Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hard to left, full speed ahead, all cannons fire in one volley!" The Cyclops forcefully waved his right hand, signaling to launch the attack.
"It's bad, Captain! The enemy ships have entered Forbidden Sea Area. We can't continue our advance!" A sharp-eyed crew member noticed this and shouted.
"Damn it, we were so close!" Cyclops looked at the sea with resentment. What was even more infuriating was that those guys seemed to know they were out of danger and just stopped at the edge of the sea, practically testing his patience.
"Captain, let's blast those damn bastards to smithereens! There are no other ships on the sea, no one will know we've violated the ban. Besides, a Shichibukai is nothing in front of our One-Eyed Dragon Pirate Crew!" a fierce-looking pirate said angrily.
The Cyclops's face turned red, as if he had been provoked.
Snap!
"Idiot, don't drag me down with you if you're asking for it. How dare we offend Lord Roy?" One-Eyed Cyclops slapped him so hard he was dizzy and saw stars.
"Captain, didn't you always say that Roy is nothing to be afraid of, just a grasshopper in autumn, he won't last long?" The fierce man with a face full of scars looked as aggrieved as a little wife. He was trying to figure out the captain's intentions, but this time his flattery seemed to have gone to the wrong place.
Cyclops was furious. He had never been optimistic about these so-called Supernovas, especially after witnessing the Navy's expedition last time, he believed that news of Roy's defeat and death would soon come.
To his surprise, what he received was news that Roy had become Shichibukai, while the naval expedition seemed like a pipe dream, with not a single word leaking out.
This result made him uneasy, and he became even more reluctant to talk about it. He knew very well that a person who knew too much and couldn't control his mouth would not live long.
In particular, there were rumors that Nightmare Roy loved to kill people in his dreams, which made him afraid to sleep, for fear that he might accidentally say something bad about Roy in his dream and die inexplicably.
But to his surprise, these foolish subordinates were completely unable to understand his good intentions and kept thinking about the boast he had made when he thought Roy was going to die.
It's fortunate that this happened at sea. If it had happened in Alabasta, he probably would have been arrested and taken away to claim credit as soon as he finished speaking.
After all, Nightmare Roy was at the height of his fame, and there were quite a few pirates who wanted to curry favor with him and gain his protection.
Seeing the One-Eyed Dragon Pirate Crew leave, the Foxy Pirates, who had been relentlessly pursued, finally cheered loudly.
"Hahaha, what a load of crap One-Eyed Dragon Pirate Crew, they still ended up running away in a sorry state."
"Anyone hit by the Captain's Slow-Slow Beam will never catch up with us."
Foxy was somewhat flattered, but he remained rational. "Let's continue sailing, and don't forget our purpose."
Upon hearing this, the others calmed down and looked at the flag flying over the port of Alabasta with intense fervor in their eyes.
"As long as we can borrow the flag and bear the title of the Shichibukai, our Foxy Pirates will surely rise to prominence on the Grand Line."
"Your Majesty, the facts prove that you are indeed right. After Lord Roy's banner was raised, those villains did not dare to invade our kingdom even once." The minister who spoke felt it was absurd that the deterrent power of 600,000 standing troops and garrisoned navy was not as strong as that of a pirate.
However, this is the norm in the Grand Line. In the New World, the Four Emperors represent the supreme will, while in the first half of the Grand Line, the Shichibukai have an even stronger deterrent effect.
"But, Your Majesty, that pirate Roy is, after all, a sinner who destroyed Rain Base. If his flag is raised in the kingdom's sky, I can even hear the weeping of the dead." Some ministers who hated pirates objected, but unfortunately, they did not know that the person on the throne was no longer the king they knew.
"How dare you! Under that massive sandstorm, the destruction of Rain Base was inevitable. Lord Roy acted for the peace of all Alabasta, so he is not a sinner at all, but a hero of the entire kingdom, the guardian deity of our Alabasta. If Lord Roy really as you say, why would the World Government have granted him the title of Shichibukai? Or is your statement more authoritative than the World Government's?"
"But, but..."
"There are no buts. You just need to accept all of this. Here you are. Minister Weil is tired. Take him to rest."
"Your Majesty, you have changed. You are no longer the king who put the people first."
"Ugh, what a stubborn, inflexible old man." Cobra glanced disdainfully at Weil, who was being dragged away, and turned to leave the Royal Palace.
Vivi, who witnessed everything from the side room, helplessly huddled in the corner, silently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Ever since that nightmare, her father seemed to have become a completely different person, so unfamiliar.
Even her father, Igaram who doted on her, and the two guardian deities of the Royal Palace all underwent some subtle changes.
The aura emanating from them seemed to be constantly drawing closer to that nightmarish figure, instilling fear and unease.
"How is it going?" Roy asked, simulating his battle with Garp in his dream while also diverting some of his attention to the question. For someone who controlled the dream world, multitasking was not a difficult task.
"Most of the pirates who come to join us are nobodys, just hoping to use the captain's name as a shield. I've selected a few promising newcomers here, Captain, you can take a look." Robin is indeed a top-notch administrative talent. In just a few days, she has managed the entire Phantom Sword Grand Fleet in an orderly manner, saving Roy a lot of time.
"Poisonous Snake Morphy with a bounty of 30 million Beli, Battle Axe Norton with a bounty of 19 million Beli, and Kred with Korede of 27 million Beli —are they all of this caliber?" Roy flipped through a few pages hastily, quite impatient.
Robin could only smile wryly at this. In reality, this was the norm in the first half of the Grand Line. The abnormality of Roy and his crew was simply abnormal.
"Hmm? Silver Fox Foxy? The Slow-Slow Fruit, huh? That's quite interesting." Roy's eyes lit up. Although Foxy's 24 million Beli bounty made him look weak, his Devil Fruit Ability was still pretty good. If used properly, it might become a powerful weapon.
"Alright, let's bring this Silver Fox Foxy in." Roy wasn't going to waste any more time on them. "How's things going with Judge?"
At this point, Robin's expression turned somewhat strange, clearly finding it odd that a man like Roy would believe such unfounded rumors. "All the ships have been equipped with propulsion systems and are now capable of low-altitude flight."