"That..." Dragon hesitated. "I feel like the King is actually decent. Weak, but kind. How about we only target the Nobles?"
York looked at Gloriosa, Stussy, and Shakky.
"What do you ladies think?"
The three women shrugged in unison. "You're the Captain. You decide."
York grinned. He looked at Kaido, whose nostrils were flaring with anticipation, and then back at Dragon.
"Fine. I'm not planning to occupy this country permanently. If we kill the King, the order will collapse completely, and the Marines will swarm in."
"I've decided!"
York slammed his fist into his palm.
"We will carry out a Great Purge of the Nobility!"
"Kill every corrupt noble! Seize every Berry of their wealth!"
"WORORORO! ALRIGHT!!" Kaido roared, hefting his kanabo.
It wasn't a total war, but it was a start. There were plenty of islands in the sea. This was just the appetizer.
The crew split up. They forced local residents to act as guides.
At first, the locals were terrified. They feared the nobles' guards more than the pirates. But when York kicked down the first gate and obliterated the guards with a wave of his hand, something changed.
Fear turned to rage.
"Pirate masters! Follow me!"
"That estate on the hill! That's the Baron's house!"
"I used to work there! They have a vault full of gold!"
An old man guided York into a lavish estate.
Screams rang out. The noble family fell instantly to York's Holy Light.
But as soon as the nobles were subdued, the old guide rushed forward. He didn't go for the gold. He went for the noblewoman, tearing at her clothes with a lecherous grin.
"Hehehe... The pirates did it. No one will know..."
SQUELCH.
A tentacle of Holy Light pierced the old man's chest.
He froze, spitting blood. He looked back at York in disbelief.
"W-Why..."
"I didn't like it," York said coldly.
It wasn't righteousness. It was disgust. He was here to redistribute wealth and punish corruption, not to enable rapists.
York stepped over the body. "Next house."
The Purge: The Crew's Methods.
* Kaido & Gloriosa: Total eradication. They left no survivors in their sectors. Blood flowed like water.
* Shakky: The path of charm. She didn't need violence. The nobles, entranced by her beauty, opened their vaults willingly. She moved the gold into Stussy's Mirror World and left the nobles penniless but alive.
* Dragon: The path of conflict.
Dragon tried to reason with his guide, asking him not to loot.
"You can do it! Why can't I?!" the guide sneered. "I'll just join your crew afterward!"
Dragon's face darkened. He executed the guide instantly.
But when he reached the noble's inner sanctum, his resolve wavered.
He killed the adults—the ones responsible for the starvation. But huddled in the corner were the children.
"Children are innocent," Dragon muttered. "They shouldn't bear the sins of their fathers."
He lowered his hand.
Among the shivering children was a boy named Bekori.
Dragon turned and left, sparing the boy. He didn't know that this act of mercy would doom the Sorbet Kingdom to another generation of tyranny.
Days later, the purge was complete.
The crew regrouped on the warship.
Gloriosa and Kaido reported total success. No survivors.
Shakky reported immense wealth, extracted cleanly.
Dragon hesitated. "I... I spared the children. Only the adults were executed."
York listened, his face unreadable.
This mission was a test.
* Shakky: Best suited for intelligence and finance.
* Kaido & Gloriosa: Perfect executioners for conquest.
* Dragon: Naive.
'He hasn't realized yet,' York thought. 'Weeds must be pulled by the roots. Sparing the children of the oppressors only creates vengeful enemies.'
But he said nothing. Dragon would learn the hard way.
"Mission accomplished," York declared. "Set sail!"
As the Red Flag rose, Marine warships appeared on the horizon. They had been waiting for the pirates to leave, too terrified of the 3-Billion-Berry bounties to engage.
They could only sail in to clean up the mess.
…
Inside the Mirror World.
York stood before a mountain of treasure. Gold, jewels, art, and Berries piled high.
"How much?" York asked.
Stussy did a quick calculation. "Conservatively? 8 to 10 Billion Berries."
"WHAT?!"
Dragon, Ivankov, Ginny, and Kuma gasped in unison.
"That much?!" Dragon's eyes widened. "That's... that's more than the Heavenly Tribute for some nations!"
He clenched his fists.
"Corrupt nobles... they hoarded all of this while the people starved?"
For the first time, Dragon truly understood. The poverty wasn't because the country was poor. It was because the wealth was stolen.
"They deserved to die," Dragon growled.
York smiled calmly. He patted Dragon's shoulder.
"Don't be too angry, Dragon."
"This is the norm in this world."
York looked at the shimmering gold.
"And we're going to see a lot more of it."
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