Robbing Earthfire Island

Bang!

The gunshot rang out. The middle-aged man Rogge had sent flying endured the pain and raised his rifle, firing a shot.

The gunshot immediately drew the attention of the townspeople, and countless people quickly gathered.

"What's going on?" More than a dozen men in suits pushed through the crowd.

"Sir, they... they're pirates." The middle-aged man pointed at Rogge and the others.

"Pirates?" The dozen suited men looked up at Rogge.

Rogge waved and smiled. "Hello. Now, I have some unfortunate news for you: I'm going to rob this island."

"Marshall Rogge, the pirate who attacked the Heavenly Tribute!" one of the suited men cried out.

"So it was you. The World Government has been searching for your whereabouts. Get them! Take them down!" the leader shouted.

At once, more than a hundred people drew their weapons and charged at Rogge and the others. They were clearly intelligence agents under the World Government, but they were not CP9 and did not know Rokushiki. Their combat ability was quite ordinary.

A hundred people against Rogge's group lasted only one exchange. They all fell to the ground, and fewer than half of them were still alive.

"Is that all you've got? I thought you'd be stronger. Looks like I overestimated you." Rogge shrugged. He had not expected them to be so weak. Clearly, not every agent was called Rob Lucci.

"Hurry up and loot the place. Take whatever you can. This island looks rich." Rogge rushed forward.

When the ordinary residents saw that even the World Government officials had been defeated, none of them dared resist. They all fled in panic.

Hardly anyone resisted when Rogge charged in. He headed straight for the town hall. That was his true objective.

Seeing Rogge's impatient expression, Ham could not help complaining, "That guy has forgotten that there are only six of us."

"I said before that the captain should recruit more people. The few of us are enough to sail, but we don't have the numbers a complete pirate crew should have," Simon said helplessly.

"Rogge knows that himself, but he just thinks there's no need to recruit too many people yet. We should settle the core members first. Besides, we can't find very strong companions in the first half of the Grand Line. He wants to go to the New World, and once we get there, that guy has a plan," Jelly said.

"Will we recruit more people later?" Ares asked curiously.

"Of course. You don't seriously think our pirate crew will only have the few of us, do you?" Cook said.

"More people would be good. With only a few of us, things are inconvenient whether in battle or sailing." Ares nodded.

"Let's go. That guy has charged too far ahead. Still, this island seems much weaker than expected," Jelly said.

"They really aren't strong. Mainly because this island has the World Government's protection. Several nearby kingdoms have troops stationed here. Look, the garrisons are coming," Simon said, pointing ahead.

Sure enough, three armies were rushing over. Their armor differed, representing three kingdoms. Earthfire Island had originally belonged to no nation. When it was first discovered, it drew little attention. Later, after it was found suitable for growing grain, the three kingdoms began sending immigrants there, and conflicts repeatedly broke out.

The three kingdoms fought fiercely, while the landowners on Earthfire Island also wanted to establish a kingdom. But after founding the Earthfire Kingdom, they were immediately wiped out by the three kingdoms working together.

Watching the three kingdoms continue fighting, their kings had also clashed several times at the Reverie over this island. In the end, the World Government could no longer stand by and intervened, placing the island under its direct jurisdiction. The grain was divided equally among the three countries and the World Government. The World Government managed the island, while the three countries provided troops to protect it.

They had dealt with countless pirates and had long grown accustomed to pirate attacks.

In their eyes, Rogge's group was perhaps just a band of insignificant pirates who did not know their place. But when the three armies met Rogge, their armor shattered beneath his fists, and they realized they had encountered a true enemy.

Rogge greatly enjoyed fighting. He weaved constantly through the crowd, reveling in the thrill of battle.

Because there were simply too many soldiers, Rogge alone could not quickly take down an army of over ten thousand. Their goal was the wealth here, so Jelly and the others joined the fight.

After a chaotic melee, an army of over ten thousand sounded like a lot, but after more than an hour of fighting, people lay sprawled everywhere. Rogge panted heavily, yet he wore a smile. The others were not as crazed as Rogge, but taking down an army of over ten thousand was something they had never imagined.

"They've already contacted the Marines. We don't have much time," Rogge told the others.

"We've gotten the information. The vault is by the tallest building, the office of the World Government officials." Cook dragged along a World Government official.

"Okay."

Nearly everyone in the city had fled. At first, they had believed Rogge's group would be quickly defeated. Yet Rogge had wiped out an army of over ten thousand, and the combat power he displayed was simply too terrifying.

In the office building at the highest point of Earthfire Island, an official with a black-and-white beard held a Den Den Mushi and nervously stared out the window.

"Hey, haven't you arrived yet?" the official shouted.

"We're already moving as fast as we can. It'll still take a few hours. Aren't troops stationed on Earthfire Island? Can't they even hold off a pirate crew of a few people?" the Den Den Mushi said.

"The army has already been completely wiped out! An army of over ten thousand was no match for those few people. They're already coming this way, and their target is probably the vault. Damn it, this quarter's wealth is all here. We can't let the pirates steal it!" the official yelled.

If anything happened to that money, he would definitely be sent to Enies Lobby. At that point, only Impel Down awaited him. Who would want to go to a place like Impel Down? Entering it was the same as dying.

"Aren't there other defensive forces on the island? Stall for time," the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi said, frowning. He had not expected the army to be wiped out.

"No! Where would Earthfire Island get any other defensive forces? This isn't decades ago!" the official shouted.

"Then delay them for as long as you can." The Den Den Mushi hung up after saying that.

The official closed the Den Den Mushi's shell as well. He paced back and forth in the office. After a long while, he suddenly thought of something, walked to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out another Den Den Mushi.

"Hey, release Jerry. Have him lead those monsters out to meet the enemy," the official said.

"Yes!"

In a place on Earthfire Island covered entirely in ice, a man wearing thick furs walked out. His hair was very long, and he held a whip in his hand.

"Hehehe, you're out. You'll have blood to drink now—warm, fresh blood." The man cracked his whip. It let out a deafening boom, and then countless pairs of blood-red eyes lit up within the icebergs.

The World Government agent who had come to deliver the message collapsed to the ground in fright. He watched the man walk away as those eyes behind him stared at him, greedy saliva dripping from their mouths.