North Blue, Kingdom of Antonhal
The Kingdom of Antonhal, located in the North Blue, is a country rich in minerals.
Two giant islands form this large nation.
Due to its vast territory and abundant domestic mineral resources, Antonhal possesses substantial wealth and manpower.
Even without joining the World Government or accepting the Marine's protection, it maintained sufficient military strength to defend itself.
Not every unfortunate country in this world suffers colonization by powerful Warlord-level pirates, like Alabasta and Dressrosa.
In most cases, pirates traversing the seas are no match for a nation's army.
The Kingdom of Antonhal was exactly like this.
They were confident in their three hundred years of undisturbed history in the North Blue and proudly rejected the Gorosei's invitation time and time again.
Then, disaster struck.
It didn't come from any pirate.
After all, the current Warlords already had their territories, and no one would specifically relocate to the North Blue to conquer a hard nut to crack.
There were many pirates capable of defeating a country, but only a handful capable of conquering and occupying one.
The one who did this was a 'notorious' state organization from the North Blue.
Germa 66.
It was less a country and more a massive mobile army.
A military collective composed of dozens of giant warships.
When the warships connected, they formed the homeland; when they separated, they became an army.
Germa 66 had no civilians.
Almost everyone in the nation was a soldier.
They originated from the North Blue but constantly used their scientific technology, specifically cloned, gigantic Den Den Mushi, to drag their warships over the Red Line.
They participated in war after war as mercenaries.
They were a World Government affiliated nation, yet they committed far more heinous acts than any pirate.
When Germa's King, Vinsmoke Judge, rebuilt the nation, the first thing he did was build his reputation by stepping on the heads of the four kings of the countries they had annihilated.
No one dared to underestimate Germa 66's military strength, not even the Four Emperors.
And now, this notorious war collective had arrived at the border of the Kingdom of Antonhal.
Without any declaration of war, they began their invasion of the territory.
The war was almost entirely one-sided.
Since the war began, Germa 66's army had taken less than thirty days to push all the way to Kahat, the capital of the Kingdom of Antonhal.
It wasn't that the soldiers of Antonhal were cowardly or incompetent; they were simply facing Germa 66's cloned army-fearless, strong, brutal, strictly disciplined, and fanatically loyal.
Furthermore, the four powerful modified sons of the Vinsmoke family continually infiltrated the battlefield to assassinate key kingdom generals.
Envoys sent to request negotiations were beheaded.
Germa's intentions were resolute: they only wanted a destroyed Antonhal.
King Rabbit III of Antonhal paced anxiously in his magnificent palace like an ant on a hot stove.
He saw no hope.
From the highest point of the palace walls, he could already see Germa's mighty land warships.
His only hope was the envoy he had sent to Mary Geoise to submit to the Gorosei.
The Foreign Minister rushed into the palace, followed by a mysterious person in a black robe.
Rabbit III ignored the Foreign Minister's rudeness for bringing someone into the palace.
"How was it? What did the Gorosei say?"
Faced with Rabbit's hopeful question, the Foreign Minister could only respond with a silent shake of his head.
Rabbit III's face turned ashen.
He collapsed onto his throne as if all his strength had been drained, his eyes devoid of hope.
They had refused the Gorosei's invitation earlier, and now that Germa was about to destroy their country, they wanted to join? What did they think the World Government was, a public restroom!
"Your Majesty, although the Gorosei rejected our request to join the World Government, I brought back a batch of new weapons on my return trip," the Foreign Minister stood up straight, facing the desperate king, and exclaimed, "This batch of weapons is incredibly powerful. It is enough to reverse the huge gap we have with Germa 66 on the battlefield and give us a chance for victory!"
"And, I have also brought an expert who can teach us how to use these weapons!"
The black-robed man following the Foreign Minister bowed slightly.
His face was obscured by the robe, making his appearance indistinguishable.
Rabbit III pondered for a moment, waved his hand, and closed his eyes.
"Then go. Do your best..."
"The Gorosei are requesting us to temporarily slow down our attack on Antonhal?"
Within Germa 66's formation, Vinsmoke Judge, the King of Germa, sat on a throne adorned with the crowns of four defeated kings.
He frowned at the intelligence report handed to him and angrily slammed his hand on the armrest.
"What a joke! The attack on Antonhal was implicitly approved by those five old men!"
Judge's lifelong ambition was to rebuild the Vinsmoke Empire, to bring back the empire that had vanished into history.
In fact, he already possessed the military power to sweep through the North Blue.
It was only the World Government that had continuously curbed his ambition for expansion.
Their inclusion in the World Government was both an embrace and a warning.
If they insisted on rebuilding the empire, they would face the Marine's retaliation.
Although Judge was angry, he maintained the rationality of a ruler.
He stood up and paced a few times, deeply considering the core issue.
If the Gorosei had truly accepted King Rabbit III's request to join the World Government, they wouldn't have just ordered a slowdown; they would have ordered a full retreat.
'Slow down'...
This term was ambiguous.
It could mean the Gorosei were negotiating certain conditions with Rabbit III, or it could mean...
the Gorosei were waiting for something.
The former was unlikely.
Antonhal was on the verge of destruction by Germa.
Forget negotiating; Rabbit III would have difficulty even kneeling to beg the Gorosei for mercy.
A country that repeatedly refused to join the World Government had to be punished.
This was precisely why the Gorosei had tolerated Germa's attack on Antonhal.
So...what were they waiting for?
Judge stroked his mustache, pondering for a long time, and then gave the order.
"Tell Ichiji to call off their plan to assassinate Rabbit III tonight. All troops are to set up camp thirty kilometers outside Kahat. We will wait for three days."
Judge clenched his right fist, a ferocious look appearing on his lion-like old face.
"Three days, Gorosei. I've given you enough face. In three days, either give me an explanation, or... Kahat will be wiped out!"
"The attack is delayed for three days? Father's orders?"
Below Kahat, the three Vinsmoke brothers, who had already prepared to infiltrate the city under the cover of night and slaughter the entire palace nobility, frowned.
"Why the delay? I could kill all the trash in that city by myself if given the time!" the most hot-tempered of the Vinsmoke siblings, green-haired Yonji, shouted.
"Indeed, I don't think there's anything in this country worth our caution," blue-haired Niji frowned.
"Is it interference from the Gorosei?" red-haired Ichiji raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Father issued this order after receiving an urgent communication from the Gorosei.
I assume it was a notification from Mary Geoise," pink-haired Reiju, the long-legged beauty and Vinsmoke daughter, shrugged.
"Just wait three more days. This city isn't going to grow wings and fly away."
Although the three brothers were displeased with the sudden decision, the instinct ingrained in their bodies to obey the Vinsmoke ruler made them comply with their father's orders.
Only Reiju looked at Kahat standing in the night and felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"I just feel... it won't be that smooth."
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