Chapter 211: Regent Nanamo, The "Capture" of Roger
Although the New World was an incredibly dangerous place for a three- or four-year-old child, under the protection of absolute power, it could also serve as a paradise for cultivating a powerhouse.
"We aren't in a rush to travel, so we don't have to leave immediately. The time it takes to travel from here to the East Blue... should be just about right."
The year 1516 was drawing to a close. Quite a bit of time had passed since Roger became the Pirate King. Calculating the timeline, it wasn't far from the day he would turn himself in.
"You should come along too," Nereus said to his wife. "Nanamo has matured enough. Leaving her to guard Fish-man Island gives me plenty of peace of mind. With Sebastian and the others helping her, that child is more than capable of protecting the peace of the island.
"It's been a long time since I've taken you out for a proper stroll. This is the perfect opportunity.
"Consider this period... the final quiet before the storm arrives."
"Alright," Amphelite agreed softly.
Over all these years, Nereus had proven through indisputable facts that as long as his martial deterrence was absolute, the World Government would completely ignore the fact that his wife was a survivor of the Lunarian race.
The World Government's public announcements—which were essentially thinly veiled attempts to hide their own incompetence—made her want to laugh whenever she read them.
Alber still retained his habit of wearing head-to-toe leather, but Amphelite's moniker of "Miss Mummy" had long since been relegated to a joke occasionally brought up by the veterans.
Sometime later, Babel's vacation concluded, and he returned to his post at the Sabaody Archipelago office.
Nanamo, having been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of "Regent," was currently sitting in the Ryugu Palace, staring at the empty throne room and contemplating life.
"Princess Nanamo, what are you thinking about? This is Lord Nereus's absolute trust in you! This is a perfectly legitimate opportunity to sit on the throne!"
"I say, Hermes... is there any possibility that I could just sit in that chair whenever I want? The Old Man has never cared about stuff like that."
"No, no, no, Princess Nanamo. You are merely talking about the physical chair. What I am talking about... is the Throne that represents ultimate royal authority."
"You... why is your head always filled with this kind of stuff?"
Glancing sideways at Hermes, Nanamo went back to tallying the Kingdom's asset inventory list. This was her greatest source of joy while sitting in this position.
"Ahem... Just a habit. As your most loyal servant, I naturally have to consider the specific circumstances surrounding you~ Even if the possibility is incredibly low, what if?"
"Rather than thinking about such distant hypotheticals, you'd be better off looking at the present. The Marines really pulled off a massive stunt this time, quietly capturing Roger without making a sound."
By now, Morgans had directly established a branch of the World Economic Journal on Fish-man Island—or rather, a small newsstand staffed by only a handful of people.
Their primary task was to rapidly transmit news of major events occurring on Fish-man Island back to the headquarters, while simultaneously ensuring the Ryugu Kingdom received their newspapers on time.
Since it was beneficial to Fish-man Island, Nereus hadn't rejected his request to open the branch.
The latest edition of the newspaper had just been delivered to the palace. The massive headline, "PIRATE KING CAPTURED," was blindingly conspicuous, taking up nearly the entire front page. This was one of the very few "great achievements" the Marines had secured in recent years.
Under the Marines' directives, newspapers all over the world were launching an overwhelming propaganda campaign, intending to use this event to shatter the arrogance of pirates everywhere.
"A bounty of over five billion... and he was actually caught by the Marines. I wonder whose pocket that bounty money will fall into. But looking at the Marines... it doesn't seem like anyone there could take Roger down in a one-on-one fight. How incredibly strange.
"That girl named Shyarly... didn't she divine an entire era?"
"Yes, Princess Nanamo. According to that little diviner, the era of turmoil is about to arrive."
"The Old Man just left too. It seems there are quite a few things going on behind the scenes of this incident that I don't know about."
Nanamo filtered out the exaggerated embellishments in the newspaper. The text was filled with endless praise, boasting of the Marines' bravery throughout the entire article. Yet conspicuously absent was any mention of who exactly had captured Roger.
Not long after, the Marines published an announcement stating that Roger would be executed in Loguetown in the East Blue. This news prompted countless people around the world to rush toward the East Blue, desperate to witness the fall of the "King" with their own eyes.
Many clapped their hands in celebration.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Roger was an unadulterated demon. His death was a monumental blessing.
During Roger's voyages, he had made many comrades, but he had made even more enemies. They couldn't defeat Roger themselves, so seeing the Marines about to kill him filled them with vindictive excitement.
But among these rivals, there was one singular exception.
"Impossible! That is the man I recognized! How could a bunch of Marine trash... possibly capture Roger?!"
Veins bulged violently on the Golden Lion's forehead. A terrifying aura saturated the room. Under the influence of the Float-Float Fruit, his two famous meito, Oto and Kogarashi, floated into his hands.
Cleaving the roof of his palace open with a single strike, the Golden Lion completely ignored everything else and flew madly into the distance.
Torrential rain poured down, and black clouds enshrouded Marineford.
The Golden Lion hovered outside the headquarters fortress. Massive warships were effortlessly manipulated in his hands like children's toys. The shoreline was littered with the wreckage of naval vessels. One colossal warship was even hurled directly into Marineford, utterly destroying a massive swath of buildings.
Beneath the Golden Lion, the corpses of Marine soldiers piled up into mountains. This was an indiscriminate slaughter. Any Marine who entered his line of sight became a target.
"Hand Roger over!"
The Golden Lion's furious roar pierced through the curtain of rain. His grating, mocking voice echoed in the ears of every surviving Marine.
"A bunch of trash like you... what right do you have to capture Roger?!"
After suffering massive casualties, Sengoku and Garp finally arrived to confront the Golden Lion. Sengoku had already stripped off his suit jacket, his Golden Buddha form beginning to manifest.
"Hand him over! Even if he's to be killed, I am the only one qualified to do it! Not you worthless pieces of trash!"
"Roger has already been arrested! He will be escorted to the East Blue and executed there! And the only place waiting for you... is Impel Down!"
The phrase "East Blue" seemed to strike a fragile nerve within the Golden Lion. The title of the "Weakest Blue" felt like a profound personal insult to him.
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!"
Countless shockwaves and slashes rained down upon the fortress. A battle between three apex powerhouses erupted in Marineford.
The Golden Lion's absolute madness genuinely shocked Sengoku. He couldn't understand why the Golden Lion would choose to fight the Marine Headquarters to the bitter end over Roger. He even abandoned his supreme aerial advantage. Even when he began to lose ground, he never once chose to flee.
Half the town was obliterated by the shockwaves of the battle. Although they successfully captured the Golden Lion, the headquarters paid a catastrophic price.
The garrison suffered horrific casualties, and nearly every warship in the vicinity was destroyed. However, judging strictly by the outcome, the losses were worth it to the Marines.
But before Sengoku and Garp could even catch their breath, a messenger soldier arrived bearing a new, chilling piece of intelligence.
"[Highly reliable intelligence... Nereus himself... has already arrived in Loguetown.]"
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