Underworld Prison

Over the centuries, the World Government had expanded its influence step by step in this fashion. It was all recorded in the histories kept in the family's secret archives.

Until then, he absolutely had to help Hades stabilize the situation and prevent anything unexpected from happening.

"No problem. Leave it to me. I'll have people keep an eye out for the better Devil Fruits. There are some in the kingdom's treasure vault, too."

"The Royal Trading Company and Underworld Prison will also collect large quantities of Devil Fruits through the Underworld."

Although Devil Fruits were rare, anyone determined to collect them could always find some out on the seas.

As long as one had money and connections, especially connections in the Underworld, there were plenty of Devil Fruits flowing into the Underworld every year.

This was a threshold. Crossing it meant entering an entirely new realm.

To many people, Devil Fruits were legendary treasures, but to certain others, they were hardly uncommon.

The Death-Death Fruit Jaeger had eaten had once been among the Devil Fruits stored in the Kronos Kingdom's treasure vault.

The kingdom also collected Devil Fruits at regular intervals, whether to bolster its reserves or cultivate its subordinates.

But from now on, they would have to put more care into it. How could children of the Tartarus Family possibly eat ordinary Devil Fruits?

A kingdom was an enormous machine. Once it started running, the power it generated was terrifying, especially a superpower like the Kronos Kingdom.

The rebellion within the kingdom was little more than a minor disturbance. After the rebellion more than thirty years ago, the Kronos Kingdom already knew how to handle it.

They had even anticipated that their failure to root everything out back then would allow the World Government to stir up another rebellion, and had made preparations in advance.

With only a hundred thousand troops, the rebels facing the Kronos Kingdom's standing army of three million were undoubtedly ants trying to shake a great tree.

Even the five hundred thousand Army troops back then had been no match for the Kronos Kingdom, let alone a mere hundred thousand.

Public opinion within the country paid them no heed either. Most people cursed them. The kingdom had finally regained its peace, and now they were stirring up trouble again.

The rebels themselves were also unsettled, and many of them felt close ties to the Tartarus Royal Family.

Under these circumstances, the rebels could hardly expand. There was no fertile ground for them to survive.

Both the terrain and popular support favored the Kronos Kingdom.

In fact, as long as the Tartarus Royal Family remained unshakable, the rebels would eventually collapse on their own.

Besides, the Kronos Kingdom was no longer what it had been decades ago. War had spurred economic development and increased productivity, considerably strengthening the nation.

Over the past two years in particular, the Kronos Kingdom's military strength had increased dramatically, and even the World Government had felt threatened by it.

But having learned its lesson last time, the World Government had invested far more this time around.

After all, the Kronos Kingdom was already on guard. Stirring up a rebellion of the same scale would come at a greater cost.

Hades's influence was no small part of this. The assassination attempt against him had also been intended to prevent history from repeating itself.

The kingdom's operations had suffered no disruption. Across its vast territory, the rebels merely occupied remote corners near the primeval forests.

The areas where the previous rebellion had taken place were now guarded by heavy concentrations of troops, and the various factions there had been purged, preventing the World Government from stirring up another rebellion in the same places.

It could only turn to another location, using a hidden asset the World Government had left behind.

But against the strength of the well-prepared Kronos Kingdom, the rebels had been driven into a corner in no time.

Supplies were scarce, and the kingdom had cut off all their outside contacts. They could only rely on supplies brought in by the World Government.

To keep the rebels alive and allow them to develop, the World Government had to provide considerable supplies: not just weapons and food, but essential daily necessities as well.

Together, these required a substantial amount of money.

Although the World Government had vast wealth and resources, the prolonged drain was considerable.

If it continued to see no results, the World Government might give up on its own. After all, it would not be worth the expense.

The World Government's reserves were unfathomable, but there was no need to imagine it as excessively fearsome.

A large portion of the World Government's forces could not be deployed freely. They either guarded the World Government itself or were kept under its control.

Compared with more than thirty years ago, the Tartarus Royal Family was even more confident of its position, because they knew the peace in the New World would not last long.

Once the Rocks Pirates made their move, their terrifying power would sweep across the entire world, and the World Government would no longer be able to focus its efforts on the Kronos Kingdom.

Everything it had invested would fall into the Kronos Kingdom's hands.

Hades's special Observation Haki gave them even greater confidence. When the time came, they would not leave the World Government so many hidden pawns as they had last time.

As the crown prince, Hades had a palace of his own.

Light streamed through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, a gentle breeze drifted past, and the scenery was pleasant.

Seated on a sofa, Hades studied the documents in his hands. They contained intelligence from the New World and various places around the globe.

These had been compiled and submitted by the staff group within Underworld Prison.

The staff group was an important institution within Underworld Prison. It belonged to "Netherworld" and served as the hub of its intelligence operations.

Underworld Prison maintained intelligence operatives around the world. It was a vital means for the Tartarus Royal Family to keep abreast of global affairs and avoid falling behind on important events and intelligence.

Although Hades had yet to inherit the throne, the Tartarus Royal Family had already begun honing his abilities.

This would allow him to take over the Kronos Kingdom smoothly in the future.

After acknowledging Hades's abilities, the Tartarus Royal Family had introduced him to Underworld Prison when he was eight. By now, he had almost completely taken charge, using it to stay informed about the Kronos Kingdom and the rest of the world.

"Distribution of World Government personnel within the kingdom"

"Rising newcomers, the Roger Pirates, escape from Marine Captain Garp!"

"Marine troop movements" (analysis of future deployments in the New World)

"Expansion of the Rocks Pirates' influence over the past six months"

"Future core officers of the Rocks Pirates (Lion Ghost Shiki, the man of monstrous strength, Edward Newgate)"

The situation within the kingdom needed to be monitored at all times.

Underworld Prison had always kept a close watch on intelligence concerning the Marines and the Rocks Pirates. These were the forces that could truly shape the global balance of power.

As for Roger, Garp, Shiki, and Edward Newgate, figures who would become renowned in the future, Hades had specifically requested that they be watched.

At present, they were only just beginning to make their names.