Who holds the greatest power on the open ocean today? Unquestionably, it's the Black Pirate Group, protected by the Giant Dragon.
After wiping out all other forces at sea, the Black Pirates have become an unparalleled behemoth, boasting over sixty huge ships, hundreds of medium and small-sized cargo ships, and thousands of small rowing boats.
But that's about it. The ocean is vast, but people are scarce, and the economy is not especially active. After unifying the entire ocean, survival has become the main issue since they can't plunder recklessly as before.
Of course, in the foreseeable future, there will be more and more ships on the sea and the economy will gradually flourish.
With all the pirates taken down, the risks of oceanic routes have been significantly reduced, so many merchants will choose these paths for trade due to cost-efficiency.