An affiliated nation's prestige

"Beasts Pirates... When did the Standing Kingdom offend them?"

Orlumbus was once an adventurer for the kingdom. Of course, the difference between adventurer and pirate isn't that significant—only that the protection of an affiliated nation prevented them from being listed as wanted, making them a kind of legitimate figure.

Deep inside, he has a kind side, unconsciously helping the weak. According to normal development, after joining the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, he intended to carry out typical plundering like pirates. But because the places he tried to rob were too poor, it turned into a poverty alleviation campaign.

But this doesn't hide the fact that he is inherently a villain — the Massacre Ruler and Made-Up Explorer. The average person wouldn't be given such a title. Nicknames on the sea hold some credibility; at the very least, they are never completely unrelated to the person.

As an "adventurer" who has roamed both the first half of the Grand Line and even the New World, a keen eyesight was essential. To survive in the New World, it was impossible not to recognize the flag of an Emperor of the Sea, who they can't afford to offend.

Especially the Big Mom Pirates, who often reminded the world not to forget the terror of the Emperors of the Sea. Among the current three Emperors, Whitebeard was the most lenient within his territory, with fewer demands.

The Beasts Pirates spent most of their time doing business. For the sake of long-term trade, the islands within their territory were equally peaceful.

But Big Mom was different. Due to her chronic eating disorder, eating was one of the most important things in the Big Mom Pirates. If they couldn't provide enough food within the deadline, the entire island would be destroyed.

As one of the three equally famous great pirate crews, there was no reason why the Beasts Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates couldn't do what the Big Mom Pirates could.

These twelve ships didn't seem enough to handle this situation. They had a numerical advantage, but even if they sank three of the enemy's ships, they would face even greater trouble in the future.

The other side were pirates. Regardless of the reason, if their ships were sunk, they would retaliate. The Standing Kingdom couldn't deal with a lunatic like Kaido.

They could choose to ask the Marines for help, but that wasn't a long-term solution. Marines, or rather the World Government, wouldn't break the balance they were maintaining for the sake of one kingdom. In other words, they wouldn't proactively attack the Beasts Pirates.

Similarly, even if they stationed a Marine Admiral in the Standing Kingdom, it would only be a temporary solution. A Marine Admiral couldn't stay there forever. Once they left, the same hardships would follow.

As for whether the World Government would be embarrassed, they wouldn't be. They had ten thousand ways to explain their reasoning, like saying other kingdoms also needed protection, the casualties would be too high, the other side hadn't made a move yet, so they couldn't strike first, and so on.

These were the outcomes Orlumbus could foresee.

Orlumbus then adjusted the angle of the binoculars in his hand. In the monocular's lens, Jack's figure filled the entire field of vision.

"Steel Mammoth... Jack..."

The officers of an Emperor's crew were also on the watch list. If the calamity-level officers were the first echelon, then Jack was now at the top of the second echelon. Orlumbus didn't think he was Jack's match.

He excels at legion-level battles, and his 'Admiral's Dignity' ensures that his subordinates maintain exceptional discipline. On the battlefield, absolute obedience was one of the important factors in winning a war.

But someone like Jack has already made numbers irrelevant. The Steel Mammoth has a real metal body—and is not just some brute exchanging tusks for bounties.

On top of that, there were those two terrifyingly menacing behemoths. He didn't think those things were just inflatable toys meant to scare people.

Before he could think about what to do, Tyranitar's lock-on was already complete.

A massive beam of light shot out from Tyranitar's mouth. The charged-up Hyper Beam pierced through the ship's hull in the blink of an eye, followed by a large-scale chain of explosions. These weren't just caused by the Hyper Beam; the ammunition depot on the ship was also set off, adding to the explosions.

The enormous shockwave triggered a gigantic tsunami, nearly capsizing the nearby ships.

After the attack, Tyranitar's body temporarily froze in place, but this didn't have much impact. Orlumbus' subordinates were too terrified by the horrifying beam to even think of retaliating.

Even Orlumbus stared wide-eyed at Tyranitar in the distance. He clearly saw the monster release that terrifying attack after charging up.

And Tyranitar was still standing there. Orlumbus didn't believe that monster could only attack once. It had destroyed a ship with a single strike. If not for the angle, the damage caused by that beam would have been even greater. What was even more alarming was that the opponent's ship was entirely out of their cannon's range.

They didn't know that using Hyper Beam causes a temporary paralysis. This paralysis duration could shorten with training, but the newly evolved Tyranitar hadn't mastered it yet. So, to Orlumbus and his men, it looked like Tyranitar was preparing for another attack.

Given its immense power, a long charge time seemed reasonable.

He didn't order anyone to rescue the people. With an explosion of that scale, survival was impossible unless someone had jumped into the water beforehand. At that moment, the signalman under Jack's command sent their message.

"Admiral, they're demanding we hand over 10 ships and then leave on our own…"

"Those b*stards…"

"Yeah, Admiral, those damn pirates are going too far! We should just fight them!"

"Why didn't those b*stards say they wanted the ships earlier…"

"..."

Orlumbus's complaints reached the ears of his crew, leaving them incredulous. From his tone, they thought their admiral intended to fight, but Orlumbus had something else in mind.

Ships could be rebuilt, but once someone was dead, it was over. After Orlumbus' efforts, the Yonta Maria Grand Fleet had become fiercely loyal to him. They were more obedient to Orlumbus than to the king.

Ships could be rebuilt or bought again—after all, it was the kingdom's funds. But every lost crew member meant a personal loss for him.

"Admiral, do you mean…?"

"Abandon the ships. We can't afford to provoke that guy. Let the king deal with this headache. Oh, and don't forget to notify the Marines. This is beyond what we can handle."

To minimize losses, Orlumbus decided to retreat. As long as his men were safe, he could accept it. As for this headache, he'd leave it to the king.

In the end, the crew crowded onto one ship, using lifeboats of all sizes to escape.

Jack was very satisfied with this outcome. He believed his plan had succeeded. Faced with overwhelming force, the other side chose not to fight but to hand over what they wanted and avoid further disaster.

The king, upon receiving the news, was furious and strongly condemned Orlumbus for fleeing without a fight. But there wasn't much he could do.

The Standing Kingdom still relied on him, and they couldn't afford to offend the Beasts Pirates. The king had no choice but to lodge a complaint with the World Government. After all, the king of an affiliated nation still holds a bit of influence.

He demanded that the World Government impose the harshest punishment on the culprits; otherwise, he'd be utterly humiliated as a king. The result? The World Government ignored the latter part of his message.

The World Government passed the task to the Marines. Thus, on the Marine's intelligence desk, the photos of Emboar, Tyranitar, Jack, and Queen were once again pinned to the board by the Meeting King, Brannew. [*Again a name given by one piece fans of china which is similar to Pirate King.]

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