However, it injected vitality and hope into this lifeless country.
Caesar also gave his wife and children a large sum of money, as he had promised the man.
Because of the man's suicide note before his departure, although his wife didn't fully understand the situation, she likely realized that the money had been bought with her husband's life.
Now, this country—aside from the noble district—was in complete ruin.
Everywhere else was a wasteland of poverty and despair.
It was inconceivable for a high-ranking nation to allocate a single extra berry toward improving the kingdom or turning it into a flourishing land.
To the ruling class, commoners were no longer regarded as humans.
As a result, slums sprawled across the nation, filled with impoverished people struggling to survive.
Governing such a broken land all at once was no easy feat.
However, at this moment, immediate large-scale action was unnecessary. Establishing a military or bureaucracy was not the top priority.
Take the army and defense forces, for example.
Caesar had no need for them. As the captain of one of the strongest pirate crews in the New World, his sixteen elite fighters were more than capable of defending the country.
Moreover, maintaining an army was a resource-intensive and time-consuming endeavor.
At this moment of regime change, Caesar would never prioritize such a costly investment.
As for government officials, while they were necessary for the country's operations, not all of them could be trusted. Many former officials were corrupt, and only a few remaining ones were barely sufficient to maintain basic administrative functions.
Therefore, the most urgent task was not military power or governance but food security.
Caesar had no intention of becoming king only to work as a fisherman every day.
Moreover, overfishing could lead to the depletion of marine life, potentially turning the surrounding waters into a barren sea.
Besides, no one could tolerate eating only fish for months on end.
Yet even if they started cultivating crops immediately, there would be no harvest in the short term to sustain the people.
In this situation, the first and foremost problem that Caesar had to solve was the food crisis—the same challenge the new queen had faced after overthrowing the old king.
To address this, Caesar had to purchase food and seeds from external sources.
However, this was not something that could be done with great fanfare.
A large-scale purchase would alert speculators, who would seize the opportunity to inflate food prices.
Thus, Caesar could only acquire supplies discreetly—partly from neighboring countries and partly through the black market.
Fortunately, despite the island's vast size, its population was relatively small due to years of oppressive rule and low birth rates.
With this method, he could ensure short-term survival.
To fund these efforts, Caesar planned to extract gold ore from the sea using his electromagnetic abilities, refining it into pure gold as currency for transactions.
Gold, after all, was a universal hard currency. Regardless of differing economic systems, it could be directly traded for resources, making it an ideal solution.
---
The World Reacts
The next day, news of the kingdom's takeover spread rapidly across the seas.
The first to react were the neighboring island nations surrounding Gilmanda Island.
Rumors had already reached them about Caesar, the legendary great pirate of the New World, overthrowing the previous royal family and proclaiming himself king.
Their leaders were immediately on edge.
Having such a fearsome new ruler as a neighbor filled them with apprehension, and they worried that Caesar might expand his territory to include them.
Few paid attention to the details of how Caesar came to power or what he was doing for the people.
One of the few exceptions was King Riku Doldo III of Dressrosa.
Upon hearing the news, he closely monitored the situation.
---
A Day Earlier – The Dressrosa Palace
"Your Majesty, terrible news!"
"The great pirate King Caesar has appeared on Gilmanda Island, and he seems to be taking over the country!"
Among neighboring countries, information traveled faster than ordinary news.
Hearing this, King Riku immediately set down the watering pot in his hand and examined the blurry photos that had been delivered to him.
In the images, Caesar could be seen gripping the throat of Gilmanda Island's former king.
Riku's expression tightened.
"That's definitely him—the great pirate Caesar."
"Why would he be there? What's his goal?"
As he scrutinized the images, King Riku's gaze became distant. He was deep in thought, contemplating what could drive a pirate to act in such a way.
"Damn pirates! They're seizing kingdoms now?!"
"Your Majesty, should we prepare for an attack?"
King Riku did not immediately summon his ministers for discussion. Instead, after careful deliberation, he decided to observe the situation further.
Raising his head, he gave his order.
"Keep a close watch on Gilmanda Island and report any developments!"
"I want to see how this unfolds."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The young officer saluted and swiftly withdrew.
King Riku was no stranger to Gilmanda Island. He was well aware that its royal family and nobility had been corrupt and oppressive tyrants.
Though surprised by Caesar's presence, after carefully analyzing the photos, Riku suspected that Caesar had not simply slaughtered the former rulers for the sake of conquest.
Moreover, Caesar's reputation was immense. Riku recalled witnessing his battle prowess firsthand—a clash that resembled a battle between gods.
He knew that resisting a figure of Caesar's caliber was impossible.
After much contemplation, Riku resolved to wait and observe how the situation would develop.
Now that the Gilmanda Island incident had mostly stabilized, he was more certain of his hypothesis.
While he did not know Caesar's true motives, one thing was clear—Caesar was not an evil king, at least in his actions and policies thus far.
---
The World is Stunned
As the news spread outward, it eventually reached every corner of the world.
The Navy, the World Government, Caesar's former allies, member nations of the World Government, and even Caesar's homeland all saw the reports of his conquest.
Many of the great pirates were baffled.
---
Golden Lion's Suspicion
In an undisclosed sea, Golden Lion Shiki sat aboard his floating fortress, reading the newspaper with furrowed brows.
"What's this guy up to? Is he just looking for a place to hide?"
Shiki puffed his cigar, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
He knew Caesar well—his ambition was boundless, rivaling even his own.
So why would a man like that suddenly settle down and claim a kingdom?
"Could there be some kind of treasure on that island?" one of his subordinates suggested.
Shiki laughed.
"Jihahaha! Treasure? What kind of treasure would make that guy seize a kingdom so openly?"
He said nothing more, simply gazing out at the horizon, lost in thought.
---
Roger's Reaction
Meanwhile, the Roger Pirates were docked at an island, taking a brief rest.
"Captain Roger, there's news about Caesar!"
"They're saying he took over a kingdom and declared himself king!"
Roger, slightly drunk, set down his bottle and picked up the newspaper.
As he read, his expression shifted from amused to serious.
Although he wasn't particularly close to Caesar, he knew the man well enough.
In their past encounters, Roger had sensed the immense ambition lurking beneath Caesar's arrogance—an ambition as grand as that of Rocks D. Xebec or Golden Lion.
Yet now, he had chosen to halt his pirate career and settle down as a king?
Roger couldn't make sense of it.
"What's going on in that guy's mind?"
---
Whitebeard and the Others React
Elsewhere, Whitebeard's crew was in their usual lively state—until they saw the news.
"Dad! Caesar's up to something crazy again!"
"Look, he actually seized a kingdom and crowned himself king!"
Young Marco, puzzled, rushed over to show Whitebeard the newspaper.
Whitebeard laughed.
"Ku la la la! That guy sure knows how to stir things up!"
"Why would he take over a kingdom? He doesn't seem like the type to care about titles."
"He's up to something," Whitebeard concluded.
---
Caesar's Next Move
As the world buzzed with speculation, Caesar prepared for his next announcement.
In a live broadcast from Gilmanda Island's royal palace, he was about to issue his first decree as king.
He would change the nation's name—and declare it to the world.
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