A man's name carried weight, and so did his reputation.
Just hearing the title King of Exile was enough to tell that Wang Shi was definitely not someone to mess with.
"You're sailing around in my territorial waters, and you even dared to attack the imperial fleet."
"Tell me, how should I deal with a sinful pirate like you?"
"Should I sentence you to a hundred years in prison? Or should I sentence you to death by lingchi, cutting you 3,600 times?"
Wang Shi appeared at the bow of the Exile Emperor, looking down at the sweat-drenched El Drago. His aura was chillingly murderous.
Death by lingchi? What kind of punishment was that?
How come none of them had ever heard of it?
El Drago was bewildered. Even the Goa Empire's guards and officials had never heard of it.
But being cut 3,600 times before dying? That was terrifying!
"Kaya, you're a doctor. Do you think it's really possible to cut someone 3,600 times before they die?"
Nami shuddered and quietly asked Kaya beside her.
When His Majesty Wang Shi turned wicked, he seemed so terrifying.
"I... I don't know either. I think I saw something about it in an old book. There was once a super pirate who was slashed 267 times, hit by 152 bullets and struck by 46 cannonballs before he was finally killed."
"I don't know which would be more painful: that or being cut 3,600 times..."
Kaya looked at His Majesty Wang Shi, who might or might not have been joking, and answered Nami's whispered question nervously.
"How terrifying! I'd be dead after just a few cuts."
Nojiko clutched her chest, realizing just how ruthless and cold-blooded His Majesty Wang Shi was when threatening pirates.
He was completely different when he was with them.
Hearing the unfamiliar term "death by lingchi," Eric, Jango, the Cat Brothers and the other pirate slaves all felt a chill.
Thank goodness Wang Shi hadn't tried that punishment on them.
"A hundred years in prison? Death by lingchi?"
"No! I don't want to die! I haven't hidden my gold yet, and I still haven't found Woonan's gold..."
Even now, El Drago, nicknamed the Golden Dragon, was still thinking about gold.
Sure enough, people might be given the wrong name, but never the wrong nickname.
He was a man who loved gold so much that he would risk his life for it.
"Looks like you've got quite a bit of gold on your ship."
"The saddest thing in life is dying with money left unspent."
"I'll give you one chance to submit."
"Otherwise, I'll put a Slave Collar around your neck, turn you into a pirate slave, and give your gold to someone else."
Wang Shi went straight for El Drago's weak spot, threatening to divide up his gold.
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Hearing that Wang Shi was going to give away the gold, Nami cried out excitedly, and Eric looked eager to join in.
"No! My gold! It's all mine, all mine!"
"Don't give away my gold! I'll do whatever you say! Whatever you say, I'll submit!!!"
Hearing that Wang Shi would give away the gold he'd spent years plundering was worse for El Drago than being made a slave.
Just like that, the pirate captain El Drago was won over by a few words from Wang Shi.
Van Augur and Zoro stared at Wang Shi in disbelief.
He really is like a devil who can see right through people.
Van Augur sighed inwardly. Wang Shi had used both threats and rewards to bring Eric around, and tempted Zoro with the dream of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman...
Now he'd exploited El Drago's obsession with gold.
"Looks like you know what's good for you! Serve me well. What does Woonan's fake treasure matter? I even know where the golden city of Shandora is."
"If you do a good job, I'll take you to see what a golden city looks like one day."
Wang Shi tossed the Slave Collar back to a Guard Army officer.
He hadn't really intended to spend any effort winning El Drago over.
Even as a pirate slave, El Drago could still charge into battle for him.
But since the man had submitted, Wang Shi would spare him the punishment of slavery.
"His Majesty Wang Shi, I submit too! I'm willing to go through fire and water for you!"
Seeing that his own leader had already knelt, Fallen Swordsman Goras shouted in panic.
El Drago's surviving underlings followed suit, kneeling one by one and begging for mercy, eager to join Wang Shi's ranks.
"You think my Guard Army will take just anyone?"
"Go enlist on your own!"
"Don't let me catch you going back to piracy, or you'll die a horrible death!"
Wang Shi didn't execute these survivors. Instead, he gave them another chance.
These pirate underlings were probably from the Four Kingdoms too, and would be his subjects one day.
"Yes, His Majesty Wang Shi! We'll never be pirates again. We'll become excellent soldiers in the Guard Army!"
Goras was already relieved that Wang Shi had decided not to execute them.
He'd heard that the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue, the Arlong Pirates, had been wiped out to the last man, and died horribly.
As the surviving pirates watched in terror,
the Goa Empire's fleet set sail without hesitation, slowly carrying their captain El Drago away.
"Captain Goras, are we really going to enlist?"
"Of course! An extraordinary emperor like His Majesty Wang Shi is worth following with our lives!"
"But I want to go home and farm..."
"I heard the taxes back home have been reduced..."
"Shut up! Anyone who doesn't want to enlist can go back home!"
Goras cursed at the pirate underlings, who were still stunned with fear.
It was fine if those useless men went home to farm. He was going to enlist in the Goa Empire's Guard Army and prove that he'd made the right choice.
Two days later.
Sasba Kingdom waters · Clockwork Island.
"Kill!!"
The Poker Pirates, who had been entrenched on Clockwork Island for years, had actually been routed by the Goa Empire's fleet.
The Poker Pirates, beyond the control of the Sasba Kingdom and its Marine Branch, had been wiped out by the army of a foreign nation.
The Poker Pirates' five strongest fighters and all eight pirate ships were destroyed.
Bear King, the Paramecia Steel-Steel Fruit user known as the [KING Card] and carrying a bounty of 11.6 million Belly, had been beaten half to death by El Drago.
The [JOKER Card], Sword Clown, with a bounty of 9.9 million Belly, was killed by Zoro.
Honey Queen, the [QUEEN Card] with a bounty of 7.8 million Belly, was captured by Wang Shi himself and locked inside a bottle.
Skunk A, the [A Card] with a bounty of 6 million Belly, flew around with a gas-powered flying device strapped to his back. Eric sliced him down with Wind Blade, setting off the device and leaving no trace of his remains.
Pijack, the [JACK Card] with a bounty of 3.2 million Belly, was also killed by silver-haired Saka.
Large numbers of pirate underlings were shot or cut down by Van Augur and the Goa Guard.
As the flag of the Goa Empire rose over Clockwork Island,
the Goa Empire had actually invaded the territory of the Sasba Kingdom.
The news nearly scared the king of the Sasba Kingdom to death.
Was the Goa Empire, which had been quiet for a dozen days, about to start another war?
Hadn't King Ba Dodeshinai of the Flaws Kingdom said he'd already stopped the Goa Kingdom's expansionist ambitions?
Why were they invading again now?!
The king of the Sasba Kingdom hurriedly called King Ba Dodeshinai to ask for help.
The Sasba Kingdom was under the leadership of the Flaws Kingdom. King Ba Dodeshinai couldn't just stand by and let it fall!
When King Ba Dodeshinai heard that the Goa Empire had mobilized again, he was instantly furious.
He was going to teach that bastard Wang Shi a lesson.