About ten days later, Bullet and Gaban returned one after the other.
Bullet was the first to come back; his methods were as direct and brutal as ever.
He kidnapped the king of the Colonia Kingdom and brought him back tied up.
In contrast, Gaban and Sikal took a gentler approach; they "invited" the king of the Goa Kingdom to return with them.
The three kings spent an entire night in discussion. No one knew exactly what they talked about, but not long after the two foreign kings returned to their nations, both publicly declared their allegiance to the Mole Kingdom.
Although there were still a few stubborn factions in both kingdoms who refused to accept this new order, all of them were eliminated by Roger's pirate crew.
Yes. Eliminated. Completely erased from existence.
This was to ensure that once the crew left, no one would stir up trouble again.
King Kaiser also managed to find out who the spy was who had infiltrated their kingdom from Colonia.
The answer shocked everyone: it was one of the highest-ranking ministers in the entire country.
Thankfully, the Roger Pirates had arrived early.
If they had been delayed any longer, Kaiser's rule might have been completely undermined, and the kingdom might have been destroyed altogether.
The day after learning the truth, King Kaiser ordered the execution of the traitor's entire clan, nine generations wiped out.
No matter how much the man pleaded, or how many contributions he'd made to the country, or how heartfelt his appeals were, the king showed no mercy.
Just the crime of endangering the princess was enough to erase all past merits.
On the day of the unification, a massive celebration was held across the island.
No matter where they were, everyone on the island joined in.
Their homeland had finally become unified, and they no longer had to live under the horrors of war.
"Thank you all," King Kaiser said during the banquet, bowing deeply to Roger.
This time, Roger didn't refuse the gesture because he knew this was a show of gratitude he had to accept.
"I hope you'll treat the people of this island well. If I come back one day and find that they're suffering… You know what will happen."
"Don't worry. I'll treat the people like they're my children," the king replied.
Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his face.
He had just felt a terrifying pressure from Roger's presence, and the previously relaxed, friendly image was instantly shattered.
"Good," Roger said, giving him a pat on the shoulder, both a gesture of encouragement and a hope that he'd become a great king someday.
It had been two months since the last time the Roger Pirates had fully assembled.
But even in the solemn palace, their raucous, lively energy couldn't be contained.
"Thank you," said Princess Katherine, walking up to Baichuan and raising her glass.
That night, she wore an extravagant gown and easily became the center of attention wherever she went.
"No need to thank me."
Baichuan had heard her say that so many times already; this one made no difference.
"You've gotta admit, Baichuan has ridiculous luck with women," one pirate grumbled to his companion, probably jealous of how close Katherine was to him.
"Ha! If you had Baichuan's face, or even half his looks, you'd be drowning in women too."
"HAHAHAHA!"
Everyone around burst into loud laughter.
"Oh, like you guys aren't jealous too," the grumbling pirate shot back.
Their laughter stopped abruptly.
To say they weren't jealous would be a lie.
Sure, pirates didn't need handsome faces, but if they had one, they certainly wouldn't mind.
After all, most pirates chased after two things: money and women.
And with a face like Baichuan's, women were hardly a problem.
But Baichuan didn't feel as carefree as they imagined.
Katherine had been pressuring him all night.
"Are you not planning to stay?"
She had asked him this same question countless times.
"I've told you, I have no desire to remain here. Let it go."
"Can't you at least think about me?"
For days, Katherine had tried to hide her feelings for Baichuan.
But when she learned he was leaving, she couldn't suppress it any longer; her emotions burst out.
"…I'm sorry. Maybe it's just fate. We're not meant to be."
Though it hurt him to see her cry, Baichuan still firmly rejected her, not wanting to give her even a sliver of hope.
Even though he didn't say the words outright, Katherine understood.
The meaning was clear; it was a rejection.
Tears streaming down her face, she turned and ran off.
Baichuan instinctively wanted to call out to her, to comfort her…
But in the end, he held himself back.
"Ugh, what a jerk,"
Some pirates watching from afar spat in disgust as they saw Katherine leave in tears.
They immediately constructed a tragic romance story in their heads:
Baichuan seduced the princess, toyed with her emotions, and then abandoned her in pursuit of his dreams, leaving behind a brokenhearted woman and even a daughter.
If Baichuan had known what they were imagining, he'd probably have punched them on the spot.
What daughter?! That part was just plain ridiculous.
Meanwhile, King Kaiser, who had been watching his daughter the whole time, let out a helpless sigh.
He had hoped to see his daughter happy, but it wasn't going to happen.
And he liked Baichuan as a person, too…
"You're going to turn her down?"
At that moment, Rayleigh walked up to Baichuan, maybe trying to offer some emotional advice.
"Even if it hurts… so what? We're not meant to be. And besides, I don't like her. It was always one-sided. I'm not some heartless player."
"Then what are you moping around for? Crying crocodile tears?"
"I just feel… unsettled, that's all."
Rayleigh let out a cold laugh.
"Admit it. You have feelings for her."
"I'm telling you, if feelings do appear, you have to crush them immediately.
Don't let them grow roots. Never give up the forest for a single tree."
"Well, look who's talking. Sounds like you're the real player here.
But if your wife hears you say that, what do you think will happen?"
"What wife?!"
"Wait… didn't I hear something about a woman in Sabaody Archipelago who still misses you?
Or is it you who still misses her?"
Rayleigh's eyes widened in panic.
"You, how do you know about that?" he blurted out in a high-pitched voice, quickly glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"Heh. That's a secret. Not telling."
Baichuan walked off smugly.
"You brat! You better not tell anyone about this!"
"Relax. I'm not suicidal."
Baichuan knew if he ever spread that juicy secret, Rayleigh's revenge would be merciless.