Bullet gave a cold smile. "Pirates, huh. Nothing surprising."
He glanced ahead with a glint in his eyes. "The South Blue will be a fun place to mess around in."
Enel chuckled. "Yeah. We just got here and already ran into pirates this stupid. Yahahahaha."
The ten massive warships cut through the waves. Not long after, they finally crossed into South Blue waters.
* * *
Holy Land of Mariejois.
When the Five Elders received the plea for help from a king, even they couldn't hide their surprise. A group of ordinary pirates had pushed all the way to the royal palace?
Warcury spoke with a hint of anger in his voice, "Since when did the standards of member nations fall this low? Worthless trash."
Nusjuro took a deep breath, his eyes closed.
"Send a CP unit to handle it first," he said flatly. "If a member nation of the World Government is wiped out by pirates, that'll be a joke the whole world laughs at." He paused, then added coldly, "We'll deal with them when this is over. Looks like it's time to reassess who deserves to remain a member."
His voice dropped to a mutter. "Truly pathetic..."
* * *
Grand Line, first half. Tahama Kingdom, Port.
Flames lit up the port, turning the area into a sea of fire. A huge pirate ship was moored at the docks, with several smaller boats tied alongside.
Taking advantage of the Great Pirate Era Roger had ushered in, the pirate captain had returned to his homeland to recruit men and plunder surrounding lands. His crew had grown to over a thousand members. They had no notable fighters, just regular people. But they had the advantage of numbers and heavy weapons like cannons and mortars.
For the agricultural Tahama Kingdom, this was a disaster. They were now on the brink of destruction.
Numerous kingdom soldiers clashed with the invaders in a brutal melee. Spears and swords flashed as blood and bodies littered the port.
One grinning pirate officer barked orders to his men, "Don't hold back! Kill without restraint! Wipe out anyone who resists! This kingdom will be ours soon! Hahahaha!"
A royal guard, furious at his words, roared back, "Don't falter! Drive these pirates out of our land! Kill them!"
But it was useless.
After hours of fierce battle, the kingdom's defenders were forced back step by step. Despite fighting to the death, they were no match for the ruthless pirates. At last, they fell back to the palace gates.
The pirates began to surround the royal castle. Then, a figure emerged from their ranks, the pirate captain, towering a head above the rest. He raised a hand, and several mortars aimed at the flag atop the castle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The national flag was blasted away, and the castle's upper section was reduced to rubble. The mortars then turned toward the defending soldiers. Explosions sent bodies flying through the air, their fate unknown.
The pirate captain surveyed the now silent battlefield and smiled with satisfaction.
"Hahahahaha!" he bellowed, "It's over, you bastards! Surrender if you want to live! Anyone who resists will be blown to bits! Go tell your king to hand over the throne! If he doesn't, you're all dead!"
Faced with the pirates' murderous glares, someone among the soldiers finally dropped his weapon. The sound of steel hitting the ground was quickly followed by others.
The captain of the guard's face twisted in fury at the sight of surrendering soldiers, but there was nothing he could do. With no choice, he turned and ran to report to the royal hall.
The soldiers who surrendered were rounded up by the pirates and shoved into a large warehouse. Not more, not less, exactly five hundred men.
* * *
New World, Merveille.
A figure with golden hair and a gold cloak stood at the cliff's edge, gazing down at the massive beasts below. The fierce and overwhelming aura he once carried was long gone.
Wounds of the mind and body wear a man down more than anything. Shiki now carried an air of decline.
At his waist hung Kogarashi. His legs were two famed swords. But paired with his expressionless face, he looked even more terrifying than before, his presence deeper and harder to read.
Puff, puff, puff.
Strange footsteps approached as Dr. Indigo, who looked like a clown, walked over. "What is it, boss?"
Shiki's voice was flat. "How's the research? Can we start mass production?"
Indigo replied, "The experiments have succeeded, but the formula could still be improved. Right now, the success rate is only about forty percent. The failures all turn into berserk beasts that can't be controlled. We still need to refi—"
"Enough," Shiki cut him off. "Start mass production now. I don't care if they succeed or fail. As long as they're alive, it will do. Of the five year deadline, we have only six months left. In this last half-year, use everything to create beasts. I can't wait any longer."
Indigo froze for a moment, then answered, "Understood," and quietly stepped away.
Shiki remained at the cliff's edge.
He was no longer the lion king who once sought to dominate the seas. The slow decay of his body gnawed at him every day, a torment far worse than death for a man like him.
He had only one wish now, to do something in his final days that would shake the entire world. To show what cruelty truly meant. To make the idolizing youth on the seas see what a real pirate was.
His voice, oddly calm, drifted out over the cliff. "Roger..."
* * *
Grand Line, first half, Tahama Kingdom.
In contrast to its grand exterior, the palace's interior was simple. The throne was made of stone and the vast hall was bare of any decorations.
An old king with white hair sat with his hand on his forehead, lost in troubled thought.
A thin minister stepped forward. "Your Majesty, for the sake of the people, you must refuse the pirates' vile demands."
A fat minister added, "Yes. With the strength of the royal army and the guard force combined, we have nothing to fear from these pirates."
The king lifted his head, as if making up his mind. "But if we fight to the death, what happens to the soldiers they've taken hostage? They are my people too. I cannot watch them die. If the throne is taken, we may still reclaim it. But a life once lost will never return."
The fat minister shook his head slightly. "Even if we give in to their demands, I doubt they'll release the hostages so easily."
Tap, tap, tap…
Hurried footsteps echoed through the hall as a guard ran in, shouting. "Your Majesty! A representative from the World Government has just arrived!"
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