After things had stabilized in the Eastern Coral Region, and Pablo had taken control of the newspapers, the fleet, and the dia, he began thinking about the next step. Not expansion outside the region. Not new wars. But developing his personal strength.
He sat in his room at night, a map of the South Blue before him, but he wasn't looking at the islands. He was looking inside himself.
In the world of One Piece, true power is not in ships, nor in soldiers, nor in money. True power is Haki.
He rembered what he knew from watching the ani in his previous world.
Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki): The ability to sense the presence of others, predict their attacks, and if developed well, you can see the near future.
Armant Haki (Busoshoku Haki): Coating your body or your weapon with Haki, increasing the power of attacks. It can be developed into several forms: destroying your opponent from the inside, or performing ranged attacks...
Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki): The strongest and rarest type of Haki. Used by the mightiest of the mighty. It can shatter an opponent's will, make your opponents lose consciousness, but the strongest use of Conqueror's Haki is coating with Conqueror's Haki - this is what the elite of the world rely on.
Pablo's goal was not only Haki, but also learning swordsmanship. Pablo did not love swordsmanship. He did not love swords. But he loved power. And the sword was a ans to power.
Most of the world's strongest were swordsn.
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, was a swordsman. Rocks, the forgotten legend, was a swordsman. Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors, was a swordsman. Dracule Mihawk, the future World's Strongest Swordsman, was a swordsman. Even Shamrock, Shanks's twin, was a swordsman. And the Gorosei, and many other characters.
The list was long.
He also wanted to search for specific Devil Fruits that appeared in the ani. So were very powerful. So were rare. So could change the balance of power.
But before he left the region to search for training and power.
He had two things he needed to do first: raise his personal strength - after all, he would be heading to the Grand Line.
And second, he had to make sure his region was safe. And that there were no internal threats that could distract him during his absence.
The biggest threat was the pirates.
Dozens of pirates were still roaming the waters of the Eastern Coral Region. They were not strong. Most of their bounties did not exceed ten million. But they were annoying. They attacked rchant ships sotis. They plundered remote villages sotis. They were remnants of the previous era of chaos.
Pablo decided to get rid of them once and for all.
---
Pablo summoned Lordan, one of the three entrusted with "Coral Voice."
"Lordan, I will publish an announcent in the next issue."
"What do you want us to say?"
"From today, every pirate in the Eastern Coral Region has ten days to leave the region. After ten days, we will consider every ship flying a pirate flag a legitimate target. We will execute everyone who remains. We will burn every ship. We will chase them to the last man."
Lordan was silent for a mont. "That... that is harsh."
"That is the intention."
Lordan wrote the announcent. He published it in the next issue of "Coral Voice."
The news spread quickly.
---
In a small tavern on a remote island, three pirates were gathered. The bounty of each of them did not exceed five million. They were drinking cheap wine and laughing at the news.
"Did you hear? The Pablo Family is asking us to leave within ten days."
One of them laughed. "And who are the Pablo Family to dictate to us?"
Another poured whiskey on the ground. "I won't go. These are our waters. This is our region. I sailed this sea before this child was born."
The third, however, was the smartest of them. He read the announcent twice. He rembered the black fleet he had seen in the newspaper. He rembered what happened to Kuro's gang. And Captain Black.
He said nothing. He stood up. He left the tavern. He did not look back.
At another port, a certain pirate was reading the newspaper. He was a coward, but he was intelligent. He read the announcent. He knew that staying ant death. He gathered his n. He sailed before dawn.
Elsewhere, so foolish pirates decided to challenge. They gathered their small ship. They raised their flag and sailed out to sea looking for a ship to plunder. They wanted to show that they were not afraid.
They were stupid.
---
Captain Vinson in Naraka read the announcent. He did not move. He did not prevent. He did not help. He said to himself: "This is not the Marines' concern. Let them kill each other. This is good for us."
The rchants in the nine islands felt relieved. They had suffered from pirate attacks for years. They paid tributes out of fear. Now, there was soone to protect them. So said: "If Pablo succeeds, I will be grateful to him forever."
The farrs on Shell Island heard the news. They did not care. They were busy with their fields. But they were happy. Pirates used to steal their crops sotis. One of them said: "Let Pablo do what he wants. As long as they leave us alone."
The residents of Shadow Island were afraid. They rembered Kuro. They rembered the "Black Sails" gang. They hoped the Pablo Family would be less cruel. But they also hoped the pirates would disappear forever.
Savia in Verona read the announcent. She smiled. "He is no longer the child he once was."
---
After Ten Days
The deadline had passed. So pirates left. So hid. So challenged. And so did not care.
Pablo ordered the fleet to move.
The black ships set sail in every direction.
In the north of the region, a patrol ship of the fleet spotted a small ship flying a pirate flag. There were several pirates. They were trying to plunder a rchant ship. Pablo's ship fired its cannons. It hit the boat. It sank. And they attacked the pirates to ensure they were dead.
In the south of the region, Pablo's ships encountered a pirate sailing away from the region. Under Pablo's orders, they did not attack him at all. Once he left the region, he was no longer Pablo's problem. Why would he waste ammunition and n?
In the east of the region, two groups of pirates gathered on one ship. They had decided to challenge. They attacked a ship belonging to the fleet. The battle was short. The black ship was larger, faster, and stronger. Pablo's n were more trained and better ard. After ten minutes, the pirate ship was burning. The pirates were either killed or drowned.
In open waters, three ships of the fleet intercepted a large pirate ship trying to plunder a village on Breeze Island. The ship carried thirty pirates. They fired. Pablo's n fired. The battle was fierce. But the end was inevitable. The pirate ship sank. And the pirates were killed.
And many other battles took place within a few days, all ending in victory for the family's n. The n were carefully chosen for their strength and well-ard. They would have no problem with so weak pirates.
---
After the battles, the ships returned to port. The ships carried wounded. But they also carried news of victory.
So pirates were captured. Others were killed. Most had left the region within the deadline given to them. But the most important thing was: not a single ship flying a pirate flag remained in the waters of the Eastern Coral Region.
Pablo sat in his office. Before him was Darin's report.
"The region is completely free of pirates. Permanently."
Pablo smiled. He said nothing. He just nodded.
This was the first step. Purifying the region before he left to develop himself.
Now, his waters were safe. His trade was protected. His people were reassured.
And now, it was ti to focus on himself.
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