Queen slowly adjusted his crooked sunglasses and narrowed his tiny eyes, scanning his surroundings carefully like a wary hawk.
On his already rough face was an indescribably complicated expression.
There was relief at having survived disaster, but also unease about the current situation.
Across the battlefield, the surviving members of the Beasts Pirates had already been swallowed by fear and despair.
They seemed as if their spines had been pulled out.
One after another, they dropped the weapons they had once valued as much as their lives, fell to their knees, and pressed their foreheads tightly against the bloodstained ground, hoping to beg for even the slightest chance of survival.
Their bodies trembled continuously amid the smoke.
Their miserable appearance formed a sharp contrast with their former arrogance and tyranny.
The arrogance that had once burned within them had long since vanished without a trace, like flames extinguished by a torrential downpour.
All that remained was endless fear and the humble desperation of pleading for mercy.
"Hey! What are you useless bunch still standing around for?!"
Queen suddenly shouted in his broken-gong voice, his words echoing across the tense, silent battlefield.
His thick hands clapped loudly, each smack seeming to strike the hearts of those people and make them even more panicked.
"Hurry up and come sign the damn contract!"
As Queen shouted, he waved his arms toward the crowd, looking as if he were driving a flock of lambs toward slaughter.
Then he turned toward Ron with a fawning smile plastered across his face.
The smile was bright, yet terribly fake.
He rubbed his hands together nonstop.
"Lord Ron, these guys may be useless, but at least they're still skilled fighters from the New World…"
Queen spoke cautiously, his eyes carrying a trace of expectation.
He clearly hoped Ron would accept them for whatever value they still had.
Before his words had even finished, the crowd immediately erupted into chaos.
The atmosphere, which had just been deathly still, was instantly shattered and replaced by noise and disorder.
"I-I'm willing to pledge loyalty to the Eternal Divine Kingdom!"
One voice broke the silence first, filled with urgency and longing, as if afraid of missing the only lifeline available.
Immediately afterward, the others responded one after another.
"Let me sign first! I'm the most loyal!"
Another person shouted loudly, pushing forward with all his strength to seize the first chance in this struggle.
"Get lost! I'm a Gifters member!"
A Gifter also stepped forward, waving his thick arms as he tried to rely on his status and strength to gain priority in signing.
The defeated remnants, who had looked half-dead just moments ago, suddenly burst out with shocking survival instinct at this critical moment between life and death.
They forgot the pain and exhaustion in their bodies, scrambling and crawling toward Ron.
Some dragged broken legs, every movement difficult, yet they still gritted their teeth and crawled forward.
Some clutched bleeding wounds as blood seeped between their fingers, but they ignored it completely and desperately squeezed ahead.
The scene instantly became chaotic, like a pack of starving wolves seeing a piece of fresh meat and rushing toward it without regard for anything else.
Several officers at the Headliner level could no longer hold back and directly began fighting.
Each of them wanted to sign the contract first, because only then could they ensure their survival.
"Everyone, line up!" Marco shouted sharply across the chaotic beach.
Blue flames of regeneration ignited around him, flickering with a force that inspired awe.
Those flames seemed alive, dancing along with Marco's breath and making everyone nearby feel a powerful pressure.
The restless crowd instantly quieted down.
They obediently formed a crooked line, no longer daring to move recklessly.
After all, Marco's reputation in the New World was thunderous. No one dared casually challenge his authority.
A Gifter wearing a horned helmet had squeezed forward too aggressively and ended up falling directly at Ron's feet.
His face was filled with terror and panic, yet he did not dare stand up. He simply lay there, stretching out his trembling hands.
"I… I'll obey. I'll sign the contract!"
Marco shook his head helplessly.
Then he took out leaves from the Contract Tree and, together with Ron, began signing contracts.
After all, everyone knew what kind of people these guys were.
The only way to restrain them and prevent future trouble was through a contract.
"If you want to live, then sign." Marco spoke calmly.
His voice was not loud, yet it made everyone tremble.
Those simple words were like a judgment, deciding the fate of everyone present.
In an instant, golden lights began flashing one after another around them.
That radiance was like the dawn of hope, illuminating the faces of those desperate people.
Someone signed in such a hurry that he accidentally bit his own finger.
Blood dripped onto the contract, but he did not even notice. His eyes held only the desire to survive.
Someone signed while crying, tears blurring his vision, yet he stubbornly completed this life-or-death ritual.
Others fainted immediately after signing, perhaps from extreme nervousness, or perhaps because they had finally relaxed. But every face carried the relief of surviving disaster.
Queen stood off to the side with his hands on his hips, supervising them.
His fat body rose and fell with his breathing, standing there like a small mountain.
From time to time, he kicked someone who was moving too slowly.
"Take this seriously! From now on, we're all people of the Divine Kingdom!"
His bootlicking appearance made it impossible to remember that he had once been the terrifying "Plague."
Right now, he looked just like a loyal underling, desperately trying to show his worth in front of Ron.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates exchanged looks.
Jozu scratched his head, his face showing a trace of confusion and emotion.
"This speed of annexation… is even faster than when we used to conquer territory."
He thought back to their days of fighting across the sea, when they had paid huge effort and sacrifices for every piece of territory.
The scene before him now felt almost unbelievable.
Vista elegantly twirled his rapier. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he smiled.
"After all… who doesn't want to live?"
His voice carried faint mockery, but also a deep understanding of human nature.
In this cruel pirate world, survival always came first.
Even the once-arrogant members of the Beasts Pirates now had no choice but to put down their pride and sign the contract in order to live.
As the final golden light of the contract faded away, the Beasts Pirates, who had once dominated the New World, were officially merged into the Eternal Divine Kingdom.