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"The Winter Blossom Kingdom... Jin."
In the royal capital of Alabasta, King Cobra scanned the newspaper. When he saw the article on the second page, he wasn't surprised.
The World Government had sent out an official notice yesterday. It was the standard procedure for a change in leadership of a member nation.
"Wapol is dead, and the country has been renamed," Cobra mused. "I hope the lives of the people on Drum Island will improve."
He was a compassionate man. He had met Wapol at the Levely and had been appalled by his "Doctor Hunt" decree.
But even though Alabasta was a major power and the former Drum Kingdom was a small nation, they were both member nations. He had no right to interfere in their internal affairs.
Besides, Alabasta had its own problems. In recent years, pirate attacks and climate change had taken their toll on the country's stability. He had no energy to spare for the affairs of other nations.
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Rainbase.
Crocodile, in his capacity as one of the Seven Warlords, had been using the city as his base of operations for some time now.
He strode through the door, his long coat sweeping behind him. On the sofa, a woman in a light purple cowboy hat was reading the morning paper.
"Drum Island, a new king?" Crocodile sneered. "A small country with a population of less than a hundred thousand. Is it even worth our attention, Nico Robin?"
Robin turned the page. "It's not far from Sandy Island..."
A short while ago, Crocodile had found the "Devil Child," Nico Robin. After wiping out the pirate crew she was with, they had formed a partnership.
The deal was simple: Crocodile would help Robin find the locations of the Poneglyphs, and in return, she would decipher the information about the Ancient Weapons for him.
After his defeat at the hands of Whitebeard, Crocodile, seeing no other way to surpass the old man, had begun his search for the Ancient Weapons.
Perhaps overwhelming military power was the only way to achieve his ambitions.
"You should be more concerned with our plan," Crocodile growled. "Find those clues, and find them soon."
It had been sixteen years. He had waited long enough. He had lain dormant long enough.
"I will," Robin said agreeably. Years on the run had honed her ability to read people, to tell them what they wanted to hear.
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Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
Shakky glanced at the second page and immediately flipped past it. The change of leadership in some tiny kingdom was of no interest to her.
The next page.
"Iceburg, owner of the Galley-La Company, elected mayor of Water 7!"
"Tom's student?" Rayleigh said, taking a sip of his drink. "So his legacy lives on."
"By the way, what's the headline today?" he asked. "Seems like something big. I heard a lot of people talking about it on the way here."
Shakky flipped back to the front page and unfolded it for him.
"MAJOR INCIDENT IN THE SORBET KINGDOM!!! BARTHOLOMEW KUMA, THE TYRANT, LAUNCHES A ONE-MAN REVOLUTION!!!"
The accompanying picture was of a towering, bear-like figure, silhouetted against a burning city, looking like a demon emerging from the flames.
"The Sorbet Kingdom is in the South Blue, isn't it?" Rayleigh mused. "A one-man revolution... The Revolutionary Army is getting bolder."
"Roger started the Great Pirate Era," he continued, a note of melancholy in his voice. "And all these years, the world has just gotten more and more chaotic. The undercurrents are strong."
Shakky lit a cigarette and took a long, slow drag.
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Hannabal Island.
At the docks, a crowd of "citizens" lined the path, gongs and drums banging, firecrackers popping. A long banner was stretched across the entrance.
"HIS MAJESTY ARRIVES TODAY AT HIS LOYAL HANNABAL ISLAND!"
After Wilson had returned and taken the boss into custody, rumors had begun to fly. The only thing anyone knew for sure was that something big was happening.
Some of the pirates, sensing trouble, had already fled.
Others, who had settled here and started families, were reluctant to leave. Where else could they go in this vast, chaotic sea?
Still others were waiting to see what would happen.
Soon, a pirate who had gone to Asuka Island to investigate returned with the true story: only one ship had reached the finish line.
The token had been taken.
By Gasparde?
No. By the madman who had bet 100 million Berries on himself.
All the other contestants, including Gasparde, had been eliminated by him.
Who was he?
Where did he come from?
The terms of the bet had been leaked. If the madman won, the boss would have to pay out 35 billion Berries.
And if he couldn't pay?
The madman would take everything.
In other words, Hannabal Island was about to get a new boss.
And when the news broke that Jin was a king, a wave of panic swept through the island. A number of the more free-spirited pirates fled.
The rest were left in a state of anxiety, unsure of what this new boss would be like.
And now, he had arrived.
The demonic carrier docked, and a deep, whale-like roar echoed across the sea, drowning out all other sounds.
"That ship..."
A sense of awe, born from the very depths of their being, washed over the crowd.
Two massive figures leaped from the deck and landed on the docks with a thud that shook the ground.
They were over a dozen meters tall, their presence overwhelming.
"It's the giant brothers, Bobby and Pogo!"
"He's subdued them?"
The giant brothers set up a gangplank, and the young king made his entrance. He stood at the top, looking down at the crowd, the sun at his back.
He was silhouetted against the light, a radiant, blinding figure. Those who tried to look at him were forced to lower their heads, as if in submission.
From the port, Lieutenant Commander Hina, a cup of coffee in her hand, saw the spectacle and a small smile played on her lips.
She knew that Jin's arrival time, his grand entrance—it was all carefully orchestrated, using the sun and the positioning to create an atmosphere of power.
And she had to admit, it was very effective.
Not far from the docks, Wilson and his men had set up a stage with another banner:
"A WARM WELCOME TO HIS MAJESTY, THE KING, ON HIS VISIT TO THE HANNABAL SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION!"
Yes, a special administrative region.
What did that mean?
Jin had made a promise.
For five years, the status quo on Hannabal Island would be maintained. Pirates, merchants, even Marines could all dock here freely.
For that period, Hannabal Island would be a free island.
Eating, drinking, gambling—nothing was off-limits.
At the same time, he had declared the waters around Hannabal Island a no-fight zone. Anyone who violated this rule would be hunted down by the kingdom's navy.
And he'd announced that he'd reached an agreement with the Marines and World Government—they would be enforcing this rule too.
The pirates were stunned.
"So if we hide out here, we'll be safe from the Marines and our enemies?"
"Does he mean Hannabal Island is going to be a pirate sanctuary?"
"Looks like it."
A smattering of applause broke out, then grew into a thunderous roar.
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Jin stayed on Hannabal Island for three days, setting up a new administrative body with Wilson at its head. For the most part, he kept the old boss's system in place. The old boss, in turn, had been "rehabilitated" and was now Wilson's second-in-command.
Of course, Jin also promoted some new faces, like the giant brothers and a number of pirates who had surrendered and repented.
Hannabal Island had always been a pirate den. He couldn't just copy the model he had used on Drum Island.
"I have too few trustworthy people," he thought. "For now, this will have to do. I'll deal with the lingering problems later."
Hina handed him a newspaper. "You could try placing a recruitment ad, like this."
"Oh?" Jin took the paper. The World Economic Journal had a classifieds section.
Morgans really is a genius.
"I could give it a try," he said. As he was folding the paper, he saw the headline. His eyes narrowed.
Bartholomew Kuma?
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