One day later.
On the main island of the Four-Leaf Kingdom.
Smoke billowed over the royal city. The Four-Leaf Kingdom's flag had been brought down, and the Goa Kingdom's flag raised in its place.
The Goa Kingdom's Guard Army, nobles, and officials were spreading the news everywhere: the Four-Leaf Kingdom had been incorporated into the Goa Kingdom.
Almost the entire royal family and nobility of the Four-Leaf Kingdom had been captured by Wang Shi.
King Slock of the Four-Leaf Kingdom had been caught completely off guard by the sudden invasion.
When he discovered that the enemy invading his kingdom was none other than the neighboring Goa Kingdom, he couldn't accept it.
Not long ago, he had even sent gifts for Princess Sally and Wang Shi's wedding and Wang Shi's coronation.
How dare Wang Shi, a newly crowned king, invade the Four-Leaf Kingdom?
Even if the Four-Leaf Kingdom wasn't one of the fifty nations attending the Reverie, it was still an Affiliated Nation.
"You have two choices. First, peacefully join the Goa Kingdom, and I'll let you keep the title of duke."
"Second, you all disappear."
Seated on the Four-Leaf Kingdom's throne, Wang Shi gazed expressionlessly at the weakling royals.
"Impossible! I am the king of the Four-Leaf Kingdom!"
"I'll report you to the World Government! I'll take this all the way to the Five Elders!"
King Slock shouted furiously. Behind him, the kneeling royals and nobles were filled with grief and indignation.
"Then your choice is the second one. I won't kill you, either. I sentence you to exile!"
In front of everyone, Wang Shi banished the entire Slock family into Void Space.
As for how long they'd remain there, who knew?
Perhaps Wang Shi would find an opportunity to kill them after some time.
Or perhaps he'd release them decades later, when no one remembered them anymore.
Seeing more than a dozen royals suddenly vanish just like that, the Four-Leaf Kingdom's nobles and officials were terrified. They begged for mercy and surrendered, shouting that they wanted to join the Goa Kingdom, afraid they'd be erased next.
This was the first time Eric, Van Augur, and the other mercenaries had seen Wang Shi use his ability.
They were all so shocked that cold sweat ran down their faces.
They had no idea what had happened. The royals had simply disappeared right before their eyes.
On the way here, they'd heard from the Guard Army about Wang Shi's "feat" of slaughtering five hundred guards single-handedly.
Only now did Eric truly realize that this king was no ordinary man.
He'd just shown off his Scythe-Scythe Fruit ability and killed quite a few of the Four-Leaf Kingdom's guards. He'd thought he could intimidate this pretty-boy king.
He hadn't expected the king to be just as strong as he was.
Van Augur watched Wang Shi, whose abilities were so bizarre, his eyes flickering as he wondered what to do.
He'd originally planned to leave the East Blue and head into the Grand Line to become a bounty hunter or pirate.
But now, it seemed things might change.
He'd sensed the possessiveness in Wang Shi's eyes.
He might not be able to escape Wang Shi's grasp after all.
Wang Shi ordered the young nobles and officials of the Goa Kingdom to take control of everything in the Four-Leaf Kingdom, and sent word to the Goa Kingdom.
They were to come take over the Four-Leaf Kingdom at once and report the matter to the World Government.
The Four-Leaf Kingdom would be incorporated into the Goa Kingdom and become the Four-Leaf Archipelago, a territory under its rule.
Princess Sally hadn't expected Wang Shi to seize his first kingdom in just two days.
It had been far too easy.
The entire Goa Kingdom sprang into action. All the nobles were energized and eager to take over the Four-Leaf Kingdom.
The glory of the empire! They had a part in it, too!
Wang Shi had already set his sights on Marine Branch 153 in Shells Town, on the Four-Leaf Archipelago.
The three Goa Kingdom warships set sail once again, heading straight for the Marine branch within the Four-Leaf Kingdom's territory.
"Your Majesty, are we really going to arrest Captain Morgan?"
"Even if we're an Affiliated Nation, we can't attack the Marines!"
At Wang Shi's order, Eric and Van Augur were astonished by his audacity. He hadn't just attacked an Affiliated Nation; he was going after a Marine branch, too?
Even the nobles, officials, and guards under his command felt as though they were going mad.
How could this king dare?
He actually intended to arrest a Marine branch commander. Had he lost his mind?
"Captain Morgan of Marine Branch 153 colluded with pirates and used a fake pirate to gain rank and fortune while oppressing the common people."
"If Marine Headquarters won't deal with it, then I will."
"Besides, the Four-Leaf Kingdom is now part of the Goa Kingdom, so the affairs of Branch 153 are my affairs!"
Wang Shi waved his hand and made his decision. He intended to use the matter of the pirate Kuro and Captain Morgan to stir up trouble with Marine Headquarters.
It would also give him a halfway decent excuse for annexing the Four-Leaf Kingdom.
The World Government might not care about wars between Affiliated Nations, but he still needed a small pretext. He couldn't cause trouble without reason; he had to give the World Government a respectable excuse.
Morgan and Kuro were his "enemies"!
"Once we capture Morgan, we'll head straight to Syrup Village in the neighboring Moonlight Kingdom and arrest Klahadore, the 'Hundred Plans' Kuro who colluded with Morgan."
Wang Shi didn't care about the details of the feud between Morgan and Kuro.
He simply wanted an excuse to go after the Four-Leaf Kingdom and Morgan.
He'd drag in Klahadore, who was hiding in the Moonlight Kingdom, too. Ideally, he'd bring the Moonlight Kingdom into the mess as well.
Those two little kingdoms were as good as his.
Van Augur, Eric, and the nobles, officials, and guards of the Goa Kingdom were left speechless by Wang Shi's decisive manner.
Did this mad king intend to conquer several nearby kingdoms in just a few days?
An hour or two later, they arrived at Shells Town, the island where Marine Branch 153 was based, having departed from the royal city on the Four-Leaf Kingdom's main island.
The sudden arrival of the kingdom's fleet nearly made the Marines on the island think pirates were invading.
Fortunately, the Goa Kingdom's flag was well known throughout the East Blue.
The Marines on the island didn't stop the three warships from docking.
Even Captain Morgan, whose character had turned sinister and brutal, came out to greet the king of Goa, accompanied by Lieutenant Commander Ripper, Lieutenant Rokaku, other Marine officers, and a group of soldiers.
But what happened next seemed to take them by surprise.
"Morgan, you colluded with the 'Hundred Plans' Kuro and helped him fake his death and escape. Then you used a fake corpse of Kuro to get promoted!"
"You're also cruel and tyrannical, and you oppress the people of Shells Town. In the name of the king of the Goa Kingdom, I'm placing you under arrest."
"By the way, the Four-Leaf Kingdom has now joined the Goa Kingdom. Shells Town is my territory from now on, too."
"All other Marines, stand aside."
Standing aboard the kingdom's warship, Wang Shi declared Captain Morgan's crimes before the Marines below.
"What? The 'Hundred Plans' Kuro faked his death and escaped?"
Lieutenant Commander Ripper was shocked. He stared at Captain Morgan in disbelief.
"The Four-Leaf Kingdom joined the Goa Kingdom? When did that happen?"
Lieutenant Rokaku and the mass of Marines erupted into a commotion. Why hadn't they heard about this?
"Bastard! I'm a Marine captain, the commander of Branch 153! What right do you have to judge me?"
At Wang Shi's verdict, Captain Morgan's face turned livid. His memories became a jumbled mess as he recalled things about Kuro, and he grew frantic.
The next moment, one Wind Blade after another shot straight toward Captain Morgan.
None of the Marines at Marine Branch 153 had expected the people of the Goa Kingdom to actually dare attack them.
"You dare attack the Marines? You're all criminals! Open fire! Wipe them out!"
Captain Morgan swung his axe and shouted his orders, trying to force the Wind Blades back.
But in the very first exchange, his body was already streaked with bloody gashes.
After Eric attacked, Van Augur immediately joined in, firing three shots into Captain Morgan's legs and shoulder.