Not a single living pirate remained on the entire ship.
After confirming that all enemies had been completely eliminated, the Shadow Soldier strode directly toward the ship's hull, firmly grasping the keel with both hands.
In the next instant—
The thirty-meter-long, hundred-ton medium-sized pirate ship was actually lifted clean off the ground by it!
Holding the entire ship aloft, it walked step by step toward the central plaza of Fish-Man Island.
On the plaza, two enormous Space Gates stood tall, shimmering with silver light.
The one on the left led to New Fish-Man Island—a land of bright sunshine, azure seas, and blue skies, the true terrestrial home for the fish-men.
The one on the right connected to the Fish-Man Island Transit Station of the Fengtian Empire.
At that moment, the plaza bustled with activity as merfolk and fish-men intermingled, creating a lively scene.
Suddenly—
"What is that?!"
A mermaid girl abruptly stopped, pointing into the distance and exclaiming in shock.
Everyone followed her gaze and saw a black figure striding swiftly from afar.
It was carrying a massive pirate ship!
"What... is that thing? It looks humanoid?"
"Oh my god, it's actually lifting an entire ship!"
A sharp-eyed fish-man squinted for a closer look, then suddenly realized:
"You don't know? That's the Fengtian Empire's newly developed combat bionic robots, called the Shadow Corps! Their combat power is said to be terrifying!"
"Judging by this scene... it just wiped out an entire pirate crew!"
Only then did the crowd notice that the pirate ship was stained with blood, with corpses strewn haphazardly across the deck. Some even hung limply over the ship's railings, a shocking sight.
"I heard that His Majesty Raiver deployed a full hundred of these robots to our Fish-Man Island!"
"A hundred?!"
"That's wonderful! Now our Fish-Man Island is truly impregnable!"
"Yes, those despicable pirates used to always try to break in and kidnap our mermaid girls.
Now with these Shadow Soldiers, who would dare come to their deaths!"
Among the crowd, a middle-aged fish-man gazed at the black figure, filled with emotion:
"His Majesty Raiver's kindness to our Fish-Man Island is something we can never repay in a lifetime...
Not only did he allow us to immigrate and live on land, but he also sent troops to protect us."
A young mermaid girl beside him nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of admiration:
"Yes, yes, and in three months, it will be time for Fish-Man Island to pay tribute to His Majesty Raiver again.
The Maiden Selection Tournament hosted by Dragon Palace City has already opened for registration. I'm planning to give it a try!"
A fish-man man next to her, hearing this, brightened up and turned to the middle-aged fish-man:
"Old brother, I remember your daughter is exceptionally beautiful, right? If she enters, she's sure to be selected."
The middle-aged fish-man sighed, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes:
"Ah, she signed up last year. Unfortunately, the competition was too fierce, and she still didn't make it into the final list of twenty.
I thought my daughter was beautiful enough and had a good figure, but when we got to the competition, I realized there were just too many girls more outstanding than her..."
"Then try again this year!" The fish-man man patted his shoulder and lowered his voice:
"I heard that among the mermaid maids selected last year, one went home to visit her family yesterday.
She said it herself—after serving His Majesty Raiver, she gained the ability of eternal youth and immortality!
And this time when she went home, she even had a Shadow Soldier accompanying her for protection!"
"Is that true?!"
"Absolutely true! The girls who went home in previous years said the same thing. This has been spreading for a while now, no mistake about it!"
The middle-aged fish-man's eyes gradually brightened, as if a flame had been ignited:
"Good... good! For my daughter's future, I must have her compete this year!"
Becoming Raiver's maid meant being second only to one, above all others.
Not only could one live in the Sky Palace, hailed as the "world's most luxurious palace," enjoying fine clothes and exquisite food every day, but also be in the constant company of the world's strongest man.
Thus, the annual maid selection competitions in various kingdoms were fiercely contested, with countless young and beautiful women flocking to participate, drawn by the reputation.
There was even a saying circulating among young women, passed from mouth to ear:
"I want to become the woman of the world's strongest man!"
Men fought to become the "man of the Pirate King," while women fought to become the "woman of the world's strongest man."
Roger had ushered in the Great Pirate Era.
And Raiver had ushered in the Great Harem Era.
At this moment, the Shadow Soldier lifted the pirate ship and stepped into the square, one stride at a time.
Wherever it passed, the crowd automatically parted to both sides, their gazes filled with a mix of awe and curiosity, fixed intently on the black steel figure.
"This ship... it can still be used if repaired." A knowledgeable fish-man examined the hull and murmured:
"The hull is a bit damaged, but the keel isn't broken. With careful repairs, it could sell for at least thirty million Belly."
"Exactly, a medium-sized pirate ship is in high demand right now."
The Shadow Soldier paid no attention to the surrounding discussions and walked straight toward the Space Gate leading to the Fengtian Empire.
A flash of silver light, and its figure disappeared on the other side of the gate.
A moment later, it arrived at the Fish-Man Island Transit Station in the Fengtian Empire.
There, craftsmen were already waiting, ready to receive this piece of loot.
They would repair the hull and resell it.
Thirty million Belly—another sum added to the treasury.
If no one spoke of it, no one would know that this ship had once held a hundred corpses, a vessel of ill omen.
...
Since the Fengtian Empire deployed a hundred Shadow Soldiers to Fish-Man Island, Raiver had done something that made countless pirates grit their teeth in hatred.
He directly raised the entry fee for Fish-Man Island to one million Belly per person.
At the same time, he blockaded the sea area within a twenty-kilometer radius centered on Fish-Man Island, with the Shadow Corps patrolling around the clock.
Whenever a ship passed by, they would demand a toll—one million Belly per person.
If the toll wasn't paid or couldn't be paid, the ship would be sunk on the spot, without mercy.
All collected entry fees and tolls bypassed Fish-Man Island entirely, going straight into the Fengtian Empire's treasury.
It must be said, Raiver's move was extremely shrewd.
From the Sabaody Archipelago diving into the deep sea to reach the New World, Fish-Man Island wasn't the only route.
But—
It was the shortest one.
To detour, one would have to go around Fish-Man Island and then around the twenty-kilometer sea area blockaded by the Shadow Corps, adding a full hundred kilometers to the journey.
And that hundred kilometers happened to be a perilous zone where Sea Kings frequently appeared.
The danger level was, as one could imagine.
Therefore, the vast majority of pirate ships traveling between Paradise and the New World could only grit their teeth and obediently pay this exorbitant toll.
Of course, there were those who refused to pay.
And those who refused had long since sunk to the bottom of the sea, ship and crew alike.
As for behemoths like the Whitebeard Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, and Beasts Pirates, if their members needed to travel to Paradise, they would typically dispatch elite escorts to navigate around the waters blockaded by Fish-Man Island and the Shadow Corps.
Although this took longer and likely involved encounters with Sea Kings, they were capable of handling them.
If pressed for time, they simply paid the toll—one million Belly per person, a mere drop in the bucket for these giants.
No one was foolish enough to confront the Shadow Corps head-on.
Even if they could win, what if Raiver himself came knocking to settle the score?
No one wanted to lose big over something small.
But for small and medium-sized pirate crews, the situation was dire.
Force their way through? Impossible.
Take a detour? It would consume vast amounts of time and require facing swarms of Sea Kings.
Thus, they had no choice but to pay up.
Since Raiver established this rule, the Fengtian Empire's fiscal revenue had soared, growing increasingly robust.
Raiver occasionally reflected on it, feeling that bringing Fish-Man Island under his control had been the right decision all along.
Now, Fish-Man Island paid annual tribute, offering countless treasures and undersea specialties, as well as selecting mermaid maidens of breathtaking beauty for him.
This allowed him to indulge in the ultimate luxury of undersea delicacies and acquire a fresh batch of mermaid attendants each year.
Moreover, it enabled him to firmly control the yet-to-be-born Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi—the future Poseidon, the ultimate power capable of commanding all Sea Kings across the seas.
Now, with the new toll rule in place, the empire's wealth flowed in ceaselessly, growing ever more abundant.
A triple victory.