Chapter 96: Occupying the Venus Kingdom

"Your Majesty, it's no use, old minister."

Minister Afo shook his head, but he couldn't finish before his words were cut off.

"Leave? No one is leaving in my presence!"

Before Li Yuan even reached the port of the Venus Kingdom, he had already arrived at the royal palace to prevent the nobles and the king from slipping away with their treasures.

Looking at the current situation, his caution proved wise; otherwise, some of the wealth that rightfully belonged to him might have been taken away.

"The Infinite Great Swordsman Li Yuan! How is this possible? I just received word that you hadn't arrived yet!!!"

Minister Afo trembled as he gazed at Li Yuan.

"Someone! Quick, someone come!" 

Upon seeing Li Yuan, King Petrie shouted in terror.

"Hehe, you don't need to shout. Even if you scream until your throat hurts, no one will come to save you."

Li Yuan rarely quoted classic lines, but it was a pity that the counterpart wasn't a beautiful woman.

Before entering, Li Yuan had used his Conqueror's Haki to knock out everyone in the palace.

Even if the soldiers outside the palace were alerted, it would take time for them to arrive.

"Sir Infinite Great Swordsman, whatever you desire, we can provide it. Please, show mercy and spare us!"

King Petrie shouted in desperation after realizing that no one was coming to their aid.

"Hmm, what I want, I will take with my own hands. No need for you to offer it to me."

"However, I'm not here to destroy your kingdom; I'm here to occupy it."

"For you, this is good news, meaning you have a chance to survive. It's just a matter of whether you want to live."

Li Yuan stepped forward, tossing the so-called king aside before sitting on the throne, smiling down at Minister Afo and King Petrie.

"Occupy this kingdom?!"

Li Yuan's declaration struck King Petrie and Minister Afo like a bolt from the blue. Initially, they thought that even if Li Yuan plundered their kingdom or wiped it out, there would still be a chance for recovery once he left.

But now, with Li Yuan stating he would directly occupy the kingdom, all hope for recovery vanished!

They understood that Li Yuan needed them to manage the kingdom, but his management would only be nominal. The real power would lie with Li Yuan, making them mere puppets in his hands!

"You don't need to rush to answer my question. Think about it after the soldiers and generals of the Venus Kingdom are defeated by my subordinates!"

Li Yuan said nonchalantly while seated on the throne.

"Sir Infinite Great Swordsman, I am willing to serve you! Please spare the soldiers and generals of this kingdom! I will convince them to submit to you!"

Hearing Li Yuan's words, King Petrie quickly pleaded.

"To occupy a kingdom, I must first break its will. They need to witness my power; otherwise, how could they possibly submit?"

"The soldiers and generals are the backbone of this kingdom. Only after breaking that backbone will this kingdom yield to me and submit to my strength!"

Petrie's thoughts were laid bare before Li Yuan's mind-reading abilities, leaving no room for concealment.

Li Yuan openly expressed his intentions regarding the conquest of the kingdom.

"How could this…"

When the minister and the king heard Li Yuan's words, they realized it was all over. Without soldiers and generals to command, they would have no chance of resistance.

At the port of the Venus Kingdom, General Rufiel and twenty thousand soldiers were engaged in battle against over two thousand of Li Yuan's subordinates.

But even with such a numerical advantage, these soldiers stood no chance against ruthless pirates.

Li Yuan could have easily knocked out these soldiers with just his Conqueror's Haki, but he chose not to. He didn't need useless subordinates.

This level of conflict was meant for him to sift through and select elites.

Only those who truly survived would qualify to follow him.

"Pirates, get out of our kingdom!!!"

General Rufiel, a powerhouse comparable to a Navy Rear Admiral, was the strongest individual in the kingdom.

He had consumed the ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Snake-Snake Fruit, which allowed him to transform into a giant python and recklessly sweep through the ranks of pirates.

"Looking for death!!!"

Seeing this, Karu transformed into his six-meter-tall fully-formed Sword-Wing Tiger and charged forward.

"Tail Whip!!!"

As Rufiel saw Karu rushing in, he spun around, swinging his tail violently and directly sending Karu flying.

Though Karu had consumed an ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he had not yet developed his abilities and was unfamiliar with fighting in this form.

Given his ancient form's defensive and life force capabilities, he was at least of Rear Admiral caliber, but in terms of battle experience, he was no match for Rufiel.

Thus, Karu found himself completely overpowered, but Rufiel couldn't finish him off. Karu's resilience allowed him to keep countering after being knocked down, repeatedly charging back into battle.

After a while, Kano finished off his opponent and teamed up with Karu to take on Rufiel.

Only then did they finally defeat him.

Li Yuan observed Karu and the others' battle through his Observation Haki, feeling satisfied with their performances.

After all, he couldn't expect everyone to become a powerhouse in such a short time.

Karu and the others had managed to train hard on Gravity Island, barely reaching Rear Admiral level, which pleased him.

With General Rufiel defeated, the remaining soldiers of the Venus Kingdom had also been largely defeated. Over ten thousand soldiers had been killed, leaving only the wounded and those who surrendered.

"Master, we've dealt with those soldiers, and we have their general here!" 

Karu brought the barely conscious Rufiel into the royal palace, excitedly reporting.

Behind Karu followed Kano, Mari, and the remaining pirates, filling the palace with their presence.

The officers and pirates looked eagerly at Li Yuan, who sat on the throne, waiting for his orders.

"The nobles in the palace have all been knocked out. Bring them to me, along with all their treasures!"

"Remember, you are only allowed to loot the nobles' wealth. If the civilians haven't disturbed you, you are not permitted to harm them. Understood?"

Li Yuan instructed the over two thousand pirates.

"Yes, Captain!!!"

Hearing Li Yuan's words, the pirates rushed out of the palace to raid the nobles' residences!

Meanwhile, Li Yuan headed directly to the treasury of the Venus Kingdom. He had learned its location from King Petrie's memories and didn't need anyone to guide him.

Upon opening the treasury, he found a plethora of ordinary treasures, dazzling gold and gems that nearly blinded him.

After a quick glance, he estimated the treasures to be worth at least six billion.

However, Li Yuan wasn't interested in the usual wealth. He headed straight for the innermost part of the treasury, opening an iron chest.

According to Petrie's memories, this chest contained a Devil Fruit that the Venus Kingdom had acquired many years ago.

"Is this really a Devil Fruit?"

"It's the Paramecia-type, Medicine-Medicine Fruit!"

Upon seeing the fruit, Li Yuan instantly recognized it.

He had memorized the patterns of certain special Devil Fruits or those useful to his allies.

This particular fruit was one that Razzli had once sought after.

"If Razzli sees this Devil Fruit, she'll be overjoyed."

"The Venus Kingdom can be considered a medicinal state, providing Razzli with various medicinal materials."

Li Yuan took the Devil Fruit and exited the treasury, knowing that someone would come to collect the treasures soon.

"Captain, we've gathered all the nobles and their treasures!"

When Li Yuan returned to the palace, he saw many treasures and nobles occupying the royal hall.

The amassed wealth was not as much as what he had seen in the treasury, but it was still around three billion.

"Mari, Kano, you each take thirty percent of the treasures. Karu, you take ten percent to distribute among the brothers. The remaining thirty percent belongs to me!"

Li Yuan simply allocated the treasure.

Kano and Mari led groups of around a thousand men, but they now had only seven or eight hundred left.

Karu led his group of over a hundred disciples. This distribution method was just right.

Among the pirates, not a single person dared to voice dissatisfaction with Li Yuan's allocation.

Even if Mari's group received only thirty percent, once it was distributed among them, it would still be a considerable sum.

The nobles, seeing their treasures divided among these contemptible pirates, could only seethe in silence, too fearful to protest.

"Listen up! This kingdom is now under my occupation. I need a group of loyal individuals from among you to manage this kingdom, and those individuals will be selected from your ranks!"

"But don't think I'll use all of you. I won't select everyone; only a portion of you will be chosen, while the rest will be executed!"

After his subordinates finished dividing the treasures, Li Yuan began addressing the nobles and King Petrie.

"Your Excellency, the Infinite Great Swordsman! I am willing to serve you!"

"I, I will remain loyal to you, Your Excellency!"

"And I! Me too!"

"…"

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, the nobles, who had initially felt anger and fear, quickly began to plead for their lives, professing their complete loyalty to Li Yuan.

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