The world was once again profoundly shaken. No one had expected Roa to retaliate so quickly. No, this wasn't even retaliation. Those kings hadn't provoked him at all! If anything, they were just preparing to unite and resist the encroachment of the Calamity Company, and hadn't even had time to do anything. The result was that the Rikum Kingdom's army was completely annihilated, and all the attending kings were killed.
Roa was merely making an example of them! To show the entire world what happened to those who dared to oppose him! Roa's cruelty and madness once again left the world speechless.
What shocked people even more were the weapons used by the Calamity Company's soldiers, as revealed in the newspapers. They effortlessly wiped out a country's army, and it was the Rikum Kingdom, a nation that, though poor, was not weak! People could only sigh and lament that it was no wonder his weapons could be sold all over the world.
"The Massacre of Six Kingdoms incident?"
In a certain sea area of the New World, in a palace on the back of a snail, Roa casually put down the newspaper. "That name's too ugly." Besides, the sense of déjà vu was too strong. Not only did he steal Judge's people and his country, but now he was even stealing his claim to fame?
"Hehehe, Boss, of course I wanted to give this operation a grander name, but," a bird-man stood below the throne Roa was leaning on, Morgans. "But you know, it's all to numb the damned World Government. I had no choice but to betray my own conscience and pick such a name. I truly wish I could tear out my heart and show it to you, so you'd know how much pain this causes me!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Roa immediately said with interest, "Then hurry up and take it out so I can see."
"Uh..." Morgans was instantly speechless.
"Alright," Roa waved his hand, no longer playing along with the fellow. "First, tell me about the changes during this period."
Morgans' expression instantly turned serious. "The biggest change, of course, is your reputation. There's probably no one else in the entire world as infamous as you."
"Just your name alone will keep countless people awake at night!"
"No need to dwell on the good things," Roa waved his hand. "Tell me about the bad."
Was that supposed to be a good thing?
Morgans' lips curled. "The biggest bad thing, of course, is that many affiliated nations have jointly urged the World Government to quickly resolve the threat we pose."
"But that doesn't matter to us at all." Morgans said, "The World Government and us are inherently at odds."
"After this incident, the boycott from non-affiliated nations should also come to an end, so it can't really be called a crisis."
"If I had to pinpoint the biggest problem, it would be," Morgans' expression grew solemn, "the World Government has realized Umit's role and has begun to consciously blockade his transport channels."
"Oh, is that so?" Roa chuckled. "That's fine. New transport channels will be in place soon."
The deep-sea logistics company on Fish-Man Island had been successfully established and was currently in the intense process of capturing sea beasts. It wouldn't be long before it could be put to use.
Blockade? Can the World Government blockade sea routes, but not underwater ones?
"In that case," Morgans scratched the back of his head, "it seems there are no significant crises worth mentioning."
"Even weapon sales haven't been affected much recently. After all, our clients don't care about your reputation at all."
That was indeed the truth of the matter. In the past, who were the people who bought their weapons? Rebels incited to action, pirates from all over the seas, and rats from the underworld's gutters. For these people, would they refuse to buy weapons just because Roa sold them? How could they? For the rebels, even if they truly believed Roa was instigating their rebellion, they were already too far in to back out. Could they possibly lay down their weapons and surrender? As for pirates and the rats of the underworld, there was even less to say; they didn't care about right or wrong. Of course, they would buy weapons from whoever produced the most durable, powerful, and cost-effective ones.
"Furthermore, for those non-World Government affiliated nations, in order to cope with potential rebellions or enemies, wouldn't they also choose to procure our weapons?" For non-affiliated nations without Marine protection, if they couldn't prevent the flow of the Calamity Company's weapons into their country, to deal with enemies whose firepower had surged, they would naturally have no choice but to engage in an arms race.
"Is that what you think?" Roa sighed with a hint of melancholy. "That's really a shame. I was actually quite looking forward to those non-affiliated nations continuing to boycott us."
And then you'd continue to send fleets to demonstrate our weapons? Unfortunately, that was no longer possible. Morgans knew the non-affiliated nations too well. With no guarantee of survival, and even stripped of their human rights by the World Government, these countries needed to be adept at adapting to survive. Now, directly confronting the Boss was an extremely foolish thing to do. Only a minority of non-affiliated nations would choose to continue being foolish.
And indeed, that was the case.
The Massacre of Six Kingdoms incident caused a huge stir worldwide. Roa's narrow-mindedness left everyone speechless. This guy was a lunatic who, merely because his business was slightly affected, could directly show up and kill people! The concept of a nation was simply too insignificant in his eyes. He didn't even need to move personally, nor did his executives need to take action; merely dispatching his fleets was enough to easily destroy a country.
The kings who had been dismissive instantly fell silent. Even the kings of the World Government affiliated nations were terrified; they didn't think Roa would care about their affiliated status and wouldn't retaliate. Roa was extremely petty!
"We can't confront Roa anymore..." Many kings of non-affiliated nations murmured painfully. "Otherwise, we might be next."
There were many non-affiliated nations in the world. If they all united, they might truly be able to stop Roa. But such a thing could only be achieved in dreams. Each country had its own interests, and no one wanted to be the first to be targeted by Roa. Not to mention the World Government was stirring up trouble in between. So, they could only choose to compromise.
Even.
North Blue.
Dragon put down the newspaper in his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a headache. "To be so utterly insane! Roa, what kind of perilous den was the Rocks Pirates, to be able to raise such a youth?"
"What should we do now?" Trafalgar D. Water Law asked, sounding a bit conflicted. "Dragon, should we continue to purchase their weapons?"
Though they had already formed an army and even allied with Zephyr, the Revolutionary Army currently had no industry to speak of. Forget weapons; they couldn't even achieve self-sufficiency in food. And as for Zephyr, it was even more impossible for him to directly provide them with standard Marine equipment; otherwise, news of their collusion with the Marines would instantly spread, wouldn't it? The weapons they originally used were also purchased from Roa.
Dragon immediately fell into deep hesitation. Undoubtedly, Roa was a scum he had never seen before. However, this scum could provide them with good quality, affordable, and durable weapons. Furthermore, if they truly lacked money, he even offered loan services.
"Perhaps, before our own military factories develop," Trafalgar D. Water Law tentatively began, "we can first continue using Roa's weapons, then claim poverty for a loan and not repay it. Wouldn't that avoid aiding and abetting evil?"
Dragon's eyes instantly darkened.
It seemed to make some sense.
Anyway, Roa didn't even know of the Revolutionary Army's existence. If he wanted revenge, he probably wouldn't even be able to find anyone!
Then.
"Damn it!"
Marijoa, the Gorosei were quite enraged. "How dare that bastard do this! Doesn't he fear incurring the enmity of the entire world, becoming an enemy to all?"
"Perhaps he truly isn't afraid at all. Rather, he might even dream of it, don't forget his ability."
"The non-affiliated nations are all being coerced by him now. The sales of the Calamity Company's weapons are no longer restricted."
"Even to counter the potentially rampant flow of the Calamity Company's weapons, those non-affiliated nations will have no choice but to procure weapons from Roa."
"We must quickly cut off all his channels. We cannot let him continue to be so reckless! Our widespread propaganda has only caused his sales to skyrocket. Where does that leave the Government's face?"
"Indeed!"
At the same time, Fish-Man Island.
"You guys need to speed up the progress, Mr. Tiger," A red-skinned fish-man, standing atop a brand new building in Fish-Man District, was on a call with someone. "The Government has begun to heavily blockade our shipping routes. Even if we have many secret routes, in the face of a fully operational World Government, even the most secret ones probably won't last long."
Fisher Tiger, the red fish-man, was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Although quite a few sea beasts have been tamed, the exploration of ocean currents is still far from complete."
"That's enough!" The person on the other end of the line said, "Even without ocean currents, just navigating in shallow sea areas, your efficiency will be much higher than ours. We'll be responsible for planning the routes, and you for the transport!"
"Don't keep that lord waiting!"
"..." Tiger was silent again, then finally nodded. "Alright."
The call ended. Fisher Tiger sighed, his face full of melancholy.
"Brother Tiger, do we really have to help that guy Roa?" Behind Tiger, the blue-skinned, stout fish-man Jinbe clenched his fists. "That guy is a complete lunatic!"
When Roa last came to Fish-Man Island, his true nature hadn't yet been exposed, and the fish-men hadn't realized how insane he truly was. Now that Roa's secrets had been revealed, the righteous Jinbe was extremely displeased. Undoubtedly, Roa and his Calamity Company were a scourge to the world; helping them sell weapons was bringing trauma to the entire world.
"Jinbe, are you saying we should break ties with Roa?" Tiger said with a touch of melancholy. "But, haven't you seen from this incident? That guy Roa is very petty."
"..." Jinbe was suddenly speechless. Yes, if they truly angered Roa, with that guy's petty nature and madness, Fish-Man Island would certainly suffer extreme retaliation. In that case, the entire Fish-Man Island would probably be destroyed!
"Forget it, their human grievances have nothing to do with us," Tiger sighed. "No matter what, Roa hasn't mistreated us. Being able to create more income for Fish-Man District isn't a bad thing."
"...Mm." After a moment of hesitation, Jinbe finally nodded somewhat helplessly. The hot-blooded youth was gradually realizing that there were many things in the world that couldn't be achieved with just a burning passion. Many times, they had no choice.
Time slowly passed in this manner. In the blink of an eye, several months went by. During these months, the name of the Calamity Company almost resonated throughout the world, appearing in newspapers every few days. The World Government tirelessly publicized how evil they were, detailing what kind of destruction their weapons had caused.
However, the frustrating thing was that such propaganda ironically had the opposite effect. For lawless madmen, the greater the destruction caused by weapons, wasn't that even better? And under the arms race, even those organizations or individuals who opposed and boycotted the Calamity Company and Roa had no choice but to start purchasing the Calamity Company's weapons.
The New World, Paradise, and even the Four Seas. The Calamity Company's weapons were now sold worldwide, even becoming synonymous with good quality and affordable prices. What no one had expected was that the Calamity Company's weapons suddenly became highly sought after, resulting in Roa's own production falling short. So, Roa waved his hand, had Judge lead the way, and captured more large snails, further expanding the Germa Kingdom's scale, and then further expanding the factories. Large amounts of capital began to converge on the Snail Grand Fleet.
And at this time, it was already Marine Calendar 1492.
The story of this year begins at Reverse Mountain.
At the entrance to the Grand Line at Reverse Mountain, there was a tall lighthouse, guiding ships from the Four Seas to the Grand Line. At this moment, a large ship was docked by the shore outside the lighthouse. On the shore, a golden-haired man with gold-rimmed glasses, the First Mate of the Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh, now had a stunned, somewhat pale expression. His voice trembled.
"Crocus, what do you mean, Roger has an incurable disease?"
It wasn't just him; all the Roger Pirates members were filled with disbelief.
"It must be a mistake, right?" Gaban's forehead was drenched in cold sweat. "Crocus, you must be mistaken. Roger is strong enough to fight Sea Kings bare-handed in the sea! How could he get sick?"
Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes and part-time doctor, who had a flower-like decoration behind his head, sighed. "There's no mistake. This disease currently has no cure anywhere on the sea."
"Bastard! Don't you dare curse the Captain! You hateful fellow! I won't forgive you!" The red-nosed Buggy shrieked, pouncing towards Crocus. Behind him, the red-haired Shanks was silently weeping.
"Alright, Buggy, don't make it hard on Crocus," Roger grabbed Buggy by the collar and pulled him back. Even with a death sentence issued, the man still smiled broadly. "This is life. You never know when the unexpected will arrive."
"But, Captain!" Buggy instantly buried himself in Roger's arms, wailing, "You, you're going to die!!"
"Idiot, who doesn't die?" Roger ruffled Buggy's head, smiling. "The weight of life lies in what one accomplishes in a short time." He looked at Crocus. "How much time do I have left? There are two things I really want to do."
"If you manage it well, perhaps six or seven years?" Crocus said slowly.
"Six or seven years, huh?" Roger's smile gradually faded. He turned around. He looked at the white-haired woman standing behind him. The woman was now in tears, holding a sleeping, black-haired infant in her arms.
"I'm sorry, Olvia," Roger scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "It seems I won't be able to accompany Robin as she grows up."
"..." The woman's shoulders trembled violently, tears flowing uncontrollably.
But the woman said, "There must be a way, Roger. If medicine doesn't work, there are Devil Fruits! With so many miraculous Devil Fruits in the world, there must be one that can cure you!"
"Even if Devil Fruits don't work, there's still the legendary Great Treasure, the culmination of all human dreams. There must be a way there!"
"Hahahaha! You're right!" Roger's smile returned. "Then let's make haste! We need to find that Great Treasure quickly!"