Andia Kingdom.
"So the captain is actually this incredible!" Xia stared at the external reports, her face unable to hide her admiration and infatuation. Even after becoming queen, and with the entire Andia Kingdom gradually moving toward unprecedented prosperity, compared to the captain, she was still nothing more than a firefly.
Killing an admiral, quasi–Yonko-level strength? That carried more deterrence than the kings of countless nations.
"We can't fall behind either. Speed up infrastructure construction. The pace of forest resource development must not slow down. Build roads first, then accelerate the Devil Fruit collection we talked about before. We're not short on money now, and more and more refugees are flowing into Andia Kingdom… We're going to build this place into the largest, safest, and strongest nation in the world." Queen Xia convened a nationwide conference and issued a series of sweeping decrees.
"The pilot program on the Sky Island has been very successful. The people are well-off, happy, and highly united. In that case, we can implement the same policies in Andia…" Alice had recently been traveling from Basket Island to the Sky Island from time to time.
They maintained a certain level of contact with the Angel Kingdom on the Sky Island, and the Angel Kingdom had also gradually begun to connect with other Sky Islands, slowly making contact with some people from the Blue Sea.
"Everyone seems so happy. Could it be that everything we did before was wrong?" James the Giant, former captain of the royal army, along with some stubborn former royal soldiers, had been exiled to the city walls to build the city together with the builders.
Labor reform.
But what he saw now was completely different from before. In the past, those builders were disobedient, lived miserably, suffered casualties from time to time, lifeless and numb.
Now, however, there was laughter and harmony, faces filled with happiness. Many of the former royal soldiers around him had gradually let go of their so-called "dignity" and blended in with them.
By now, even James had begun to doubt his past and the choices he had made…
"Truly remarkable. I knew that a single country was never his ultimate goal. Perhaps there's a strong possibility that he can create a golden age kingdom in this world." Duke Blois said thoughtfully as he looked at the news report.
Others within the country who had interacted with Rosen were also deeply shaken by this achievement. A Marine Headquarters admiral, the highest combat power, had been eliminated—this was truly earth-shattering.
Paradise.
"This guy really scared me. I set out before him, yet gained nothing. I almost got dragged into trouble at the Sabaody Archipelago… I originally wanted to watch the battle unfold." Morris looked at the latest report and felt a wave of unease.
But the unease only lasted a moment before being suppressed. Crocodile probably wouldn't silence him; he didn't seem like that kind of person.
Still, his strength was likely already greater than Morris's. What a monster.
As for whether he would still honor the promise to help him obtain a Shichibukai position—seeing that Crocodile had even killed an admiral, Morris suddenly felt that the Shichibukai title didn't seem all that impressive anymore. It felt somewhat bland.
"I can't lose to them." Morris stood up and went to train in dangerous areas. He couldn't waste too much energy on the chamber of commerce. No matter how he managed things, his personal strength could not fall behind.
And no one knew that at this very moment, the Andia Kingdom was welcoming two special guests.
"So this is the Andia Kingdom. It really does seem very different…" Dark King Rayleigh stepped onto this island for the first time and immediately felt an unprecedented vitality, as if he were entering a miraculous nation.
"Pirate ships dock to the right. Those with bounties over 100 million must register in detail. Let me be clear: once you come to the Andia Kingdom, don't even think about robbing or killing. As long as you don't break the law, this place is your paradise. But if you dare commit a crime—even harming a single civilian—the million-strong royal army will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. Don't think I'm joking. Last time, a Logia pirate called 'Wet-Haired' harassed a daughter of the Locke family. The entire pirate crew was captured by our kingdom and is now undergoing labor reform on the city walls…" An administrative officer announced the rules at the harbor.
Was it really a good idea to openly allow pirates into the country?
Rayleigh was puzzled and asked about it. The officer calmly replied, "In this world, there are simply too many pirates to control. Rather than letting them sneak ashore illegally, it's better to guide them properly. Our king says that blocking is inferior to channeling. Besides, not all pirates are that vicious. This also makes monitoring easier and reduces serious incidents…"
"That does make some sense." Rayleigh nodded and walked toward the ramparts. Seeing the massive walls, he felt genuine admiration. Such fortifications were sufficient to defend against most armies and powerful fighters.
It seemed this truly was a well-known, extremely safe country. No wonder so many people wanted to come here.
Inside the walls were bustling, prosperous streets—peaceful and harmonious. Relationships between people appeared excellent, something rarely seen in a city, especially one this large.
Unless they had endured hardships together.
Even more remarkable was that Rayleigh did not see a single riot. In the Age of Pirates, this was extremely rare. At first, Rayleigh thought this might just be a well-policed district, and that the lawless zone might be different, so he decided to go take a look.
Even if the lawless zone were still chaotic, having such order in the inner city was already exceptional.
"Are you sure this is the city's lawless zone? It's… this peaceful?" Rayleigh asked a passerby to guide him there. He was just strolling around anyway, mainly because something Crocodile had once said had piqued his interest.
Upon arriving, Rayleigh saw many pirates coexisting peacefully. Some crews clearly had old grudges, yet they still restrained themselves. This really didn't look like a lawless zone.
"Hey, old man, you weren't a pirate in the past too, were you? Let me say this upfront—spending money here is fine, but fighting, robbery, and killing are best avoided. Our queen is very strict about these things. And every lawless zone has many pirate crews that have submitted to the Andia Kingdom. They can wipe out any troublemaking pirate crew at any time…"
"Well now, that's quite interesting. Truly making full use of everything. Not bad at all. By the way, where's the casino? My hands are getting a bit itchy," Rayleigh said with a smile.
"Mind telling me as well? I'd like to gamble a bit too." The sound of wooden clogs echoed, accompanied by the crisp tapping of a cane on the ground, as a warm, steady voice spoke.
Rayleigh didn't turn around, but his eyes narrowed slightly in surprise—the aura of the person behind him was extremely powerful.
"A blind guy? No way, uncle… You can't even see, and you still want to go to the casino?" The passerby looked at the down-at-heel middle-aged man with an X-shaped scar on his face and tightly closed eyes, doubt evident.
"No need for concern, young man. Please just point it out to us," Issho said calmly.
"All right, all right. Since you both want to go, I'll tell you. See that round building ahead? That's it…"
"Much obliged."
"Brother, you're going to the casino too? What a coincidence—we're kindred spirits." Issho said amiably, as if he had met a kindred soul.
"Brother? You're blind, aren't you? You can tell whether he's older or younger than you?" the passerby asked curiously. These two old men teaming up to go to a casino really were something.
"My eyes may be blind, but my heart is not. Haha, pardon the amusement, young man."
"Then let's go together," Rayleigh said with a smile, not minding at all. The two of them continued toward the casino.
(End of chapter)
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