"Clean up the battlefield."
Victor Shaw gave the order coldly, his expression unreadable.
The war to conquer the Four Nations was essentially over.
Now came the next phase annexing and assimilating the conquered territories, officially elevating the Kingdom of Goa to the Goa Empire, and spreading its name across the entire East Blue.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The royal security forces moved swiftly. Even Eric got to work, personally harvesting the heads of Kuroobi and Chuu.
Victor had no interest in such petty bounties… but Eric certainly did.
Before long, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village who had been hiding in fear began to emerge from their homes.
Once they learned that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out completely by the Goa Kingdom's forces, they burst into tears.
Tears of joy.
At long last… they had hope again.
And now they knew the Goa Kingdom's soldiers were far more dependable than the Navy.
They hadn't just driven the fishmen out.
They had eradicated them.
"Send word in every direction raise the banner of the Kingdom of Goa!"
Victor's voice rang out like a bell.
With that order, the more than twenty villages and towns that had been enslaved under the Dragon Pirates and the corrupt Captain Nezumi were finally liberated and restored to the rule of humankind.
The Goa Kingdom's army having already seized the Four-Leaf Kingdom, the Moonlight Kingdom, and the Organ Kingdom marched steadily into the Konomi Kingdom, occupying all four of the once-independent nations.
Even the gangsters and street thugs from the chaos-ridden town of Goa had been inspired by Victor Shaw's rise.
They rallied to his new banner the banner of the Goa Empire.
Victor, the king who had once come from the slums of Edge Town, was now their idol, their pride.
One by one, they flocked to enlist joining the army, the royal guard, the special forces.
They wanted to serve the king who had done what no one else could.
They wanted to be part of history.
Under Victor's leadership, the people of the Goa Kingdom united in a wave of fervor and purpose the likes of which had never been seen before.
Together, they would witness a historic moment:
The Kingdom of Goa was about to become the Goa Empire.
···
"Once you've finished handling your affairs, report to the capital of the Goa Empire."
Victor's words to Nami and Nojiko were simple but direct.
He didn't take them with him immediately but he made it clear, in the name of the crown, that they had been chosen.
They were now bound to something greater.
As the two sisters stood silently caught between uncertainty and curiosity Victor turned away, leading his army as they departed from Cocoyasi Village.
The majority of the Evil Dragon Pirates' seized assets were confiscated, but Victor intentionally left behind a portion for Cocoyasi Village and its surrounding towns.
After all, with the Goa Kingdom having now absorbed four entire nations, the amount of Heavenly Tribute owed to the World Government would increase dramatically.
As king, Victor also had to consider the financial future of his expanding empire.
However, thanks to the gold reserves plundered from Sky Island, Victor Shaw wasn't worried about affording the Heavenly Tribute.
Even if he expanded into poorer member states or unaffiliated nations, the Goa Empire's treasury could handle the burden with ease.
···
The Next Day
With the Goa Kingdom halting its expansion campaign, all the major member states in the East Blue finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
Who could have imagined that the usually quiet, unassuming Goa Kingdom would suddenly transform into a rampaging beast devouring four kingdoms in a single sweep?
It sent a wave of fear through governments everywhere.
Now that the conquest had ended, the name King Toki Victor Shaw's official title as monarch made headlines across the seas.
Victor, once known as the Exiled King, had his name splashed across the front page of the World Economic Journal.
Big News Morgans even went so far as to rank him alongside Vinsmoke Judge, the infamous King of the Germa Kingdom.
Suddenly, the entire world began paying attention.
One thing was clear: Victor Shaw was not to be underestimated.
Meanwhile, in the East Blue, word began circulating about King Ba Dodshina of the Kingdom of Flaus.
It was said that a single call from Ba Dodshina had brought Victor's conquest to a halt.
This cemented Flaus's role as the informal leader among East Blue's member nations.
Naturally, this filled Ba Dodshina with pride.
···
Three Days Later
The Kingdom of Goa officially declared to the world:
It would now be known as the Goa Empire.
Victor Shaw was crowned Emperor of the Goa Empire, and Sally De Cannette was declared Empress.
The announcement appeared once again in the Morgans Newspaper, triggering widespread debate among the world's ruling elite.
When King Ba Dodshina of the Kingdom of Flaus read the headline, his expression darkened.
Everyone else was still a king so why was Victor Shaw suddenly calling himself an emperor?
Just because he annexed four small kingdoms?
It wasn't as though the Kingdom of Flaus hadn't done the same in the past like when they absorbed the Kingdom of Cokia.
Still, they hadn't gone so far as to rename themselves an empire.
King Ba Dodshina's gaze slowly drifted to the liaison officer seated across from him a representative of Germa 66.
A sly, sinister grin crept onto his face.
"Commissioner Smith," he said, "even the Germa Kingdom, the most powerful nation to ever dominate the North Blue, never claimed the title of empire."
"So what gives that street king Victor Shaw the right to stand on equal footing with king Vinsmoke?"
"As long as King Judge is willing to speak, our Kingdom of Flaus is ready to join hands with the Germa Kingdom and put the Goa Empire in its place."
King Ba Dodshina was trying to drag Germa 66 into a power play to suppress the growing influence of the Goa Empire.
But the liaison, Commissioner Smith, didn't bite.
"You needn't concern yourself with that, Your Majesty," he replied coldly, like a machine. "Just focus on settling the commission fee for this assignment."
He completely ignored Ba Dodshina's provocation.
But far across the seas…
In the frigid heart of the North Blue, Vinsmoke Judge himself had begun to take notice.
A new king Victor Shaw was making global headlines.
And worse, he was calling his kingdom an empire.
That alone was enough to irritate Judge deeply.
The Germa Kingdom, once dominant across the entire North Blue, had never dared to proclaim itself an empire.
Yet this upstart from the East Blue a man known as the "Exiled King" had declared himself Emperor of Goa?
"The Exiled King. The King of Time…"
Judge clenched the newspaper in his hand and set it ablaze.
The paper crumpled into ashes between his fingers.
If Victor hadn't been so far away in the East Blue, Judge might have marched over and crushed him personally.
But one thing was clear: the name of the Goa Empire had now spread far and wide.
And everyone who opened a newspaper knew the name Victor Shaw.
···
Imperial Capital, Goa Empire
The entire Goa Empire had exploded into celebration.
A sea of festivities rolled through the capital city.
Even the citizens of the recently annexed Four-Leaf Kingdom, Moonlight Kingdom, Organ Kingdom, and Konomi Kingdom had embraced their new identity.
They were no longer separate nations they were all part of the Goa Empire now.
And why not?
The glory of the empire now shined upon them too.
Being a citizen of an empire carried far more prestige than serving a mere kingdom.
And to be honest… the old royal families and navy bases had never done much for them anyway.
Now, at least, they had a ruler who had freed them.
Thanks to Emperor Victor Shaw, they even saw a 20% reduction in taxes.
For the first time in years, they had hope for a better life.
At the very least, they could survive and eat.
···
Inside the royal Goa Palace
"Husband, you're amazing~"
Queen Sally clung to Victor Shaw, her cheeks flushed crimson. Her man her king had truly turned her into an empress.
When they traveled to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise for the Reverie, she would stand tall a full head above the other princesses and queens from minor kingdoms.
And she couldn't wait.
"This is just the beginning. There's much more to come!"
Victor raised his halberd with a gleam in his eye, ready for the next conquest.
Four more nations?
Why not?
On that night, he launched another glorious "campaign" this time upon Queen Sally.
And this time… the Queen couldn't handle it.
She was completely conquered.
"That Flower Kingdom didn't even bother sending a single message of congratulations."
Victor's voice turned cold as he leaned back, staring up at the palace ceiling.
"So… they've chosen their death."
He hadn't forgotten how King Ba Dodshina had tried to stand against him daring to threaten the Goa Empire and hide behind foreign powers like Germa 66.
They thought they were safe?
This emperor would crush every one of their so-called backers.
And it just so happened that…
Queen Sally was delicate.
She needed a strong sister to help manage the palace.
Victor stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Vinsmoke Reiju the iron-willed, graceful princess of Germa seemed like the perfect candidate to become his imperial consort.
If it came to that… well, perhaps he'd only need to exile two or three of Reiju's Vinsmoke brothers before Judge finally sent her to him for a royal marriage proposal.
And if Germa 66 dared to resist?
Then Emperor Victor Shaw would take Princess Reiju by force.
One way or another… she'd be his.