After Frost led Jack away, Rosinante let out a chuckle.
It was no surprise that he was in such a good mood—after all, Jack was destined to become one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates in the future, with a bounty of 1 billion berries, a true terror of the seas. And now, Rosinante had brought him under his command. At last, he had a subordinate capable of holding his own.
"Using the Joromia Kingdom as a foundation, I can gather the rising stars pouring into the New World and bring them under my banner. That will be the fastest way to build my own forces. But the real concern is that the Navy and the World Government won't just stand by and let me grow. If they send someone after me, it's fine as long as they don't deploy an admiral. But if they do… with my current strength, I won't be able to resist. I need to find a way to deal with that." Rosinante pondered.
Meanwhile, Marine Headquarters—Marineford
"Sengoku, what the hell are you people doing?! Do you have any idea how severe the consequences of this are?!" The booming voice of Fleet Admiral Kong echoed through the office.
"I take full responsibility, Fleet Admiral. This was my miscalculation—I was outplayed by Roger." Sengoku admitted his failure without hesitation.
"Sigh… Forget it. Things have already escalated to this point, and blaming you won't change anything. I'll explain the situation to the Five Elders, but we have a real problem on our hands. Countless people have taken to the seas after Roger's last words. Marine branches everywhere are under siege from pirates. If this continues, how are we supposed to uphold justice in these waters?" Kong's frustration was evident, though his tone softened slightly after Sengoku's frank admission.
After all, from the moment the World Government decided to publicly execute Roger, this outcome had been inevitable. No amount of Marine intervention could have prevented Roger from uttering his final words.
"There's something else—according to CP intelligence, Roger may have left behind a bloodline. Your job is to find it. No matter what, the Pirate King's blood must not be allowed to exist." Kong's voice carried a weight of absolute authority.
Then, his gaze turned sharp.
"By the way, what's this about Borsalino being defeated in Loguetown?
The three of them—Borsalino, Kuzan, and Sakazuki—are supposed to be the future of the Marines. They are the ones who will carry the weight of our highest military power one day. If one of them is taken down so easily, how can we expect them to bear that responsibility?**"
Sengoku nodded. "**That's precisely what I wanted to report, Fleet Admiral. There is one man we need to pay close attention to—Donquixote Rosinante, the one who defeated Borsalino in Loguetown."
The moment Kong heard that surname, his expression grew serious.
"Donquixote? …A former Celestial Dragon?"
Even if the Donquixote Family had lost their status as Celestial Dragons, any matter involving them was never trivial.
"Yes. The former Celestial Dragon, Donquixote Rosinante. Younger brother of Donquixote Doflamingo. And to be honest, I believe he is even more dangerous than his brother."
"Isn't he just a kid? I recall he's barely in his teens. Are you telling me he already has the strength to defeat Borsalino?" Kong asked, clearly doubtful.
"Rosinante is the wielder of the Silent-Silent Fruit. His power is roughly at the level of an average vice admiral. However, what makes him truly terrifying is his ability to develop his Devil Fruit beyond imagination. He has found a way to silence other Devil Fruit abilities. That's how he caught Borsalino off guard."
Kong's eyes widened.
"Silencing Devil Fruit abilities? Are you certain?"
"Yes. Based on Borsalino's testimony, it's confirmed that Rosinante has developed his fruit to the point where he can temporarily silence the abilities of others. However, it seems to have limitations. If Borsalino had been aware of it beforehand, he might have been able to prevent it. Additionally, Rosinante has to physically make contact with his target."
Sengoku took a deep breath before continuing.
"Because of this, I suggest we significantly raise Rosinante's bounty."
"How much?" Kong asked.
"Increase it to 230 million berries."
Kong fell silent for a moment, considering the implications.
"That's nearly a 200 million increase in one go…"
Sengoku nodded. "He already had vice admiral-level strength. He was simply hiding it before. 230 million is a fair amount."
But Kong shook his head.
"Make it 300 million. We cannot afford to let him continue growing unchecked."
"300 million?!" Sengoku was momentarily taken aback.
In this era, a bounty exceeding 100 million already meant that a pirate was a legendary figure on the seas. And yet, Rosinante—who hadn't even set foot in the Grand Line—was about to have a 300 million berry bounty placed on his head.
"I'll assign a vice admiral without a Devil Fruit to handle him. But for now, your top priority is finding Roger's bloodline."
Back in the New World—Joromia Kingdom
The royal plaza in front of the palace was packed with citizens of Joromia, all waiting anxiously for someone.
"Lord Rosinante is coming out!" someone shouted in excitement.
All eyes turned to the high platform outside the palace. There, under the watchful eyes of the people, a young man dressed in regal attire emerged, surrounded by his personal guards.
"Lord Rosinante!" the people cheered.
"When our kingdom was ravaged by pirates and our so-called rulers abandoned us, it was he who descended like a savior and crushed the invaders. Today, I, Frost, along with the Joromia Kingdom's Royal Guard, recognize him as our king and beg for his eternal protection!" Frost declared, dropping to one knee.
Behind him, the Royal Guard followed suit.
"We pledge our loyalty! Please, protect the Joromia Kingdom forever!"
Then, the entire crowd joined the chant.
"Your Majesty! King Rosinante!"
These were people who had just survived the horrors of pirates pillaging their homes and slaughtering their families. In their eyes, Rosinante was not just a ruler—he was their only hope for survival.
Rosinante stood at the edge of the platform, looking down at them all. Then, he raised his voice.
"From this day forth, I am the King of Joromia! This kingdom shall stand under my protection! Any who dare infringe upon even a fraction of its land… shall become my enemy!"
A deafening roar erupted from the crowd.
And so, under the cheers of the people, Rosinante placed upon his head the crown of a king.