"No... impossible..." a Pirate captain's voice trembled.
A Shadow Soldier raised its head, its dark red eyes locking onto him.
In the next instant, it vanished from its spot!
Before the Pirate captain could react, that shadow had already charged right in front of him!
A fist blasted out!
The Pirate captain mustered all his strength to raise his saber in defense—
Clang!!
The Saber flew from his grasp!
The momentum of the punch did not diminish, smashing squarely into his chest!
Thud!!
The Pirate captain flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through the ship's cabin, through the hull, and plummeting into the deep sea!
Blood stained a patch of seawater.
"Captain—!"
His subordinates cried out in terror, but none dared to charge forward.
Because those Shadow Soldiers had already surged into the fleet.
The slaughter had begun.
The Shadow Soldiers weaved through the fleet like reapers descending.
They leaped onto decks, taking down one with a punch, scattering a pile with a kick.
They stormed into cabins, dragging out hiding Pirates and executing them on the spot.
Screams, pleas, and wails echoed through the seawater.
Blood dyed the entire sea red.
Half an hour later.
The battle ended.
Seventeen Pirate Ships, completely annihilated.
Nearly ten thousand Pirates, not a single survivor.
Six Supernovas, all fallen.
The Pirates' corpses—some sank to the seabed, some hung from shattered planks, some were torn to shreds, scattered in the seawater.
A Shadow Soldier floated in the water, its dark red eyes sweeping over this bloody battlefield.
Dozens of wounds marked its body, the deepest one nearly cleaving it in two.
This was inflicted by the Supernova Victor, with a bounty of 330 million Belly.
But Victor had now been killed by three Shadow Soldiers working together.
And the wounds on the Shadow Soldier's body were healing at a visible rate.
The next day.
The World Economic Journal published explosive news.
"Six Supernovas Lead Nearly Ten Thousand Pirate Alliance, Completely Annihilated!"
The front page featured a shocking photograph.
The wreckage of seventeen Pirate Ships floated in the deep sea, surrounded by densely packed corpses.
At the center, a group of Shadow Soldiers stood silently, their dark red eyes staring directly at the camera.
Below were detailed reports and more pictures.
"Six Supernovas—Ghost Edge Victor, Iron Arm Grom, Blood Axe Karon, Raging Bear Bazhei, Poison Scorpion Marco, Mad Dog Saka—
led seventeen Pirate Ships and nearly ten thousand Pirates, attempting to forcibly break through Fish-Man Island yesterday."
"The one hundred Shadow Soldiers stationed at Fish-Man Island completely annihilated this allied force in just half an hour!"
"All six Supernovas have fallen, with no survivors!"
As soon as the news broke, the entire world was in an uproar.
On Sabaody Archipelago, countless Pirates looked at the newspapers, wailing and lamenting.
"What?! Six Supernovas leading an alliance of nearly ten thousand couldn't defeat those one hundred Shadow Soldiers?!"
"The news reported it, with pictures as proof—how could it be fake?!"
"What exactly is the origin of these Shadow Soldiers? Are they really that powerful?"
"It's said to have been developed by Vegapunk and his team—a combat robot made of bio-alloy, completely indestructible!"
"What can we do about it? Do we really have to pay that one million Belly?"
"Won't the other Sea Emperors of the New World do something about this?"
"Do something? Why would they? At worst, they can just take the Calm Belt or bypass Fish-Man Island altogether. Sea Kings are nothing to them. Besides, they can afford that one million Belly."
In the end, the pirates wanting to enter the New World had no choice but to compromise.
They couldn't win a fight, yet they still wanted to reach the New World, so the only option was to obediently pay up.
Some pirate crews refused to pay the exorbitant toll and chose to bypass Fish-Man Island.
The result? A near-certain death.
Sailing an extra hundred kilometers in the deep sea, through areas teeming with Sea Kings—even encountering just one was a life-or-death situation.
Thus, the clever pirate captains came up with another solution:
Downsizing.
The toll at Fish-Man Island was charged per person.
Pirate captains would conduct massive layoffs at Sabaody Archipelago, kicking out useless crew members and keeping only the elite core.
Once they reached the New World, they could recruit new crew members.
For a time, Sabaody Archipelago was flooded with laid-off pirates.
One month later.
Fish-Man Island, immigration checkpoint.
Ten pirate ships were lined up, obediently docked before the checkpoint.
The once-arrogant pirates on board now hung their heads in defeat, reluctantly pulling out their money pouches.
The officer in charge of registration was a man in his early thirties, wearing the uniform of the Fengtian Empire.
Expressionless, he counted the people on each ship and announced the amount.
"Ten people, one million each, ten million total."
The captain at the front trembled as he pulled out a stack of large bills from his coat, counting them one by one before handing them to the officer.
"Didn't find the One Piece, but lost ten million first..." he muttered to himself, on the verge of tears.
His first mate whispered beside him, "Don't complain, Captain. Staying alive is what matters. At least we downsized at Sabaody Archipelago, or we'd be paying 150 million now."
The captain sighed and said nothing more.
He glanced at the ten shadow soldiers standing silently beside the checkpoint, a mix of emotions swirling in his heart.
Raiver, you're truly ruthless!
...
Fengtian Empire, Sky Palace.
In the enormous hot spring pool, ripples shimmered, and steam rose in misty swirls.
Night-luminous pearls along the edge cast a soft glow, illuminating the entire space like a fairyland.
Raiver lay comfortably on a mutton fat white jade lounge chair, the hot spring water rising just above his chest. The perfect temperature relaxed his entire body.
On his left, Xingmian gently massaged his shoulders with her slender hands.
On his right, Xingwan held an exquisite tray filled with Fish-Man Island specialty desserts.
She picked up a piece and delicately brought it to Raiver's lips.
As for Zi Xi and Lu Yi, they were underwater.
"Your Majesty," Xingmian reported softly, "today's toll collected at Fish-Man Island amounts to 1.06 billion Belly."
Raiver let out a noncommittal "hmm," not even opening his eyes.
"Wow!" Zi Xi surfaced from the water, her eyes wide with astonishment. "That much money?!"
Raiver's large hand immediately pressed down on her head, unceremoniously pushing her back underwater.
Xingwan couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly composed herself and continued her report:
"Additionally, the number of applicants for this year's international maid selection has reached a new high.
Among them are many noble ladies, socialites, and even several princesses from various kingdoms."
Raiver finally opened his eyes.
"Princesses?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Xingmian nodded. "Three princesses from vassal states have applied, along with two princesses from small non-vassal nations who have also submitted applications through intermediaries."
A faint smile touched Raiver's lips.
Interesting.
"When the time comes, all of you will oversee the process. Strictly prohibit any falsification, and ensure the quality meets standards."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Xingmian and Xingwan responded in unison.
Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling window, the sun was setting.
Golden twilight spilled over the hot spring pool, shimmering on the rippling water.
Xingmian continued reporting on today's affairs concerning the Fengtian Empire and the world, along with news events and the like.
From time to time, Xingwan would feed him a piece of dessert, her movements practiced and gentle.
As for Zi Xi and Lu Yi, who knew what they were doing underwater.
Raiver closed his eyes, savoring it all.
The toll station at Fish-Man Island had become a nightmare for countless pirates.
But it had also become the Fengtian Empire's greatest cash cow.
Every day, a steady stream of wealth flowed into the empire's treasury.