Roy returned to Hachinosu at the crack of dawn.
He landed in front of the main hall on the island, still carrying the dampness of the West Blue.
Stella was already waiting there.
Kaido arrived.
Ace's fleet is also docked.
The kings of the New World have all arrived and are waiting in the main hall.
"They're all pretty fast," Roy said, walking into the hall.
The atmosphere inside the main hall was subtle.
The Beasts Pirates sat on the left, with Kaido occupying the most prominent position, his blue dragon scales gleaming in the morning light.
The Whitebeard Pirates were on the right, Ace was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, his face expressionless.
The majority of the New World's power structure is represented by this long table.
Roy walked to the head of the table and sat down, without looking at either side, and immediately spread out the map.
"That's the plan."
He got straight to the point.
" The World Government knows that Straw Hat Luffy has already headed to Elbaf."
The Five Elders are gathering their forces, preparing to take down Luffy in Elbaf.
Kaido grinned. "So our goal is to go to Elbaf and wipe out all those old guys?"
"Almost."
Roy nodded.
"If the World Government's top-tier forces are all deployed to Elbaf, they will inevitably face off against the Giant Tribe and Luffy."
Our goal is to deliver a devastating blow to the World Government at a crucial moment and capture as many of its top World Government as possible.
"How do we know the Five Elders will go in person?" Marco asked curiously.
"Those old guys are cunning; what if they only send their men?"
They will go.
Nika's Awakening means that the World Government's worst fears have come true.
Imu couldn't wait, and neither could the Five Elders.
They must personally confirm that Luffy was killed in Elbaf.
" The Hachinosu team is responsible for eliminating the Five Elders and the Holy Knights."
Roy continued,
" Kaido, Ace, you lead King and Marco and the others to attack with me. The rest of you are responsible for blocking the sea and eliminating the CP forces."
We must cut off the World Government's escape route in the open sea.
"Good!"
Kaido his hand on the table, causing the entire stone table to tremble.
"I've been waiting for this day for so many years!"
Ace didn't speak, but he slowly nodded when Roy looked at him.
Before the meeting ended, Roy suddenly mentioned something:
"I will send a fleet to patrol the waters near Elbaf in advance to prevent the Five Elders from escaping."
Everyone nodded.
After the meeting ended, Roy did not rest.
He had Stella summon the kings of various countries to a side hall alone. In the side hall...
Roy sat in the main seat, his legs crossed, half his face hidden in the shadows.
One by one, the kings entered.
Some were extremely respectful, some were very cautious, and a few even had ingratiating smiles on their faces.
Roy didn't waste any words.
"From now on, all resources of all dependent countries within the New World will be subject to wartime allocation."
Food, steel, medicine, ships, labor—whatever I need, you will provide.
He stretched out his five fingers and curled them up one by one.
"Don't think I'm here to discuss this with you."
The flame of the oil lamp flickered suddenly, and the air in the side hall seemed to have been sucked out.
A middle-aged king, dressed in a purple-gold royal robe, swallowed hard and mustered his courage to speak:
"Lord Roy, our country doesn't produce much grain to begin with. If we send it all as tribute, the people below will likely starve to death—"
"I don't know if your men have starved to death," Roy interrupted him, his voice as cold as the back of a knife scraping against bone.
"But I know that in the past two years you have received six ships of weapons from the World Government and hidden them in the caves behind the palace."
Then, you copied your country's nautical chart and gave it to CP0.
The king's face turned deathly pale.
He tried to stand up, but his legs were shaking so badly he wouldn't obey him.
"I... I didn't... I..."
"I also have an intelligence network." Roy glanced around.
"Knows you better than you know yourself."
Roy lowered his hand and tilted his head slightly towards the door.
Bullet appeared there, like a moving iron wall.
"I..."
The purple-robed king knelt down with a thud, trembling like a leaf.
"Lord Roy! I was wrong! Please forgive me this time!"
I'm willing to hand over all my stored grain! All my gold! All my—"
"Snap!"
The sound stopped.
Because Bullet had already grabbed him by the back of the neck.
In Bullet's hands, the purple-robed king's obese body resembled a fat goose being held by the neck, its short legs kicking desperately, its face turning purple.
Roy didn't even glance at him.
"I've said it before, you are the investors in this war." He looked at the remaining pale-faced kings, his tone exactly the same as before.
"Investing should look like investing."
Those who cooperate will have a place in the new order in the future.
Those who want to have their cake and eat it too, can now lay out their ulterior motives so I can take stock of their numbers."
No one spoke.
Some people had their heads down, while others gripped the hem of the king's robe tightly, the veins on the back of their hands bulging.
Sweat rolled down their temples, but no one dared to raise a hand to wipe it away.
"No, right?" Roy's smile still lingered on his lips.
Bullet appeared to have received permission.
He carried the king, who was on the verge of fainting, and slowly walked to the door of the side hall.
A muffled thud.
It felt like something extremely heavy had crashed onto the stone floor.
Then came a short, agonizing scream; only the head of the creature popped up before it disappeared.
When Bullet returned, there was a red stain on the hem of his shirt.
He wiped his hands with a cloth while scanning the people in the hall with his blood-red eyes.
Not a single king dared to raise his head.
Roy stood up and dusted off his trousers, brushing off non-existent dust.
The list of supplies will be delivered to you later. With past experiences serving as a warning, I hope you remember your place.
Roy walked to the entrance of the side hall, then stopped and said something without turning his head.
The kings' expressions varied, but none dared to refute them further.
Hachinosu at midnight is brightly lit.
Roy sat alone at the top of the hall, his back to the lights of the entire island.
Black mist slowly surged around him, like a living shadow, silently devouring the moonlight.
He had his eyes closed.
The Observation Haki covered the entire island, like an extremely fine net, capable of capturing even the breath of a soldier waking from a dream in the harbor.
The tide is coming in.
News from Elbaf continues to arrive.
Roy waited patiently.
The sky behind him was pitch black, and the last ray of moonlight was swallowed by the clouds.
Amidst the sound of wind, the chirping of Den Den Mushi) could be heard coming from a distant tower.
Stella looked up and saw only that lonely shadow on the roof of the hall.
Sitting quietly in the thick black fog, it seemed as if it had already blended into the night.
She didn't go up.
She simply stood below, lowered her voice, and whispered an instruction to the Den Den Mushi on her wrist.