The great fire in Goa Kingdom

Among the many Shazo, the Shazo from the Pirate World is the most assimilated by his/her world.

Unlike his previous life, he was determined and passionate about improving his strength. He focused on training every day and never missed an opportunity to fight.

The pirate Shazo doesn't even like little girls; up until now, he's only ever treated Nami like a beast of burden.

This guy is a total goofball.

But just because he looks like a simpleton doesn't mean he's an idiot.

With the help of memories shared with Star Trek Shazo Shazo mastered thousands of accounting techniques and skills, all of which remained effective even under the monitoring of super artificial intelligence.

Through practice, Shazo naturally grew into an expert in writing reports to fraudulently obtain reimbursements and funds, and was also adept at cleaning up the messes after making mistakes.

However exquisite and profound the technique, after being observed by others for many years, clues will still be discovered.

Although Faye and other officers couldn't understand Shazo's actions, it didn't prevent them from knowing what their superiors had done.

Greatly shocked, they naturally began to utilize Shazo's skills.

For the next period of time, the 77th Branch resumed its normal routine. The marines did not conduct any unusual patrols or training, and prices on the island where the branch was located returned to normal.

But inside what appears to be a normal branch to outsiders, all the marines are working intensely.

They were racing against time to prepare for the confrontation with the Celestial Dragons.

The efforts and tension of the 77th Branch paid off; the Celestial Dragons really did arrive.

The World Government issued a notice that Saint Charlos was about to approach the East Blue, and the entire East Blue instantly erupted in chaos.

As the military system that understands the Celestial Dragons ' violence best, the Navy knew exactly what kind of trouble the Celestial Dragons were. As a result, all the bases and branches were thrown into chaos, desperately trying to hide their valuable treasures.

The pretty female marines either hide their looks or learn how to make ugly makeup.

Even male marines are not safe, especially those who look particularly strong; many of them are chosen by the Celestial Dragons to be Gladiator or mounts.

Those exceptionally handsome male marines are also dangerous; they are even more dangerous than the female marines. Among the Celestial Dragons, there are not only women, but a few male Celestial Dragons are even perverted individuals with two penises.

In short, all the good-looking sailors in the East Blue Navy were trembling with fear, and daily work such as training and patrols were thrown into chaos.

Only the 77th Branch was different, because they started preparing several days in advance. At this time, they appeared unusually calm and composed, maintaining their normal work and life.

But compared to the chaos in other bases and branches, the marines of Branch 77 felt an indescribable respect for their branch Department Head.

When they encountered marines from other bases, these guys completely lost control of themselves, looking down on them.

The marines who were being stared at took it all for granted, cowering like quails, heads bowed and dejected, not daring to look up at anyone.

In stark contrast to the navy's attitude, the kingdoms of the East Blue were jubilant.

The East Blue, known as the "Weakest Sea," has no special races, no remarkable local products, and no famous entertainment venues, yet it is extremely vast and requires a very long time to navigate.

Therefore, the Celestial Dragons, who were indulging in pleasure, never visited the East Blue.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Having never seen Celestial Dragons Celestial Dragons Celestial Dragons, who wielded supreme power, the nobles and commoners of the various kingdoms in the East Blue were filled with fantasies about them and warmly welcomed their visits.

Many kingdoms prepared special celebrations for this occasion.

Among them, the Goa Kingdom, as the largest kingdom in the East Blue, is inevitably one of the destinations visited by the Celestial Dragons.

The king and nobles excitedly discussed the welcoming ceremony, meticulously considering every detail to ensure perfection, regardless of the cost.

The new finance minister said with a smile, "As long as we can satisfy the Celestial Dragons, our Goa Kingdom will surely reap a hundredfold reward."

Of course, he has already made a fortune, to the point that he is somewhat overwhelmed.

The king wholeheartedly agreed with the new finance minister's words. What did spending money matter? As long as he could leave a good impression on the Celestial Dragons, his safety would be more guaranteed—right?

The thought of the death of the entire family and clan of the finance minister last year, and the horror of their blood flowing on the streets of the capital, sent a chill down His Majesty's spine.

That's terrifying.

If that navy was able to storm the capital and slaughter the Minister of Finance last year, wouldn't they be able to storm the Royal Palace and kill him in the future?

To ensure their own safety, they had to please the Celestial Dragons and find a reliable backer.

Just when all the nobles felt they had everything under control and began to dream of winning the praise of the Celestial Dragons, one nobleman glanced out the window and froze.

He suddenly stood up, disregarded etiquette, walked to the window, and looked at it carefully again and again.

Just as the king frowned, preparing to reprimand him, the nobleman pointed to the window and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, garbage! A mountain of garbage! I see a mountain of garbage!"

His words drew the nobles' attention to the windows, and through the clean windows, they could indeed see, outside the high walls, one after another, towering hills of garbage.

The nobles exchanged bewildered glances. Had the garbage piled up so much at the Gray Terminal?

His Majesty the King was furious. "Find a solution to this problem immediately! We cannot allow the noble Saint Charlos to see this rubbish!"

"However, the Gray Terminal has already accumulated too much, and there's simply not enough time to move it away. Furthermore, we can't find a suitable new storage site right now."

"If we can't move it, then we shouldn't try to move it."

"What should we do then?"

"Burn! Set a fire! Burn all the trash!"

"Oh! Great idea!"

"By the way, we can send troops to burn it down, and burn all those bedbugs at the Gray Terminal to death too. They're all trash anyway."

"Your idea is even better!"

His Majesty the King also thought the method was perfect, but he still offered his own suggestion. "Send more guards to reinforce and protect the city walls, and prevent the fire from spreading inside the walls."

The ministers and nobles all bowed their heads. "Yes, Your Majesty is wise!"

The king was overjoyed. "Very well, it's decided then. Go and prepare for fire prevention and Fire Release."

"Make sure the Goa Kingdom is cleaned up before Saint Charlos arrives!"

The nobles shouted, "Let the flames cleanse the Goa Kingdom, making our country even more beautiful!"

Burn those rubbish! Burn those rubbish!

"The Goa Kingdom will surely be reborn from the flames, becoming an even more perfect and great kingdom!"

Then the nobles filed out and left the Royal Palace.

In the Royal Palace, after all the nobles had left, His Majesty the King remained seated on his throne, gazing sideways at the scenery outside the window, and remained silent for a long time.

The king's close advisor Outlook III, slipped back through the Main Gate, approached the king, and knelt on one knee.

He asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty—"

The king raised his right hand, adorned with six rings, to stop Outlook III from speaking.

He said coldly, "I know what you want to say. You want to ask me why, after approving the arson plan, I didn't personally oversee it?"

King Outlook III's eyes widened, and he remained stunned for several seconds before respectfully bowing with his hand on his chest. "Your Majesty is wise beyond compare."

The king pointed to the enormous window and said, "This window is right here, and the huge wall outside is right there. I've seen the garbage dump outside the wall for almost a year now, but you're suddenly bringing it up now."

"Some people really do think I'm an idiot."

"But they don't even consider how I came to be king, and how I've remained king until now."

"For 20 whole years, there hasn't been a single coup. Does that mean they think I'm incredibly cowardly for not killing anyone because of it?"

"Sir Otruk, tell me the truth, do you also think I'm incompetent?"

Outlook III dared not answer this crucial question. He changed from kneeling on one knee to prostrating himself on the ground, trembling, cold sweat dripping from his nose onto the carpet.

"Hmph, at least you have some self-awareness," the king said disdainfully. "Out of respect for your deference, I'll give you a piece of advice: don't get involved in this matter. Find an excuse to avoid it."

King Outlook III quickly agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty, I was in a car accident on my way home and broke my leg, so I have to withdraw from this matter."

The king continued, "I know what you want. In fact, I did the same thing two years ago, and I didn't want to stop you at all."

"The land within the walls has been completely divided up. The nobles have such large appetites, and they can't easily annex each other, so they can only look outwards."

The king suddenly laughed, "Heh heh, actually I want to too, even more than they do, because I need to bestow land and wealth upon you in exchange for your loyalty."

"What a pity, with Commodore Xia Zuo suddenly appearing in the Navy, this project is impossible to complete."

Outlook III asked in surprise, "The East Blue Executioners Carnage the former Chancellor of the Exchequer?"

The king turned to his close advisor and said, "Yes, it's him."

"He was an extraordinary person, incredibly powerful, with his own set of rules, and he acted in accordance with those rules."

"Because Old Pudo's youngest son Carnage the village, he was able to storm the capital and kill Old Pudo's entire family and clan."

"So do you remember, did he ever raise his sword against all the nobles of the Goa Kingdom because the nobles burned countless rubbish to death?"

Outlook III's expression changed drastically. He immediately recalled the horrific scene from last year when the entire capital was flooded with blood.

He said with difficulty, "No, no way, that was just one noble family, and one that became pirates. This time it's the entire Goa Kingdom's nobles—"

The king raised his right index finger and gently swung it from side to side; the green gemstone emitted a breathtaking light as his finger moved.

"Sir Otruk, you're mistaken. It refers to all nobles except for me, the King, and his direct subjects. Oh, and now you're included in the 'exclusion' category as well."

"To kill all the ruling nobles of a kingdom means the destruction of that kingdom."

"I believe that Brigadier General Shazo would not be so irrational. He would never personally destroy a kingdom, especially the Goa Kingdom, a member state of the World Government."

"However, killing two-thirds, or even three-quarters, of the nobles would change the whole story."

"Nobles are not only the rulers of the kingdom, but also its burden. The death of more than half of the nobles will not destroy the kingdom; on the contrary, it will greatly increase the king's power, increase the efficiency of the kingdom's governance tenfold, reduce the burden a hundredfold, and make the entire kingdom stronger."

"Therefore, I will certainly agree to the nobles' suggestion to set fire, because it is their common will, and even I cannot resist it."

"However, I will never personally oversee the arson. I fear that General Shazo will kill me as well and bring a new king to the Kingdom of Goa."

"I have cleared myself of any wrongdoing in this matter, and I believe that General Xia Zuo, out of respect for me as the King, will not necessarily want to eliminate me."

Outlook III trembled and bowed to His Majesty the King again with utmost reverence.

The nobles of the Goa Kingdom acted swiftly, and the very next day they eagerly lit a great fire.

After all, the Celestial Dragons are arriving soon, and we can't let the Celestial Dragons see a scene of raging flames, as that would greatly diminish the Goa Kingdom's standing within the World Government.

The accumulated garbage over the decades was indeed substantial. The fire burned for three full days without any sign of abating, still billowing flames and billowing thick smoke.

The enormous column of smoke rose to a height of several thousand meters, like a pitch-black pillar supporting the sky, and could be clearly seen from the sea hundreds of kilometers away.

Standing on the boat, Shazo saw the clearly visible column of smoke and knew what had happened.

His anger flared up instantly, but he quickly suppressed it.

Without the right to investigate, there is no right to speak.

How could he make such a decision so casually without careful investigation?

Perhaps it wasn't an arson fire at the Gray Terminal, and perhaps it wasn't deliberately set on fire. Given how large and towering the mountain of garbage was, it's quite plausible that spontaneous combustion could occur in the deepest part of the garbage.

Shazo turned to an officer and ordered, "Captain Red, once we arrive in the Goa Kingdom, go and investigate the situation regarding the fire."

The slender and agile Captain Red jumped down from the gun barrel, revealing an ordinary face devoid of any distinguishing features. After glancing at the distant column of smoke, he asked, "Branch Department Head, what kind of intelligence do you need?"

Shazo replied, "All the information related to the fire."

Was this fire arson or an accident? If it was arson, who was involved?

"If it was an accident, what was the cause of the fire? If it was arson, did the arsonist intentionally burn someone to death?"

I need to know all of this.

Captain Red replied, "I understand. Don't worry, Branch Department Head, I'll complete the mission tonight."

Captain Red wasn't exaggerating. Just over four hours after landing, he submitted detailed intelligence to Shazo, including a list of nobles involved in the arson and the deployment of troops to surround the Gray Terminal.