"You do not even have the right to make me draw my hand."
It was a light, almost casual sentence, yet it dealt Gan Fall an enormous humiliation. His face flushed red, veins bulging across his forehead, but he still could not control his body.
He could not move at all.
Ares's eyes sharpened, and from his invincible, battle-tempered body erupted a domineering aura as if he alone stood above all others. Streaks of black-red lightning answered his will and swept across the entire beach like a storm.
Thud.
Thud.
Everyone touched by that surge of Haki dropped where they stood. Their eyes rolled back, and they lost consciousness instantly.
In just a few seconds, not a single person was left standing before Ares.
At the sight of that, Gan Fall's pupils kept widening.
To him, this was a completely unknown power.
Terrifying.
Unbelievably terrifying.
It utterly surpassed his understanding. His heart began pounding violently.
What kind of power is this? Is it just his presence? He knocked everyone unconscious with nothing but his aura?
"Do you see now?" Ares glanced sideways at Gan Fall from above. Knocking out thousands felt like no more than a trivial matter to him. "Even if your entire island came at me together, I would not need to lift a hand to defeat all of you."
"That is the difference in strength."
It was not that he had some particular need to show off. He simply wanted to take Angel Island without shedding blood.
The population of Angel Island was not large to begin with. If he conquered it by force, the survivors would only nurse hatred, obey outwardly while resisting inwardly, and create endless trouble.
That would make ruling the island far more difficult.
Of course, if force truly became necessary, Ares would not show mercy either.
"Well? Have you thought it through?" Ares's low voice made Gan Fall feel as though his blood had frozen solid. He felt like he had fallen straight into an ice pit.
"I..." Gan Fall's face twisted with hesitation and struggle. Yet once he remembered Ares's terrifying strength, how a single glance had frozen him in place and how one burst of presence had knocked everyone out, what strength did he even have to resist?
The moment he hesitated, the demonic pressure radiating from Ares surged again.
Gan Fall instantly felt the weight multiply.
His body bent forward.
Drops of sweat, heavy as beans, slid down his cheeks and nose and fell to the ground.
His knees began to buckle. His bones let out cracking sounds.
That scene made even Olvia feel uneasy. She bit her lip, hesitation flickering in her bright eyes as if she wanted to stop Ares. A moment later, she finally spoke.
"Ares, your way of doing this... is it not too self-centered?"
Ares's expression darkened slightly as he turned to look at her.
"The cruelty of the world far exceeds your imagination. Even without me, someone else would eventually come and take this place."
"Without enough strength, peace cannot be protected at all."
Olvia was stubborn in her own way. She immediately pushed back.
"If you subjugate Angel Island, then you are just dragging them into war to satisfy your ambition. How is that any different from those violent nations that worship force? What you are doing is... selfish!"
The moment Olvia openly opposed Ares, Crocus's heart nearly leapt into his throat.
Inside, he was cursing desperately.
Little lady, are you insane? How dare you stop that man? He is the pirate whose name terrifies countless people... War God Ares!
If you really anger him, he could kill you with one finger!
He truly had to admire Olvia's courage and nerve.
But sometimes courage and nerve were just other names for recklessness and courting death.
Ares smiled faintly.
"Who said I intend to drag them into war?"
That answer stunned Gan Fall, Olvia, and the others alike.
Olvia's head seemed practically full of question marks. She stared at Ares in surprise.
"Then... then why do you want to take them over?"
Ares had never explained this before, so the misunderstanding had formed naturally. Fortunately, there was still time to clear it up.
He said, "For the Blue Sea, sky islands have always been mysterious and incredibly difficult to reach. Travel between the two sides is troublesome and dangerous. Very few survive it."
"Goods from the Blue Sea rarely reach the sky islands, and the same is true in reverse."
He looked across each of their faces.
"What I want is to bind the sky islands and the Blue Sea more closely together. I want to sell the specialties of the sky islands down below and earn enormous profit from it. At the same time..."
"They themselves will benefit as well. They will be able to buy Blue Sea products at reasonable prices."
A strong nation could not exist without economic development.
Ares understood better than anyone how important that was.
Then he added something blunt, cutting, and painfully realistic.
"To be frank, I do not think much of their strength. Sending them into war would be no different from sending them to die."
The physical standards of Angel Island's people were far below even the average person in Wano.
If he was going to choose soldiers, he would choose them from Wano, not from Angel Island.
Those words were a harsh blow, and Gan Fall's face darkened, but he could not deny that Ares had every right to speak so arrogantly.
"Ares, that is actually a very good idea." Olvia let out a relieved smile, bright and graceful.
Then, with complete openness, she apologized.
"I was wrong to misunderstand you just now."
Ares nodded faintly, then turned back toward Gan Fall.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"I can agree," Gan Fall said through clenched teeth, struggling to force the words out. "But if you ever drag the people of Angel Island into war, then even if it costs me my life, I will stop you!"
"Then it is settled."
In that instant, Gan Fall suddenly felt his whole body lighten. The mountain-like pressure crushing down on him vanished without a trace, and control returned to his limbs.
He let out a long breath.
That feeling from moments ago had been horrifying. To lose control of one's own body was a terror beyond words.
Gan Fall looked at Ares.
"The people who fainted, they..."
"They are fine. They will wake up in a while," Ares said. Then he declared, "From this day on, Angel Island is my territory. Later, I will have the flag of the War God Pirates raised here. Anyone who invades this island will be an enemy of Ares."
"And as for you..." Ares looked at Gan Fall and said calmly, "You will no longer be called God. From now on, you are the governor of Angel Island, responsible for its administration."
Then he turned to Olvia.
"This is Olvia. For now, she will act as your assistant. She will help you manage Angel Island while also learning and improving her own ability in governance."
"Me?" Olvia blinked in surprise, but she had already prepared herself mentally. Smiling, she said, "Then I will be in your care, Governor Gan Fall."
Since this white-haired beauty had just spoken up on his behalf, Gan Fall could not help but feel both gratitude and a measure of goodwill toward her.
He smiled back.
"Then I will be relying on you as well, Miss Olvia, to help me manage Angel Island."
"No problem. I would be happy to help. Besides, Governor Gan Fall has already managed Angel Island very well. The people here clearly trust you," Olvia replied with a radiant smile.
And just like that, she slipped him a very skillful compliment.
Ares said, "When these residents wake up, you can explain everything to them. As for us, we are going to Upper Yard now."
"I can guide you there," Gan Fall volunteered at once.
He knew the place well, and more than that, he wanted to spend more time with these people and better understand them.