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The Thunder God Sea was arranged in three massive, concentric defensive rings. Countless islands orbited the central hub—Raijin Island and the manufacturing powerhouse of Punk Hazard—like stars bowing to a moon!
This was a newly forged nation, and it required a new order to govern it.
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"The Queen of the Underground World's Pleasure District—Stussy? And she wants to open a branch here in the Thunder God Sea?"
Arthur tapped the invitation lightly against the tabletop, lost in thought.
In an instant, his Observation Haki expanded, sweeping across the sea to blanket the island in the second ring where the Pleasure District was currently setting up shop.
What was the Pleasure District? The name alone told you everything you needed to know: it was the capital of the flesh trade.
Pirates spent their lives drifting across the endless ocean, living with a "drink today for we die tomorrow" mentality. They were wild, unrestrained, and naturally required various forms of debauchery to satisfy their inner demons. Alcohol, violence, treasure, and women were the fuel that kept them going.
Consequently, restaurants, bars, and red-light districts sprang up like weeds. Simultaneously, the constant cycle of death and combat birthed a massive grey market for organs, firearms, slaves, and intelligence.
The titans of the New World's underground had carved up these industries—businesses the Four Emperors deemed beneath them—into their own personal fiefdoms. However, to survive in the chaotic and cruel New World, these underworld kingpins had to pay exorbitant tributes to the Emperors every year, or supply them with weapons.
Two years ago, the flesh trade of the New World had been completely monopolized by a woman with incredibly sophisticated methods. A woman currently hailed as the most beautiful on the seas.
Stussy.
Men are at their most vulnerable when thinking with their lower heads. A man in a woman's bed is a man with loose lips. On the surface, the Pleasure District controlled the prostitution racket of the New World, but in reality, it was a massive intelligence-gathering machine for the World Government.
Stussy hadn't been exposed yet, but Arthur knew her secret. She was a top agent of CP0, the aegis of the Celestial Dragons.
Her arrival in the Thunder God Sea to open a Pleasure District was ostensibly to provide relaxation for his pirates, but her ulterior motive was painfully obvious...
"The Pleasure District, huh?" Arthur sneered, tossing the invitation onto the table and burying his face in his food again.
"What? An invitation for something as trivial as a brothel opening actually made it to your desk?"
Jessica walked in carrying a tray of delicacies, catching the tail end of his mutterings. Her mood instantly soured. Her brows furrowed as she snatched the invitation off the table and shredded it into confetti.
"Get out! You think you're staying for dinner after bringing this trash in here?"
As she tore up the invite, Jessica turned her wrath on the subordinate who had delivered it, barking at him to leave the Thunder God Palace. Once he was gone, she turned her sights on Arthur.
BANG!!
"What? Are you actually eager to visit a place like that?!" Her face was flushed with anger as she slammed her hands onto the table, causing soup to slosh out of the bowls.
"What's with the sudden fit of jealousy? Sit down."
Arthur placed a large hand on Jessica's head, forcing her down into a chair and effectively pinning her there. He laughed, shaking his head.
However, Jessica's emotional outburst had inadvertently highlighted a critical point.
An invitation. Specifically, an invitation for a business opening.
As the supreme ruler of the Thunder God Sea, one of the overlords of the New World, and a crowned Emperor, Arthur received baskets of invitations every year. Yet, not a single one ever reached his hand. They were all tossed into the incinerator or brushed off by his crew.
So why did an invitation for the opening of a Pleasure District bypass the usual filters and appear in the Thunder God Palace—a place restricted to Division Captains and elite guards?
Was there a World Government spy within the Thunder God Pirates? Or had one of his pirates been so bewitched during a visit to the district that they slipped up?
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Thunder God Sea, Second Ring—The Pleasure District.
The entire street was bustling with activity. Countless pirates came and went, seeking pleasure and release.
Inside a palatial, gilded establishment, Byrnndi World occupied a private luxury suite. He was visibly drunk, eyes hazy, with a voluptuous beauty in his lap, playing a game of passing wine mouth-to-mouth.
Sitting next to him was a woman who, though young, possessed a beauty that was nothing short of lethal. Every movement she made was enchanting, her figure so perfect it seemed sculpted to drive men mad.
The first thought any man had upon seeing her was simply: Stunner. A prize to be possessed.
Stussy subtly evaded World's attempt to cop a feel, her eyes hidden under her hat cold and calculating, while her face maintained a warm, charming smile.
"I'll have to trouble you, Mr. World, to ensure this invitation reaches Lord Thunder Emperor personally..."
"A man like the Thunder Emperor—a ruler of the New World and one of the strongest beings on the ocean... this little lady has admired him for a very long time," she cooed, her slender hand covering her rose-red lips.
The World Government's orders to Stussy were clear: Use any means necessary to get close to Arthur. Even if it meant using a honey trap.
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Mary Geoise.
The rebuilt Holy Land was even more magnificent than it had been two years ago. All the architecture was brand new, a sprawling paradise sitting atop the clouds.
In the Grand Council Chamber, the apex of the world's military and political power had gathered.
The Five Elders, Commander-in-Chief Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp, the three Admirals, and several masked members of CP0 standing in the shadows.
"We cannot delay any longer. The Revolutionary Army hides like rats, spreading their dangerous ideology to the common people. They move without leaving a trace!" Saint Shepherd Ju Peter spoke with palpable anger.
"But the most critical issue is the Giant Warrior Pirates. They vanished for a hundred years, only to reform now? And worse, the world's mightiest nation, Elbaf, has joined the banner of the Thunder Emperor? We thought Elbaf would never threaten the World Government's rule, yet now they serve a pirate?"
"If we don't resolve the issue of either the Revolutionary Army or the Thunder God Pirates immediately, the World Government will eventually find itself in a pincer attack, fighting enemies from the front and rear!"
The Four Emperors of the New World had reached a near-stable equilibrium, but no matter how stable, they were still just pirates.
If the four overlords were to unite, they could shake the very foundations of the World Government. But could a group of unruly, chaotic pirates who acted solely on whim ever unite?
Impossible. It was a miracle if they didn't kill each other upon meeting. Therefore, pirates were usually considered a skin disease—irritating, but unable to kill the colossus that was the World Government.
But Arthur was changing the equation.
With the formation of the Thunder God Sea and the relocation of Elbaf's forces, things had shifted. Although the older, stubborn giants remained on Elbaf, the younger generation—those who grew up listening to the legends of the Giant Warrior Pirates—were clamoring to join Prince Loki and sail under Arthur's flag.
The Giant Warrior Pirates were currently just the 8th Division of the Thunder God Pirates. But sooner or later, the rest of the giants would be assimilated.
What kind of terrifying military force would that be? It was unimaginable.
Given Arthur's personality, he might one day decide on a whim to "test the weight" of the World Government.
Furthermore, according to intelligence from the Pleasure District, Arthur, with Vegapunk's help, had developed a terrifying attack capable of nearly killing Kaido in a single shot.
If this continued, the sky would fall.
"Can someone explain to me," one of the Elders snapped, "why is it always the Thunder Emperor? Behind almost every major incident, there he is! This scourge must be removed as soon as possible!"
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