Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

"If you line up individual grains of sand to form a 'blade,' would they be sharp enough?"

Upon hearing this, Black Mask suddenly had a guess in his mind, and this guess made him shudder.

Perhaps... my thinking was wrong from the very beginning.

It wasn't a line, but a pure "blade," leaving only the sharp part, without the slightest unnecessary embellishment.

A blade made of sand and gravel, long enough to run through the entire Drum Island!

shuh...

This guess caused a long-absent bead of cold sweat to trickle down the black-masked man's forehead.

Black Mask observed quickly, and his conversation with Rowan was even faster, but it still took about fifteen seconds.

Only five seconds remain.

The avalanche has arrived, and the CP0 member who had murderous intent has also come before Rowan!

Instantly, the man in black mask snapped out of his shock, quickly reaching out to stop him while shouting:

"Idiot, run!"

But he said it a little too late.

The impulsive CP0 had already stepped forward, swinging his twin swords at Rowan.

Behind him, a massive, ferocious avalanche roared.

Rowan watched this scene and sighed softly.

Then, without moving his body, the hand holding the spear suddenly spun around, drawing a beautiful "circle" in the air along with the spear tip.

shuh...

Naturally, the thin wire attached to the tip of the gun also circled around the world along with Rowan's movements.

Spinning a gun with one hand —

It's a very simple action; even the kids in the honor guard can do it.

It's really simple.

……

Black Mask will never forget that mission, and he will never forget that day.

That day.

[Golden Dawn] Ryan Rowan drew a “line” on Drum Island.

A long line.

……

Thus, Drum Island was divided into two islands by a line that was barely perceptible to the naked eye.

[46. Chapter Forty-Six: Divided in Two]

Let's rewind a few minutes.

Meeting room in the castle at the main peak of Drum Island.

The negotiations regarding the initial establishment of the Four Seas Alliance have reached their final stage.

As expected, King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat.

Crocodile was fully convinced that if Rowan wanted, he could even get Wapol to inadvertently sign a large number of unequal treaties.

At that time, Rowan could rightfully make Drum Kingdom a subordinate state of Alabasta!

This is the best illustration of "the king's incompetence".

But Crocodile also knew very well that Ryan Rowan would not do that, because the man's ambitions went far beyond that.

If we want to establish a global alliance, we must adhere to our original intentions and bottom line.

This ocean is so vast, and there are countless countries and kings.

Among them are fools like Wapol, but also ruthless characters who are skillful, intelligent, or possess an iron fist.

To persuade them to join the Four Seas Alliance, we cannot rely solely on force and strategy; otherwise, it would become an expansion war disguised as a war.

They must be made aware of whether the Four Seas Alliance can truly bring enough benefits to their countries!

For this reason, the outcome of the negotiations agreed upon with Wapol was very fair, even excessively so.

Once officially launched, a fixed air route will connect the two countries, with resident troops providing support along the route.

Ships belonging to the Four Seas Alliance are equipped with permanent pointers from both countries, which are returned and exchanged when entering and leaving ports.

As long as the flag of the Four Seas Alliance is flown and permission to set sail is obtained, the troops of both countries will arrive at the scene immediately, regardless of whether they encounter pirates or attacks from unknown weather conditions.

Because of the fixed shipping routes, the Four Seas Alliance forces are theoretically much faster than the navy in terms of operational efficiency.

This forms the basis of trade between the two countries, and the establishment of fixed air routes will bring many benefits to the people of both countries.

Of course, these benefits have nothing to do with Wapol.

He has signed an agreement that he has no right to impose unjustified taxes on ships of the Four Seas Alliance.

……

Once the agreement was drafted, Wapol and Vivi signed their names.

After putting down his pen, Wapol, regaining his senses, finally realized that something was amiss.

He asked his first question:

"Um... what benefits can I gain from that alliance?"

Following Rowan's instructions, Vivi smiled and replied, "The people of the Drum Kingdom will thank their king."

"What good is that!"

Wapol immediately slammed his hand on the table, baring his teeth and saying, "What do I need the gratitude of those lowly commoners for?"

Upon hearing this, Weiwei leaned back slightly.

Rowan had told him about this possibility, and the current situation meant that Wapol was about to overturn the table.

As expected, at Wapol's command, Jess and Cromarimon behind him immediately adopted a fierce stance.

Vivi paused for a moment, then called out:

"Small……"

Before she could finish speaking, a gloved hand was placed on the little princess's shoulder.

Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, said slowly to Vivi, "You don't have to listen to him completely, especially when it comes to 'addressing' people."

Weiwei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Crocodile was very satisfied.

He took a puff of his cigar, looked up at the three people in front of him, and spoke with a hint of delight.

"The boring stuff is finally over, isn't it?"

Crocodile grinned sinisterly, and a sharp blade began to extend from his elbow.

Seeing this, Dalton quickly tried to step forward to stop them.

Regardless of whether Wapol and his allies can win, once war breaks out, it means that the two countries have completely broken off relations.

The inhabitants of the Drum Kingdom cannot afford such consequences!

But Crocdale clearly had no intention of giving Dalton a chance to mediate.

He'd been holding it in the whole way, and now he was just looking for a good show.

Since it was Vivi's request, I suppose Rowan can't blame me!

Crocodile sneered and raised his right arm.

However, just as he was about to make his move, Rowan's "line" swept across.

Swish!

In an instant, everything present seemed to freeze.

Vivi, Wapol, and the other two didn't understand what was happening, but Crocodile and Dalton, with their keen eyesight, immediately noticed something amiss.

The castle they were in had been "cut open".

An extremely narrow gap appeared in the ground and walls, dividing the entire castle in two!

A few breaths later, a huge roar suddenly came from all around the castle.

Even the narrowest gap cannot ultimately defy the inescapable laws of nature.

The castle was split in two, and the part of the building that lost its footing collapsed after a brief pause!

But Drum Island Castle is, after all, a castle; a narrow gap can only destroy a few rooms, not shake the foundation of the castle.

Therefore, apart from being slightly frightened, no one was injured.

"what happened!"

Dalton leaped and landed on the relatively stable floor.

Crocodile also used gravel to deflect the pebbles that were about to fall on Vivi's head.

As for Wapol and his two men, they were already so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground.

"My castle...my castle!"

Crocodile frowned as he gazed at the distant snowfield.

"Did that guy do it?"

How did he manage to split a castle in two from such a great distance?

……

In fact, Crocodile was wrong.

Rowan's attack wasn't aimed at the castle, but at Drum Island itself.