Chapter 5: Betrayal of the Unified Empire
It's a pity that Kael's Toki Toki no Mi (Time-Time Fruit) ability cannot interfere with the effects of the previous user's abilities. Otherwise, Kael would have caused some trouble, perhaps by releasing Momonosuke and the others early to play with Kaido of the Beasts. However, even though Toki Amatsuki is dead, the abilities she activated on Momonosuke and the four others still continue.
This is the terrifying nature of advanced Devil Fruit abilities. Just like those turned to stone by the Pirate Empress, even if she dies, the petrification effect remains. It's clear that the Toki-Toki no Mi also belongs to this type of advanced Devil Fruit.
Kael stroked Queen Sally's golden hair, toying with a golden fountain pen. He casually banished it into a void-static space, and ten seconds later, it reappeared in his hand. He had developed several powerful moves.
Time God's Authority: This move allows Kael to leave a spatiotemporal afterimage in one place while his true body exists in the next instant, creating a pseudo-Logia effect to evade attacks. Its weakness is that he cannot move and is easily ambushed, but the afterimage can be dispelled.
Domain: Banishment: Similar to Law's ROOM, this creates a space where enemies are banished to different points in time. Kael can then make full preparations to eliminate the reappearing enemies one by one.
Enhanced Banishment: This allows for long-term banishment, essentially time imprisonment with a fixed term. Kael plays with this as skillfully as Kuma and aims to strengthen it to the point where he can banish whoever he wants.
Time Return: This confiscates bullets, cannons, slashes, and energy waves, delays them in time, and releases them at a suitable moment. Its prerequisite is that an enemy must appear at that location, making it somewhat redundant.
Time Trap: An active offensive technique where objects like bombs or sword energy are banished and hidden. The user then guides enemies into the attack range for a big surprise.
Time Storage: This places items into a banished space for a set duration, which is useful for storage, preservation, or protecting people and objects temporarily. However, it doesn't change their spatial location. This move might allow Kael to steal some of Warehousing King Giberson's business, but Kael is neither short on money nor interested in the warehousing industry.
The Space-Space Fruit and the Toki-Toki no Mi abilities each display their divine powers on the spatial and temporal axes. However, as long as the reference object and the object of action are different, the temporal and spatial effects become difficult to distinguish. Is the "teleportation" of spatial difference and the "teleportation" of temporal difference moving space or time?
"My King, the Conomi Kingdom is humiliating us so much!" Queen Sally said, furiously writing in a small notebook after looking past the pages about Garp.
"What is it?" Kael asked.
"King Inamochi IV of the Conomi Kingdom only sent 10,000 Berries as a congratulatory gift, along with 10,000 tangerines!" Sally was furious. 10,000 Berries wasn't even enough for one imperial meal for us.
She wanted to punish the kingdom immediately, as no other kingdom in the East Blue dared to disrespect the Goa Kingdom, which was favored by the Celestial Dragons and had a hero like Garp.
"Don't be angry. I was planning to tour the East Blue anyway. I'll help you get revenge," Kael said, pinching Queen Sally's face. He had been planning to strengthen the Goa Kingdom's forces by recruiting powerful individuals, much like how the Germa Kingdom had unified the North Blue. With enough Admiral-level fighters in his security force, unifying the East Blue would be easy.
"That's great! Kael, you're amazing," Sally said, kissing him excitedly. The idea of forming an empire by annexing a few nearby kingdoms greatly appealed to her. She had taken Kael's Goa Empire plan to heart.
"It seems our path to the Goa Empire will begin with the Conomi Kingdom!" Kael said, looking at the strange wedding gifts. He was puzzled. What kind of trash kingdom would actually use tangerines as a gift for his wedding and coronation ceremony?
He found the sea chart of the Conomi Kingdom, and his confusion turned to a decision to conquer it. He discovered the kingdom was home to the 16th Marine Branch and the infamous Arlong Park, which was built on the ruins of Cocoyashi Village and Gosa Village.
He realized that King Inamochi IV's meager gifts were likely due to being oppressed by both Captain Nezumi and Arlong. All the kingdom's wealth was funneled into the pockets of the corrupt Marine captain and the pirate crew, leaving them with nothing.
Kael saw an opportunity. He would liberate the Conomi Kingdom and absorb it into the Goa Empire. If King Inamochi IV was sensible, Kael would reserve a nominal title of Duke Inamochi for him, setting an example for other kingdoms.
This would show that those who surrendered would be rewarded, while those who defied him, even as allied nations, would be dealt with. The World Government wouldn't intervene in wars between Allied Nations as long as the celestial tribute was paid in full.
With the East Blue tour plan in motion, Kael began to carefully study the East Blue sea chart, checking the situation of various kingdoms. "Yotsuba Kingdom, Polestar Kingdom, Organ Kingdom, Gecko Kingdom, Conomi Kingdom..." These names felt unfamiliar to Kael.
But some of the Marine branch names and town names within these kingdoms immediately told Kael where they were. For example, in the Yotsuba Kingdom's waters, there was a place called Shells Town, where the 153rd Marine Branch was stationed under the command of Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan. The islands of the Polestar Kingdom included Loguetown. Kael realized he was stepping into a world filled with familiar names and destinies.