"I went to all this trouble for what?"
"Wasn't it to gain the Pudora Kingdom?"
"But I don't want an empty shell. Do you understand?"
Bartholomew Kuma's eyes cleared at once.
He instantly understood why Chris had done this.
Dracule Mihawk nodded too. "So you still intend to defeat the Pudora Kingdom with overwhelming force."
"And make the entire nation submit to you!"
It turned out Chris had planned all of this.
He had seen through Isaac and the others' scheme but said nothing.
Instead, he had played along and come straight to the outskirts of Blackwater Valley.
Chris had done it to give Isaac and the others exactly what they wanted.
He wanted them to believe they held every advantage.
That naturally left the Chris Pirates in a terrible position.
But that was precisely what Chris wanted!
Chris looked unruffled as he said coldly, "What I want to win is the hearts of the Pudora Kingdom's people!"
"So we have to let them take every advantage!"
"Then, when their confidence is at its peak, we'll defeat them in one stroke and crush their spirit."
"Only then will they truly understand how strong the Chris Pirates are."
"Only then will they submit to our rule."
This had been Chris's strategy for dealing with the Pudora Kingdom from the very beginning.
He wanted its territory and its countless battle-hardened people.
Baccarat swept back her hair and couldn't help exclaiming, "Only Chris would have the nerve to do something like this!"
"You're taking such a huge risk to truly win this country!"
"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to crush the Pudora Kingdom's army!"
Belo Betty exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled faintly. "If you have that much faith in us, Chris..."
"Then we certainly won't let you down."
"What