The year was 1518 of the Sea Calendar.
In the royal palace of the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue, a blood-stained long saber was plunged into the body of a blond, mushroom-haired corpse.
The blade swayed gently, resembling a lone dandelion in a breeze. Dazzling blood pooled on the floor.
A black-haired young man sat upon the golden throne, holding a stiff-faced blonde princess on his lap. His tone was light as he lifted her chin, revealing her name: Princess Sarie Nantokanette.
At that moment, Princess Sarie trembled on the young man's lap, her expression a mix of fear, awe, anger, and a hint of gratitude. The large hand on her waist made her body rigid.
She stared in disbelief at the strange young man and the corpses scattered across the ground. On the palace floor, in addition to the mushroom-haired corpse, lay two bodies dressed in noble attire and a dozen royal guards.
"My father and my royal brother... were they really secretly poisoned by them?" she asked, pointing at the bodies of Outlook III and Sterry. Her voice was filled with fury and disbelief.
Sterry was her fiancé. They were to be married next month, and he would have become the consort of the Goa Kingdom, enjoying its glory and power. Outlook III was also the King's most esteemed duke.
Yet, they had dared to assassinate the royal family!
"Your Royal Highness, didn't you clearly hear their 'sincere confessions' just before they were executed?" the young man, Kael, asked. He sniffed the perfume on Princess Sarie, a hint of ambition in his eyes.
He never expected this. He was a shut-in university student from Earth, and after transmigrating to the chaotic Gray Terminal, a haven for rascals in the Goa Kingdom, and struggling for several months, he finally had the chance to enter the royal city.
No one could understand how difficult and dangerous it was for him to survive in the Gray Terminal. It was a matter of life and death for a university student who had attended online classes for three years. Fortunately, due to his hobbies, he had taught himself Japanese, or his survival would have been impossible.
As he struggled, he managed to acquire a Devil Fruit. Under those harsh conditions, he didn't hesitate and ate it immediately, not caring what its ability was.
From that moment on, everything changed for Kael. With the bizarre power of the Devil Fruit, he found that the entire world had become benevolent.
The ferocious thugs in the Gray Terminal, after countless deaths and injuries, greeted him with "warm smiles." He realized that when you are strong, the world becomes gentle, and everyone you meet becomes a "good person."
Just as Kael was developing his abilities and thriving in the Gray Terminal, he was preparing to set sail to achieve his ambitions of punching the Warlords of the Sea and kicking the Four Emperors. Then, news of the King and Prince of the Goa Kingdom mysteriously dying spread.
This made Kael, who was fully prepared to set sail, realize he had found a golden shortcut. Damn it! If he could take a shortcut and become King, who in their right mind would want to be a pirate or a bounty hunter?
This kingdom, he would usurp it! If a good-for-nothing like Sterry could be King, why couldn't he, Kael, a dignified transmigrator?
In the world of One Piece, usurping a country and becoming King is not unheard of. Donquixote Doflamingo usurped Dressrosa. After Bartholomew Kuma drove out King Beckley, he became the new King of the Sorbet Kingdom.
After King Wapol was sent flying by Straw Hat Luffy, the kingdom's guard captain, Dalton, became the new King of the Drum Kingdom, even changing its name to the Sakura Kingdom and still retaining the right to attend the Reverie.
In fact, Wapol established a new Evil Black Drum Kingdom in the South Blue, easily gaining recognition from the World Government and becoming one of the fifty Allied Nations attending the Reverie.
In this world, as long as enough Celestial Tribute is paid, the World Government will not interfere with internal power changes within the Allied Nations. It's truly a farce. The only one who failed was a certain Crocodile, who wanted to usurp Alabasta, a country with a lineage of twenty kings.
Feeling the princess's stiff body on his leg slowly relax and soften, Kael's lips curled into a wide smile. He truly didn't expect his trip to the royal palace to go so smoothly. He had stumbled upon the entire Sterry family secretly trying out the throne.
Kael overheard their conspiracy and boasting. All it took was a few of his unique "methods," and the arrogant noble good-for-nothings, Outlook III and Sterry, immediately knelt. Outlook III spilled all the details about their family's plan to assassinate the royal family and replace them.
"You... you want to be my husband, to be the King of the Goa Kingdom?" Princess Sarie had already somewhat resigned herself to her fate. Even Outlook III and her fiancé Sterry had coveted the throne.
This man who suddenly appeared had killed Sterry and exposed their conspiracy. He even said, "Would you mind changing fiancés?" Even if Princess Sarie was naive, she knew Kael's purpose. She slowly turned to look at him. She had to admit, Kael was much more handsome than that ugly mushroom-head, Sterry.
Thinking of Kael's bizarre abilities, she pondered for a moment. Then, she slowly raised her bewildered hands and nervously wrapped them around his neck. Her body, sitting on his lap, also leaned closer.
"Thank you for avenging my father and royal brother," she whispered. "Tomorrow, I will announce the conspiracy of Outlook III and Sterry. And you, my hero, you will be my fiancé, the new King of the Goa Kingdom."
Looking at Kael's handsome face, the slightly trembling Princess Sarie gently kissed him. She had decided to let the powerful Kael become her new husband to stabilize the situation in the kingdom. With her father, royal brother, and the highly influential Outlook III all dead, she feared she would not be able to control the kingdom's power alone. She didn't want to lose her luxurious life.
"Congratulations to you as well," Kael said. "For transforming from the Princess of Goa into the Queen of Goa." He naturally embraced Princess Sarie, beginning their first immersive French kiss. Her eyes grew hazy.
However, the sight of the corpses in the palace, coupled with the fact that they were not yet married, caused Princess Sarie, who adhered to noble etiquette, to frantically push Kael away when she could barely breathe.
"No," she pleaded. "Please. First, clean up the bodies of these criminals... accompany me to take control of the palace's army. Tomorrow night... I'll accompany you again."
A hint of panic appeared on her flushed face, as she had actually enjoyed the kissing. After all, she had only known him for less than two and a half hours.
"It won't take much longer," Kael smiled faintly, standing up from the throne with Princess Sarie. He strategically suppressed his urges, calming his "brother's" anger.
Princess Sarie saw his reaction, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes—a little anticipation, and a little shyness. After they tidied themselves up, Kael piled the corpses together. He looked at the bodies of Outlook III and his wife, wondering if Sabo, once his memories returned, would seek revenge for his biological parents.
Meanwhile, Princess Sarie found a set of luxurious noble clothes for Kael. "Let's go, my consort," she said. "We'll take control of the palace's military power."
Only now did Princess Sarie begin to feel a delayed fear. She hadn't expected Outlook III to have already controlled so many guards and maids. No wonder they were able to silently poison the King and Prince. If Outlook III hadn't needed to use her identity for a political marriage to achieve his goal, she, the last princess, would have been assassinated.
Her status was merely a stepping stone for the Outlook family to become the new royal family. "As you wish, my Princess!" Kael showed a triumphant smile, as if he had ascended to heaven in a single step.
He truly never expected that usurping a country could be so simple.