@NANLIT:
If the 7 who held their titles at the beginning of One Piece (well, end of chapter 1) really were the original, why would there be years in between the spots getting filled,
Because they're trying to recruit pirates i.e. people who do whatever the hell they want.
Expecting those kind of people to accept being under someone's order is going to take time. Especially the ones who are enough of a threat to warrant making such a deal with in the first place.
especially since the World Government worries over 1 hole?
They worry about it so much now since the biggest threats to them in present time are fully established.
The Yonkou didn't just spring out of nowhere and neither did the members of the Shichibukai. These world powers developed over time, with a big influx occurring during this current Golden Age of Piracy.
However, if (at least some) of those 7 were not the original, then it would make more sense since they would have gotten their positions when other (now) ex-Shichibukai lost their titles for one reason or the other.
If that were the case Crocodile losing his position wouldn't be such a big thing in the One Piece world.
Oh but wait, it was a big deal.
Maybe so, but there's still time for other people to have gotten a Shichibukai title and lost it.
Not really.
I was just saying that in order to lessen/downlay a global uproar, they would not show how scared they are over one hole in the Shichibukai.
I know what you were saying, but regardless of how much downplaying they may do it doesn't change anything if a gap in the Shichibukai is the end-result.
And that the World Government was probably worried over their being a hole in the Shichibukai about 3 years ago, we just never saw their point of view of when Ace declined the position.
But there was no hole in the first place.
I really wouldn't mind some more history on the Shichibukai as an organization.
There's not much to them. Seven former active pirates who are now under the employ of the World Government. They hunt pirates and give a certain percentage of whatever treasure they get to their employer in exchange for exoneration of all their crimes and not being pursued by marines anymore.
Now if you're talking personal motivations, that's less about the organization itself and more about the individual.