6 years

Although Raijin Island is a small island, its area is considerable, and its terrain is quite unique, resembling an altar.

The island is surrounded by flat beaches, making it easy to land on from any direction.

Moving inland from the beaches, one would pass through a forest, after which the terrain abruptly rises like a towering wall.

Climbing over this wall leads to another forest, followed by another wall-like cliff.

This pattern repeats nine times on the island, with vibrant life visible up to the fifth layer. Beyond the fifth layer, there are hardly any green plants or animals, and lightning strikes from above, leaving craters in the ground.

With each higher layer, the frequency of lightning increases, culminating in a forest almost constantly ablaze with lightning on the top layer, making it uninhabitable for humans.

In Simon's words, it's the perfect place to obliterate any evidence—anything thrown in there won't leave a trace, not even bones.

This island is one of the many islands Nicholas seized from Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin.

Although the environment at the top layer is extremely harsh, the lower layers are quite fertile.

The residents of the island call it the Island of Divine Gift, symbolizing it as a gift from the gods.

The first layer is mostly forested, the second layer is used for farming, and although the third layer cannot be cultivated, it nurtures lush grasslands.

Due to the abundant natural grass, the islanders raise many cattle and sheep on the third layer to meet their daily needs.

For the islanders, they once thought that losing Whitebeard's protection would bring a ruthless ruler, but to their surprise, except for the initial arrival of a magical ship that stayed for a while, no one else appeared.

Their lives remained unchanged, without any significant alterations.

"Sometimes backward places have their advantages," Simon remarked as he watched shepherds grazing in the distance.

Having spent some time here, Simon's assessment of the island was that it was "a great place to retire."

"I wonder how long the captain will take this time," Simon said, lying on the grass and looking at the lightning-laden mountaintop.

Since the end of the battle on Cake Island, Nicholas had come to this island for training, leaving the affairs of the pirate crew to June, while Simon was stationed here.

One day, on the grasslands of the third layer, herds of sheep moved in a direction, emitting unusual bleating sounds.

At the center of these herds, a huge rock was slowly undulating. A closer look would reveal a person carrying a huge rock, doing push-ups on the grass with both hands.

The process of physical training was always monotonous, regardless of the method used.

For physical training, the most important thing was not the method but perseverance.

If one did not possess innate monstrous physical abilities like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, or even Whitebeard, the best way was consistent, relentless training.

For Simon, although snipers didn't necessarily need the same monstrous physical abilities, they still needed a certain level of self-defense, especially since close-quarters combat required good physical conditioning. Moreover, good physical fitness was essential for executing close-range marksmanship.

He also agreed with Nicholas' statement that "a sniper who can't fight is an imperfect sniper."

...

Just as everyone thought that Nicholas and the others would quickly expand their influence after the battle on Cake Island, it was unexpectedly quiet, with no major actions taken, only occupying several islands mentioned earlier from Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard.

There were no other moves afterwards.

Instead, Kaido and Big Mom began a frenzy of expansion, especially Big Mom's pirate crew, which went on several expeditions led by Big Mom herself, clearly aimed at acquiring Devil Fruits to rapidly strengthen their crew's power.

As for the Marines, apart from raising the bounties, there were no other actions, seeming to abandon the New World and let these guys wreak havoc in it.

Although there were no major moves, all the forces couldn't help but focus on the Freedom Pirates, speculating on the meaning behind their actions.

After all, the Freedom Pirates had become one of the strongest forces in the world, possessing the capital to stand on the pinnacle stage and compete for the title of Emperor of the Sea alongside other pirate crews.

Not to mention, in terms of top combat power within the pirate crew, the Freedom Pirates were not inferior to the others.

Not only did they have Nicholas, who nearly beheaded Big Mom in a one-on-one battle, facing Big Mom and Kaido without fear, but also Vista, who displayed such strength in the battle on Cake Island that the world was amazed.

Although their strength in the middle and lower levels was not enough, for a pirate crew with top-notch powerhouses, it was not a problem. After all, the pirates in the New World were like fish in a river, as long as they showed their strength, there were plenty of pirates willing to join them under their command.

After all, a pirate crew with the protection of powerhouses meant that they could roam freely in the New World, except for a few other top pirate crews.

...

So it went.

Time passed by, and in the blink of an eye, six years had passed.

Looking back on the past six years, there have been many major events in the world, some of which have even caught the attention of countless powerhouses.

These include Donquixote family abandoning their celestial dragon identity and leaving Mariejois with their family to settle in the North Blue.

And the family of Admiral Zephyr was brutally killed by pirates while on their way home for a family visit, infuriating Admiral Zephyr. In his anger, he destroyed the pirates and the island where they were hiding, turning them to ash.

Afterward, he was immediately transferred to a newly established elite training camp in the Marines as the chief instructor. It was more of a protection than a punishment, given Zephyr's status and the embarrassing act of destroying an island.

Thus, the Marines found themselves in an unprecedentedly awkward situation, with only one high-end combat force, Admiral, in their ranks. Although the World Government and even the Fleet Admiral offered to appoint Zephyr as Admiral multiple times, he refused each time.

The Marines officially entered a one Fleet Admiral-one Admiral mode.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku: ...

Admiral Zephyr: ...