Chapter 322: Winds of Upheaval in the New World

The balance of power in the New World has undergone enormous changes over these past five years.

Countless so-called rookie pirate crews have charged into the New World vying for a piece of the ongoing war.

Most ended up buried beneath the waves, but a few managed to make a name for themselves.

The most famous of all is the Roger Pirates, who roam everywhere but never seize any territory.

No one knows exactly what they’re searching for out there, but it feels like they’re about to turn over the entire sea.

Next in line is the new generation’s Kaido, who established the Beasts Pirates.

Kaido seized a large area at the junction of the Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and Charlotte Linlin’s domains and founded his Beasts Pirates there.

Another rising crew was formed by Baruch.

His right-hand man is Viske.

By chance, Baruch ate an ancient-type Quake Dragon Devil Fruit.

With his powerful physique and the ability to transform into a giant nearly a hundred meters tall, he’s earned quite a reputation in the New World, boosting his bounty up to 570 million Berries.

Even with his newfound strength, he still treats Karl with great respect.

After some talks, he secured three adjoining islands near the Sweets Sea as his base of operations.

Outside, they claim to be an affiliate crew under Karl’s Pirate Crew.

That name alone drew a flood of pirates hoping to join Karl’s ranks.

Things kept escalating until Perospero showed up personally and managed to calm things down a bit.

Meanwhile, in a World Government laboratory, dozens of white-coated researchers hurried to and fro.

“So? Any results from your research?”

Kahwa looked at the elderly man with the white beard leading the team.

Even though they hadn’t found any trace of Karl over these years, they still managed to smuggle blood from his children out of the New World using various means.

They aimed to discover what was so unusual about Karl’s blood.

That way, they could devise a new battle plan against him.

Everyone knows the next war will be a fight to the finish. There’s no way they’ll hold back or miss a chance to grab hold of a weakness.

“Sir, just by studying the bloodline, its activity factor is more than a hundred times greater than any ordinary human’s.”

“Blood samples that should have completely lost their vitality suddenly become active again once they touch the ground.”

“Based on our analysis, it’s the earth itself that provides some kind of power.”

“It’s a bit like the legendary Titans—so long as they stand on solid ground, they can keep recovering endlessly.”

“But this gene is so strong that it’s almost impossible to replicate or fuse with anything else—not for lack of trying.”

“Alright, get all of this into a report for me.”

The old man with the white beard handed his documents to Kahwa. “Sir, this includes all the research data and analysis.”

“Well done. But I need you to keep working on ways to counteract this blood’s abilities,” Kahwa replied.

Taking the file, Kahwa left the laboratory.

…

“That’s the situation, Elder Stars,” Kahwa finished his report, standing quietly in the hall before the Five Elders seated around their round table.

“It seems our suspicions were correct,” thought Marcus, who’d long suspected Karl carried some special power.

He suspected Karl hadn’t rescued the Lunarian Tribe out of sympathy either.

“Exactly. To defeat Karl for real, we can’t let him choose the battlefield,” another added.

“Unless we force the battle out at sea.”

Nassourou was the most level-headed. Since the earth restores Karl’s strength, they couldn’t let the fight happen on land.

Just like that, they found themselves forced to put the battleground in the New World.

If the fight was on the Red Line, with the unique powers of Karl’s bloodline, there’d be no way to win.

“The New World isn’t chaotic enough yet. We can’t let Karl keep building up his strength,” someone warned.

“I say we secretly back some major pirates to harass the territories Karl has occupied. We can’t let them get too comfortable.”

Saint Borg, who still looked middle-aged, had the most free time among them.

With so many family businesses in the New World, he also wanted any excuse to stretch their reach further.

“Alright, you’re excused for now.”

“Keep a constant watch on the lab. I want to know the moment a weakness in Karl is found.”

“Yes, Elder Stars.”

Kahwa saluted and strode out of the room.

“There aren’t many pirates daring to attack Karl’s Pirate Crew these days…”

As the heavy doors closed behind him, Kahwa could no longer hear their conversation. He fixed his collar and made his way toward his own office.

No one knew what kind of agreement Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had made.

Kaido’s main base still remained in Wano.

But unlike before, Wano had been jointly developed by Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, with the fruits of their labor split thirty-seventy.

The whole country of Wano was enjoying peace and prosperity, a far cry from its former bloody rule.

Polluting industries had all been moved to the islands around Wano.

“Uororororo!”

“Go back and tell Charlotte Linlin—the deal’s done!”

After sending Perospero and the others off at the harbor, Kaido slung his kanabo over his shoulder and headed back.

Kaido now had far greater strength and durability than he did in the original timeline.

“Big Brother, are you sure about making deals with people like that?”

“That’s not something we need to worry about right now,” came the reply.

“For now, our job is to find as many allies as possible.”

Perospero interrupted Katakuri’s question.

Recruiting every bit of fighting strength—this was the path Karl’s father had set before leaving.

“I just wonder what other trump cards the World Government is hiding?”

With a sigh, Perospero led his crew back to Cake Island.

This time, the deal involved weapons and a few Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

Neither Karl nor Charlotte Linlin cared for ordinary Zoan fruits, and would much rather exchange them for useful resources.

Especially with the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line constantly gathering all kinds of Devil Fruits.

There were already nearly ten Zoan-type fruits stored on Cake Island—a few more wouldn’t make any difference.

Meanwhile, in West Blue, Ohara’s first survey team had returned many times, gathering mountains of Poneglyphs.

But fate still intervened. Two years ago, Nico Robin’s father died at sea.

Olvia abandoned her three-year-old daughter Nico Robin and joined the survey team on their voyage.

Secretly, they investigated both the Poneglyphs and the hundred-year blank, but their activities were noticed by the World Government, which is now searching all over for them.

History seemed to be falling neatly back into its expected groove.

To truly break the chains of fate, what’s really needed is absolute strength.