Hearing this, Lynn's lips curved slightly upward.
So it was the Krieg Pirates.
If he could capture this entire five-thousand-strong pirate crew and put them to work in labor camps, wouldn't the reputation of his Sypher Kingdom skyrocket throughout the East Blue?!
Meanwhile, on the right side of the grand hall, a group of former Goa Kingdom ministers turned pale upon hearing the name "Krieg, the Overlord of the East Blue," their eyes filled with terror and anxiety.
Those elites, usually so accustomed to power and eloquent speech, all looked exceptionally panicked at this moment.
A middle-aged minister named Edmund, who served as the deputy minister of the kingdom's treasury and wore a somewhat worn-out blue robe, was already at a loss, his hands trembling slightly.
He stepped forward and said in a low voice:
"Krieg... that monster Krieg... Your Majesty, that pirate crew has rampaged across the East Blue for years and is extraordinarily brutal! They possess a terrifying fighting force of over five thousand men! Their flagship, the Dreadnought Saber, is virtually indestructible! That ship has pillaged countless coastal cities and merchant vessels across the East Blue, plundering immeasurable wealth! The Overlord Krieg... he possesses superhuman strength that defies imagination, wielding a massive steel greatsword that can easily snap the mast of any ship!"
Edmund's voice trembled, as if he were recalling those terrifying scenes.
Beside him, Albert, the deputy minister of internal affairs—a thin, elderly man in a gray robe with slightly weathered, whitening temples—immediately took over, sweat already beginning to drip continuously from his forehead. He said urgently:
"The Overlord Krieg is also a formidable pirate with a twelve-million-belly bounty! He must have learned that our kingdom is no longer a World Government Affiliated Nation and has come to plunder our wealth!"
Another young minister named Bernard, dressed in a black suit and looking rather restless, chimed in in a low voice:
"What's even more terrifying is that the Overlord Krieg has never tasted defeat. Rumors say he even ventured into the Grand Line! He has personally defeated most of the Marine fleets in the East Blue, and even Marine officers have fallen victim to his sudden strikes due to momentary carelessness. With combat prowess and a ruthless cruelty like that, even if we had tens of thousands of Kingdom Army soldiers, we could never defeat these maritime fiends!"
The ministers' words grew increasingly frantic, and the air was thick with a heavy atmosphere of dread.
Everyone tried their best to avoid meeting Lynn's gaze directly, knowing that right now, speaking out like this was both a demonstration of loyalty and a desperate bid for survival.
To them, Krieg's name was synonymous with destruction and terror.
Fugaku's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his composure as he said in a steady voice:
"Your Majesty, to deal with a mere five-thousand-strong pirate crew, dispatching ten men will be more than enough to annihilate them," Fugaku said in a deep voice.
"Very well, go handle it. Try to take prisoners alive; the nation's development requires manual labor. Drag these pirates to Duan Town for re-education through labor," Lynn ordered.
"Understood."
Fugaku departed, taking a detachment of Uchiha elites with him.
Seated upon the throne, Lynn closed his eyes to rest, awaiting his next legion lottery draw.
He had already annexed the population and territory of the Goa Kingdom.
By now, the morning papers should have spread the news throughout the world.
Why hasn't the lottery chance arrived yet?
Could the system be lagging?
Now that the national territory has expanded, the 108 members of the Uchiha Clan, even with shadow clones, are merely a drop in the bucket.
He needed to quickly recruit a new legion to keep the kingdom functioning properly!
......
Down below, the ministers were filled with anxiety, exchanging uneasy glances with one another.
Yet none dared make a sound that might disturb Lynn upon the throne.
Though they knew the new king's imperial guards possessed extraordinary combat capabilities, compared to them, the notorious Krieg Pirates and their five thousand bloodthirsty thugs still seemed far more terrifying in their minds!
......
At that moment, at the national port—a place that had once been so prosperous—a breathtaking disaster was unfolding!
The air over the port was thick with dust and smoke, the damp sea breeze carrying a pungent scent of gunpowder. Out on the distant sea, rows of pirate ships stood neatly and fiercely in a single line like black beasts, their cannons roaring in a deafening barrage!
Fifty-some warships formed a curved arc, their massive cannons bombarding the port town with reckless fury. The clash of metal and the roar of artillery fire intertwined, as if tearing the air apart.
In the port's shipyard district, the once magnificent docks and commercial zone had now been reduced to ruins.
Shells pierced the walls of buildings, and amid the tremors, one structure after another collapsed, sending a torrential storm of rubble and wood splinters flying in all directions.
Countless citizens fled in the chaos, but even those merchants and townspeople running for their lives failed to escape wave after wave of artillery fire, their bodies scattered across the streets like withered leaves.
Shop windows shattered, leaving the streets littered with broken glass and items scorched by gunfire.
Amidst the ruins, the cries of women and children echoed intermittently, though these sounds were quickly swallowed by fresh explosions.
Near the shore, vessels of all sizes had already been blasted to pieces, the seawater choked with shattered planks, debris, and blood.
And hovering behind all this chaos was a massive three-masted sailing ship occupying the center stage of the grand pirate armada!
Its towering prow hoisted heavy black banners, lending it an imposing air of dominance.
Standing at the front of the deck was the Overlord Krieg, a burly man clad in golden armor. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and his entire frame stood like an unyielding iron tower!
Krieg's stature was towering, his muscles bulging, and his golden armor gleamed with a chilling light.
Wielding a greatsword, he looked down at the devastated port below, his roaring laughter echoing like thunder across the entire sea.
"Hahahaha!" Krieg's laughter was filled with mockery and madness. "Fire! Keep firing! Blast this kingdom to pieces, blow this land to dust! Plunder the wealth accumulated here for centuries! Hahahaha~"
At his command, the cannons aboard the pirate ships roared once more, raining shells down upon the port town like a tempest, the violent explosions obliterating everything in their path. The sea surface was illuminated by firelight, resembling a descent into a hellish apocalypse.
Krieg's gaze swept coldly over the shattered port, seemingly relishing the overwhelming victory as his laughter grew increasingly unhinged.
Far away, atop a mountain peak overlooking the bay, all the villagers of Foosha Village—including the mountain bandit Dadan, the hero Garp, and the three Luffy brothers—had gathered to gaze into the distance at the unfolding scene.
The villagers were so shaken their legs turned to jelly, plunged into utter despair.
Dadan and her mountain bandits were trembling with fright!
"This country hasn't even been stripped of its World Government Affiliated Nation status for twenty-four hours, and it's already being attacked by such a terrifying pirate crew! We'd better stay off the mountain from now on!" Dadan cried out in terror.
"This! Is this what pirates are?! They're killing so many people! Damn it!" Young Luffy clenched his fists tightly, rage surging in his heart.
"Luffy, the pirates we're going to be aren't scumbags like these, remember that!" Ace and Sabo said alongside him, forcing a calm facade.
Hearing this, Garp delivered a punch to each of them.
The pain sent all three rolling on the ground.
"You still want to be pirates?! Open your eyes and look closely! Pirates are vicious scoundrels who commit all manner of evil! From now on, you're all going to become Marines!" Garp roared angrily.
"You damn old man, if you're a Marine, why aren't you going down there to arrest these pirates right now?! Go protect the civilians!" Ace retorted indignantly.
"That's right, that's right! Grandpa only knows how to beat us up!" Luffy clutched the large lump on his head, whimpering in pain.
"Hmph! You three, watch closely!"
Garp leaped into the air, employing Moonwalk to stride across the empty space toward the distant port.
"Whoa! Grandpa can fly!" the three Luffy brothers gasped in astonishment.
Suddenly, the old Village Chief of Foosha Village, peering through a single-barrel telescope, exclaimed:
"It's the new king's imperial guard! They've shown up! Why are there only ten of them? Could they be planning to negotiate?!"