"Admiral Sakazuki, I am from the Nitasulo Kingdom—"
Sakazuki raised his hand and interrupted him.
"Everyone, allow me to cut in."
"The Revolutionary Army has only been temporarily repelled by us. After this, they will certainly launch a frenzied counterattack. The Nitasulo Kingdom may not necessarily be safe."
"I have already contacted the World Government and Marine Headquarters. They have tacitly permitted every action I take within the Nitasulo Kingdom. Therefore, for a very long period of time, this kingdom will be managed by the Marines."
"If you wish to remain here, the Marines will provide necessary protection, but the number of personnel assigned to you will not be large. If you wish to leave, the Marines can dispatch ships to escort you to Jog Marie."
The nobles turned around one after another and began discussing among themselves.
They had originally come with absolute confidence, intending to demand that their rule be restored.
But after seeing Sakazuki, all those words were forcibly stuffed back into their stomachs.
They felt extremely dejected, but they had no choice but to face reality.
They could only choose between the two options Sakazuki had given them.
Most of the nobles had not recognized reality.
They believed the Revolutionary Army was nothing more than a group of mud-legged peasants and would surely collapse the moment they faced the Marines.
Therefore, they decided to remain in the Nitasulo Kingdom.
Others felt that their lives were more important. It would be better to take their wealth and go to Jog Marie, then return once the situation stabilized.
The two groups eventually divided.
One group, led by the older Duke Morton Marvin, chose to remain in the Nitasulo Kingdom.
The other group, led by Count Bellamy Eble, advocated leaving.
Sakazuki sat silently in his seat without saying a word.
Only after the two groups had finally confirmed their decisions did he speak calmly.
"Those who choose to stay, stand on the left. Those who choose to leave, stand on the right."
Very soon, Marine soldiers entered one after another.
They took these former nobles away and carried out different orders according to their choices.
Only after they had left did Miles step out from the corner and ask, "Sakazuki-sama, did you not say we were going to kill them?"
Sakazuki revealed a rare smile.
"I am not an idiot. Do you think I never improve? Sometimes, I have learned many things from Raleigh, such as how to reduce trouble to the smallest possible scale."
These two groups of people would not escape death in the end.
But Sakazuki still deliberately left them with hope.
He wanted them to take the initiative and move their own wealth out.
Without their cooperation, even if Sakazuki searched the entire island, he might not be able to find their hidden fortunes.
As for the Revolutionary Army soldiers, it would be even more impossible for them to find it.
Sakazuki remembered the secret conversation he had with Raleigh before the expedition.
Raleigh had once said that striking the Revolutionary Army was not the main point, because the Revolutionary Army's composition was too complex.
Their ideology was their most terrifying weapon.
If those rotten nobles were left behind and the people saw no hope, then the Revolutionary Army would never be eliminated.
Worse still, as the Marines' offensive expanded, they would eventually fall into endless encirclement and suppression by both the Revolutionary Army and the people.
If they wanted to make money, it was best to squeeze it out of these nobles.
In any case, aside from the World Government, neither the Marines, the Revolutionary Army, nor the people cared whether they lived or died.
As for the Heavenly Tribute?
That was the World Government's problem, not something the Marines needed to consider.
After returning to their residences, the nobles joyfully summoned their former guards and quietly headed toward the places where they had hidden their wealth.
Duke Morton Marvin busily directed his guards.
"Quick, take all of these too."
"Damn it, be careful. That was bestowed upon me by the king. It even has a master's signature on it. Killing you would not be enough to compensate for that treasure."
Looking at the cave that was gradually being emptied, Duke Morton Marvin revealed a satisfied smile.
"Damn Revolutionary Army. They almost stole all my treasures! What a pity about my mansion and the things I could not take with me."
The thought made Duke Morton Marvin feel a tightness in his chest.
The wealth his family had accumulated over dozens of generations had been reduced to only two-thirds of its former amount.
The rest had all been confiscated and taken away by the Revolutionary Army.
"Hmph. And those foolish commoners, helping the Revolutionary Army plunder my wealth. Once I regain power, I will make them pay!"
Duke Morton Marvin was not worried at all about whether his authority would return.
The Marines had no right to permanently station troops here.
They were only temporarily staying in the Nitasulo Kingdom. Once the Marines left, everything in this kingdom would still be controlled by people like them.
Even if they had to pay some wealth to the World Government, they were more than willing to regain power.
Unfortunately, reality was not so perfect.
Dozens of carriages filled with wealth slowly rolled out of the cave and traveled along a forest path.
"Is this not a little immoral?"
A Marine soldier whispered quietly.
The corner of Miles' mouth twitched.
In order to train him, Sakazuki had specifically sent him to carry out this mission.
"Enough. Stop talking. When the time comes, move cleanly."
Miles said with a dark expression.
Duke Morton Marvin before them was a very fat sheep. Sakazuki had specifically instructed him to kill everyone and let no one escape.
He was the key to the Marines warning these nobles and framing the Revolutionary Army.
Only with Duke Morton Marvin's death would the nobles unwilling to leave recognize reality and hand their wealth over to the Marines for safekeeping in exchange for Marine protection.
As for the nobles who chose to leave, Sakazuki believed Raleigh would make sure they knew what to say.
Duke Morton Marvin's convoy had only traveled for ten minutes before it was forced to stop.
He stuck his head out of the carriage and asked in confusion, "What is—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The guards, whose combat strength was extremely poor, immediately collapsed into chaos.
A large number of them fell to the ground.
Miles covered his face, raised a katana, and charged out.
"These treasures are meant to be handed over to the Marines! Kill them all and seize the wealth!"
"Victory to the Revolutionary Army!"
Miles shouted, then cut down one of the guards with a single slash.
"Re-Revolutionary Army? How are they here?!"
Duke Morton Marvin was so frightened that his limbs went weak. He stayed inside the carriage, not daring to move.
"End this quickly!"
Before the guards could react, a large number of Marine soldiers had already rushed forward.
The skills they had honed over years of fighting all kinds of brutal pirates were overwhelming when used against guards who could only bully civilians.
Even while concealing their strength, the guards were still no match for them.
Very soon, every guard was dead.
"No… you are not the Revolutionary Army!"
When Duke Morton Marvin was dragged out of the carriage, he finally realized the truth in the moment before his death and uttered those words.
"You guessed right, but there is no reward."
Miles drove his blade straight into the duke's heart.
He was not foolish enough to take off his mask before killing someone, as others might.
"Good. Secretly transport all the treasures away."
"The rest of you, disguise the scene and make it look like the Revolutionary Army was responsible."
The convoy began moving once more.
Only this time, the people riding in it had changed.
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