**Chapter 516: Láidé Departs**
"Could I ask what color that stolen Poneglyph was?"
Roger asked again.
"Very few people go to the Sea Forest, and we haven't paid attention to that place for decades.
It was only after we discovered the Tamatebako was stolen that we searched all over Fish-Man Island and found that a Poneglyph was missing."
"If I remember correctly, that Poneglyph was red.
I even saw it when I was little."
Pontos looked up, reminiscing, but didn't notice the increasingly grim expressions on Roger and the others' faces.
Neptune, standing nearby, was already sweating profusely, gripping the Trident in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.
Roger was getting angry and momentarily lost control of himself.
The faint aura he emitted was truly terrifying, making Neptune realize resistance was futile.
Seeing this, Rayleigh patted Roger's shoulder.
Roger, coming back to his senses, took a deep breath.
Then he looked at Pontos, the king of Fish-Man Island, again.
"Could you take us to see where the Poneglyph was located?"
No matter what, he had to see it.
As long as it was a Poneglyph, it was useful to him.
With his Observation Haki, he should be able to find some traces.
"Redfield, you can go now.
Once the Roger Pirates leave Fish-Man Island, they will face another encirclement from the Marines and the World Government.
At that time, Marine Headquarters and the World Government will converge in the New World, and their combatant strength will be unprecedentedly depleted."
"The only combatant strength they can likely dispatch is Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong."
News of the Roger Pirates' arrival at Fish-Man Island reached Hades through the Pluto Pirates.
Hades immediately notified Redfield.
With Redfield's speed, crossing the vast Sea Area to reach Paradise in a short time was no problem at all.
Moreover, the Roger Pirates wouldn't leave quickly.
Although they had narrowly escaped, they knew that the Marines and the World Government wouldn't give up easily, and there was another great battle ahead.
They needed time to rest, adjust their condition, and think about countermeasures.
"I understand."
Redfield had already prepared.
The opportunity came much faster than he had imagined.
Furthermore, the unprecedented depletion of the Marines and the World Government undoubtedly increased the success rate of his operation.
This operation, as it seemed now, had no possibility of failure.
Although Steel Bone Kong alone was somewhat trouble, he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Besides, he could run away anytime.
Transforming into a Vampire, unfolding his Blood Wings, Redfield left at an astonishing speed, disappearing into the night sky.
"Roger, can you escape this time?"
Watching Redfield's departing figure, Hades was a little curious.
This encirclement was indeed extremely dangerous.
And what about the next encirclement?
The lineup sent by the Marines and the World Government was something the Roger Pirates couldn't contend with.
The appearance of the Scout-Scout Fruit also made the next battle even more brutal.
The Roger Pirates couldn't possibly escape this time.
Even if Roger influenced the ocean current to a more distant Sea Area.
In Hades' own view, the Roger Pirates had their own mission, or perhaps a certain destiny attached to them.
This encirclement, missed by just a few minutes, was truly too thrilling.
And next, from any perspective, the Roger Pirates couldn't possibly escape.
Under absolute strength, any means were useless.
But similarly, miracles were never lacking on The Great Sea.
Currently, Hades couldn't intervene.
However, he hoped the Roger Pirates could hold on.
After all, the Roger Pirates wouldn't last long.
The Great Pirate Era they would usher in would inevitably reduce the World Government's strength.
Under the crazy impact of the massive pirate strength, the Marines would require even larger funds to maintain themselves and resist the increasing number of Pirates.
The Trade Routes they had painstakingly established would also suffer blows.
Greater investment in the Marines would mean less investment in other areas, and the foundation of rule would become weaker.
More importantly, internal government turmoil.
The overall strength of the World Government was terrifying.
To shake the World Government's rule, not only external pressure was needed, but also internal disintegration.
The World Government itself was a collection of Great Powers, with numerous Factions attached to it.
Especially Mary Geoise, this massive City, besides the Celestial Dragons, had families of all sizes living there for hundreds of years.
Some powerful Factions were capable of stirring up storms on The Great Sea.
Only by continuously applying stress, causing these Nobles and Families to gradually shift their strength and assets, and constantly move their focus away from the World Government and towards Great Sea, could Hades achieve what he needed.
Although Mary Geoise was closest to the peak of power, the risks it brought were indeed enormous.
Compared to the Rocks Era, the number of Factions entrenched in Mary Geoise had significantly decreased.
When the World Government was under the greatest stress and its combatant strength was depleted, various Factions sent precious combatant strength to support the World Government and the Marines, joining the Battlefield against the Rocks Pirates.
The result was nothing gained, but instead, a heavy price was paid.
Especially during the Battle of God Valley, they were almost completely wiped out, either died in battle or died under the Heavenly King's Bombardment.
Many Factions fell after multiple blows, and even those that survived were suppressed and absorbed by other Factions.
More fled Mary Geoise and came to The Great Sea.
However, this was still not enough.
Mary Geoise remained the center of the World.
As some Factions declined, others rose.
Eight hundred years of Foundation were not so easily exhausted.
They were still the strongest Faction in the World, possessing the most ruling power/control and influence.
They also held powerful secret weapons.
The World Government's strength was already not as great as before, and the upcoming Great Pirate Era would cause the World Government to continue weakening.
Their ruling power/control in the West Blue had declined, but it wasn't enough.
The World Government needed to lose its rule over the Four Seas.
The World Government needed to lose its Member Nations.
As long as the Member Nations remained, the World Government was the recognized and accepted legitimacy.
Legitimacy was everything; this was an influence that had deeply penetrated people's hearts for eight hundred years.
No matter what the future Revolutionary Army did, under the World Government's propaganda, they would appear to the world's people as nothing more than an illegal organization.
However, even if the Roger Pirates were truly destroyed, it wouldn't affect the overall strategy.
There were actually many ways to increase the number of Pirates.
For example, under the name of Great Pirate's remaining treasure, or legendary treasure.
The reason the World Government had encircled the Roger Pirates multiple times was precisely because Roger the Pirate held treasure that even the World Government coveted.
As long as the news spread, the number of Pirates would naturally increase.
The more chaos in the World, the more Pirates there would be.
The demand for munitions throughout the World was increasing every year.
With the strengthening of military forces and the training of the Marines, the ambitions of some Kingdoms naturally erupted.
To gain more interests and plunder larger Territory, fierce fighting broke out between Kingdoms.
Mercenaries, Pirates, and even Guilds and Bounty Hunters participated in the Kingdom War.
News of all sizes was everywhere, and the entire World was in a state of chaos.
In such a situation, the arms trade and the slave trade were the two most prosperous industries.
And the main beneficiary of the slave trade was the World Government.
Unless they increased investment, the Marines would have no way to make the World stable.
If nothing unexpected happened, this World would only become more chaotic until the establishment of a new order.
Some people, including Hades, wouldn't allow this World to be peaceful.
The chaotic situation might affect trade, but the Kronos Kingdom possessed a fixed, massive Market and had numerous Trade Partners.
It had many cooperating merchants.
On certain Islands and Sea Areas where the Kronos Kingdom couldn't intervene, they only needed to supply goods to the merchants.
As for how these goods were sold, whether they made money, or what price they sold for, it had nothing to do with the Kronos Kingdom.
The overall strategy wouldn't be affected.
Even if the Roger Pirates were truly destroyed, Hades had a backup plan.
Just the Flying Pirates alone were enough to bring a historically terrifying impact to the World Government.
The Great Pirate Era, honestly, wasn't that important.
(end of chapter)