With Wang Shi and the princess gone, all the Guard Army soldiers let out a deep breath of relief.
A wave of discussions quickly buzzed through the ranks.
The title of Demon Prince Consort began spreading rapidly among the soldiers.
As they cleared away the corpses,
the nobles who ranked just below the Outlook family received reports and descriptions from their informants.
One by one, they were scared out of their wits and trembled all over.
They resolved never to provoke that demonic butcher.
Otherwise, they would meet the same fate as the Outlook family and the five hundred Guard Army soldiers.
In fact, after the king and prince had died under mysterious circumstances, many nobles had secretly come to suspect Outlook III and the Stelly family, who had profited from their deaths.
But they feared Outlook III's power, and the engagement between Stelly and Princess Sally kept them from acting rashly.
But they had never expected—
that Princess Sally would so quickly bring home a new prince consort tonight and launch such a cruel, brutal struggle for power.
The powerful, triumphant Outlook family had collapsed in an instant.
Had Princess Sally discovered the Outlook family's plot?
All they could say was that the world was unpredictable!
Some positions simply weren't worth coveting without a little luck on your side.
The next day.
At the Goa Kingdom's palace of state affairs,
all the nobles and officials were silent with fear. The smell of blood inside and outside the palace had yet to fully fade.
The sole princess, Sally Nandcarnet, angrily declared the Outlook family guilty of the heinous crime of murdering the king and prince.
She sentenced the entire Outlook family to extermination, down to the ninth degree of kinship.
The previous night, the royal city's Guard Army had already raided Outlook III's mansion under cover of darkness and seized countless riches.
After dealing with the Outlook family, Princess Sally formally introduced Wang Shi to everyone. She announced that he was her betrothed and would become the Goa Kingdom's heir to the throne.
The ministers and nobles at court had heard rumors of the previous night's rebellion.
Even if they resented Wang Shi's sudden rise, none dared speak up to oppose him now, for fear the brutal Wang Shi would slaughter them.
Since even the only princess accepted Wang Shi,
what objections could nobles and officials like them possibly raise?
And so,
as the court meeting ended,
Wang Shi completed his rise in status from a street thug in Terminal Town.
He became the Goa Kingdom's betrothed prince consort and future king.
At Princess Sally's appointment, Wang Shi also took command of the royal city's Guard Army and the Royal Army, gaining control of the entire country's military.
The nobles and officials of the Goa Kingdom would probably need some time to adjust to such a massive shift in power.
That night.
The royal bedchamber.
"Would Your Highness care to share my bed tonight?"
"Eek, eek~"
The two figures made their way toward the royal bed, each pretending to resist.
"Lord Wang Shi~"
Princess Sally endured the waves of love Wang Shi sent her way, fulfilling the promise she had made the previous night.
Several hours later.
"Lord Wang Shi, our wedding has been moved up to a week from now."
"Has my heroic lord been so eager to become king?"
Princess Sally nestled in Wang Shi's arms, tracing little circles on his chest with her slender, pale fingers.
Their union was a compromise—and a victory—for both power and strength.
By the standards of the aristocratic etiquette she had been taught, she would never have given a common-born warrior like Wang Shi a second glance.
But after her father and brother had died one after the other,
she had discovered that a powerful man could be so captivating and make her feel so safe.
She had fallen in love with this brutal demon.
Perhaps this was just like those bizarre tales she had read, about Demons and Princesses.
"I'm going to make the Goa Kingdom the greatest empire in the East Blue!"
"So there's no time to waste."
Wang Shi stroked Princess Sally's smooth, pale back, the corner of his mouth lifting.
The scattered plum blossoms on the sheets stood out vividly.
My friends back on Blue Star, I've made it.
I'm marrying a princess and becoming king!
Go on, be jealous and envious.
"The greatest empire in the East Blue?"
Princess Sally's flushed eyes lit up.
It was an achievement even her father had never dared dream of.
Turning the Goa Kingdom into "the most beautiful kingdom in the East Blue" and earning a visit and praise from the Celestial Dragons was already a great achievement that the king could boast about for the rest of his life.
Her father had once spoken with some envy of the tale of the King of North Blue and the Germa Kingdom.
Many years ago, the king of Germa had ruled the entire North Blue by force, maintaining his reign for sixty-six days.
It was a tremendous honor that the Vinsmoke family still took pride in.
The king of Goa had also dreamed of uniting the East Blue and leaving behind a great legend.
But in the end, it had been nothing more than a fantasy.
After all, the Goa Kingdom's military was far too weak.
Their country had produced a powerful figure like the Marine hero Fist Garp.
But they couldn't give that Marine hero orders.
They even had to rely on Vice Admiral Garp to return home more often, clear the pirates from these waters, and intimidate the rest.
That was how the Goa Kingdom maintained its peace.
"Do you want to be an empress?"
Wang Shi smiled faintly. The dragon was rising, and he made no attempt to hide his ambition.
Princess Sally gazed at Wang Shi with admiration and infatuation.
As their passion reached its peak, the two went to war once more.
A week later.
The news of the Goa Kingdom's princess getting married and her new prince consort taking the throne only spread throughout the East Blue.
It was such a small matter that it didn't even qualify for the World Economic News Paper.
Fist Garp, the Marine Vice Admiral and a prominent figure in the Goa Kingdom, didn't even return for the grand wedding or the new king's coronation.
The invitation sent to Marine Headquarters was ignored by Fist Garp.
The invitation sent to Foosha Village was even turned into a paper airplane by Straw Hat Luffy.
Ever since Ace had set out to sea a year earlier, Straw Hat Luffy had been making more and more trips down from Mt. Colubo to Makino Tavern.
After all, it was hard for Straw Hat Luffy to bear the loneliness of training by himself up in the mountains.
By now, Fire Fist Ace had made a name for himself in the Grand Line.
His wanted poster had even made it to Foosha Village.
As a result, Straw Hat Luffy liked to hang around Makino Tavern even more, eating and drinking for free while waiting for news and papers about Ace.
In the royal city of the Goa Kingdom,
every household was decked out with colorful decorations and lanterns to welcome their new king.
Amid the congratulations of countless nobles and officials, Wang Shi took Princess Sally's hand, married her, and ascended the throne.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"May the Goa Kingdom prosper and flourish!"
Wang Shi held Queen Sally's hand as they accepted the congratulations of nobles and officials, foreign ambassadors, and the people.
I'm king!
Seated on the throne, Wang Shi looked down at his subjects.
He couldn't pretend he wasn't excited.
After all, it had taken him less than two months to go from nothing to becoming king.
Damn, who said it was hard to get by after transmigrating? This was great!
In just a few months, some fresh university graduates might not even have finished their internships.
Meanwhile, Wang Shi had married a rich beauty and reached the pinnacle of the Goa Kingdom.
Transmigration was great. Everyone should transmigrate.
And the other world had the best opportunities.
Truck drivers, dump-truck drivers... get moving!
Seven days later, the grand wedding and coronation ceremonies came to an end.
The Goa Kingdom gradually settled down and returned to its former tranquility.
Between his nightly trysts with Queen Sally, Wang Shi steadily took control of the Goa Kingdom's power.
However, Wang Shi still focused mainly on training.
He planned to cultivate Queen Sally into a great queen.
He knew that power without strength to back it up was nothing but a house of cards.
One day,
after Wang Shi had finished developing his Devil Fruit abilities and completing his physical training,
in the royal palace's administrative office,
"Don't be angry. It's not as if Garp did anything but stay away."
"But Vice Admiral Garp is a Marine hero and the face of the Goa Kingdom. His absence made us lose face."
"Face is something you give yourself. Still, since Garp showed us no respect this time, I'll make sure to 'repay' him properly someday."
"Don't do anything rash. Vice Admiral Garp isn't someone you want to mess with."
Wang Shi and Sally looked over the guest list and the gifts from their wedding and coronation ceremonies.
Sally was a little annoyed with Garp for not coming, and she made a mental note of it.