Chapter 303: Chapter 304: The Warlords’ Reactions
Sea Calendar, May 4th, 1515.
A shocking piece of news reverberated across the world.
"Extra! Extra! Clifford Kingdom Conquered by Pirates!"
"Extra! Extra! A Warlord of the Sea Crowned King of the Clifford Kingdom!"
"Extra! Extra! Clifford Kingdom Falls in a Single Day!"
The Grand Line trembled, the New World shook, or rather, the entire world was in an uproar.
The Clifford Kingdom, renowned for its powerful military, had been conquered by pirates. It was the vast fleet led by Aeridar of the Golden Ring, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who accomplished this feat in just one day.
This news utterly astounded the major powers of the seas.
The Clifford Kingdom was located on Brady Island, a large island with only one nation, boasting vast territories. Its numerous cities and ports housed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and dozens of warships. Generals and knights, comparable to bounty heads exceeding a hundred million, were not uncommon, and a renowned great swordsman had guarded the royal palace for years.
Possessing a resource-rich large island, two bustling ports, and several wealthy cities, the Clifford Kingdom had been coveted by countless forces, both large and small, including pirates.
Yet, it had survived in the New World until now, with most of those who tried to seize it suffering crushing defeats, a testament to its formidable strength.
Such a powerful force, such a vast nation, had its capital conquered in just one day. Countless armies surrendered, and the royal family was virtually wiped out.
Even a Yonko would likely struggle to conquer such a nation in a single day.
Upon learning this news, many initially disbelieved it, thinking it a mere rumor. But once confirmed, they couldn’t help but wonder: Was the Chris Pirates Grand Fleet too strong, or had the Clifford Kingdom grown weak?
Naturally, they preferred to believe the latter, especially those who had failed in their own attempts to challenge the Clifford Kingdom.
...
Dressrosa, King’s Plateau.
"Fuffuffuffu~ That guy, he’s really something. The Clifford Kingdom... I think I considered taking it over once, too. Fuffuffuffu~" Donquixote Doflamingo sat shirtless by the pool, a newspaper in one hand and juice in the other, roaring with laughter.
"Nyeh, nyeh, that’s truly impressive. He even took down that hot-headed Saxon, behehehehe~" Trebol, a half-dangling snot bubble, sidled closer, chuckling.
"I said, you’re too close!" Doflamingo’s face darkened.
"Am I, am I?" Trebol chuckled, leaning even closer.
...
On a certain sea in the New World.
"Died at Aeridar’s hands... Interesting, interesting."
On a small boat shaped like a Western coffin, a man with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s sat, holding the latest newspaper, a look of intrigue on his face.
Boom!
Suddenly, a cannon fired. A pitch-black, scorching cannonball rapidly streaked towards him from his right.
"Oh yeah! Fire! Fire! Blast him to bits!"
In the distance, on a hundred-meter long ship flying a Jolly Roger, several pirates operated a large cannon, cheering and clapping. Dozens of other pirates leaned over the ship’s rail, watching.
"Hm?"
Mihawk raised an eyebrow, grasping the great cross on his back—no, not a cross, but a massive black blade, the World’s Strongest Blade, Yoru.
Ching!
A soft hum. Mihawk lightly flicked his black blade.
Splurt!
Boom! Boom!
The pitch-black cannonball was cut in half by an invisible slash, exploding in mid-air.
"The cannonball... was cut in half!"
The cheers on the ship abruptly ceased. They had initially thought their target was just an ordinary stranded person, which was why he was sailing the New World in a small boat. They never expected him to be a swordsman capable of slicing a cannonball.
At that moment, one of the pirates pointed at the man on the sea, fear in his voice: "Hawk... Hawkeye! The World’s Strongest Swordsman, Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk!"
As his words fell, everyone immediately gasped.
Before these pirates could do anything, Mihawk acted. He raised the black blade in his hand and struck down.
A green light burst forth. A jade-green sword wave cleaved the sea, forming an incredibly deep gorge, and surged towards the pirate ship.
Splurt!
In a flash, the terrifying slash cut through the pirate ship, instantly slicing the entire vessel in half. More than a dozen pirates on board were also cut, either dead or wounded.
...
Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Palace.
"Hoh hoh hoh hoh~ Jinbe, your ally is truly formidable. The Clifford Kingdom is a nation many times stronger than the Ryugu Kingdom. He usually doesn’t act, but when he does, it’s astonishing!"
Neptune sat on his giant shell-backed armchair, looking at the newspaper in his hand, appearing very surprised. Clearly, he was also aware of the Clifford Kingdom’s strength.
"I also didn’t expect his first target to be the Clifford Kingdom. Sea Splitter Saxon’s swordsmanship isn’t easy to contend with," Jinbe said from across, setting down his newspaper. "And we also need to prepare more goods. With Brady Island’s rich resources and the Clifford Kingdom’s wealth, he will certainly trade with Fish-Man Island."
"That’s right. Our two previous transactions with Doflamingo brought us a large sum of money. And Aeridar-san, who now controls a nation several times larger and wealthier than Dressrosa, will definitely not be short on funds. With that man’s vision and ambition, he certainly has a series of plans, and trading with Fish-Man Island is inevitable," Neptune nodded, his expression grave.
After all, Fish-Man Island possessed unique underwater resources, and Aeridar, now with a vast nation, would certainly trade for various underwater resources to make his country even stronger.
...
Grand Line (First Half), Alabasta Kingdom, Rainbase - Rain Dinners.
Hooo!
White smoke billowed, filling the room. Crocodile, cigar clenched between his teeth, sat with his legs crossed on a sofa, holding a newspaper his subordinate had just delivered. The headline screamed about the fall of the Clifford Kingdom.
"Hmph, this guy... quite flashy."
Look at him. He’d only just entered the New World and already conquered a nation to become its king, while Crocodile himself was holed up in this desert, secretly building his forces and deliberately playing the hero. To say he wasn’t jealous would be a lie.
However, he naturally had his own considerations: "Just wait a little longer. A few more years, and it’ll be ready. Pluton... don’t disappoint me!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A gust of sand blew past, and the person on the sofa vanished without a trace.
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