A gentle haven is only for temporary relaxation and entertainment; York would not indulge in it indefinitely. He always remembered that he was the absolute master of his abilities and his Empire, not a puppet controlled by his own desires.
Leaving Gunko's private quarters, York opened a mirror and stepped into the Mirror World.
Ochoku had not actually been completely atomized by Kaido's final strike. Just like York had done to Stussy back on God Valley, Kaido had grabbed the defeated Warlord, contacted Stussy through a temporarily created mirror, and imprisoned Ochoku inside the dimension to await York's final judgment.
Now that York had arrived, he found Ochoku currently being severely beaten by Shakky.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Brutal, heavy kicks imbued with dense Armament Haki continuously landed on Ochoku's body. Shakky had specifically worn dark combat pants, so the bloody Ochoku couldn't see a single thing above her boots.
After York's arrival, Shakky, slightly out of breath, finally stopped her assault.
York asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Shakky wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and nodded lightly. "Almost."
York: "Then shall I kill him?"
Shakky hesitated for a brief moment, remembering the old days on the Rocks' ship, before her eyes hardened. She nodded again. "Kill him. There's absolutely no point in keeping a venomous snake alive."
York walked up to Ochoku. The former Pirate Patriarch was bound tightly to a thick stone pillar with heavy Seastone chains. His face was already swollen completely beyond recognition, with only two bloody slits for eyes vaguely visible.
Seeing York arrive, Ochoku coughed up blood and weakly pleaded. "Yo... York... please... spare my life... I can be your subordinate! My individual strength, my abilities, and my underworld connections are still incredibly valuable!"
York's expression was utterly devoid of emotion. He looked down at the broken man and spoke calmly.
"Ochoku, don't make me look down on you any more than I already do. We are all pirates. Whatever actions we take, whatever consequences they bring upon us... the responsibility must be borne entirely by ourselves. Don't tell me a senior officer of Rocks D. Xebec doesn't have that kind of absolute resolve."
Ochoku opened his bloody mouth to beg again, but looking into York's cold, sun-like eyes, he ultimately chose to remain silent.
York's will was absolute; his plea for mercy would never be granted. So, in this final moment, Ochoku ultimately chose to preserve a final shred of dignity for himself.
It wasn't until York extended his hand, his fingertip hovering an inch from Ochoku's forehead, that the Warlord spoke one last time.
"Spare my family." Ochoku gasped. "When I attacked Shakky at God Valley, she wasn't your woman yet. She was the intelligence broker of Hachinosu, as declared by Rocks. I didn't attack your territory!"
Hearing this technicality, York paused briefly.
"If your descendants don't actively seek revenge against my Empire," York said coldly, "I can pretend not to see them."
After all, the geopolitical undertaking York was pursuing was massive, and he would inevitably have countless enemies in the future. He couldn't constantly monitor the petty hatred of one or two surviving orphans, nor could he expend Imperial resources specifically to hunt them down. Of course, if Ochoku's descendants actively came knocking at his door, York wouldn't mind sending them to meet their father.
However, what Ochoku wanted was precisely that final sentence. He was willing to trust York's credibility.
Watching Ochoku close his eyes completely, possessing no further last words, York no longer hesitated and activated his ability.
"Slumber of Death."
To die peacefully in sleep, feeling no pain—this was York's final, ultimate act of kindness toward Ochoku, a man who had once been a shipmate.
After initially confirming with his Observation Haki that Ochoku's heart had completely stopped and he had passed away, York further activated his second-stage ability.
"Blazing Funeral."
Roaring, blinding white flames reaching 6,000 degrees Celsius burned fiercely, rapidly reducing Ochoku's corpse—along with the stone pillar he was bound to—into a pile of fine white ash.
Only the indestructible Seastone chains that bound Ochoku survived, melting into a pool of glowing, molten slag, flowing onto the glassy ground of the Mirror World and burning a shallow pit.
Destroying the body, eliminating all physical traces, and preventing potential resurrection or cloning by the World Government—this was York's absolute responsibility to himself and his entire faction.
Shakky quietly watched everything York did. Watching the man who had betrayed her completely turn into a handful of dust and ashes, the heavy resentment in her heart finally completely vanished.
After returning from Pirate Island, York sat back on his throne and once again picked up the massive stack of documents representing national governance.
Over the past year and a half, his sweeping reforms in the Crimson Empire had mainly focused on the people's livelihoods. For example, he ordered the meticulous measurement of all arable land nationwide, the establishment of a strict national household registration system, and the precise, fair allocation of land-use rights to every civilian household.
Beyond that, he made only minor structural changes to the Pirate Crew and the military. Most of the original Crimson Harvest Pirate members were reorganized into external Combat Legions, responsible for attacking and conquering new territories. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the original Vodka Kingdom army was converted into internal Police Forces and Garrisons, responsible for maintaining public order and infrastructure.
Now that the Battle of Hachinosu was over...
Not only was Ochoku—a long-standing, lethal grudge—dealt with, but a geopolitical ceasefire agreement was also formally established with Imu. As long as York didn't actively attack the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Imu wouldn't dispatch the full might of the World Government to his doorstep.
Although this was only a verbal agreement forged in blood and humiliation, for powerhouses of York and Imu's absolute caliber, it was already sufficient.
As a result, York had completely successfully carved out a stable, impenetrable growth environment for his entire Empire. At least for the next few years to a decade, the World Government and the Marines should not dare to come looking for trouble again.
Thus, from that day onward, York gradually immersed himself entirely in the future development and legislative plans of the Empire.
As the ancient saying goes: If the foundation is laid well, the house can be built tall and large to touch the heavens.
He did not recklessly, rapidly expand on the terrifying prestige brought by annihilating Pirate Island. Instead, he ordered the borders closed and further deepened internal reforms.
(Historical Summary Compiled by the World Economic Journal)
[Late 1485, Sea Calendar.]
The Battle of Hachinosu ended, and the geopolitical structure of the Five Emperors of the Sea began to firmly take shape in the New World. They were universally recognized as:
* The Flame Emperor, Atlas D. York!
* Gol D. Roger!
* BIG MOM Charlotte Linlin!
* Whitebeard Edward Newgate!
* Golden Lion Shiki!
[February 1486, Sea Calendar.]
King York promulgated the definitive Civil Code and Military Law within the borders of the Crimson Empire.
The Civil Code was a complete overhaul of the savage laws of the former Vodka Kingdom, incorporating ten core modern principles: Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, Friendliness, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law, Prosperity, and Civilization.
In addition to standardizing legal provisions for military campaigns, the Military Law was centered on an ancient system of Military Merit Nobility from York's previous life, establishing corresponding reward and punishment standards.
This military merit nobility system comprised ten strict ranks, from highest to lowest:
Prince, Grand Duke, Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron, Grand Knight, Knight, Citizen.
All native national civilians automatically gained baseline Citizen status, while war captives and foreign criminals were uniformly designated as labor reform prisoners.
Notably, all noble ranks, including Prince, could not be inherited by bloodline without a mandatory reduction. Each generation's inheritance would automatically drop by exactly one rank.
For example, if Kaido were to be ennobled as a Prince in the future, if his children inherited his estate, they would automatically drop to Grand Duke. If his children did not achieve any further military merit of their own, by Kaido's grandchildren's generation, the family would drop to Duke. And so on. If no genuine military talent emerged in successive generations, Kaido's direct descendants would eventually revert to ordinary Citizens.
Conversely, even if an ordinary family had been common Citizens for generations, if a talented individual emerged in one generation, they possessed the absolute, equal opportunity to rise and become a Duke or even a Prince.
Furthermore, none of the above noble ranks inherently held absolute administrative power, legislative power, or military command power over the state. They only enjoyed the specific right to collect a percentage of taxes in their corresponding territories, and were permitted to use that tax revenue for private commercial activities.
Additionally, military command positions were deliberately detached from noble ranks. Except for those who rose strictly through active military merit, inheritors of high noble ranks joining the military could only serve as Centurions at most; higher officer ranks required genuine, blood-soaked battlefield achievements.
The promulgation of these radical, merit-based laws naturally caused a massive stir within the Crimson Empire. However, it did not cause chaos. It caused sheer, fanatic excitement.
For the first time in history, social mobility was absolute. Everyone began to desperately yearn to join the military to secure their family's future.
[May 1486, Sea Calendar.]
To prevent the entire nation from becoming a completely distorted, hyper-militarized Spartan state, York subsequently promulgated corresponding, equal systems for promoting Civil Officials, Doctors, and Scientific Researchers to noble ranks based on national merit. This somewhat balanced the nationwide enthusiasm for military service.
However, even so, the current Crimson Empire's legions began to sharpen their blades, eagerly awaiting a war to prove their worth.
[March 1487, Sea Calendar.]
York's foundational reforms of the Crimson Empire were largely complete. He officially ordered a war of annexation against the neighboring Hart Kingdom—the nation that had previously betrayed Bullet.
York himself did not physically participate in this battle. General Kaido led the newly formed First Crimson Legion into action.
[April 1487, Sea Calendar.]
The Hart Kingdom was completely crushed, and all its territory was formally occupied and annexed by the Crimson Empire. Over 90% of the corrupt national royalty and nobility were annihilated in the purge, with only a few ships managing to escape into the New World.
[May 1487, Sea Calendar.]
York officially re-designated the territory as the Hart Province and implemented the Crimson Empire's legal and merit systems there.
[1488, Sea Calendar.]
With the Hart Province brought to total allegiance, York issued a massive, multi-billion Berry national infrastructure order.
Operating under his philosophy of "To get rich, build roads first," he began constructing extensive, paved road networks connecting the two massive territories.
[April 1489, Sea Calendar.]
York dispatched King the Wildfire as the Chief General of the Second Legion to attack the neighboring Clandia Kingdom.
[June 1489, Sea Calendar.]
The Clandia Kingdom was annihilated, with over 80% of its national royalty and nobility executed. The territory was annexed.
In a flash, the geopolitical timeline came to 1490, Sea Calendar.
York began ordering large-scale infrastructure projects in the newly annexed Clandia Province as well. Countless citizens followed orders, motivated by the incredibly high salaries York offered, collectively investing their labor into basic national construction.
With all three occupied territories undergoing massive, simultaneous construction projects, York decided to temporarily slow down the pace of external expansion, prioritizing raising the living standards of the massive new populace to a stable level before proceeding. After all, no matter how perfect his policies were, the implementation period was still relatively short. Due to human nostalgia, quite a few elderly citizens still quietly longed for the old, familiar days.
It was precisely at the same time that York temporarily halted his expansion that the eccentric quartet of MADS scientists, who had been silently and obsessively researching for five years inside the absolute security of the Mirror World, finally requested an audience to present their ultimate research results.
Through the complete mapping and splicing of the Lineage Factor, Dr. Vegapunk had successfully created the world's very first Artificial Devil Fruit!
The DNA prototype for this specific fruit came directly from Vice Admiral Hanafuda's blood, which meant it was very likely an artificial Ancient Zoan-type: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Looking at the bizarrely patterned, blue-spotted apple, quietly preserved by Vegapunk in a climate-controlled glass case, York calmly asked, "Have you conducted human trials?"
Vegapunk shook his massive head slightly. "No one has actually eaten the final prototype yet, Your Majesty. But based on our Lineage Factor simulations, I am 90% confident that even if this fruit fails to grant abilities, it will absolutely not cause any explosive or toxic harm to the human body."
"What's the probability of successfully gaining the Zoan abilities?" York asked, leaning back on his throne.
Vegapunk adjusted his glasses. "Given the current state of our synthesis technology... around 50%."
York pondered for a moment. He immediately ordered the top ten highest-ranking pirate commanders in terms of combat merit from the previous two expansion wars to be summoned to the throne room. All ten of these hardened veterans were among the original 180 Vanguard loyalists who had most staunchly supported him in the beginning.
"You firmly followed me five years ago," York addressed the ten kneeling veterans. "At that time, my Empire was nascent, and I couldn't offer any particularly god-like rewards beyond gold and rank. Now... I finally have something truly worthy of your loyalty!"
York stood up, taking the blue-spotted apple created by Vegapunk from the glass case.
"This is the very first Artificial Devil Fruit, recently engineered by Dr. Vegapunk! It replicates General Hanafuda's exact Lineage Factor. It is an artificial Ancient Zoan!"
York held the fruit high. "I know you've all witnessed how terrifyingly strong Hanafuda's Tyrannosaurus abilities are on the battlefield, so I won't insult your intelligence by elaborating further. However, because this fruit is artificially synthesized, the probability of successfully gaining the abilities is only 50%!"
"Of course, Dr. Vegapunk has absolutely assured me that even if the man who eats this fruit fails to gain the power, his body will not be harmed in any way. Now... who among you wants to take the ultimate gamble?"
The ten summoned veterans present secretly swallowed their saliva, their eyes glued to the strange apple.
An artificial Devil Fruit...
The word 'artificial' was indeed very unconvincing, bordering on heresy. After all, Devil Fruits belonged to the realm of supernatural sea demons; no one knew exactly how they were born, but every sailor shared a universal consensus: they were a power of miracles! Without the blind favor of miracles and fate, it was basically impossible to become a Devil Fruit user.
However, the person telling them that artificial miracles now existed was Atlas D. York—their Emperor, their Sun God.
Balam, the leader of the group of ten, stepped forward.
He possessed the highest sheer war merit among the ten present and had even recently been granted the high noble title of Grand Knight by York. However, Balam was already 45 years old this year. Given that he himself didn't possess the monstrous, innate physical talent of York, Kaido, or Bullet, barring a miracle, his combat power had completely plateaued. Even if he continued to earn tactical military merits, he would probably only reach the rank of Baron at most before his aging body gave out.
But, precisely because of York's preferential treatment and the Empire's prosperity in recent years, Balam had married a young, beautiful wife and recently had a cute, chubby son.
For the absolute security and future of this chubby son, Balam decided to take one final, massive gamble! Even though he had absolutely no inherent faith in artificial Devil Fruits, out of pure, absolute trust in his Emperor, he wanted to believe.
So he stepped forward, dropped to one knee, took a deep breath, and resolutely said, "Your Majesty! I am willing to try!"
York looked down at him steadily. He saw the unwavering determination in the veteran's scarred eyes.
Of course, York also knew exactly why this specific man had stepped forward so bravely; Balam had a lovely son named Baba Nuki.
York smiled. He handed Balam the very first artificial Devil Fruit in history.
"Eat it and see, Balam. Whether your destiny changes today depends entirely on your luck."
Balam took the fruit with trembling hands. He took another deep, shuddering breath, tightly closed his eyes, and directly opened his mouth, stuffing the entire spotted apple in and biting down.
Crunch. Crunch...
After a brief period of chewing the foul-tasting pulp, Balam swallowed. Suddenly, his eyes snapped wide open.
Immediately after, the veteran's body began to undergo drastic, horrifyingly rapid biological changes. His skin gradually became covered with thick, impenetrable yellow reptilian scales. His mouth forcefully protruded forward, his jaw unhinging as rows of razor-sharp teeth grew. His two legs violently expanded, becoming thick and devastatingly strong as three-toed claws tore through his boots. Finally, a thick, massive reptilian tail violently grew from his spine, smashing into the stone floor.
Before long, a towering, bright yellow, fully transformed Tyrannosaurus Rex stood panting heavily before York and the scientists.
The other nine pirates gasped in sheer, unadulterated surprise, taking a step back.
"He actually gained the abilities!!"
"By the Gods! It really is Lord Hanafuda's Ancient Zoan!!"
York slowly looked up at the enormous, roaring prehistoric predator standing before his throne. He slightly curled the corner of his mouth into a triumphant smirk and looked at Vegapunk beside him.
"It seems the synthesis was an absolute success, Doctor."
Vegapunk pushed his glasses up his nose, nodding blankly as he recorded the data.
"A new era has officially arrived, Your Majesty," Vegapunk murmured. "This will be... a new era of artificial Gods created entirely by our own hands!"
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