Chapter 231: The Brewing Great Era
The Kronos Kingdom moved quickly.
After confirming the opinions of the many members of the Pluto Pirates, they immediately mobilized 30,000 Army troops and 20,000 Marines.
They established bases for the Pluto Pirates on the main islands within these territories, arranging for the cadres of the Pluto Pirates to guard them.
They radiated outwards towards the surrounding islands in a manner similar to navy fortresses.
At the same time, they stationed troops and patrolled the islands on the edge of their territory.
As for the development of these islands, the Kronos Kingdom would naturally arrange for people to come and manage them.
They adopted a development model similar to the "City of Shipbuilding" on Puto Island, creating relevant industries based on local characteristics.
There were also entertainment islands specifically prepared for Pirates, and secret islands for Underworld Forces.
Stable sea routes connected the north and south, attracting many merchants.
Commerce had begun to flourish, and the geographical location in the New World Center, slightly to the north, allowed for connection in all directions.
The number of residents migrating to settle on these islands continuously increased.
Of course, the foundation of everything was the powerful prestige and influence of the Pluto Pirates.
Ascending to the throne was a natural progression, not that complicated.
Hades had no intention of publicly announcing it to the Great Sea, much less inviting the core cadres of the Rocks Pirates to observe.
From this moment on, he was no longer a pirate, and his stance changed accordingly.
Naturally, Hades became busier.
There were some matters he previously didn't need to know about.
The intelligence transmitted through "Netherworld" was processed beforehand; small, unnecessary matters wouldn't be sent to Hades.
But once Hades was about to inherit the throne, these matters became unavoidable, and Hades needed to use these small matters to hone his ability.
For example, besides the Royal Military Academy, the Kronos Kingdom had secret bases built in the mountains within the kingdom, on some controlled secret small islands nearby, and even in the Calm Belt.
The purpose of these bases was to train agents, intelligence officers, and strongmen.
The people inside were orphans collected by the Kronos Kingdom from all over the World and the Great Sea.
Therefore, the training methods were extremely intense and strict, similar to how the World Government trains agents.
The death rate was very high, but under the enormous base number, those who survived were absolute elite.
Before the establishment of the Royal Military Academy, these secret bases were the primary source of recruits for "Underworld Prison".
Those with outstanding performance would be sent to "Netherworld" or "Hell" for further training.
There were a total of twelve such bases in the Kronos Kingdom.
Within the family, there were differing opinions regarding these secret agent islands.
Some believed that with the establishment of the Royal Military Academy, these secret agent islands could be partially abolished, reducing financial costs.
Others argued that as the kingdom earned more and more money each year, they had sufficient financial resources to establish more secret islands and train more agents, absorbing more people with potential from the Great Sea.
With the rapid development of the Royal Military Academy, the debate over whether to increase or decrease the number of these bases diminished, and the issue was temporarily shelved, awaiting Hades' return for a decision.
On this matter, Hades didn't hesitate; the answer was naturally to increase them.
Compared to the training at the Royal Military Academy, these secret islands had a high death rate and much lower cost.
The agents trained there were absolutely loyal to the kingdom and thoroughly brainwashed.
The fact that this system existed before the Royal Military Academy proved its reason for existence and necessity.
If so, why abolish it?
The World Government had secret bases for training agents all over the World, which was one of the foundations for the World Government's control of the World, continuously providing a steady stream of talent for CP0 Agents and even the Celestial Dragon Family.
Moreover, the kingdom's development required a group of cold, ruthless instruments; "Hell" itself was such an entity, which was an area where the Royal Military Academy's training is lacking.
While a touch of humanity could be added, it wasn't necessary.
Dark organizations naturally have their reasons for existing.
Therefore, Hades decided to increase the number of secret islands, doubling them from the original twelve to twenty-four.
Compared to the Royal Military Academy, which was a money pit, establishing these secret bases was nothing by comparison.
Intelligence from all over the World wasn't that important; the New Era had just begun, and the Great Sea would remain peaceful for a while.
The brewing great era, full of magnificent waves, still needed time to brew.
The Great Pirates with ambitions for hegemony over the Great Sea were steadily expanding their influence.
"Whitebeard" Edward Newgate was wandering the Great Sea.
Even though the Whitebeard Pirates had been established, they were only a handful of members; it would take at least a few years to form a proper crew.
And for the Whitebeard Pirates to truly grow, it would require at least a decade of accumulation.
"Weather Queen" Charlotte Linlin occupied Totto Land, using Cake Island as her base.
She had no intention of expanding her territory.
Before her many children grew, she needed to continue to remain dormant.
Her current goal was to fulfill her dream of establishing a "Totto Land" that included all races.
Contending for hegemony over the Great Sea was not her primary objective at the moment, nor was she capable of doing so.
Compared to other Great Pirates, the strength she controlled was too weak.
She relied entirely on her own strength, ruling the entire Sea Area with the Homies Army.
The young Kaido was also wandering, challenging various strongmen to improve his strength, aiming to reach the first tier of power on this Great Sea in a short time.
Only then would he have the qualifications to compete with the most top-tier powerhouses from the Rocks Pirates.
Fire, lightning, and gale were the abilities controlled by the Azure Dragon Fruit.
As for Zak's Yinglong Fruit, it controlled lightning, gale, and gravity, along with its extreme speed, which the Azure Dragon Fruit couldn't compare to.
However, Kaido had already grasped the true hidden potential of the Azure Dragon Fruit in a short time.
True Dragon Nine Transformations: After every great battle, as his injuries recovered, Kaido could feel a subtle improvement in his physique.
Constant transformation under stress was the hidden effect of the Azure Dragon Fruit.
This meant that even a normal person who ate the Azure Dragon Fruit theoretically possessed nearly infinite growth potential.
He possessed the potential to become a world top-tier powerhouse, not to mention that Kaido himself was already a Monster.
He fought constantly, transforming continuously.
He trained in harsh environments, soaking in magma, enduring storms, and receiving continuous powerful lightning strikes on Thunder God Island, which was covered in lightning.
Today, Kaido had embarked on the path to becoming the "Strongest Creature".
"Golden Lion" Shiki reportedly wanted to move all the islands in his territory into the sky to form a Sky Kingdom that belonged only to him.
Among all the Pirates, Shiki was developing the fastest.
It hadn't been long since the New Era began, but his constantly expanding Pirate Fleet was already astonishing.
"Golden Lion" Shiki, who also possessed vast ambition and a kingly demeanor, was considered by countless people to be the most likely candidate to become the next "Rocks" and establish supreme hegemony.
Compared to the flamboyant Flying Pirates, the Pluto Pirates, with their even more terrifying overall strength, and "Pluto" Hades, were too low-key, making them unfathomable.
Thanks to his massive Pirate Fleet, "Golden Lion" Shiki was gradually gaining the title of "Pirate Admiral".
An officer who commanded pirates was enough to illustrate the current prestige of the Flying Pirates.
Not participating in the Battle of God Valley had a subtle impact on Hades' reputation, but Hades didn't care.
(end of chapter)