News of King Humphrey's death spread even faster.
Everyone knows that the sky has fallen on the Kingdom of Lanka.
Most ordinary people would be alarmed upon hearing this news.
But upon closer reflection, it becomes quite intriguing.
This world already oppresses them, it doesn't treat them like human beings.
The sky falling now might not necessarily be a bad thing.
It also depends on what kind of personality the newly enthroned king has.
But before the people of the Kingdom of Lanka could recover, an even more shocking piece of news arrived the next day.
The second prince of the Kingdom of Lanka, along with his six brothers, led nobles into Ross's palace at night, intending to kill Ross to avenge their father.
That night, the firelight illuminated almost the entire city of Lanka, waking most of the residents who went out into the streets to check the situation.
They had almost witnessed firsthand the disgraceful behavior of the second prince and the nobles.
Once the chaos caused by these people subsided, they were all tied to the execution platform, still shouting and cursing at the Celestial Dragons and Ross.
The key issue was that they didn't treat ordinary people as human beings at all, and they even blamed these lowly folk for not joining the fight.
The result was naturally one of public outrage. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Zane beheaded the second prince and all the nobles.
A plot to murder a Celestial Dragon was something that couldn't be tolerated.
The Marines stationed in Jaygarcia were quickly mobilized to completely seal off the noble districts, and all noble families involved in the plot to murder Ross were sent to the execution platform.
The execution ceremony lasted for a full day and night.
The crowds grew restless, with groups of viewers rotating in and out.
While confiscating the property of nobles, an even more explosive piece of news broke.
On the day King Humphrey died, the eldest prince fled Lanka and rallied nobles in other cities to rebel against Ross and reclaim Jaygarcia, which belonged to the Lanka family.
The eldest prince's actions were doomed to failure, and all the nobles involved were exterminated and their families confiscated.
This purge alone covered 90% of the nobles, leaving only 10% of the lesser nobles living in fear that the executioner's blade would fall upon them one day.
...
While Ross was busy ransacking the houses, Kaido in Wano Country also received a message from Zane.
"Waaaaaah!"
After the Den Den Mushi hung up, Kaido burst into maniacal laughter, and the entire room trembled.
"King, the Celestial Dragons want to trade you away, but they're only willing to offer one Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit."
"Mr. Kaido, I acted impulsively!"
The young man, King, who was wearing black armor, had black wings, and white hair, knelt on one knee with his head bowed low.
He had previously received news that a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with a bounty of 300 million had appeared in Dracul Island. Just as he went to recruit the person, he happened to run into Gion, who was searching for Devil Fruits.
Ordinary people would keep their distance from anyone who knew him and was dressed in CP0 attire.
But Alber was different.
His real name was Alber. He was a descendant of the Lunaria race and had been an experiment of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons since birth. He only harbored hatred for the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
If Kaido hadn't been captured and imprisoned together with him, he might still be in the lab, or he might already be a corpse.
Upon encountering CP0 in the New World, he ultimately couldn't control his emotions and fought against Gion and the servants belonging to the Jaygarcia family.
At that time, Gion had not yet obtained the fruit. Even though he was fighting against many, he still had the advantage, but it was difficult for him to kill anyone.
The chase lasted ten days, during which he killed a total of three CP organization members.
After that, Gion suddenly gained Devil Fruit powers, and her strength surpassed his. However, due to the special nature of the Lunaria race, it was very difficult to kill him.
Knowing that the situation was hopeless, King chose to retreat and returned to Wano Country.
As for his original Zoan-type target, he had already died in the battle between the two sides.
"Waaaaaah!"
Kaido let out a hearty laugh, shifting his massive body slightly as he leaned back in his enormous chair, saying nonchalantly:
"King, I told you I would protect you, and I will never send you away again. We will overthrow the World Government one day. But we need time before that happens."
He had many subordinates, but his favorite was still King.
He valued both loyalty and ability. Although their strength was still slightly lacking, they would definitely be his right-hand men in the future.
"Mr. Kaido, should we agree to the other exchange? An Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit would give us another reliable ally," King asked in a deep voice.
"Kozuki Toki was Kozuki Oden's woman, wasn't she? Right now, it's best not to provoke him. Let's wait a bit longer and contact the World Government to ask them to give us some time," Kaido grinned.
He used to think that Kozuki Oden was a remarkable person.
But after he used Wano Country as a threat, not only did Kozuki Oden not think of resisting, but he actually took off his clothes and danced in public.
That scene was absolutely horrible.
At first, he thought that Kozuki Oden would be secretly accumulating power, and he personally monitored him for a long time.
He then discovered that Kozuki Oden had no ulterior motives; he simply believed him and thought they would keep their promise and leave Wano Country in five years.
A fool like that was truly rare.
Three years ago, Kaido wasn't afraid of Oden, but Wano Country was Oden's homeland, and his pirate crew wasn't very strong at the time. If they were to fight, heavy casualties would be inevitable.
But if they accumulated strength for another two years, Oden's popularity in Wano Country would wane, and even if they broke the agreement, not many people would help Oden.
Moreover, with the strength of both sides shifting, he was certain he would defeat Wano Country.
Kaido also couldn't understand why the World Government wanted Kozuki Toki. He guessed that it was probably because Kozuki Toki was a user of the Time-Time Fruit, which was why the World Government valued her.
This fruit may be very powerful, but it wasn't worth Kaido's attention yet. His dream was to create a pirate crew composed entirely of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.
Once Oden was killed, they could negotiate with the World Government and hopefully get another Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit in return.
"Waaaaah! King, come with me tomorrow to watch Princess Kozuki of Wano Country dance. One day, we'll make those arrogant fools pay the price."
Kaido's maniacal laughter carried far, and even King's usually expressionless face broke into a smile after a long time.
Only when he was with Mr. Kaido could he feel at peace.
It was worth noting that the World Government still had a warrant out for his arrest.
Anyone who discovered his whereabouts, regardless of whether he was alive or dead, or whether he could be captured, would receive a bounty of 100 million Berries.
He never wanted to go back to the cage that had imprisoned him.
King had long ago sworn in his heart that he would follow Kaido to crush this cage.
...
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