South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
A large ship with a red dragon figurehead sailed towards the distant island of the kingdom’s capital.
Bags of food were piled up on the spacious deck, and soldiers in green uniforms stood with long rifles at the ship’s rail, vigilantly scanning the surrounding sea.
At the bow, a tall man cloaked in black stood straight, his robes billowing in the sea breeze.
Suddenly, a sharp cracking sound broke the air like a balloon popping.
In the next moment, a massive figure appeared on the ship, startling the crew, who instinctively raised their rifles.
But when they saw who had appeared, smiles spread across their faces, and they lowered their weapons.
The newcomer stood nearly seven meters tall, with a muscular build, dressed in black and white clothes. He wore a hat with bear ears and held a Bible in his right hand.
“Kuma, it’s been a while,” said Dragon, pulling back his hood to reveal a weathered face with a rare genuine smile.
“Indeed, Dragon, it’s been a long time,” replied Kuma, a slight smile playing at the corners of his stern face. Despite his enormous size, his voice was soft.
“I heard the Sorbet Kingdom was struck by a locust plague, so I went to the North Blue and traded some food with Ilia. It might help tide you over during this difficult time,” said Dragon, pointing to the food bags on the deck with a smile.
Kuma earnestly expressed his gratitude and then took out a few papers from his pocket, handing them to Dragon.
“What’s this?” Dragon asked, taking the papers with curiosity.
“It’s internal information about the coup in the Principality of Ilia, which I obtained from the World Government.”
“The coup in the Principality of Ilia?” Dragon frowned, then sighed, “So Ilia finally made his decision?” he said, just as he was about to read the documents.
At that moment, a revolutionary soldier in the lookout tower atop the mast shouted urgently:
“Commander Dragon, Lord Kuma, a pirate fleet has been spotted ahead with five ships! They are heading towards Sorbet Kingdom’s capital!”
“Pirates?” Dragon set down the papers and looked in the direction the soldier pointed.
Sure enough, he could see the vague outlines of five ships in the distant sea.
Dragon’s face instantly darkened with a fierce killing intent. He then looked at Kuma in confusion, “Kuma, aren’t you already a Shichibukai? Why would pirates dare to invade your country?”
“It’s normal, Dragon,” Kuma replied calmly, “The Shichibukai’s deterrent effect is strongest in the first half of the Grand Line. Most pirates there have experienced the harsh seas and naturally develop respect for strength.”
“The New World is a playground for the strong. Even the Shichibukai doesn’t hold much weight there.”
“Those pirates who haven’t yet ventured out of the four seas have no clear sense of their own strength. They’re often reckless like the ones we’re seeing now.” He sighed “Otherwise, why do you think I’m called the Tyrant? I don’t even know how many pirates I’ve killed who tried to attack the Sorbet Kingdom. They’re like the locust plague ravaging the kingdom now—defeat one group, and another quickly takes its place.”
Kuma removed the black glove from his right hand, revealing a paw-shaped pad.
“Hold on, Kuma, let me take a look first,” said Dragon. His cloak fluttered as he looked at the distant ships, and the air around him began to swirl. Soon, a fierce wind whipped up.
Dragon’s powerful Observation Haki spread over dozens of miles, covering the entire area around the Principality of Ilia.
He quickly saw everything happening on the distant pirate ships.
On the lead ship, the recently formed pirate crew’s captain, Bardramonson, wore a smug smile as he listened to his subordinates’ flattery, reveling in the thrill that his former life as a merchant never provided.
He was originally a sea merchant from the Kingdom of Sidira in the South Blue.
After making his first fortune by transporting grain for the kingdom, his maritime business flourished.
In just a few years, his wealth grew from a few million Beli to several billion Beli.
Bardramonson was quite satisfied with his career, expanding sea routes and building factories. At this rate, in another decade or so, he would become the wealthiest merchant in the Kingdom of Sidira.
But an encounter with the infamous South Blue slave trader, Emmitoxstin, showed him the real lucrative business.
A single human slave fetched around fifty thousand Beli and beautiful women even more.
Exotic races, such as dwarves, longarm, and longleg tribes, started at seventy thousand Beli each.
Even rarer were the giants—male giants started at fifty million, and females at a hundred million.
And the highly prized mermaids—each mermaid slave was worth at least seventy million Beli.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, selling just one mermaid to a wealthy World Noble could earn billions!
The prospect was unimaginable to Bardramonson.
Years of toiling at sea, braving harsh weather, pirates, and bandits, and currying favor with nobles to accumulate a few billion Beli was nothing compared to this.
Driven by Emmitoxstin’s words, Bardramonson took a risky step during a routine sea voyage, capturing civilians from a small island and selling them to Emmitoxstin.
While South Blue had no mermaids, there were plenty of ordinary civilians.
And capturing them posed no danger.
Though Emmitoxstin paid only a third of the actual price, the sale of over three hundred slaves earned Bardramonson over fifty million Beli.
The taste of easy money made him insatiable.
He began capturing and selling people regularly, amassing a fortune.
His status as a legitimate merchant shielded him from suspicion by the South Blue Navy and the kingdoms.
In just three months, he made what previously took years.
Slave trading was far more profitable than legal maritime business, with no need to placate detestable nobles.
The thrill of easy money was intoxicating.
But Bardramonson grew dissatisfied with being Emmitoxstin’s underling.
“Why should she take the lion’s share of the profit from my hard work?”
He wanted to capture and sell slaves himself, making even more money.
But such ventures required strong armed forces.
Without sufficient strength, even a ruthless slave trader could fall prey to fiercer pirate crews.
A month ago, Bardramonson’s fleet was decimated by a young pirate crew, losing most of his wealth.
This experience made him realize that being a merchant was not enough to reap the illegal profits he desired.
He needed his own force, a pirate crew, to capture and sell slaves without fear.
With strong arms, he could capture more people and earn more money.
“I will surpass Emmitoxstin! And make that brat Kid pay!” he thought, face darkening.
Having a business mind, Bardramonson knew that targeting high-end markets was the way to quick wealth.
He planned a major raid in the remote Sorbet Kingdom, capturing enough people to sell in the Grand Line’s lucrative markets.
He would then use the money to establish a larger fleet and pursue high-value targets like rare species slaves.
“If I could capture a mermaid, I could easily align myself with the World Nobles,” he thought.
As he silently planned his future, a perceptive pirate spoke up, “Captain, I’ve heard the Sorbet Kingdom’s former king is Bartholomew Kuma, a powerful pirate. If we raid his country, won’t he come after us?”
“Bartholomew Kuma?” Bardramonson was taken aback.
He had heard of Kuma but didn’t believe the stories of him defeating thousands or tens of thousands alone.
Kid, who took a while to defeat his fleet, was the strongest person he had seen.
The idea of one person defeating thousands was laughable.
He angrily reprimanded the pirate.
“Nonsense! Tyrant or not, he’s just bullying his own people.”
“Every king is a scoundrel. I’ll be doing those suffering people a favor by selling them to better buyers.”
“Full speed ahead! Today, we’ll fill all five ships!”
“Afterward, we’ll sail to the Grand Line and live it up like rich men!”
Bardramonson gave the order, full of ambition, envisioning himself as a favored merchant of the World Nobles, his smile widening.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind suddenly filled the sails and slowed the ships’ advance.
“Damn it! What’s with this wind? Pull down the sails! A storm’s coming!” an experienced sailor shouted.
While sudden storms were common at sea, Bardramonson’s fleet remained composed.
They began methodically furling the sails, preparing for the storm.
But as time passed, the pirates grew increasingly alarmed.
Bardramonson, disbelief on his face, rushed to the rail and peered at the receding sea, as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What’s happening?”
“Captain! Our ship is being lifted by the wind! Do something!” panicked cries echoed.
The sea churned as a massive waterspout formed, lifting the ships and creating a giant whirlpool below.
High in the sky, the wind swirled, creating multiple eye-like vortexes.
On the dragon-prowed ship, Dragon raised his right hand.
The five pirate ships, caught in the tornado, lost momentum and pl
ummeted towards the sea.
Blown by the fierce wind, the pirates couldn’t open their eyes, left with only terror and despair.
Boom!
Massive waves exploded as the ships shattered on impact, turning into a rain of debris.
Bardramonson fell into the sea, miraculously surviving the tempest.
But before he could recover, the swirling water formed a massive vortex, a maw of the abyss swallowing everything.
“No! My dream!” his desperate cries were swallowed by the deep sea.
After a while, the wind died down, and the sea calmed, with only scattered debris as evidence of the pirate ships.
Onboard, Kuma silently watched.
Dragon lowered his hand, then after a pause, picked up the papers again.
“The new generation of Marines turned the tide, stopping Ilia’s atrocities, saving the Principality of Ilia and the North Blue.”
“With a heart of kindness and conscience, and the courage and conviction to move forward, we can change this shattered world!”
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