Chapter 206: Prelude to an Era
"Old Man, are you sure... I should handle it however I see fit?"
Whether it was the Sabaody Archipelago or the New World side, pirates needing to cross the border were a steady source of financial revenue for Fish-man Island.
Pirates from the New World side generally followed the rules here. Only after experiencing the sheer cruelty of the New World could they truly understand what terror meant.
The pirates who practically threw their lives away mostly came from Paradise.
If she put aside everything else and looked at it purely from a personal perspective, Nanamo actually wished these pirates were a bit crazier. Compared to the 100,000 Berry head tax, their actual bounties were worth far more.
To successfully reach the Sabaody Archipelago, even pirates with average strength would carry bounties exceeding ten million.
Furthermore, with their status as an affiliated nation established, claiming bounties from the Marines didn't require going through the Underworld's middlemen. They could just collect it directly from the Marines.
Without middlemen taking a cut, these guys were all walking bags of Berries.
"I said handle it however you see fit, not to mess around blindly," Nereus replied.
"I know, I know. I'll definitely let the ones who follow the rules pass. But if I actually run into troublemakers... how do we split the bounty?"
"The captain's bounty is yours. Hand over the rest."
"Hmm... Not bad. How long is Uncle Babel planning to rest?"
For most pirate crews, the captain's bounty was higher than the rest of the crew's bounties combined. This kind of crew was the norm for pirates; the captain's strength would lead by an absolute landslide.
Governing subordinates didn't rely on loyalty or honor, but on profit and raw strength. Fighting a winning battle was fine, but the moment they encountered a major crisis, they would disintegrate in an instant.
Pirate crews with balanced overall strength were actually in the minority.
Taking the captain's bounty was already a massive cut.
Nanamo then asked how long she'd be covering Babel's shift. Although it was a great way to earn some extra cash, she didn't want to be stuck at this post forever.
"A year at most. Babel can't sit idle for long anyway. If I force him to keep resting, it won't be long before he storms the Ryugu Palace to protest."
"Understood. I can go relieve Uncle Babel for his vacation anytime. It's been a while since my wallet saw any large deposits."
The last time she had a major influx of cash was when Ochoku came to apologize and handed over that "courtesy fee." Since then, Nanamo hadn't had any opportunities to generate income.
Besides, for Fish-man Island, working at the Sabaody Archipelago was practically working right on their doorstep. Swimming at a leisurely pace, a round trip would only take a few hours. If she rushed, it would be even faster.
"No rush. Those 'walking Berries' will still take some time to reach Fish-man Island. And right now is at most just a warm-up. The true Great Era won't arrive for a little while yet."
The final island now had a new name: Laugh Tale. The Roger Pirates had named it the Island of Laughter. Every person who set foot on that island couldn't help but laugh joyously.
And the reason for their laughter was known only to the Roger Pirates.
Compared to those insider secrets, the only news the world knew was that Roger had become the Pirate King.
The Marines were experiencing an immense headache over this. They could easily predict that this title would inevitably encourage more pirates to set sail.
Even though news of the Great Treasure hadn't surfaced yet, challenging Roger and surpassing him would become the reason many set out to sea.
Beyond just wealth, fame and ambition would equally drive these people toward the ocean.
But as for any special policies from the World Government, apart from raising his bounty, they took almost no unique actions. Compared to the appearance of a Pirate King, they focused far more energy on modifying Roger's name.
Erasing the "D" was what they truly cared about.
The Marines were merely preparing to handle the coming era. The one who was truly enraged was someone else entirely.
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.
Seeing the news about Roger, Charlotte Linlin was currently flying into a thunderous rage.
The Homies inside the palace shivered in terror. Even Zeus and Prometheus didn't dare say a word, hiding as far away as possible.
Only Napoleon, being a hat worn directly on Charlotte Linlin's head, had nowhere to hide, desperately trying to minimize his presence.
"Ma, ma, ma, ma... Pirate King?! If he hadn't stolen my property... if it weren't for that bastard Nereus... how could this guy ever become King?!"
BOOM!
The castle walls cracked under the surge of a terrifying aura. Huge chunks of frosting and biscuit debris crashed to the floor, and some of the more timid Homies fainted out of sheer terror.
But until Charlotte Linlin calmed down on her own, no one was willing to approach. Touching her nerves right now was definitely not a good choice.
"That guy Hermes really is smart... He followed Na... followed that person, left, and never came back. He must be living the good life right now," the goofy-looking Zeus muttered quietly on the side, fantasizing about how wonderful the outside world must be.
Prometheus immediately clamped a hand over Zeus's mouth, terrified that Zeus would utter some treasonous nonsense and draw Charlotte Linlin's fury.
In contrast to Charlotte Linlin's wrath, Roger had gained quite a few new fans across the sea. Even some of his old rivals felt a sense of admiration for his accomplishments.
A certain Sky Island, the current headquarters of the Golden Lion.
The annihilation of his Flying Empire had cost the Golden Lion dearly. Even though his main fleet and personal combat power hadn't been significantly impaired, it still hurt quite a bit.
And the subsequent Battle of Edd War had truly severely wounded the Golden Lion's vitality. Not only had his armada suffered catastrophic losses, but there was also the massive problem of the steering wheel wedged into his skull.
Whether it was the ship's doctors of the Golden Lion Pirates or physicians from elsewhere, all stated they were incapable of removing the steering wheel.
If they didn't remove it, the Golden Lion's life was at least guaranteed.
Or rather, the fact that the steering wheel had embedded itself into his head and he hadn't died was already a miracle in and of itself.
"Unless some renowned doctor eats the legendary Op-Op Fruit... I can't think of anyone who could complete this surgery."
This was the conclusion given by the Golden Lion's doctor. Even though the Golden Lion was currently still an overlord of the sea, he could faintly feel that this thing was having a considerable impact on him.
Thus, after that incident, the Golden Lion shifted his camp to a Sky Island, intending to prepare for a while before planning his comeback. He hadn't expected Roger to accomplish such a monumental feat ahead of him.
"That's exactly how it should be! You are the man I recognized! For you to accomplish this... makes perfect sense! Jihahahaha!"
As for Roger himself, after stepping onto the final island, many of the questions in his heart had been answered. Things that were once clouded in mystery instantly became clear.
Right now, he didn't care about the noise of the outside world. Instead, he was drinking with Whitebeard, whom he had coincidentally run into in the New World.
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