One Piece - I Am A Different Luffy! - Chapter 558 - The Other Kingdoms of the East Blue.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV

East Blue.

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In the Syrup Kingdom, Kaya was looking quite worried at the reports as she read that the royal guards trained to protect the kingdom had executed several members of the Government.

There was a huge list of deaths happening all over the island as the agents tried to kill anyone who dared to speak ill of the Government.

At the same time, her gaze returned to the Den Den Mushi in front of her.

"Don't worry, Kaya. No one will set foot on our land." The voice was firm and confident, coming from the snail and showing that same feeling on its face, making her sigh, thankful for the support of her beloved on the other side.

"Are you sure about that, Usopp? Still, I’m worried... what if they launch a Buster Call, like they’ve been threatening?" she asked.

"It’s going to be fine, Kaya. The Government won’t act like that. Luffy made sure they can’t do something like that. Besides, if they try, we can retaliate. The captain is already talking to Bepo: if there’s any sign of a large number of Government or Marine ships appearing in the East Blue, they’ll bombard Mary Geoise every day."

"Even with the protective shield they have now, it won’t be easy for them to face daily explosions trying to destroy them. They fear Luffy, and no harm will come to Syrup or any other allied kingdom. You can trust that." Usopp spoke like a true man full of confidence.

Kaya couldn’t help but admire him, even if he wasn’t right there in front of her. She saw how he had changed in those two years. She still longed to see him again and finally say what they had never really said to each other, what they felt: there was a mutual understanding that one belonged to the other. It was no wonder she was considered the queen and he, the king. Neither of them complained about it, even though there was never anything official between them.

It had been something strange from the start, but at the same time comforting, since she didn’t desire anyone else and would simply wait for the day she could see him again and declare her love, perhaps even touch him with love.

"Hey, Kaya." Suddenly, Luffy’s voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Captain!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Calm down, Usopp. I just need to have a word with your queen, since I see you’re talking to her. She needs to know a few things." Luffy spoke calmly, while Usopp seemed to nod.

"Listen, Kaya. These executions that are happening in the kingdom are not by chance." He began seriously. "Maintain order by eliminating any agent who appears in the kingdom threatening to kill your citizens or even send a Buster Call to destroy the island. You can wipe them all out, because it’s obvious the Government wants to have total control of the islands. They’re running out of options, their influence is being lost all over the world due to the consequences of recent events."

"People are losing confidence in the World Government and even questioning why they should pay taxes to it, when all it does is enslave people, steal, and attack merely to maintain control, or even just out of sheer whim."

"They want to start executing people to instill fear in the population, forcing them to yield to their demands, with even their monarchs having no way out, left with no other choice but to collaborate with the World Government practically in the court. Without realizing it, some Government agent would be sitting on the throne... and not the royal family."

He knew this because, although it didn’t take much thought to reach that conclusion, it was already happening in several countries and kingdoms around the world. The World Government was trying to dominate everything, practically making kings sign a slavery contract over their own population. They were preparing something, just as Luffy was.

This was to secure the Government’s “cattle,” so that when the time came, they would have their “wall of flesh” on the front lines. Luffy knew that the coming of a war was approaching and that as soon as the treasure was discovered, everyone would know that something big was going to happen now. They needed recruits, to raise as many soldiers as possible, and that was why they wanted the kingdoms now — they wanted to use new troops for the great war that was to come.

Luffy’s order was simple for all the kingdoms allied with him: execute Government agents. Luffy had also given instructions for Baroque Works to quickly infiltrate the kingdoms, just as his father was doing.

They would begin executing the agents as well, which would even put some countries against the Government. But Luffy needed to act this way, because he knew that when the war broke out, far more people would die if they were on the opposing side.

The funny thing was that Luffy had started with nothing and, in less than two years, had won the loyalty of several kingdoms, putting his name at the top of the world. At this moment, he should attract even more allies than he already had.

Anyway, Luffy put that thought aside and sighed before Kaya responded to him.

"Thank you for your instructions, Luffy." Kaya said in the end, with a slight smile.

"Anyway, I’ll let you talk to your husband." Luffy said, while, both on Usopp’s Den Den Mushi and on Kaya’s, the same shy blush appeared on their faces.

Kaya kept talking, although now the subject was no longer serious and seemed extremely shy. Luffy looked at Usopp, who averted his gaze and scratched his head. Maybe those two didn’t quite know how to flirt with each other... maybe he should give Usopp some lessons, given his vast experience with multiple women.

Luffy quickly picked up another Den Den Mushi. What he was about to do wasn’t something light — he was talking to all the kingdoms. The world was in chaos, and he should take care of what was his territory, as a guardian.

The Den Den Mushi rang a few times before being answered. The moment the call connected, no sound was made for a few seconds.

"Monkey D. Luffy." The voice of a woman with a touch of authority, yet cautious, came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Hello, Ban. I presume you already have an answer to my proposal, don’t you?" he asked calmly, while the woman remained silent for a few seconds.

"Myself and the entire kingdom of Frauce accept your proposal. We will be under your wings." said the woman, making Luffy smile in satisfaction.

"That’s good. At least now I have all of East Blue with me." he replied, feeling relieved, as this was Queen Ban Déssinée, the same one he had befriended with Makino at the Reverie, when the kings had gathered.

This was one of the only large kingdoms that Luffy had no direct influence over, since he had never passed through there on his journey through East Blue, as he had seen no reason to go there at the time, with the entire situation he was in at the beginning of his adventure, being pursued by his own grandfather after leaving Goa. He had to leave East Blue at that moment and couldn’t explore all the kingdoms.

"Yes, it came out in the newspaper just now what Makino is doing in Goa, placing government agents under the kingdom’s custody. The entire East Blue is in chaos, and I don’t want Frauce to fall before either side, so we’re choosing your side." she said, and Luffy was satisfied with the answer.

"This is the last step. I’ll send some men to take care of the kingdom. In the meantime, you can execute any Government agent." said Luffy, and the woman simply nodded.

She had no choice. Even if she hesitated to completely break away from the Government, ever since she saw how Luffy confronted them at the Reverie, she began to feel much more confident in following him — even knowing that he had threatened to destroy almost every kingdom on the planet in front of all the kings and queens, just to defend his lands and his companions.

He was about to become a monster in the eyes of the entire world, someone who would kill more people than anyone else had ever done in history, and yet still achieve his goal: to protect those under his wings. And he had proven to be right without actually killing any innocent person to do so, at least so far.

With that, the call ended. Soon after, Queen Ban hoped her kingdom would survive, for she knew something big was coming.

In Loguetown, the people were behaving differently. Posters and graffiti on the walls and buildings were being spread throughout the city, ridiculing the World Government and supporting Monkey D. Luffy. In important places, open messages in favor of him could be seen, influenced by Bartolomeo’s courage in heading out to sea after Luffy, who was a native of Loguetown.

Bartolomeo was among the gangs when he saw Monkey D. Luffy face his father and grandfather with his sister in the middle of the execution square where Gol D. Roger was executed.

It was at that moment that he had heard Luffy declare himself the future emperor of the seas and say he would conquer all the world’s oceans. There was no doubt in his voice, overflowing with confidence for such a bold announcement: when Bartolomeo saw that, it was no wonder he became a loyal follower — perhaps the most loyal of all, to the point of being irritating even to Luffy himself many times.

The mayor, none other than a former companion of Luffy, Kyrti, was standing before members of the World Government who were furious about what was happening. The city was not just any small island — it was a large port city — and the mayor had come here after parting ways with Monkey D. Luffy.

With only a few things the pirate had left him, he resumed his life, starting out as a small merchant until he turned his business into one of the largest in East Blue, dominating everything after making deals with the kingdoms of Goa, Syrup, and Cocoyasi. Due to his connections with Luffy, he secured advantageous agreements and quickly rose in both power and commerce, eventually taking over as the city’s mayor.

Kyrti was in his office when he received an unexpected visit.

"Let me see if I understand... you want me to execute all the people who are spray-painting and putting up posters?" he asked in a calm tone, staring at the agents while clenching his teeth.

"Exactly. We want you to do it, and quickly." said one of the agents, in a threatening tone, while the mayor did not seem intimidated in the slightest.

"Tell me... why do you think we’re going to accept that? You’re afraid of creating new executions, aren’t you? You’ve seen that all your agents have been killed on every island, and it keeps happening." replied the mayor.

"He’s certainly afraid, my love." said a woman beside him, Marta, looking at her husband.

"I agree with you, my love." said the man, before turning his gaze back to the Government agents, who clenched their teeth, believing the mayor was mocking them.

"You’d better obey us, mayor, or else you’ll be the one to suffer the consequences." said the agent, with a direct threat.

The man only smiled. "You won’t be living for long. So let me tell you something... It’s not official, but Loguetown has belonged to Monkey D. Luffy for a long time. Now... execute them." Kyrti said.

Before the agents could react, a group of people appeared, killing them immediately, without giving them time to do anything.

"Do you really think you can get your hands on this island too? This entire block belongs to Straw Hat territory!" declared the mayor.

Not only all the largest kingdoms across East Blue, but also Shimotsuki Village, with Kuina’s father watching the news and having his own thoughts, ignoring the noise of the excited youths shouting Zoro’s and Kuina’s names the entire time.

The dojo’s apprentices were more motivated than ever to train, while their partners were going full steam as if preparing for war, as Koushirou looked at his sword, perhaps realizing the perfect time to use it was approaching.

At the Baratie, Zeff, frying eggs, couldn’t help but think about the fate of the world. His gaze went to his wooden leg, reflecting that perhaps he had been retired for too long... maybe it would be time to act when the war came.