The pirates charged deep into the island and soon split into three groups.
One group was led by Kaido, heading towards the left.
According to him, there was an Oni settlement in that direction, and he intended to recruit his fellow clansmen.
Another group was led by Dragon, heading towards the right.
This direction was home to numerous noble estates, and Dragon wanted to see for himself if nobles all over the world were the same.
The last group was, of course, led by York.
With Ginny, Kuma, Squadron Leader Maga, and 1,000 pirates under his command, they marched towards the royal capital.
...
Several small-scale skirmishes broke out on the way to the capital, but they were hardly worth mentioning. York didn't even lift a finger; Ginny, Kuma, and Maga handled all opponents.
Finally, in the afternoon, York and his group successfully reached the royal capital of the Vodka Kingdom.
The towering city walls looked crude but possessed a certain rugged grandeur.
Fully armed guards stood atop the walls, and a man who appeared to be a general leaped down from the ramparts.
He shouted loudly at York's group: "I heard Kaido is here! Where is he?! Does he dare to come out and fight!!"
"They say he was already the kingdom's strongest warrior 9 years ago! But because he was unwilling to sacrifice himself for the country, he became a traitor!"
"Now I am the kingdom's new strongest warrior!"
"I'd like to see who is stronger! The strongest from 9 years ago, or the strongest now!!"
York looked at this boastful fellow. He had to admit, this guy's courage in challenging the current Kaido to a duel was commendable.
He just didn't know if it was pure bluster or if he actually had the confidence.
So, to test his authenticity, York stepped forward a few paces.
"Kaido isn't here, but I am his captain!"
"If you can defeat me, it will equally prove that the current you is stronger than him!"
Hearing this, the guy opposite grinned and immediately strode towards York.
"Hahaha! You fell for it! Stupid fellow!!"
Armament Haki wrapped around his fist, and his arm muscles swelled. It seemed he was a Paramecia type ability user.
He threw the first punch straight at York's face. With a muffled bang, a shockwave rippled out, forcing Ginny, Kuma, and Maga to take two steps back.
"Is that it?"
York's voice rang out from beneath the fist. The Vodka Kingdom general who had launched the sneak attack was stunned.
"You aren't dead?"
"You didn't answer my question. You want to challenge Kaido, but is the strength of your fist only this much?"
"Impossible! How could you not be dead! Even if you aren't dead, you can't be unscathed!!"
The Vodka Kingdom general still didn't answer York's question. Retracting his fist and seeing that York didn't even have a nosebleed, his pupils trembled, and he stumbled back several steps in disbelief.
York sighed lightly.
"I thought I met another decent talent, but turns out it's just a fool."
Crack!
York's right fist clenched slowly, the joints cracking.
"Let me tell you! Just how much force a punch should have!!"
No Conqueror's Coating—this guy wasn't worthy. With just simple Armament Hardening, York punched the kingdom general's head straight into the ground.
With just this single blow, the Vodka Kingdom general lost consciousness on the spot, and a cry of alarm erupted from the city walls.
York exhaled gently, muttering to himself with a sigh: "My physique is indeed not strong, but that's in comparison to monsters like Linlin, Kaido, Garp, and Sengoku, not small fries like you!"
Having said that, York waved his large hand towards the royal capital.
"Attack!! Leave no noble alive, not even their chickens and dogs!!"
"Oooooh!!"
The pirates cheered passionately. A charge of only slightly over 1,000 people carried the momentum of an army of a hundred thousand.
Seeing that even their strongest general couldn't last a single round, the defenders on the wall instantly fell into panic.
With one side high in morale and the other in disarray, the outcome of the battle was self-evident.
Watching the city gate being breached in less than ten minutes, York couldn't help but mock the kingdom general he had knocked out with one punch again.
"As a supreme commander, rashly rushing up to duel the enemy is the most foolish move! Unless you are Xiang Yu, but unfortunately, you are not!"
...
After entering the city, the originally somewhat prosperous capital instantly plunged into an ocean of blood and chaos.
Most of the pirates strictly adhered to the rules York set, targeting only those residences that looked luxurious.
After breaking in, they killed the men, raped the women, and looted all the wealth.
York didn't care about their actions.
The high-and-mighty old nobles had enjoyed themselves for decades or centuries, enslaving others for just as long. Now they were merely experiencing what the suffering people had gone through; what was there to pity?
Of course, since the current Red Flag Pirates were still too much of a ragtag bunch, some pirates among the looters soon became blood-crazed and attacked civilians.
York didn't act immediately against such individuals. Instead, he silently memorized their auras with Observation Haki and had Ginny write their names down on paper.
York said nothing, but Ginny, who was recording, and Maga standing beside him knew clearly that once this war ended, these foolish fellows would likely all die.
...
Soon, the chaos in the city spread to the palace.
The King led a small squad of guards to defend inside the palace castle, attempting to rely on the castle's defenses to hold off York.
Unfortunately, their resistance was futile.
In the end, it didn't even take a day.
The entire royal capital of the Vodka Kingdom was thoroughly conquered.
The King and a group of royals were tied up securely and brought before York. York sat on the former King's throne, looking down at this group of prisoners, just as this King had looked down on Kaido years ago.
"Ki... kill or torture... as you wish!!"
The King of the Vodka Kingdom still had a bit of backbone. After all, he was the king of a nation of war, unlike some spineless ones who would lose control of their bowels at the mention of death.
"The one who kills you won't be me, but someone else."
After saying this, York ignored the royal prisoners and followed Maga, who had searched the palace, to the treasury.
The heavy treasury doors opened with a rumble, and massive wealth reflecting golden light gradually appeared before York's eyes.
York sneered and said to Maga: "Go, bring that Ancient Zoan user captured at the port here. Let him see with his own eyes the King he risked his life to serve!"
"There is clearly massive wealth in the treasury, yet they still force the lower class to plunder the Heavenly Tribute through war."
"I want to ask him personally then! Is such a King worth sacrificing one's life for!!"
Maga agreed solemnly, casually called a few people, and ran quickly towards where the ship was docked.
Coincidentally.
A similar situation occurred on Dragon's side.
After conquering a noble estate and through interrogation, he witnessed wealth piled up like a mountain with his own eyes.
This was a literal small mountain.
Bundles of Berries, carefully wrapped in oil paper, were stacked into a pyramid.
The base was over 10 meters long and wide, and the height was close to 10 meters. The exact amount... was impossible to calculate.
Dragon tilted his head back in pain and closed his eyes.
Along the way, aside from this wealthy noble estate, he had also seen many ordinary impoverished families.
They might not be poor enough to starve, but the dilapidated houses, simple clothes, and households mostly run by women with no adult men to be seen...
"This world truly needs a revolution!!"
Dragon lowered his head, a look of determination surging in his eyes.
"Kill all the nobles in this estate!! Leave no one alive!!"
"Then leave 50 men to guard this wealth! The rest follow me to the next estate!!"
"I want to see just how 'poor' this Vodka Kingdom is, to force its citizens into endless wars of plunder!!"
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