Chapter 164: Plundering the New World's Member Nations

With so many pirate crews around, they now had the capability to plunder an entire member nation at once. They didn't want to slowly occupy and then wait to collect protection fees, as this would take too long. The territory might be seized by other pirates before they even collect a year or two's worth of fees.

"If this succeeds, seven out of the nine member nations in the New World will be wiped out, leaving only two near the Red Line," Li Yuan mused after hanging up the transponder snail.

Once the member nations are destroyed, the New World will truly belong to the pirates.

After agreeing to the Golden Lion's invitation, Li Yuan immediately gathered his Infinity Pirates to prepare for war. Shakky had already gathered intelligence on the Kingdom of Hasmu, whose strongest warrior was the Grand General Howard Wolf, at the level of an admiral candidate.

"Howard Wolf is someone we might be able to recruit," Li Yuan said, considering Wolf's profile.

"Indeed, I have a way to cure his twin children's illness. It turns out their sickness should have been cured long ago, but the Kingdom of Hasmu has been delaying their treatment," Lazuli added.

"That's excellent news," Li Yuan replied.

Kingdom of Hasmu:

"Your Majesty, we have a problem!"

In the palace's side hall, King Richard Pesic was resting when Minister Leon Manning burst in.

"Minister, why the rush? What's the problem?" King Richard Pesic asked irritably.

"The Infinity Pirates have once again gathered a large number of pirates and set sail!"

The minister panted.

"What? They've gathered pirates again? Are they planning to attack us?" The previously relaxed King Richard quickly stood up.

"Are the general's children still in the palace?" the king urgently asked.

"They are, and their condition has been stabilized by the doctors," the minister replied, understanding the king's concern.

"Good, then inform the general to be on high alert to prevent a sneak attack by the Infinity Pirates."

Upon hearing this, King Richard was relieved. The general was the strongest person in the kingdom, their greatest defense.

"If it weren't for my tactics, the general might have left the kingdom by now," he thought.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the minister nodded.

In the palace, General Howard Wolf's ten-year-old twins, Kobe and Kaya, gazed at the sky.

"That damn king promised to cure us, but after five years, we're still not healed!"

"And he keeps using our treatment as an excuse to make Dad fight pirates. It's infuriating!" Kaya pouted.

"Yeah, if it weren't for him, Dad would have taken us away from this kingdom to live elsewhere," Kobe agreed.

"I heard the Infinity Pirates are attacking the kingdom. Will Dad be in danger?" Kaya asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Dad is the strongest. He'll be fine," Kobe reassured confidently.

Holy Land Mariejois:

"The remnants of Rocks in the New World, having divided the territories, now aim for the member nations," said Saturn Saint, the God of Science and Defense.

The Golden Lion's moves hadn't escaped the World Government's notice, and with prior experience, the Five Elders quickly deduced their intentions.

In the past, they might have sent the Navy and World Government forces to protect the member nations without hesitation. But after the God Valley incident two years ago, they hadn't fully recovered, and the Celestial Dragons wouldn't send their hidden forces to help.

The World Government and Navy alone couldn't handle so many pirates unless the Five Elders intervened, which was unlikely.

As the Five Elders, they stood at the pinnacle of power and hadn't intervened even when the Rocks Pirates destroyed naval fortresses.

Now, it was just the remnants of Rocks. Why would they act?

"Regardless, we must act, or the member nations will be outraged," said Saint Peter, the God of Agriculture.

Although they had previously discussed that losing the New World's member nations was an acceptable loss, inaction against pirates might embolden the four seas' member nations to pressure the World Government.

"Last time, the Navy was ambushed by pirates. This time, they're clearly allied. We must plan accordingly," said Saint Nasujuro, the God of Finance.

"Let's deploy the CP agents to monitor which Rocks remnants are involved. Once they show signs of uniting, notify us immediately," said Saint Vulture, the God of Legal Affairs.

"Yes, have the Navy, Army, and CP0 act together. If we prepare well, we might capture one major pirate," said Saint Mars, the God of the Environment.

The Hasmu Kingdom's waters were already filled with Infinity Pirates' ships.

"Pirates! Pirates are coming!!!"

"Damn it, the Infinity Pirates are really attacking us! Run!!"

"Where's the royal army? Save us!"

The sight of the Infinity Pirates' flag and the fierce pirates caused panic and chaos at the port.

"Fire the cannons! Stop those pirates!" ordered the soldiers defending the port, opening fire on the approaching pirate ships.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

But the cannonballs landing on the ships were intercepted by the captains stationed on board, preventing any damage.

"Hahaha, charge, lads!!"

"Kill any soldiers, but leave the civilians alone unless they resist!" Li Yuan's booming voice echoed across the port.

Through numerous raids, the Infinity Pirates had established their pattern, focusing on plundering the wealthy nobility and royalty.

They ignored the civilians as long as they didn't interfere.

"Charge!!!"

Ashura Doji, the sole officer of the Infinity Pirates, led his warriors at the forefront.

Other captains also led their men toward the palace and the noble district.

As expected, 20,000 royal soldiers, led by Grand General Howard Wolf, guarded the palace.

"Pirates, you shall not enter the palace!!" Howard declared, standing resolute against the approaching pirates.

His children were in the palace, undergoing treatment. He would not let anyone harm them!

"Hahaha, so you're the strongest man in this kingdom. If you want to stop us, defeat me first!" Ashura Doji, sensing Howard's strong aura, shouted excitedly.

Howard leaped forward, his powerful strides propelling him faster than the Shave technique.

"Impact Fist!!"

His punch unleashed a 30-meter-wide white impact wave, reminiscent of Sengoku's impact waves, though less powerful.

Ashura Doji, recalling Li Yuan's fight with Sengoku, knew the impact wave's power well.

"One-Sword Style: Asura Cross Slash!"

His sword unleashed a 50-meter-long cross slash, cleaving the impact wave into four.

Despite being cut, the impact wave still struck Ashura Doji, sending him flying dozens of meters.

Howard was similarly launched back by Ashura Doji's powerful slash.

To fully block an impact wave, one needed a wide-ranging counterattack.

In Li Yuan's battles with Sengoku, he had to use Conqueror's Haki-infused area attacks to block impact waves, or they'd hit him too.

"Cough, cough, the impact wave is indeed powerful. I can't fully block it yet!" Ashura Doji admitted, eyeing Howard.

His animal-type Devil Fruit lacked wide-range attacks, and swordsmen lacked all-encompassing attack methods.

"But if I can't block it all, I'll take some and withstand the rest!" he declared, shifting to his hybrid form. Though the impact wave hurt, it hadn't seriously injured him. He could endure it!

"An animal-type Devil Fruit!" Howard noted, frowning at Ashura Doji's transformation.

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