Until yesterday, the Red Devil Pirates' ship had been hijacked, and the whole country was in an uproar. It wasn't just their guarantee of food for the coming year that was at stake. Most importantly, they feared the Red Devil Pirates' retaliation. The Red Devil Pirates were no pushovers. Just yesterday evening, News Birds flew over Isador and dropped newspapers across the country.
The newspapers featured the Red Devil Pirates' distinctive two-colored skull flag, with the following message beneath it:
"Since our supplies were lost in Isador's waters, unless we receive 5 billion Beli in compensation, the Red Devil Pirates will bring all our forces to bear and destroy Isador."
This simple sentence plunged all of Isador into panic.
In a remote town in Isador, Ivankov sat in a private home, frowning with his lips pressed together as he tried to hold back his furious roar. Beside him, a farmer sat slumped in a chair, his eyes vacant and his hands hanging limply at his sides. He murmured, "I've brought this on everyone. I shouldn't have trusted the Revolutionary Army. It's over, all over. Isador won't exist after tomorrow..." The farmer was named Simon Ellen. A week earlier, Ivankov had persuaded him to steal the Dancing Powder, then have the Revolutionary Army analyze its ingredients so they could make their own. Simon Ellen had been tempted. After all, more than half of their annual income went toward buying Dancing Powder, and that didn't even include the other expenses. People were greedy. Once they had income from their crops, they grew dissatisfied and wanted more profit. But the Red Devil Pirates had an exclusive on Dancing Powder, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept the extortion. Now Simon Ellen had a chance to break free of the Red Devil Pirates. A hero of the nation! I, Simon Ellen, will make it happen.
One wrong step led to another, and neither Simon Ellen nor Ivankov had ever imagined that the Red Devil Pirates would launch an all-out war against the country. Neither knew what to do. "I thought that if the Red Devil Pirates found out the Revolutionary Army was behind it, they'd back down. At worst, they'd go after the Revolutionary Army. I never thought... I never thought they'd... An all-out war! We can't win!" Simon Ellen said. Then he sank into despair.
That was how everything described above came to pass. Simon Ellen and Ivankov had both underestimated the Red Devil Pirates. They'd been robbed, so they were supposed to just accept their losses? The pirates would only chase after the culprit? Give me a break. All the Red Devil Pirates wanted was to get their money. What happened to the people of the country was none of their damn business.
In the palace, Alex Hood, a middle-aged man wearing a crown, sat on the throne. Isador wasn't an Affiliated Nation of the World Government, so it couldn't even ask the Marines for help. Broken porcelain and ornaments littered the floor. Alex had smashed them after hearing the news. There was no way he could come up with 5 billion Beli. After all, buying a year's supply of Dancing Powder cost only 1 billion Beli. There was only one option left: all-out war. Alex clutched his head and laughed bitterly. It was over. It was all over. Isador was finished. "Guards, summon the First Prince." Alex Hood wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and gave the order to an officer.
Soon, a sturdy young man with a thick head of blond hair, just like Alex Hood's, walked in. "Father, I already know what happened. Let me lead the army and fight them to the death!" As he spoke, he half-drew the sword at his waist and fixed his gaze on Alex Hood.
"You fool. Don't you know the state our country is in?" Alex Hood looked at his furious son, Timothy Hood. "Don't you know how many soldiers Isador has? One thousand. Just one thousand!" Alex Hood held up a finger, visibly agitated.
"I..." Timothy Hood was at a loss for words.
Alex Hood waved a hand. "Do you know why I called you here?"
Timothy Hood shook his head. Alex Hood pointed to the memorial tablets beside the bedchamber. "I don't want our family line to die out! Take your mother and whatever valuables you can carry, and leave this country."
Timothy Hood clearly couldn't accept it. He kept saying no as he ran out of the palace. Alex had three sons, but he was only going to send his eldest away. He was the finest heir to the throne. The other two would die here alongside their old man.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The waters around Isador were empty of every ship but those of the Red Devil Pirates. They had surrounded the country. The Marines were lying in wait at the port of the nearest World Government Affiliated Nation. Everything was ready. All that remained was to see whether the Revolutionary Army dared to come.
At dusk, the Red Devil Pirates were holding a banquet in the waters of the Kingdom of Isador.
Rono wasn't aboard the swift Red Devil. Instead, he was on a large ship. He sat cross-legged, one hand resting on his raised knee, a jug of wine in his grasp. All around him were the captains of the pirate crews under his command. The highest bounty among them was 210 million Beli. Its owner was Lance Molton, a Swordsman with no Devil Fruit Ability.
It was banquet time, but only captains were allowed aboard this ship. Lance Molton sat beside Rono. He was a robust-looking man with a short crew cut, a dark complexion, and well-defined muscles. He wore a white tank top and loose training pants. "Captain, how far are we going this time?" Whenever the Red Devil Pirates took action, there was a limit to what they would do. Rono or Sairona usually announced it twenty minutes before the operation, and anyone who disobeyed was dealt with according to the crew's rules. Lance Molton was one of the old hands and knew Rono fairly well, so he'd been able to come over and fish for some information.
"Leave no one alive." Rono took a sip of wine. The murderous glint in his eyes made Lance swallow hard. It might be a small country, but it still had hundreds of thousands of people.
"Are you serious?" Lance tried to convince himself that it had to be a joke. A joke, a joke, a joke...
"Do you think I'm joking?" Rono turned his blood-red, bloodthirsty gaze on Lance and raised an eyebrow.
Lance broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly said he wouldn't dare question him, and only relaxed after Rono looked away. Why had the captain's mood been so volatile lately? Hadn't the last time been when Gelu was born? What would it be this time? But Lance didn't dare ask. He was completely sober now and had lost all desire to keep drinking. He went and sat alone in a corner, watching the others laugh and joke, their curses and crude slang flying back and forth.
"I wonder how many of them will still be laughing later," Lance muttered to himself. The Red Devil Pirates had one fatal weakness: many of the pirate crews under their command had only been recruited after entering the Grand Line, and the Red Devil Pirates were completely dominant in the waters around Alabasta. Few dared to challenge them. As a result, the pirates had little real combat experience, and much of their courage and fighting spirit had been worn away. Those who survived this time would become the Red Devil Pirates' official affiliated crews.
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