"Clean up the battlefield!"
Wang Shi ordered without changing his expression. The war to conquer the four kingdoms was basically over.
Next came the task of annexing and absorbing those four countries, promoting the Goa Kingdom to the Goa Empire, and making the empire's name ring across the world!
"Yes, sir!"
The entire Guard Army sprang into action. Even Eric went to collect the heads of Kuroobi and Chew.
Wang Shi didn't care about a little bounty money, but Eric did!
Before long, the Cocoyasi Village residents who had been hiding began to emerge.
They learned that the Guard Army had completely wiped out Arlong and his men.
All the villagers burst into tears of excitement.
At last, hope had come.
The Goa Kingdom's Guard Army was actually more dependable than the Marines!
They had really wiped out those despicable Fish-Men.
"Send word in every direction and raise the flag of the Goa Kingdom!"
Wang Shi continued issuing orders. The more than twenty towns and villages enslaved by Captain Nezumi and the Arlong Pirates had finally returned to the rule of a human empire.
The Goa Kingdom's main forces, which had already occupied the Four-Leaf Kingdom, the Moonlight Kingdom, and the Organ Kingdom, were now entering the Konomi Kingdom one after another, completing their conquest of all four countries.
Even the thugs and ruffians of the Goa Kingdom's chaotic Terminal Town were stirred by the glorious title of the Goa Empire.
And their new king, Wang Shi, had come from Terminal Town himself.
That made countless thugs and ruffians worship him.
Wang Shi was nothing less than their pride and idol.
One after another, they eagerly enlisted in the Guard Army, swearing allegiance to King Wang Shi and joining the war to conquer the four kingdoms.
Thanks to Wang Shi's great conquest, the people of the entire Goa Kingdom were more united and fired up than ever.
They would witness a historic day: the Goa Kingdom becoming the Goa Empire.
···
"Once you've taken care of your own affairs, report to the imperial capital of the Goa Empire."
Wang Shi didn't take Nami and Nojiko away immediately, but he conscripted them in the name of the king.
As the two women struggled with emotions they couldn't quite name, Wang Shi led his troops away from Cocoyasi Village.
Most of the Arlong Empire's wealth was confiscated, but he left a little behind for Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding towns and villages.
Now that the Goa Kingdom had occupied four kingdoms, the Heavenly Tribute it had to pay each year had multiplied several times over.
Wang Shi also had to consider the finances of the Goa Empire.
But with the gold reserves from Sky Island, he wasn't worried about being unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
Even if he occupied a few more somewhat impoverished Affiliated Nations and non-member countries, he could still afford to pay it.
···
The next day
As the Goa Kingdom ended its war of expansion, the major Affiliated Nations of the East Blue breathed a sigh of relief.
Who could have guessed that the usually peaceful Goa Kingdom would turn into a ferocious beast and swallow four kingdoms in one fell swoop?
It had frightened quite a few Affiliated Nations.
After conquering the four kingdoms, Wang Shi, King of Goa, finally made the World Economy News Paper.
The name of Wang Shi, King of Exile, spread throughout the world.
Big News Morgans had even placed Wang Shi alongside Vinsmoke Judge, the king of Germa.
At last, the Affiliated Nations across the world recognized Wang Shi's strength.
Meanwhile, throughout the East Blue, people were talking about the power of King Ba Dodeshinai of the Flaws Kingdom.
One phone call from Ba Dodeshinai had halted the Goa Kingdom's expansion.
The major Affiliated Nations of the East Blue were actually beginning to look to the Flaws Kingdom as their leader.
That left Ba Dodeshinai increasingly satisfied.
···
Three days later.
The Goa Kingdom announced to the world that it had changed its name to the Goa Empire.
Wang Shi would be its emperor, and Sally Nandcarnet would be its empress.
The news also appeared in Morgans's newspaper.
All the Affiliated Nations began buzzing with discussion.
When King Ba Dodeshinai of the Flaws Kingdom heard that Wang Shi had become an emperor, his face darkened.
They were both kings of kingdoms, so why did Wang Shi get to be an emperor?!
Was it just because the Goa Kingdom had annexed four kingdoms?
The Flaws Kingdom had annexed the Kokia Kingdom too.
King Ba Dodeshinai glanced at the liaison officer from Germa 66 and broke into a sly smile.
"Special Commissioner Smith, even the Germa Kingdom, once the strongest kingdom and ruler of the North Blue, never called itself an empire."
"What right does that ruffian king Wang Shi have to stand alongside King Judge?"
"If King Judge will only say the word, the Flaws Kingdom is willing to join the Germa Kingdom in teaching the Goa Kingdom a lesson."
King Ba Dodeshinai wanted to drag Germa 66 into the conflict and put a damper on the Goa Kingdom's rise.
"There's no need for Your Majesty to worry about that. You need only settle the fee for this job."
Special Commissioner Smith ignored King Ba Dodeshinai's provocation, as impassive as a robot.
Meanwhile.
Far away in the North Blue, Vinsmoke Judge had indeed begun paying attention to Wang Shi, who dared to stand alongside him.
The fact that the Goa Kingdom had even dared to call itself the Goa Empire particularly irritated Judge.
Even the Germa Kingdom hadn't become the Germa Empire. How dare Wang Shi act so arrogantly?
"King of Exile! Emperor Wang Shi!"
Judge burned the newspaper to ashes.
If Wang Shi weren't all the way over in the East Blue, Judge would have taught that ignorant brat a proper lesson.
Still, the name of the Goa Empire had indeed spread across the world.
Everyone who read the papers now knew the names of the Goa Empire and Wang Shi, the King of Exile.
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Goa Empire · Imperial Capital
The entire Goa Empire was swept up in a sea of celebration.
Even the people of the Four-Leaf Kingdom, the Moonlight Kingdom, the Organ Kingdom, and the Konomi Kingdom, all newly incorporated into the Goa Empire, accepted their identity as citizens of the empire.
After all, the glory of the Goa Empire shone upon them too.
Being citizens of an empire carried more prestige than being citizens of a kingdom.
Besides, the royal families and the Marine Branch had been no good.
They were lucky King Wang Shi had saved them.
Now that they had joined the Goa Empire, even their taxes had been cut by a fifth.
Their lives would surely keep getting better.
At least they would be able to get by and eat their fill.
···
Inside the Goa Imperial Palace.
"Darling, you're amazing~"
Empress Sally, her face flushed, clung to Wang Shi. Her man had really turned her into an empress.
When they attended the Reverie at Mary Geoise, she would surely rank above the queens and princesses of those kingdoms.
"This is only the beginning. There's more to come!"
Wang Shi charged back into battle with his halberd and conquered four more kingdoms on Empress Sally.
Empress Sally couldn't fight back!
"That Flaws Kingdom didn't even call to congratulate us."
"It seems they've earned their own destruction!"
Wang Shi had never planned to spare King Ba Dodeshinai, who had threatened them.
So he thinks Germa 66 can protect him!
I'll smash your backing to pieces!!
Now that his weakling empress Sally couldn't take any more punishment, he needed a hardier consort.
Wang Shi thought Vinsmoke Reiju, the Germa princess, would be perfect as his consort.
How many of the three Vinsmoke brothers would he have to exile before Judge sent Reiju over for a political marriage or alliance?
If Germa 66 dared to interfere, then Reiju was as good as his!