"Simba!"
The king's pupils shrank violently.
Simba was the strongest warrior in the kingdom—personally retained at great expense. His strength rivaled pirates with bounties in the high tens of millions in the New World. With Simba by his side, the king had felt unshakable upon his throne.
And yet—
In a single exchange, he had been killed instantly.
Even his famed throwing knives had failed to pierce the enemy's skin.
"I remember now!"
A noble's face turned deathly pale as he collapsed to the floor.
"Roldy! You're Roldy!"
The king frowned in confusion. The name sounded familiar—but he couldn't place it.
The duke and a handful of sharper minds, however, stiffened visibly.
The duke stood up at once, bowed deeply, and addressed him with forced respect.
"Honorable Mr. Roldy, please forgive our earlier discourtesy. May we ask what brings you here? If there is anything we can assist with—"
Roldy dug lazily at his ear.
"No need to be polite. I'm here to kill people."
"…What?"
The duke froze.
Before he could say another word, the world around him seemed to tilt.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
"Enough with the chatter. Annoying."
Sheen had appeared behind him at some point.
With a brutal twist—
He snapped the duke's neck.
Back when Sheen had been captured, much of it had been due to weakness. Surrounded by guns and cannons, he had been powerless.
Now?
His boss stood right here.
What was there to fear?
Even if the entire kingdom's army assembled, Roldy could wipe them out alone.
"Roldy… You're that great pirate! The former Marine turned traitor! 'Rampaging' Roldy—bounty 2,000,000,000 Berries!"
The king finally remembered.
And terror followed.
They were a New World kingdom.
They understood exactly what that number meant.
A 2-billion-Berry pirate was a walking nation-destroyer.
But why target them?
"You shouldn't go back on what you say," Roldy interrupted lightly. "Right, Your Majesty?"
He gestured casually.
Sheen immediately understood.
Grinning, he seized the massive banquet table and dragged it before the king.
Begging was useless.
With a bloodcurdling scream, Sheen forced the entire table into the king's mouth using raw fish-man strength.
Technically—
The king had asked for it.
The remaining nobles stared in horror before scrambling for the exits.
Roldy didn't stop them.
He casually picked up an untouched roast lamb from the banquet and began eating.
Sheen, still physically weakened, stared at the lavish food he had never seen even in freedom. He swallowed hard—
Then devoured it without dignity.
Headlines Across the World
"A Kingdom Falls! New World's Karl Kingdom Seized by the Golden Lion Pirates!"
"What of the Dignity of a World Government Member Nation?!"
"The Birth of History's Greatest Glutton?!"
The news spread like wildfire.
Ordinarily, the World Government would have suppressed such reports instantly—silencing them before they circulated.
But now?
The Five Elders were overwhelmed.
The World Government was still reeling from God Valley.
By the time they reacted—
The news was unstoppable.
Bang!
Saint Warcury slammed the newspaper onto the table. Steam practically rose from his nostrils.
"How dare those reporters publish this?! And that lunatic Golden Lion—attacking a member nation so brazenly!"
Was it small?
Just one fallen kingdom.
Was it big?
It was a World Government member nation.
If a member nation could be destroyed without response, the others would panic.
Already, over fifteen member nations had sent urgent letters demanding to know how the Government would respond.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter coughed weakly.
"Those pirates are madmen… especially Shiki. The matter's done. We must suppress it swiftly."
Everyone agreed.
But the question remained—
Who would handle the Golden Lion Pirates?
They possessed two Admiral-level combatants.
The World Government itself would not mobilize further. The Holy Knights would not be wasted on this. The so-called "Strongest Shields of the Celestial Dragons" had already suffered losses at God Valley.
Losing another would be painful.
"Leave it to the Marines," Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said at last.
"The Marines…" another muttered.
"Garp is chasing Roger again. Kong must remain at Marine Headquarters. Sengoku is buried in post-war administration."
The Marines were barely better off.
Mountains of paperwork. Casualty compensation. Preparations for the coming global draft.
Fleet Admiral Kong and Sengoku were stretched thin.
As for Garp—
He had grown increasingly dismissive of Government directives. With Roger as a convenient excuse, he would not obey.
"There is still one Admiral-level fighter left in the Marines," Saturn reminded them.
The others paused.
"…Will that work?"
"We have no choice," Saturn said coldly. "Besides, this will test him. During God Valley, he contributed nothing."
"Agreed. If he complies, fine. If not…"
The five demons seated above the world smiled thinly.
Their decision was made.
The chosen candidate—
Former Marine Admiral:
Zephyr.
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