However, Luno had barely taken two steps before escaping.
Shave!
A figure flashed directly in front of him.
Victor drove a kick straight into Luno's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground.
As for the few who had barely endured the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, they were swiftly subdued by the reserve Shadow Dragon Guard working together.
Carina looked at Luno as he was dragged over, a cold smile forming on her lips.
"Send a message to the Five Families. Ask them why their people launched a night raid on my royal palace."
"If they can't give me a satisfactory answer, then the Five Families no longer need to exist."
The moment Luno heard that, his heart sank halfway into the abyss.
This was a declaration of total war.
The Five Families had no idea how deep Carina's foundation really was. Once they lost their heads, they would definitely escalate things.
By then, who knew how many people would die?
Just imagining that horrific scene made Luno's body tremble uncontrollably.
Only now did he finally understand what Bege had meant earlier.
The truly arrogant ones… were them.
Unfortunately, by the time he realized it, it was already far too late.
Luno and the others were all taken away.
Of the two thousand hired fighters, some were conscripted into the army, while the rest were sent to forced labor, assigned to heavy and dangerous work.
From this battle onward, Carina became famous in a single stroke.
The royal guards who had witnessed everything firsthand began to revere her like a living deity.
The morale of the Ittel Kingdom skyrocketed, and for the first time, the entire nation truly stood united.
After cleaning up the aftermath, Carina was just about to rest when a graceful figure stepped out from the shadows.
Victor instinctively stepped in front of her. Once he saw who it was, he immediately lowered his head in respect.
"Director Kalifa!"
Tall and blonde, Kalifa walked forward, looking at Carina with clear approval.
"Well done. You managed to gain initial control over Conqueror's Haki in such a short time, and you united the entire kingdom."
"The Soul King sending you here was truly inspired."
Carina had met Kalifa before in Water 7, and knowing she was a major figure, she replied sincerely.
"Everything is for the Soul King. May I ask if Director Kalifa's visit means the Soul King has issued new orders?"
Seeing the fervent look in Carina's eyes, Kalifa smiled.
"There are no new orders. The Soul King was concerned that you might lose control of Conqueror's Haki and cause things to spiral out of control, so he sent me to back you up."
Carina's face instantly flushed red.
Ah… the Soul King is so gentle.
He actually worried about my safety.
I must conquer the entire West Blue and offer it to the Soul King as a gift!
Kalifa adjusted her glasses and continued.
"Additionally, given that the Itel Kingdom's current strength is still limited, I'll be leading part of the Shadow Dragon Guard to assist you."
With a wave of her hand, twelve Shadow Dragon Guards stepped forward from behind her.
These were nothing like Victor's reserve forces.
They were Kalifa's personal elite… the Thorn Squad.
Every one of them had mastered the Six Powers and both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
With their strength, dealing with those two thousand men earlier would have been effortless.
"That's great!" Carina's eyes lit up as she asked curiously. "So where does Director Kalifa plan to start?"
Kalifa let out a cold smile, her voice calm but filled with killing intent.
"Isn't there already proof that the Five Families invaded the Itel Kingdom?"
"Then we'll strike back… one by one."
The Five Families were indeed the strongest force in the West Blue.
But the West Blue itself was vast.
Kalifa had no intention of slowly contesting island after island with them.
Otherwise, who knew how long it would be before she could return to Water 7 and report back to the Soul King?
If you want to end things cleanly, you strike the head first.
"Among the Five Families, the strongest is the Gambino Family, right?" Kalifa said lightly. "We'll start by collecting some interest from them."
Her smile was warm and pleasant, yet the killing intent radiating from her body sent chills down everyone's spine.
...
A few days later, Newk Island.
Karl sat with a dark expression, speaking into a Den Den Mushi.
On the other end were the heads of the other Five Families.
"I trust you've all received the accountability notice from the Itel Kingdom. Let's hear your thoughts."
The moment Karl finished speaking, an explosive voice erupted.
Barnes Bonanno, the Bonanno Family's don, roared angrily.
"This is a provocation against the Five Families! The Ittel Kingdom must pay in blood!"
"Otherwise, how can we maintain our authority in the West Blue?"
Leon spoke next.
"I agree with Barnes. We must retaliate. But the question is how."
"If we openly declare war on the Ittel Kingdom, we'll be breaking the rules."
"And once the West Blue falls into chaos, it could attract the World Government. They've been watching the West Blue for a long time, just waiting to add more affiliated nations."
For the World Government, the more affiliated nations there were, the more Heavenly Tribute they could collect.
Because the Five Families maintained order, the West Blue had been far more stable than other seas.
That made it harder for the World Government to interfere.
But the moment an opening appeared, they would pounce like hyenas smelling blood.
"We don't necessarily need to declare war ourselves," a refined-looking man said calmly.
Mike Colobo, don of the Colobo Family.
He scanned the group and spoke slowly.
"We work together and find a country close to the Itel Kingdom."
"Have them stir up a conflict and declare war."
"Our people can then fight under that country's banner."
"A war between two nations won't cause widespread chaos."
It was a solid plan.
The group quickly reached a consensus and selected a suitable small country.
Only a two-day voyage from the Ittel Kingdom, with over seventy percent of its economy controlled by the Five Families.
They didn't even need to threaten the king. He agreed immediately.
All that remained was to send the troops.
Once everything was settled, Karl let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair.
"Mary, bring me a cup of coffee."
He called out to his maid.
But after a long while, there was no response.
Karl's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head and reached for the famed blade hidden in his drawer.
Whip!
A whip wrapped tightly around his neck, yanking him straight out of the chair.
Kalifa's figure gradually emerged from invisibility, causing Carl's eyes to widen in terror.
"S-spare me! I have money! I can give you lots of money! And jewels!"
A chill crept across Kalifa's beautiful face.
"You obstructed the Soul King's plans. Your death is justified."
"And besides… once you're dead, your wealth will be mine anyway."
Crack!
Karl's neck snapped cleanly, his body collapsing heavily onto the floor.
Outside the study, the twelve members of the Thorn Squad slowly walked in.
Behind them lay the Gambino estate, covered in corpses.
...
Ten days later, news swept across the West Blue like a hurricane.
The Five Families, who had dominated the West Blue for over a hundred years, were completely wiped out.
And a small kingdom named Itel began its meteoric rise.
With the Five Families' wealth, combined with the Shadow Dragon Guard and the support of the Capone Family, the Itel Kingdom annexed all surrounding nations within months.
Its territory expanded more than fivefold.
Its national power became indisputably number one.
The World Government reacted swiftly, heavily intervening in the West Blue and establishing multiple new Marine bases.
But the momentum of the Itel Kingdom was unstoppable.
Fully dominating the West Blue was now only a matter of time.
***
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