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The tide of the era rolls forward, never-ending.

The Great Age of Pirates, single-handedly created by Roger, has pushed the seas into their most brilliant moment. Struggles for power are erupting in every corner of the world.

The duel in Totto Land, with the territories of two legendary great pirates as the wager between the Thunder God Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates, has come to an end.

The Thunder Emperor Arthur's crewmate, Shiryu won the battle—allowing them to take possession of more than a quarter of the New World.

This vast territory obviously could not be left unguarded.

So Arthur, along with Shiryu and Sanjuan Wolf, returned to Raijin Island to await the return of Byrnndi World, Naguri, Don Chinjao, and the others with their subordinates—

Time passed quietly.

In the first half of Sea Calendar 1499, the calm New World finally began to stir with activity again.

The First Division Captain of the Thunder God Pirates, Shiryu of the Rain—the Second Division Captain, Byrnndi World—the Third Division Captain, Naguri—the Fourth Division Captain, Don Chinjao—the Fifth Division Captain, Avalo Pizarro—the Sixth Division Captain, Catarina Devon—the Seventh Division Captain, Vasco Shot—and the Eighth Division Captain, Sanjuan Wolf.

The eight captain-level figures, along with Arthur and the Thunder God Pirates' scientist, Vegapunk, were reunited on Raijin Island.

Aside from Wolf, the other seven had more or less gathered their crews.

World had found his former crewmates: the strategist Gairam, the Cube-Cube Fruit user Binjack, the fish-man Sebastian, and the ship's doctor, Nightin.

Don Chinjao had brought the entire Happo Navy.

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Outside Raijin Island, after several months, dozens of ships and thousands of pirates, attracted by the great name of the Thunder God Pirates, had gathered to pledge their allegiance.

The Thunder God Grand Fleet was now completely formed. With enough time, the number of pirates joining would only increase.

These pirates who had come for the fame were put through a rigorous selection process and then assigned to the command of the eight commanders.

Only Sanjuan Wolf was without any subordinates, but Arthur had his own considerations for him.

He wanted Wolf to lead a giant army, to subdue the two former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates on Little Garden in the first half of the Grand Line.

After all, the world's strongest nation—Elbaf—was also in the New World.

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The thunderclouds on Raijin Island had, under Arthur's control, ceased their lightning strikes. Thousands of people were holding a banquet on the island.

This was the Grand Fleet's first voyage. They were going to take all the territory that Kaido and Big Mom had relinquished. War was inevitable.

The pirate song "Bink's Brew" was played over and over. They drank heavily and ate meat in large mouthfuls, thousands of people without a shred of decorum.

They were pirates, after all. As long as they were happy, who cared what others thought?

"QUIET! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!" Arthur, standing at the summit of Raijin Island and drinking fine wine, suddenly thought of something.

His voice was like a massive thunderclap, spreading across the entire island.

Arthur was going to announce a few rules for the pirate crew, lest this group of people think that with a powerful backer, they could be completely lawless.

"Sir Thunder Emperor, if you want to say something, just say it!"

"Speak, my lord! We're all listening!"

Everyone simultaneously put down their wine glasses and listened attentively. In an instant, countless reverent gazes were fixed on Arthur.

"The Thunder God Grand Fleet has just been established, and many rules have not yet been announced. I will make things clear right here," Arthur said, his indifferent gaze sweeping over everyone present, his loud voice deafening.

"THE FIRST POINT is a rule that every pirate crew has: YOU CANNOT KILL YOUR OWN CREWMATES! If you think you can kill a crewmate and escape the full pursuit of the Thunder God Pirates, feel free to give it a try!"

"Who would kill their own people?"

"Sir Thunder Emperor is overthinking it, hahahaha!"

"That would be for the best," Arthur nodded faintly.

"THE SECOND POINT: as pirates, I don't care if you pillage and plunder, or commit every evil deed imaginable. If you believe what you're doing is right, then go and do it... HOWEVER, any idiot who thinks they've found a backer and wants to use my name to run amok, GET THE HELL OUT!"

"THE THIRD POINT: below the captains, there are vice-captains, and below them, there are squad leaders. As long as the person one rank above you gives an order that won't get you killed—you must execute it. If you think you have the strength, you can challenge the vice-captain or the captain and take their place!! This is healthy competition. No one is allowed to hold a grudge. If you lose, you can only blame yourself for not being strong enough!"

"You can even... challenge me and seize the position of Captain of the Thunder God Pirates," Arthur said with a cruel smile.

"THESE ARE THE ONLY THREE RULES! YOU WILL ALL DO YOUR BEST TO OBEY THEM!! NOW... GET ON THE SHIPS! OCCUPY ALL THE ISLANDS MARKED ON THE SEA CHART! ANYONE WHO STAND IN YOUR WAY—EXTERMINATE THEM!!"

"KILL!!"

"HAHAHAHA, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY FOR A LONG TIME!"

The well-fed and well-drunk pirates swarmed onto the pirate ships like a tide. Under the leadership of the commanders of the Thunder God Pirates, they sailed towards the vast, unoccupied territory.

Arthur's iconic jolly roger fluttered in the wind on the sea.

Any power that was paying attention to the movements of the Thunder God Pirates received the news almost immediately. Some chose to lay low and watch the show, while others, unafraid of death, prepared to try and get a piece of the action.

And Kaido and Big Mom, at the same time, learned that the Thunder God Pirates had begun their struggle for territory—instantly made the decision to send their subordinates to intercept them.

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The lively Raijin Island instantly fell quiet, leaving only Arthur, Vegapunk, and the [Thor] hovering in the sky.

Arthur did not personally participate in the conquest.

Just like the other emperors, all matters were handled by his crew. Only when the crew encountered a problem they couldn't solve was it time for the captain to step in.

If you had to do everything yourself, what was the point of having subordinates? Big Mom ate sweets and cakes, and all the ingredients were plundered by her subordinates.

"Vegapunk." Arthur withdrew his distant gaze and turned to look at the scientist, who was lost in thought.

"Captain?" Vegapunk came back to his senses and responded.

It was unclear if he had thought of some new scientific research problem again. He was thinking almost every moment.

"Shall I take you to get the Pluton blueprints from Water 7 now?" Arthur wanted to see the birth of the Thor War Fortress sooner rather than later.

"No! Let's go to Punk Hazard first, my former laboratory—"

Vegapunk said. "—I need to modify that incomplete lab first and collect some data, so there's no hurry."

"That works too," Arthur nodded in agreement. "Shall we go now? After I drop you off at Punk Hazard, I need to continue to test if my lightning can break the five-hundred-million-volt limit."

He licked the corner of his mouth, a little excited.

He felt that he had reached a new peak. If he could improve, would it mean that the title of the World's Strongest Man would change hands from Whitebeard?

The path of challenging oneself was endless.

Arthur had an extremely insane idea.

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