After the Rain, It's Too Late

Chapter 9: After the Rain, It's Too Late

"Hahaha, Rode, we've really hit the jackpot this time. Following Lord Patches was definitely the right move. With how chaotic this sea area is right now, if we ride this wave, it should be enough for the Black Eagle Pirates to live it up for several years."

A dark harbor.

In front of a bonfire.

Two pirates laughed heartily while roasting meat.

"Yeah, after that big shot was defeated, I was a bit hesitant about joining Lord Patches, but now it seems like Patches might be the true hero."

"By the way, did you hear? Lord Patches discovered a weapons factory in this kingdom. It's ridiculous that this country's king had so many weapons but didn't use them. What an idiot."

Drinking heavily and eating heartily, the two pirates soon became a little tipsy.

Listening to the screams of the women in the town and the arrogant laughter of the pirates in the dark night, as the alcohol flowed, a hint of uncontrollable excitement flashed in their eyes. If it weren't for the orders from the higher-ups to guard this port, these two pirates would have already joined the revelry.

A night breeze blew through the ruined kingdom. The pirates' sinister laughter and the commoners' pleading cries turned the once prosperous nation into a living hell.

Moving at a speed beyond normal human capabilities, Roy crossed the sea below rapidly. The flight ability granted by the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, combined with the speed from his sonic abilities, compressed a journey that would normally take a week into just half a day.

"It should be this direction!" Roy muttered, looking at the compass guiding him. Due to the complex geography of the Grand Line, even with his Echo Map, Roy could easily get lost flying in the dark.

After confirming the final direction, Roy activated his abilities again and continued to fly rapidly towards his destination. The Krol Kingdom was a typical island nation. It wasn't very large, but because it was rich in iron ore, it became an affiliated nation of the World Government. It was precisely because of its abundant iron ore that it was a crucial reason why Roy and Spandam chose to establish their factory here.

Flying through the sky was always fast. Roy crossed several sea routes and arrived at the edge of the Machino Sea Area. Looking at this sea area he had visited before and was somewhat familiar with, Roy aimed for the southwest corner and continued to use his abilities to fly rapidly towards the Krol Kingdom. Tonight, the sky was exceptionally dark due to the dark clouds, but this did not hinder the pirates' joyous banquet. Sitting on the throne that originally belonged to the king, with a terrified queen in his arms, Patches was currently basking in glory. Conquering a country and plundering an entire kingdom was a feat only legendary Great Pirates could achieve. Now, not only had Patches achieved this accomplishment ahead of time, but as his fame grew, the sea area, which had fallen into chaos after losing its master, was now seeing a large number of pirates rushing towards the Krol Kingdom due to Patches's reputation. Thinking of the pirate heroes who had pledged allegiance to him in recent days, Patches's ambition began to swell uncontrollably. Originally, Patches's plan was to flee immediately after plundering this kingdom. However, because the country was too prosperous, Patches lingered for a few more days after completely conquering it, captivated by its beauty. And within these few short days, as the news of his conquest of an entire kingdom spread across the sea, and hearing of his fame, more and more pirates came to pledge their loyalty. Gradually, the once cunning pirate's eyes were blinded by the rapidly expanding strength of his subordinates. Seeing his forces grow larger and larger, the thing that directly changed Patches's mindset was discovering a hidden weapons factory within this kingdom. Although the guards of this unknown weapons factory were powerful, facing Patches, whose bounty was 130 million Belly, the guards were eventually annihilated without any surprise, and Patches successfully took control of the weapons factory.

And when Patches discovered that the weapons here could arm all his crew members to the teeth.

At this moment, Patches's ego had already inflated to its limit. He wanted to continue staying in this kingdom, using his reputation to attract pirates in this sea area, and produce weapons through the arms factory to strengthen his power.

Because deep down in his heart, he harbored such a delusion.

Once he successfully gathered most of the pirate forces in this sea area, he might have a chance to take the vacant Shichibukai position left by his old employer.

On this vast ocean, everyone wants to make a name for themselves.

And for all pirates, the Yonko and the Shichibukai are the ultimate goals they wish to climb towards at all costs.

Patches, over two meters tall, embraced a naked queen, receiving her service of feeding him wine.

Sweet wine, beautiful women, a conquered kingdom, and the powerful subordinates below him, strong as tigers and leopards.

At this moment, Patches's ambition was constantly expanding. He increasingly felt that the vacant Shichibukai seat left by his old employer was now his for the taking.

Patches's left hand caressed the beauty in his arms. Just as he was about to stand up and raise his glass in celebration.

"Hmm, is it raining?"

A drop of coolness fell on Patches's hooked nose.

He looked up at the dark, overcast sky.

Swish swish swish!

Fine rain, like cow's hair, began to fall straight down from the sky.

"Damn it, it's really raining. This is truly disappointing!"

The raindrops in the sky grew larger and larger. The pirates who were celebrating in the plaza had no choice but to move their venue.

The raindrops extinguished the bonfires in the plaza.

As the rain, originally as fine as cow's hair, turned into a torrential downpour.

The pirates, who had now shifted their outdoor revelry to an indoor dance.

They did not realize that this heavy rain was coming rather unusually.

The rainwater in the sky mixed with hail, beginning to pound the ground forcefully.

Everyone initially thought it was just ordinary rainfall.

When the hail came, everyone thought it was just ordinary hail.

Until finally, hailstones the size of watermelons began to fall from the sky like cannonballs.

By the time some pirates realized something was wrong, it was already too late.