The World Government's actions were easy to understand.
By diminishing the influence of the Sun and Moon Pirates, they indirectly sought to reclaim the dignity they had lost.
And their efforts had been effective.
Especially among the new generation of pirates—many of whom were unaware of the great deeds of the Sun and Moon Pirates.
Yet disrupting the World Government's plans was just as simple.
The Sun and Moon Pirates only needed to make a few major moves.
No matter how hard the World Government tried to suppress the truth, they wouldn't be able to contain the impact.
But Kuke hadn't taken that route.
Instead, he had cooperated with the World Government.
For seven years, the Sun and Moon Pirates had hardly done anything to attract the world's attention.
It was as if they had vanished.
The reason was simple.
Their fame had grown too immense.
Achievement points were difficult to harvest. Now, they were cultivating their field of achievement points.
Kuke's cooperation was noted.
Gradually, even the Three Elder Stars sensed it. Though they couldn't comprehend Kuke's true intentions, as long as it benefited the World Government, they were willing to go along with it.
No longer hesitating.
They fully committed to covering up the exploits of the Sun and Moon Pirates.
And so, the current landscape of the seas took shape.
The new generation knew little about the past.
"We haven't truly disappeared. The reputation we've lost will return sooner or later," Kuke mused, unconcerned.
He continued to wait.
A few hours later—
The latest newspaper arrived.
It detailed the results of the Golden City battle.
News spread across the New World.
A battle involving Kaido and the Sun and Moon Pirates—two of the Four Emperors—along with the Mythical Zoan Great Buddha Fruit, instantly became the center of attention.
"What kind of joke is this? Three members of the Sun and Moon Pirates forcing Kaido to retreat? This is the biggest farce on the seas!"
"If the entire Sun and Moon Pirates crew had confronted Kaido, I'd believe it. But just relying on Shogun Yamato, the Enchantress Belo Betty, and that relatively unknown Kuina? How?"
"Strange… The article states that Kaido wasn't defeated. He didn't actually lose. So why would he abandon the Mythical Zoan Great Buddha Fruit and withdraw? That doesn't make sense."
"Are you telling me Kaido was scared of the Sun and Moon Pirates and voluntarily retreated? They're both Emperors—who would fear whom? Who would risk losing face as a ruler of the seas?"
Many were skeptical.
Most of them were young pirates who had only set sail in recent years.
"Every ridiculous assumption you just made is actually true."
The veteran pirates sneered at the ignorance of the newcomers.
"Huh? What?!"
The younger ones looked at their seniors in shock.
And then—
Countless screams of disbelief echoed across the seas, all coming from the rookies.
Kuina's fame soared, and she became known as the "Sword Maiden"!
But the impact remained largely confined to the New World.
Beyond the New World—
The World Government tightly controlled information.
Few people knew of the event.
In the first half of the Grand Line, the Navy still dominated.
And the most famous name there was Akainu.
Over the past several years, Akainu's relentless actions—combined with the World Government's deliberate efforts to elevate his reputation—had made him the most well-known figure in the world, including in the Four Seas.
It was as if this era belonged to Akainu.
Assessing the situation—
Kuke quickly formed a clear understanding.
Watching his achievement points soar.
From 970,000, his points finally surged past the one million mark.
Achievement points had officially surpassed one million.
"Time is the greatest weapon. A small event like this could generate thirty thousand achievement points," Kuke said, pleased.
Even a minor skirmish in Golden City—
Had yielded thirty thousand achievement points.
By comparison, when Kuke defeated the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, in mere minutes, he had only earned a few tens of thousands of achievement points.
The difference between these two events was not as large as one might expect.
The key difference was reputation.
When Kuke had defeated Whitebeard, he was already world-famous.
Now—
To many, he was simply one of the Four Emperors.
Allowing the World Government to suppress the truth had its advantages.
"Finally past a million."
Kuke felt a surge of emotions.
Reaching five hundred thousand points had been quick, but surpassing a million had taken years.
After defeating Whitebeard, his points had soared past seven hundred thousand.
Toying with the entire Navy's strongest fighters, humiliating the Three Elder Stars, slaying two of the Five Elders, and destroying the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—
Had only pushed him to around 840,000.
Then came the past seven years.
With the World Government working tirelessly to suppress the truth, his achievement points had slowed down.
And at that time, Kuke's fame had been overwhelming.
All the "harvestable" achievement points had already been reaped.
For seven years—
His points had only increased by about twenty thousand per year.
Even with the World Government's suppression, the Sun and Moon Pirates remained one of the Four Emperors.
Their crew grew stronger.
Even without doing anything, their achievement points still rose—albeit at a slower rate.
And now—
The impact of the Golden City incident had finally pushed his points past a million.
"With achievement points surpassing a million, invincible defense, resurrection, teleportation, and even making my crew dual Devil Fruit users—all of it is now possible."
Kuke quickly checked his options.
There were no longer fixed time limits for each ability.
Every power could now be used multiple times within a short period—even infinitely in some cases.
However—
Each additional usage required spending one hundred million achievement points.
Not an overwhelming cost.
Acceptable within Kuke's range.
In other words—
Spending one hundred thousand achievement points would allow Kuke to resurrect ten times.
Combined with the original ability to resurrect once per month—
That made eleven revivals in total.
"Imu… The ten-year mark is approaching. I wonder if your trump cards are ready."
Kuke looked toward the direction of the Holy Land.
A supreme, domineering aura radiated from him.
Reiju, who had just come to visit again, was left utterly stunned.
For a moment, she was frozen in place.
Lowering her head—
Kuke glanced at Reiju.
She had just recently come of age.
"This time, not bad. I agree to let you follow me," Kuke said, detecting a promising radiance within her—if not a perfect one, then at least seventy to eighty percent of what he sought.
Not bad at all.
Spending some time on the ship would ensure she reached one hundred percent.
Reiju hadn't even spoken yet.
And Kuke had already exposed her true intentions.
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Kuke.
Beside her, Judge was ecstatic.
New crew member: Vinsmoke Reiju[Non-Devil Fruit User, Battle Power: 18,921].
…
Marine Headquarters.
Akainu's face was grim, veins bulging on his forehead.
"The Devil Fruit that once belonged to Fleet Admiral Sengoku… has fallen into the hands of the Sun and Moon Pirates."
Akainu gritted his teeth.
This was the outcome he found most unacceptable.
…
The rage and frustration had nowhere to go.
His expression darkened.
Raising his head, he glared at the calendar.
"Two more years… Only two more years… The moment I become Fleet Admiral, I will—no, I must—"
With a forceful punch, he smashed his heavy office desk into ashes.
Then, Akainu stood up.
"Mobilize the troops."
Once again—
Akainu led a massive force on an expedition.
At Marine Headquarters—
Many officers looked grim as they watched Akainu's forces depart.
They knew exactly what he was about to do.
Hunt down pirates.
If that was all, no one would object.
But Akainu's extremism—
Had often led to innocent casualties.
Entire cities had been reduced to flames under his justice.
"This… Is this really justice? Or is it a betrayal of justice?"
Tashigi, now a Colonel, watched the departing fleet with disapproval.
But she was powerless to stop it.
Previously, many Marines had reported Akainu's conduct to the Fleet Admiral.
All had failed.
Now—
Garp was semi-retired.
Kizaru didn't care.
Aokiji had lost faith.
And Fleet Admiral Kong, following orders from the World Government, fully supported Akainu.
It was practically Akainu's one-man rule.
Aokiji had tried to fight back.
But he was powerless.
Let alone someone like Tashigi, a mere Colonel—
She could only watch, helplessly.
And so—
Time continued to flow.
A new era had begun.
------
DONT FORGET POWER STONE
________________________________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.