sudden shift fractured the Navy's encirclement, leaving gaps wide enough for members of the Demon Mask Pirates to scatter in all directions.
With pursuit teams diverted and several Marine units clashing with rogue pirate crews, chaos engulfed nearly half of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Yet, with Admiral Kizaru still on the island, most pirate crews, especially the Supernovas, chose flight over confrontation.
Terrified that Kizaru might mop them up once the battle with the Demon Mask Pirates concluded, they scattered like leaves in a storm.
Nearly all the Supernovas had vanished; those who hadn't were hiding so well that Aeridar couldn't find a trace of them.
With no access to elite-level reinforcements, sheer numbers had to make up the difference.
"Hmph... Don't forget your place," Sengoku snapped, though his voice softened slightly in the end. "Just this once. Don't make it a habit. Besides, Gutte wasn't lured there by us, he charged into the Grove himself."
"Tch. If you people were actually competent, you'd have taken him down long ago. No need to come crawling to me," Aeridar scoffed, spitting venom before cutting the line.
In his office at Marineford, Sengoku slammed the receiver down, red-faced with rage. He'd been ready to fire back, but the sound of the transponder snail call ending choked the words in his throat, he nearly burst a blood vessel from holding it in.
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