I Don't Agree to the Terms

"Do you want my treasure? If you want it, you can have it all. Go find it! I left all my treasure there."

Pirate King Cai Jian, before his execution, couldn't help blurting out this phrase—not that it was what he had intended to say. Then, there was no more 'then,' as he was killed outright by a display of power.

Subsequently, the grand age of piracy... did not commence. The Island Alliance, where Wang Qi resided, was extremely powerful, especially with the added deterrent of the combination of three ancient weapons.

Hades, the Blood-soaked Serpent, roamed the world; Sea King lurked in the depths of the oceans; and Heavenly King, the Eye of the Storm, floated amidst the heavens, granting the Island Alliance military strength unparalleled in history.

However, Wang Qi also realized that it was better to guide than to obstruct, so instead of completely cutting off the path to the sea in search of treasure, he implemented a system for sailing groups. If you wished to sail, you could, but you had to possess official documents and refrain from breaking the law. In this way, you were free to search for treasure at sea, and should you encounter danger, you could also seek help from the Navy.

The idea behind Island Alliance was simple: transform the Pirate Groups into harmless sailing groups. This measure was not just to suppress chaos; it would further weaken the pirates, effectively offering a chance for them to surrender without facing past charges. If they didn't seize this opportunity now, they would miss the chance altogether. Afterwards, strict measures would be taken.

Any pirate with half a brain could see that the promotion of this sailing system was an opportunity, so many pirates came forth to surrender.

After all, even the Pirate King had been captured and executed; naturally, they had no way to resist.

"Teacher, this ruckus you've stirred up is a bit grand, isn't it?" Wang Qi said to Gu Shanhai while looking at the video of Cai Jian's execution with some helplessness.

News of the legendary land had spread across the entire world, and because of this fanciful place, a sailing fever of varying degrees had erupted everywhere.

"It's not too bad. Otherwise where would you release all that pent-up energy?" Gu Shanhai replied noncommittally.

This response made Wang Qi's eyes widen. How did it come down to 'pent-up energy'? Everything had been stable before, but then it all changed because of Gu Shanhai's troublesome scheme.

"Alright, how adept have you become at handling the world's defense system?" Gu Shanhai, noticing that Wang Qi was about to speak, decisively changed the subject, as he wasn't interested in being critiqued.

This was indeed a peculiar situation he had created due to his own perverse amusement.

"We've mastered it proficiently. With these three ancient weapons, the pirates are no longer a threat," Wang Qi responded without dwelling on Gu Shanhai's words.

These three ancient weapons—Hades was a pure weapon of war; Sea King served as a marine development base; and Heavenly King functioned as a central control hub and energy supply. It was the existence of Heavenly King that allowed the Blood-soaked Serpent to traverse the entire world and the Sea King to remotely manage various affairs.

Of course, the Heavenly King, the Eye of the Storm, was also a climate controller, able to change the weather as needed.

"Teacher, lately there seems to be a massive surge in the number of Demon Fruits, which doesn't seem like a good thing," Wang Qi brought up.

The Island Alliance had always been purchasing these Demon Fruits at high prices. Still, they were plentiful, especially when compared to the Spirit Martial Path, whose side effects were just too much to bear.

Imagine setting sail and then going limp upon contact with seawater—that's a huge weakness considering everyone sails on the sea and water is everywhere.

Therefore, those who consumed Demon Fruits were mostly from the Royal Families of the member countries; that is, the former Royal Families. They didn't care much since they didn't set sail, and after consuming a Demon Fruit, they could obtain powers comparable to the Spirit Martial Path, which could be further developed and strengthened.

Aside from the member nations, there were also those who muddled through on the Red Earth Continent's inland, choosing Demon Fruits as a means to enhance their own power—since they didn't sail, the side effect was practically nullified.

"As the system approaches maturity, production increases, but don't worry, it's just for a day or two, then it'll decline," Gu Shanhai predicted after analyzing the data. He had uploaded the rule of Demon Fruits to the world, and installation required its own time.

Now that installation was complete, official operation had begun.

"However, what are you doing with so many Demon Fruits? The Navy is out at sea every day; if our main combatants ate one and got ambushed, wouldn't that be a disaster?" Gu Shanhai remarked critically.

Although the Island Alliance had Yu Ju as the marshal of the three armed forces, in reality, there was only the Navy. Both the air force and the army were still in the process of being formed. After all, with the world being predominantly oceanic, it was evident that the Navy would be formed first.

"Having even one floating around outside is a source of instability," Wang Qi said; he couldn't just let them roam freely outside.

"I remember that Demon Fruits were going for a hundred thousand apiece on the black market—what a value," Gu Shanhai commented with amazement. He did the math and indeed, it was quite expensive.

This wasn't the real world of the Pirate King, where a Demon Fruit might cost millions; in the eyes of most, Demon Fruits were just a fallback, not a primary pursuit. The main focus would definitely be the Spirit Martial Path. Out at sea, adding such a ubiquitous weakness would be tantamount to seeking death.