West Blue, Valyria Kingdom.
"Lord Bege, we surrender! We surrender!"
A group of men in lavish robes bowed and scraped before Bege, their faces wearing sycophantic smiles. "We represent this country in expressing our submission to Lord Roa!"
"You guys are quite sensible."
Bege's short stature now appeared incredibly tall in front of these men. Cigar dangling from his mouth, hands shoved in his pockets, he wore an air of arrogant defiance. "Much smarter than those suicidal idiots."
"Heh heh,"
The leading middle-aged man winked at Bege. "We're old friends of Mr. Bege (Father)! When he asked us to cooperate with you, we naturally felt duty-bound!"
More importantly, who dared to resist Lord Roa now?
You've already destroyed several countries. Even an idiot knows that resistance only leads to death, right?
"Is that so,"
Bege nodded, somewhat enlightened. "My old man really didn't lie to me, huh?"
"Of course! Bege (Father)'s popularity in the West Blue is well-known!"
The middle-aged man hastily replied. "We've all received a lot of help from him. It's only right that we respond to his request now."
"Lord Bege, many countries in the West Blue are secretly preparing to pledge allegiance to Lord Roa. We can help make contact!"
"Oh?"
Bege raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?"
"Absolutely, absolutely!"
The men immediately bobbed their heads like chicks pecking rice.
"Then I'll have to rely on you."
Bege curled the corner of his mouth.
It was laughable. Even if his father had genuinely asked these guys for help, it must have been a while ago.
Yet, these guys only chose to surrender when he brought the fight right to their doorstep.
In the end, they were all opportunists who only made a final decision when forced into a corner.
But it didn't matter; as long as they could be of assistance.
The power shown during this period must have scared most countries in this sea into barely breathing, right?
In this situation, having these guys rally his father's acquaintances should become much easier.
If so, the progress of the West Blue campaign should significantly surpass that of the North Blue, shouldn't it?
Bege curved his mouth into a pleased smile.
His old man had rendered a great service, and perhaps he could ask for a Pure Gold for him.
However, it was surprisingly smooth.
Even the God's Knights couldn't stop their advance.
If things continued this way, the West Blue and North Blue would soon be entirely under their grasp.
As expected of the Boss, having just returned, he was immediately on the verge of conquering half the world.
The only pity was that his homeland, the West Blue, would soon resemble the area once known as the most free sea in the world.
But what did it matter?
North Blue, Avista Kingdom.
Several days had passed since the sudden catastrophe. The pirates had left the country, leaving no one behind.
They seemed to have completely abandoned the country.
However, the turmoil they brought to this nation was only just beginning.
This country, ravaged by pirates, was now just a ruin.
Cities were smashed to pieces by cannons, farmland was flattened into barren ground by tanks, and everywhere was a scene of doomsday.
Ironically, the country's residents hadn't suffered much harm. Except for a few unlucky individuals who bravely resisted and were killed, most ordinary citizens had survived.
This should have been a cause for joy, especially when people realized the pirates quickly left the island.
They thought they had been spared.
But soon, when their stomachs grumbled, they realized the pirates' sinister intentions.
The food was gone.
This country was truly not large. Like Dressrosa, it had a central city surrounded by farmland.
Now, the city and nearly all surrounding settlements had been reduced to ruins by the shelling.
The food—the grain in residents' homes, the food sold in stores, the grain stored in the national granary—all of it was utterly incinerated in the intense cannon fire.
In just a few hours, the people who had been rejoicing over the pirates' departure were once again plunged into despair.
Driven by increasingly severe hunger, they rummaged through the ruins like stray dogs, searching for food.
But there was too little.
The power of the pirates' heavy artillery was too great. All bombed areas were, literally, barren ground.
The food that survived was incredibly scarce. It was a pipe dream to feed an entire country's population.
And so, chaos began.
To fight for a bit of food to fill their stomachs, everyone started fighting like mad dogs.
The prominent figures in this country had already been completely wiped out by the pirates.
Therefore, when people started fighting over food, no one could stand up and stop it.
The scale of the chaos continued to grow.
To make matters worse, when the pirates left, they destroyed all the country's sea vessels.
The entire country became a genuine isolated island, with all its citizens struggling to survive upon it.
Of course, this blockade wasn't absolute.
A few exceptionally skilled shipwrights gathered a group of people and cobbled together a dilapidated sea vessel from the wreckage of houses. They quietly set sail, hoping to escape.
But, just as the ship left the country's coastal area.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a roar, the sea instantly cracked open, and the seawater recessed downwards!
No, it wasn't a crack—it was a mouth.
A Sea King lunged upwards from the deep sea below, its mouth agape.
The next instant, the mouth closed, and the entire small boat was swallowed by the monster.
On the coast.
The people who had chased after the ship, realizing someone was trying to flee, were all stunned.
In the sky, someone was equally stunned.
The raging wind coalesced into the form of Dragon, who stared blankly at the still-turbulent sea below.
The entire Avista Kingdom was blockaded!
Sea Kings patrolled the waters near the country. Any ship attempting to approach or leave was attacked without hesitation.
This country was finished.
Dragon didn't even know how to begin helping them.
If ships couldn't approach the country, they couldn't deliver supplies or evacuate the people.
Roa!!
Roa!!
Having vanished for over twenty years, was he still as vicious as he was back then?
Even if this country truly didn't choose to surrender, it was only the decision of a few people in power!
What did it have to do with these ordinary citizens? Just to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, did he have to go this far?
That monster!!!
Dragon gritted his teeth, his body suddenly transforming into a furious wind and descending.
The next moment, violent winds arose on the sea surrounding the island.
Huge tornadoes sucked up the seawater, forming towering waterspouts that reached the sky.
Just as the people on the island thought the man-made Calamity hadn't ended and a natural Calamity had struck again, fish were flung into the sky by the waterspouts and rained down onto the island.
After a brief moment of confusion, a cheer erupted across the island.
Saved!
Dragon controlled the raging wind, his face now incredibly stern.
The expansion of the pirates must be stopped!
Otherwise, the North Blue would face the same fate as that most free sea in the world!
The Revolutionary Army's ultimate goal must be changed!
Roa was an existence that, along with the World Government, must be eliminated at all costs! He was the source of the world's turmoil!
In fact, if forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, the World Government at least looked somewhat decent in front of its affiliated countries.
But still, how should they proceed?
The Revolutionary Army's power seemed too weak between the World Government and the Pirate Alliance. They simply didn't have the strength to intervene in this war.
Putting everything else aside, the Sea Kings controlled by the Pirate Alliance alone were beyond the Revolutionary Army's ability to deal with.
Must they rely on the World Government?
Dragon pondered. The God's Knights, with their bizarre powers, definitely had the ability to repel the pirates.
But how could he trigger a genuine, large-scale battle between the two sides?
City of Calamity.
In Roa's palace, a giant fish tank was currently set up.
Inside the tank, beautiful Merfolk were dancing gracefully.
"Mhm,"
Outside the tank, Roa leaned on a soft sofa and nodded slightly in satisfaction. "Now I finally understand the joy of those who keep fish."
Before, he only kept kittens, bunnies, and foxes. Now, he finally had seafood arranged.
Behind him, Shirley the Merfolk, who was sitting on the floor with her tail coiled because she couldn't dance and thus wasn't put into the fish tank, looked at her gracefully dancing kin with a profound sadness.
Beside her, the pink-haired Ginny glanced at her, then turned her head away.
Unsurprisingly, Roa the monster was probably enjoying himself immensely because of this woman's suffering.
Roa indeed curved his mouth. "Toki, how is the little princess?"
The only woman standing beside him, Toki, spoke calmly. "Although she still cries in secret, she has largely grown accustomed to life here."
If Dylan was the general manager of the Calamity Company, then Toki was Roa's personal assistant.
It was just a pity that this assistant could no longer provide Roa with Black Qi.
Logically, such a useless thing should be decisively marginalized, but Roa was quite nostalgic.
Sigh, his sentimental side.
"Take good care of her,"
Roa said. "Have her practice her ability frequently. In future wars, her ability will be absolutely indispensable."
Although she could already control the Sea Kings, this was just a beggarly version of the ability, leveraging Shirahoshi to command the Sea Kings.
Roa couldn't communicate with the Sea Kings across the ocean. He could only have the controlled Sea Kings approach others one by one to relay information, thus convincing more Sea Kings to obey.
Frankly, the efficiency was very low. Not only was the number of controlled Sea Kings small, but message delivery was also inflexible.
But Shirahoshi was different.
If the Poseidon ability fully awakened, even Sea Kings on the other side of the world could instantly hear Shirahoshi's command.
It was terrifying!
Destroying the world was not a joke.
"Yes."
Toki nodded silently.
"Boss!"
Just as Roa was enjoying the singing and dancing, a figure rushed in.
Roa turned back and instantly smiled. "Judge, judging by your joyful expression, you've brought me good news, right?"
"Yes, Boss!"
Judge looked ecstatic. "It has been thoroughly checked! The Devil Fruit was indeed successfully replicated!"
Then, his expression turned slightly nostalgic. "That Vegapunk's technology and mind are indeed beyond us. He actually managed to replicate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"
"Not bad."
Roa nodded gently. "And then? What have you gained from that fruit and the data?"
"The gains are even greater!!"
Judge's smile was irresistibly brilliant. "Vegapunk's data on Devil Fruit replication is very detailed. Although the most crucial steps are somewhat lacking, it doesn't matter. Our previous research results can serve as a complete supplement. In this way, Ancient Zoans can also be mass-produced soon!"
"Furthermore, Paramecia and even Mythical Zoans can be attempted for replication! Especially Paramecia!"
"Good!"
Roa snapped his fingers lightly.
Old Man Vegapunk was truly an honest man.
"But, regarding energy..."
Judge's elevated voice dropped, a hint of confusion in his tone. "Vegapunk's research direction seems somewhat different from ours. It does help our research, but not significantly."
"Because the data is incomplete, we have to experiment with his ideas first to determine who is more correct."
"Mhm."
Roa merely nodded.
There was nothing he could do. Although Roa considered himself a cultured person in this world, he was truly clueless about scientific research.
He would leave it to the professionals.
A true leader must learn to delegate.
Yes, Roa was such a leader. He rarely interfered, only giving orders, with the specific execution left to his subordinates' initiative.
Just then, Dylan rushed in.
Seeing the undisguised urgency on his general manager's face, Roa smiled and said, "Judge just brought me good news, Dylan. Are you so eager to bring bad news to neutralize it?"
"Boss! Something happened in the West Blue!"
Dylan said.
Time returns to a little while ago.
West Blue, Medcar Kingdom.
Starting from the Calm Belt, this country was already near the central waters of the West Blue.
However, the fleet of the unstoppable Pirate Alliance had reached here in just over a week.
They met no resistance. The authorities of this country directly chose to surrender.
After all, the fate of the resisting Avista Kingdom in the North Blue was clearly detailed in the newspapers.
There was simply no possibility of winning, so why fight?
"Hahaha! Excellent!"
The supreme commander of this fleet, a high-ranking officer of the Flying Pirates, Paramecia Iron-Iron Fruit user, Iron Man Musk, laughed as he walked through the streets of this country.
"This way, we've taken another country! Conquering the West Blue is within sight!"
He was one of the major criminals Golden Lion brought out of Impel Down years ago and had been following the Golden Lion ever since, for several decades now.
But undoubtedly, the most joyous time for him was recently!
As expected of Lord Roa, as crazy as he was back then!
If this continued, they would soon conquer half the world!
Perhaps he could even become a king himself later!
He thought.
Boom!!
A fierce roar suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
Musk turned his head. In a nearby residential building, an ominous black lightning abruptly radiated in all directions, accompanied by thick black smoke.
His eyes widened gradually, and Musk's face instantly turned pale. "This is!!"
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Figures leaped out from the exploded residential building.
"God's Knights?!"
This was bad!
Had they set up a Teleportation Array on this island in advance?
Was it just this island, or were the others the same?
If so, things were going to be troublesome!
But no matter what, he seemed to be finished.
What a pity. He wouldn't get to see Lord Roa conquer the world.
"Damn it!!"
His body instantly transformed into hard steel. The great pirate, who had sailed the seas for decades, roared at the figures rapidly approaching him,
"Come on! Scum!!"
A moment later.
In the shattered town, a red-haired man's foot rested on Musk's unseeing head. He communicated mentally with someone:
"Lord Imu, one of the fleets has been successfully destroyed, but the news was still leaked. It will be difficult to pull the same trick again, but I think the pirates will no longer dare to be as arrogant as before."
"The situation is reversed!"
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