The North Blue.
At the Marine base of operations in the region—
Inside the communications room.
Brrr brrr!Brrr brrr!
Click!
"Hello?"
A marine stationed in the comms room picked up the Den Den Mushi with one hand, ready to take notes with the other.
"This is CP0, North Blue Division. A Celestial Dragon was attacked in the Kingdom of Kachinov. Send reinforcements immediately!"
"What? A Celestial Dragon was attacked?" The marine froze, stunned.
Who in their right mind would dare assault a World Noble...?
"Quit wasting time and send backup! Now!"
The voice from the Den Den Mushi barked angrily and abruptly hung up.
The marine didn't dare delay—he bolted straight to the commander's office.
"Vice Admiral Doro, sir! A Celestial Dragon has been attacked in the Kingdom of Kachinov. They've requested backup!"
He burst through the door and shouted to the figure standing by the window.
"What did you say? A World Noble was attacked?"
Vice Admiral Doro spun around, utterly stunned, wondering if he'd misheard.
"Yes, sir! That's confirmed!" the marine repeated urgently.
Doro's expression hardened as the reality sank in. If a Celestial Dragon had been harmed in his jurisdiction, the World Government would definitely blame him.
"Sound the alarm! All marines assemble immediately!"
"We depart in thirty minutes!"
"Yes, sir!"
The marine sprinted back to the communications room.
Woooooo!!!
The blaring of the emergency alert echoed throughout the base.
Half an hour later, five warships set sail under Vice Admiral Doro's command, heading straight for the Kingdom of Kachinov.
——
The next morning.
Sora now sat upon the throne of Kachinov Kingdom.
Kneeling before him were nobles, officials, wealthy ladies, and daughters of high-standing families.
From time to time, they dared a glance upward—at Sora on the throne, and beside him, the once-proud Shalria kneeling like a pet. The sight left them dumbstruck.
"I can't believe he did this to a World Noble... how reckless can you get?"
"That arrogant Celestial Dragon girl... now she's groveling like a dog? Unbelievable."
"There's no way he'll escape the Marines after this..."
Sora ignored their whispers. He stroked Shalria's head like one would a well-trained beast.
Dressed in a maid outfit, Shalria knelt at his feet, special collar fastened around her neck, gritting her teeth as she massaged his leg.
Though she'd gone through a long night of "sword training," with the help of "Instant Bond," her favorability toward Sora had skyrocketed. But after rising from -200 to -50, it stagnated—only granting him 1 physical strength per hour.
Sora understood why: he had killed her father and brother.
Blood vengeance was something you couldn't simply erase, and Sora respected that.
Not that he cared.
He'd already gained full access to her special skill: Authoritative Discipline.
And with that ability, combined with his Conqueror's Haki, he easily forced the ministers of Kachinov Kingdom into submission.
"Master, here is the full inventory of treasures from the royal treasury,"
Princess Anna, also dressed in a maid outfit, knelt before him and respectfully presented the list.
Having helped Sora avenge her humiliation by tormenting Shalria the night before—and received some "training" herself—Anna's favorability had risen to 60. She now provided 6 HP per hour and was completely obedient under the influence of Authoritative Discipline.
"Oh? A fine-grade blade, huh..."
Sora nodded with satisfaction as he reviewed the list.
Thanks to his Top-Tier Swordsman Experience Card, he was walking the path of the sword.
In the world of pirates, swords were ranked as: Supreme Grade, Great Grade, Fine Grade, Sharp Grade, and Standard.
There were only 12 Supreme Grade swords, 21 Great Grade, and 50 Fine Grade—just 83 elite blades in the entire world.
Even Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu and Tashigi's Shigure were only Sharp Grade.
No wonder Sora was surprised to find a Fine Grade sword hidden in Kachinov's treasury.
"Load up everything—treasures, the ransom money these nobles offered—onto the Celestial Dragon's ship. And stock it with enough food and fine wine."
He tossed the list back to Anna and began giving orders.
By now, he had already learned from Shalria about the emergency Den Den Mushi Roswald had smashed before his death.
The incident would definitely reach the World Government soon.
But the closest Marine base was at least a full day away from Kachinov.
He had time.
"Yes, Master."
Anna bowed and walked out to instruct the palace guards and servants to move the treasure and nobles' ransom money onto the ship.
Thanks to the Celestial Dragons having kicked everyone out of the palace the previous night, the rest of the kingdom still had no idea what had happened inside.
And after everything she'd gone through last night helping Sora dominate Shalria, Anna knew she was past the point of no return. She followed Sora without question—hoping just as much as he did to escape this place quickly.
Once she was gone, Sora opened the system interface to review his own stats.
Host: Sora
Physical Strength: ★
Mental Strength: ★
Vitality: ★
Swordsmanship: ★
Martial Arts: ★
Armament Haki: ★★
Observation Haki: ★★
Conqueror's Haki: ★★
Special Talents: Endurance, Mind Link
Special Skills: Authoritative Discipline, Scout, Ship Handling
Devil Fruit: System-Type: Crew-Crew Fruit – Pirate Crew Fruit
Base Combat Power: ★★ / Equivalent to Marine HQ Ensign
Bonus Power: Top-Tier Swordsman Experience Card (2 uses left)
Note: 1–3 stars = Beginner level; 4–6 = Intermediate; 7–9 = Advanced; 10 stars = Peak level
Note: Combat power is not equal to destructive power
Note: Only career Marines with years of training can reach one-star physical strength
"HQ Ensign, huh..."
"That rank already lets me wear the Justice cloak."
Sora raised an eyebrow and nodded with satisfaction.
Thanks to consuming the Devil Fruit, his base stats had jumped to one-star, and with awakened Haki in all three forms, his total power reached two stars—on par with a Marine Ensign.
Don't underestimate a one-star boost. That was what separated him from ordinary soldiers.
According to the system, people like Anna and Shalria had no star ratings. Only seasoned Marines with years of training—like Tashigi when she first appeared in Loguetown—could hit one star.
And now, his power was at the level Tashigi reached two years later as an HQ Ensign.
That's the gap between star-level strength and average humans.
——
By noon, Anna had finished loading everything from the treasury.
Sora brought Shalria aboard the massive ship that once belonged to the Celestial Dragons.
In the pirate world, ship sizes ranged from tiny to small, medium, large, and giant.
The Going Merry was tiny. The Thousand Sunny was medium. Standard warships were large. Marine flagship vessels were giant.
『Ding! Detected host stepping aboard an unclaimed vessel. Bind ship?』
『Once bound, host may control the ship freely via Ship Handling skill.』
『Ship bound. Please name your vessel:』
Sora looked at Shalria, who stood behind him with her special collar, and chuckled.
"Divine Slave."
『Ding! Naming complete. Flagship acquired: Divine Slave!』
At that moment, the sails unfurled on their own, the rudder turned, and the ship pulled away from shore, setting course for the open sea.
Sora stood at the bow with Anna and Shalria behind him, blood rushing with anticipation.
"I am... King of the World!"