The New World Marines had been making major moves, yet no intelligence or information was released to the outside world.
This left everyone on edge, unsure of what exactly Ortoren was up to.
After all, Ortoren was a dominant, hegemonic figure in the New World. Once he started acting erratically, it was inevitable that every other power would feel the shockwaves.
The first to respond was Totto Land United Nations, which pulled back part of its defensive forces. Even though Charlotte Linlin had already learned through intelligence channels that Ortoren was preparing to move against the Whitebeard Pirates, she still chose caution and reduced Totto Land's military presence.
At the same time, when Slekemind departed from Vindalas Island, he gave strict instructions to the many pirates under his command. During this period, they were to keep a low profile and avoid causing any trouble, so as not to interfere with Admiral Benn's plans.
As a result, the Crush Pirates, ranked fourth among the New World's pirate forces, quickly went quiet as well. Their sudden silence spread unease among the other pirates stationed on Vindalas Island. One after another, they stopped venturing out altogether. Almost overnight, the long-standing security problems in this stretch of the New World seas seemed to vanish.
Kaidou's side followed closely behind, recalling the forces he had scattered across the region and temporarily halting trade with Hachinosu.
It was likely that Kaidou himself couldn't fully grasp what was going on either, but he chose to prepare for the worst regardless.
Within the underworld, all kinds of intelligence about the New World Marines spread like wildfire. Some of it was real, some completely fabricated, yet no matter the truth, the prices for this information were driven to staggering heights.
As the primary hunting target of the New World Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates were naturally not without a response.
On the contrary, their reaction was the most extreme of all. On the third day after the New World Navy began its large-scale mobilization, Whitebeard issued a rallying order to the world. In his capacity as captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, he summoned all subordinate pirate crews to gather in the area where their flagship, the Moby Dick, was located.
Thus, the independent captains of the Whitebeard Pirates scattered across the New World answered the call. From every direction, they set sail, converging on the region where the Moby Dick lay in wait.
At the same time, the Whitebeard Pirates entered a state of full combat readiness. The First Division, led by Marco, made massive purchases in the underworld, acquiring huge quantities of weapons and stockpiling ammunition.
They also placed high-priced bounties on any intelligence related to the recent movements of the New World Marines.
It was obvious that Whitebeard was extremely wary of this large-scale operation. He had no choice but to be. Looking across the entire New World, he didn't need to think twice to realize that among all the powers out there, the Whitebeard Pirates were the ones most fundamentally at odds with the New World Marines under Ortoren's command.
The New World Navy's primary responsibility was to combat pirates. That much was unquestionable.
And Whitebeard himself was the greatest pirate in the New World. Yet unlike Kaidou, Charlotte Linlin, Slekemind, and the others, he had never established stable channels with Ortoren, let alone any form of cooperation.
To this day, the Whitebeard Pirates still embodied the traits of old-era pirates.
They produced nothing, surviving purely through plunder and the collection of protection fees.
A pirate crew like that held no value whatsoever to Ortoren. The same was true for the World Government.
If Ortoren were to announce today that he was going after Kaidou or the Big Mom Pirates instead, the Five Elders would certainly step in to question it, or even intervene outright.
After all, both the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates maintained cooperative ties and stable channels with the World Government.
If you move against them, how are we supposed to meet your future arms demands?
Without settling all the follow-up arrangements first, can you really just strike whenever you want?
But the Whitebeard Pirates were different. They produced nothing and had no relationship with the World Government whatsoever. So the Five Elders didn't care in the slightest if Ortoren targeted them. Fight them if you want. It wouldn't affect supply or demand in any way.
Whitebeard himself clearly understood this reality. That was why, among the four major pirate powers of the New World, his response was by far the most extreme. Kaidou and Charlotte Linlin merely pulled back their outer forces, avoiding unnecessary trouble while putting up basic defensive measures.
The Whitebeard Pirates, on the other hand, went straight into a wartime posture.
This alone showed that Whitebeard suspected the New World Marines' massive operation was almost certainly aimed at him.
However, the Whitebeard Pirates' response stopped there. After issuing the rallying order and entering combat readiness, they made no further moves.
In truth, Newgate was deeply conflicted at this moment, because he realized he held no initiative at all.
Things had reached a point where there was nothing more the Whitebeard Pirates could prepare. As long as Ortoren had not officially declared war, Newgate still clung to a sliver of hope. He had no intention of provoking Ortoren or the New World Marines.
He understood very clearly that once he launched an attack first, the situation would deteriorate instantly. There would be no room left for mediation or luck. War would break out immediately.
And while Newgate was supremely confident, he was not blindly arrogant or ignorant. He knew all too well that in terms of long-term war potential, the Whitebeard Pirates were simply no match for the New World Marines.
If hostilities truly began, things would head toward the worst possible outcome.
That was why he dared not strike first. Yet by choosing not to act, there was also nothing he could do. With intelligence channels completely blocked, he had received no critical information from the New World Marines up to this point.
Without intelligence, he couldn't make any further strategic judgments.
Only now did Newgate truly realize that the Whitebeard Pirates had already fallen behind the way this era operated.
At this point, the Whitebeard Pirates were like a hedgehog, bristling on the surface and making a show of readiness, yet unwilling to be the one to start the war.
Meanwhile, on Ortoren's side, there was no intention of responding to the Whitebeard Pirates at all. Everything continued methodically. Fleets and naval formations from major bases flowed endlessly toward Aquino Island.
At the same time, Ortoren's high-level New World Marine conference was gradually drawing to a close.