'Bang!'

  “Damn it!”

  “That i Lunarian brat!”

  “Who does he think he is, daring to act so brazenly and disrespectfully?”

  “To insult the Wover and demean the desdants of the Celestial Dragons in public—we ot let this go unpunished!”

  Atop the Red Line, in Mariejois, the Holy Land, the orea table y shattered in pieces.

  The faces of the Five Elders were ashen with fury as they gred at the proje before them.

  The Den Den Mushi had just reyed footage of the Totto Land Kingdom’s founding ceremony. On the grand stage stood El, the leader of the Fallen Angel Pirates, boldly delivering his speebsp;

  “What an audacious and ambitious man…”

  Saint Saturn’s expression darkened as he spoke coldly. “To think he dreams of founding a pirate nation to challehe Wover. We ot allow him to succeed.”

  “That bastard!”

  Saint Mars paced bad forth, muttering, “While his speech might sound absurd to most oners—uo gairust or belief—"

  “—it’s undeniable that his rhetoric carries an arming level of appeal to the oppressed minority races.”

  The Wover’s authority had ruled the seas for turies, painstakingly cultivated and deeply entrenched in the hearts and minds of the people.

  Its untouchable status as the orue authority wasn’t something El’s words could topple in an instant.

  However, for the ensved and oppressed minority races who already harbored reseoward the Wover, El’s speech was a bea of hope—a lighthouse pointing the way forward.

  There was a real risk that sves and marginalized races might flock to the Fallen Angel Pirates, pledging their allegianbsp;

  “We must accelerate the pn to annihite the Fallen Angel Pirates. They ot be given time to grow stronger…”

  Saint Ju Peter frowned deeply, speaking bluntly:

  “If we dey, more minority groups will iably join this so-called ‘Totto Land Kingdom.’ Their strength will only snowball.”

  “Especially sidering that bastard’s close ties with the giants. If he mao recruit even more of them, the sequences will be dire.”

  “Acc to intelligence from the Navy and CP0, he has already developed multiple giant Devil Fruit users. Their massive size, bined with terrifying strength and Devil Fruit powers, makes them a formidable threat.”

  The other Elders, including Saint Valkyrie, nodded in agreement.

  The Fallen Angel Pirates were already a major threat. Now, with their ambitions to found a nation, cim territory, and openly challehe Wover’s rule, the Totto Land Kingdom posed a colossal risk.

  The lo was allowed to exist, the greater the danger—and the more damaging the pret it would set.

  “What about the indepe powerhouse in the first half of the Grand Line?”

  Saint Nasujuro adjusted his gsses, speaking directly.

  “Acc to CP0’s test report, they’re still sidering our offer,” Saint Mars replied.

  “However, they seem tempted by the ditions we’ve offered.”

  “After all, being promoted directly to the rank of Admiral and granted full authority as an Admiral is no small offer.”

  “This world has no she of so-called hermits g to disdain worldly affairs,” Saint Mars added with a smirk. “But how many of them truly resist the allure of fame and power?

  “Few, if any, remain pletely indifferent.”

  …

  Meanwhile, in the mid-region of the New World, withito Land Kingdom on Cake Isnd, the vast royal pace hummed with activity.

  As the grand inauguration ceremony cluded and the live broadcast ended, El led the Fallen Angel Pirates’ embers into the grand cil chamber.

  The Totto Land Kingdom’s governance was in disarray.

  For isnds previously uhe Hell Trading pany’s trol, things were retively stable. However, on newly quered isnds, many civilians still resisted.

  Laws aions had to be drafted, improved, and implemented, leaving the kingdom in a state ent need.

  But El wasn’t oo mianage.

  While he didn’t ignore everything, most mundane administrative matters were delegated to the Advisory Division, headed by Tsuru and Stussy.

  El dealt only with major issues or decisions ing the nation’s overall development.

  “The Totto Land Daily Neer is prepared, thanks to the Hell Trading pany’s groundwork. It be unched immediately,” Tsuru reported.

  “As for the kingdom’s development, we’ll maintain the existing order for now. Tsuru, have your division draft a long-term pn—we’ll address it gradually.”

  After listening to her report, El gave brief directives:

  “Additionally, ws aions must be finalized as soon as possible.”

  “Three days at most,” Tsuru replied fidently.

  “The Advisory Division will deliver a pn that satisfies you, El-sama.”

  Her professional demeanor was stern, a stark trast to her usual familiarity with El. Onown as the “Navy’s Flower,” Tsuru had proven her brillian strategy and administration, earning El’s trust as Chief Advisor.

  “Kuhaha, is it my turn now?”

  Dr. Kureha, the neointed Minister of Health, stepped forward with a dot.

  Handing it to El, she grinned: “Regarding Totto Land’s healthcare reform, the stru of hospitals, the procurement of equipment, and the recruitment of medical staff—I’ve outlined a detailed pn here.”

  “In short, you need money, right?”

  Gng over the pn, El chuckled.

  The proposal revolved around oral issue: funding.

  And the numbers were astronomical.

  “The Totto Land Kingdom is just getting started, and there are too many demands oreasury. Take it oep at a time.”

  El sighed, gng at the smirking Dr. Kureha.

  Still, he appreciated her genuine effort. She hadn’t dumped the challenge of acquiring medical talent onto him but had taken responsibility herself. Talent acquisition was the hardest part of her task.

  Money, oher hand, roblem that could eventually be solved.

  El didn’t hesitate: “For now, I allocate 30% of the requested funds to your department.”

  Dr. Kureha’s grin widened; she had expected far less.

  “Fine by me!”

  She had anticipated only 10% of her request being approved. That El was willing to allocate 30% surprised her pleasantly—it showed both the kingdom’s financial strength and his itment to his promises.

  With these funds, once hospitals were built, Kureha had pns to poach doctors from Drum Isnd, a nation renowned for its medical expertise.

  Despite Drum Isnd’s advanced healthcare, it oor nation, and its doctors earned modest saries.

  By superior pay and bes, Kureha was fident many would be tempted to join Totto Land’s healthcare system—ohe kingdom stabilized and proved capable of withstanding the Wover’s iable assault.

  “Now then…”

  El turned his gaze to Sally, the shapeshifting “Witch of a Hundred Faces” and head of Totto Land’s intelligence division:

  “Sally, any updates on the Wover’s movements?”

  Sally, her white-and-gold military uniform perfectly tailored, stared at El with an almost fiery iy before colleg herself.

  “El-sama,” she reported seriously, “CP agents are stantly probing for information about the Fallen Angel Pirates. We’ve uncovered several spies pnted within Totto Land’s borders.”

  “However, there are likely others hiding too deeply for now. pletely rooting them out will take more time, though with Lillian’s help, we’re making steady progress.”

  “Additionally, ents embedded within CP report that the Wover is currently attempting to recruit a civilian powerhouse from the Grand Line, them a promotion directly to Admiral rank.”

  “Oh? A civilian powerhouse?”

  El raised an eyebrow in i.

  Even Linlin, Mos, and Gerd looked surprised.

  “We’ve identified the target,” Sally replied with a smile.

  “And Barry made sure to leave a mark. Using mirrors strategically pced across the seas by our Homies, we monitor the target’s location closely.”

  “Mamamama~ So they’re within range, huh?”

  Linli out a sinister ugh: “Well, that’s just bad luck for them, isn’t it?”

  Bleam