Shaxia slowly regained consciousness and took a look around. The surroundings were all too familiar to her—this was the temple of Birka.
All the temple priests and elders were bound together, and surrounding them were the invaders from the Blue Sea, grinning maliciously as they watched.
Shaxia tried to stand up but found herself utterly drained of strength. Only then did she notice a pair of shackles clamped tightly around her wrists.
"Seastone!" she exclaid in shock.
"Oh? Seems like you know what seastone is," ca a voice from nearby.
Shaxia turned her head and saw a young man lounging arrogantly on what used to be her divine seat—none other than the leader of the Blue Sea intruders.
In that mont, mories ca flooding back. Before losing consciousness, it had been this young man who held her in his arms.
She realized it must have been him who carried her here, and that thought made her blush uncontrollably. Never in her life had she been held so intimately by a man. The sheer thought was enough to turn her face red with embarrassnt.
"Who are you? What are you doing in Birka?" she asked coldly, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"We're the Gray Kingdom Pirates. Initially, we ca here just to resupply and take a break... but plans have changed. I've decided to make Birka a vassal state under the Gray Kingdom," Rosinante replied with a smirk.
"Vassal state?" Shaxia asked, confused.
"That's right. Starting today, Birka will be a vassal state under the Gray Kingdom. As the suzerain state, we'll protect you from foreign invasion and destruction. In return, Birka must offer yearly tributes to the Gray Kingdom—be it gold, jewels, Devil Fruits, or your rare Sky Island shells," Rosinante explained.
"You're just a pirate crew! And you dream of becoming Birka's suzerain? We never had invaders before—you're the only threat! We don't need your so-called protection!" Shaxia snapped, her voice full of righteous anger.
"You're free to refuse, of course. But since you called us pirates, you should know exactly how pirates deal with refusal," Rosinante said, still smiling.
"Scoundrel! Shaless!" Shaxia spat furiously.
"Oh, right. You're already a trophy of our pirate crew. Whatever your people decide, you're no longer the ruler of this nation. I could use a few maids... why don't you serve as mine? I don't need decorative vases onboard, but a combat maid squad? Now that sounds both useful and easy on the eyes. What do you all think?" Rosinante said with a grin.
"Great idea! Captain is brilliant!" the pirates cheered.
"Hmph! Shaless, shaless, shaless!" Shaxia growled, her rage barely contained.
"Ti to choose, then—your decision will determine Birka's fate. Annihilation or submission?" Rosinante declared, his aura suddenly shifting to sothing overpoweringly domineering.
"There it is again!" Shaxia's face paled as she felt that terrifying pressure emanate from him.
"That's Conqueror's Haki, One of the three types of Haki. It's said to occur in only one out of a million people. And unlike the other two, you can't train your way into it—you either have it or you don't."
"The power that hit you earlier is Armant Haki. In the Blue Sea's New World, that's just the basic standard," Raelmann added.
"Hohoho, well... it's not that basic. Even in the New World, not everyone can use Armant Haki. But if you want to be considered strong, you need it. It's more like... a rite of passage for the powerful," Burs comnted.
"There's also the third type—Observation Haki. I believe your Sky Island calls it 'Mantra,'" Hemmie chid in.
As she listened, Shaxia's face turned from fury to shock.
Armant Haki—capable of injuring her—was just the norm in the New World? And their Mantra, sothing Sky Islanders took great pride in, also existed in the Blue Sea? No wonder the Blue Sea was such a dangerous place...
"Your powers may be impressive here in the sky," Rosinante said coolly, "but down in the Blue Sea, they're nothing. There are many who can destroy entire islands. Those Logia types... always arrogant, thinking their intangibility makes them invincible. But in the New World, they're often the first to die from overconfidence."
"Hmph! Even if I have to die, I won't bow to you!" Shaxia declared.
"Well then, I suppose we'll have to resolve this the pirate way," Rosinante said, his voice calm.
"No, wait! We—Birka—are willing to submit and beco a vassal state of the Gray Kingdom!"
The voice ca from one of the temple elders nearby.
"Elder! How could you betray us like this?" Shaxia glared at him in disbelief.
"Don't be stubborn, Shaxia. Do you want to see Birka destroyed?" the elder asked, his tone heavy with concern.
"But... but..." Shaxia protested.
"No buts. You may be our god, but this concerns Birka's survival. You don't get to be willful. Besides... you're no longer our god. From now on, you're this captain's maid," the elder said, practically groveling before Rosinante.
"Yes, yes! Birka submits to the captain and requests his protection!"
"Shaxia, as Birka's forr god, you must sacrifice for Birka. Serve the captain well."
"To show our sincerity, we offer Shaxia, our forr god, to the captain!"
One by one, the other elders chid in.
"You traitors!" Shaxia yelled, glaring at them through tears.
"Heh... politics really is filthy. But hey, it saves the trouble. You can choose a new leader now. I never liked the term 'god' anyway. From today, Birka will have kings instead," Rosinante declared.
"Yes, understood!" the temple elders said as they bowed low.
"Now go and calm the people. Make sure there's no conflict between them and the Gray Kingdom. If there's bloodshed, don't say I didn't warn you," Rosinante warned.
"Yes, yes!" The elders rushed off to appease the citizens.
Left alone in the grand hall, Shaxia's tears fell silently, yet she continued to glare stubbornly at Rosinante.
"You can't bla . I didn't force them. If things turned out like this, it just ans you never truly had their loyalty," Rosinante said.
At his words, Shaxia's glare burned even hotter.
"Feisty little mare," Rosinante chuckled.
"Captain, let handle her. I promise I'll train her until she's as docile as a kitten," Burs grinned.
"You? Nah, leave it to . I'll teach her all the proper ways to serve. She won't even dare defy a direct order! Ha!" Bartley added, with a knowing, lecherous glint in his eye.
"Captain, let —"
"Captain—"
"Are you all that bored?" Rosinante shot them all a glare.
At once, everyone fell silent.
"Since you have so much free ti, I'll give you a mission," Rosinante said.
"What mission?" they asked, intrigued.
"Each division, led by its captain, will launch a campaign of conquest across the Sky Islands. Within three years, I want every Sky Island to beco a vassal of the Gray Kingdom," Rosinante declared.
"Yes, sir! Mission accepted!" The pirates erupted with excitent.
They were pirates, after all. War was their symphony.
"Bins, your Bloodsworn Guard will remain on standby. If any division runs into real trouble or a particularly tough enemy, you'll be the rescue and elimination force," Rosinante instructed.
"Yes, Captain! The Bloodsworn Guard stands ready!" Bins responded firmly.
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