Bobby watched Arthur leave, his face darkening with visible frustration.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath and muttered, "That damned Rocks Pirates… Have they completely lost their minds? They actually dared to land on the Red Line… and to strike at all the major powers so openly? Have they really gone insane?"
Of course, Arthur had taken most of the treasure from the auction house—but only most of it. While the loot that was out in the open was swept away, that was only what had been displayed publicly.
That's all there was to it.
After all, Arthur never intended to fall out completely with this so-called Dark Emperor. It wasn't worth it. Just borrowing the name of the Rocks Pirates to snatch a portion of the riches was enough—there was no need to antagonize everyone to the extreme.
The disbanding of the Rocks Pirates was clearly right around the corner.
Arthur saw no reason to make enemies unnecessarily. Plundering the majority of the treasure was more than sufficient.
"Hmm~"
Arthur narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, a smirk curling at his lips as he whispered, "Not bad at all. As expected of a Dark Emperor… the man's loaded! And this is only a fraction of his wealth—it's already comparable to 80% of the Ferguson Empire's national treasury."
Arthur knew full well that Bobby hadn't handed over everything. Still, this was already a hefty sum.
Nearly 3 billion Berries, plus five Devil Fruits—Arthur was more than satisfied.
Fortune favors the bold!
Still, Arthur didn't want to wait until the Rocks Pirates disbanded and end up surrounded by Admiral-level powerhouses. That would be a true nightmare.
And so, the plundering continued.
Ordinary figures were of no concern to Arthur—they weren't high-ranking enough. Even if they had wealth, it wasn't worth his time.
Arthur needed to gather as much treasure and as many Devil Fruits as possible in the shortest time.
Next up—
The Kingdom of Adam.
The Iron Empire.
The Flower Country.
The leaders of these three superpowers obediently handed over their riches to Arthur. They figured: might as well just go along with it. After all, it was only a portion of their treasure. Their own lives weren't worth risking over it.
Everyone knew what kind of lunatics made up the Rocks Pirates. There was really no need to resist.
In a short span of time…
Arthur devoured the fortunes of three superpowers and one Dark Emperor.
"Yeah!"
"Roar!"
A terrifying dragon's roar echoed as the phantom of the Red Dragon appeared, swallowing the Devil Fruit before it. Arthur squinted slightly, his aura growing terrifying for an instant—before quickly fading.
He hadn't absorbed the energy from the Devil Fruit yet—he was storing it.
"A total of 26 Devil Fruits now…"
"And still unable to trigger the next stage of the Red Dragon bloodline."
"Well, that's fine."
"At the moment, this stage is sufficient. Pushing it further would be excessive."
Arthur calculated his current gains. While massive, he recalled that activating the last stage of his Red Dragon bloodline had taken 20 Devil Fruits. This time? He figured 30 still wouldn't be enough.
And besides—
Even the 20% awakening of his Red Dragon bloodline wasn't fully mastered yet. Jumping to 30% would take even more time. It was better to stabilize things first before attempting another advancement.
"Hm~"
"If that's the case…"
Arthur mused to himself but didn't overthink it. There would be time to study the transformation further once he left the Red Line.
Crack!
With a single step, Arthur vanished again—darting off at incredible speed.
It had already been an hour and a half since he started. Though he technically had six hours, Arthur knew he didn't have that luxury. Four hours, at most.
If he couldn't leave within that time frame, things would get very complicated.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Arthur moved swiftly toward his next pre-selected target. That's right—from the moment he landed on the Red Line, he had already confirmed his targets through information from Shakky.
After all—
Charging in without a clear goal would have been reckless, wasteful, and far too risky.
Three superpowers.
Four Dark Emperors.
These seven entities formed the core of power in the trading city atop the Red Line. Amidst the chaos Arthur was orchestrating, their riches were the prime targets.
Next—
Arthur effortlessly raided the remaining two major factions.
The Vinsmoke Family of the North Blue.
The Five Families of the West Blue.
Now—
You might wonder: Why is the Vinsmoke Family, rulers of the Germa Kingdom, considered one of the "Dark Emperors"?
The answer is simple: There are only five Dark Emperors in the world, each controlling one of the Four Seas and the Grand Line. The Vinsmokes control the North Blue—Germa 66 is merely a branch of their power.
As for how they eventually devolved into a disgraceful mess by the time the New Era came around—that's a story for another day.
The Five Families of the West Blue? No need for much explanation.
They were ancient crime syndicates that had endured for hundreds of years.
Even Capone Bege, the Worst Generation pirate from the New Era, was merely one member of this larger crime lineage.
He might represent the Capone Family, but he didn't represent the entirety of the Five Families.
He wasn't even central to their core.
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