Inside the Chamber of the Moon.
Imu, of course, was aware of the events happening outside. However, after briefly understanding the situation, he stopped paying attention, as he had been pondering a very important matter recently.
The security issue of Mary Geoise! Whether it was the recent incident of Rayleigh sneaking in or the chaos caused by Fisher Tiger in the original timeline, both had proven that the towering cliffs of the Red Line Continent, thousands of meters high, could not stop determined and powerful individuals from ascending.
In this regard, both the Celestial Dragons and Cipher Pol had been overly confident!
To address this.
He had already ordered the Five Elders to resolve this issue, ensuring that at least the edges of the Red Line Continent within the vicinity of Mary Geoise were under control. The situation where one could simply climb and directly enter the Holy Land must not happen again!
However, Imu felt that merely installing movable Surveillance Den Den Mushi and strengthening the patrols of the Holy Land Garrison were not enough. There needed to be a large-scale alert system that could monitor in real-time, 24 hours a day, and detect any outsiders the moment they entered.
His Haki could certainly achieve this, but he couldn't keep it active all the time.
Moreover, if he had to handle everything himself, what was the point of having subordinates? "What should I do? Whether through technology or Devil Fruits, this problem must be solved."
Unfortunately, Imu had no leads at the moment.
Reluctantly, he could only have the CP personnel stationed in Mary Geoise patrol the area in pairs.
Previously, they were primarily responsible for accompanying each Celestial Dragon, acting as personal bodyguards, while the Holy Land Garrison handled the duties of standing guard and patrolling.
But now, it was clear that the latter's strength was too weak. Although they wore high-quality armor and had good physical fitness, their inability to use Observation Haki was a critical flaw.
How many of those who dared to sneak into Mary Geoise were ordinary people?
Although prolonged use of Observation Haki would tire the CP personnel mentally, they could always take turns! South Blue.
Yanad Kingdom.
"You've been watching the live broadcasts these past few days, haven't you, Pericles?" The king, wearing a gold crown adorned with sapphires, excitedly looked at the prince below the stage and smiled.
"Father, I have," Pericles nodded, sighing, "Even the World Nobles have liberated the slaves in the Holy Land. It seems the World Government is serious this time."
"It must be the moving speech of the beautiful Queen Otohime that touched the hearts of the Celestial Dragons!" The king slapped the armrest of his throne and stood up, speaking loudly.
"That's right, it must be so!"
"..."
Prince Pericles lowered his head in silence, feeling that his father had become somewhat strange—no, very strange—after returning from the Levely.
Previously, his father had been quite resentful and worried about the liberation of slaves, but upon returning, he immediately ordered preparations to free the slaves, instructing officials to draft plans.
Moreover, he frequently visited various factories to see the enslaved workers, tearfully expressing his apologies and thoroughly conveying his sense of shame.
However, it must be said that perhaps because he had treated the slaves relatively well in the past, he had indeed garnered some forgiveness and moved a portion of the slaves.
After much deliberation, it was decided to free the slaves in batches while hiring professional workers from outside. Efforts would also be made to persuade some well-behaved slaves to stay on as formal workers, receiving wages for their continued labor.
There was no other way; this was the best solution they could come up with.
Releasing all the slaves at once would result in significant losses. Although the current approach would also require substantial funding and would considerably impact productivity, it was still preferable.
As he had said before, a severe injury with a chance to recover was better than outright death, wasn't it?
"Father, why have you summoned me this time?"
"Ah, yes, yes!"
The king snapped out of his thoughts, remembering the main issue, and sat back on his throne with a smile. "It's about the South Blue Alliance. I've just received news that they've disbanded on their own."
"Hmm... Could it be because of the worldwide live broadcast of the 'ONE PIECE Great Sea Battle'?" Prince Pericles pondered for a moment before guessing.
"Exactly!"
"You're such a clever child."
The king laughed heartily, feeling pleased. "Those kings were utterly terrified. They realized their alliance forces were no match for the Marine Headquarters. So now, the so-called South Blue Alliance is left with only its founding nation, the St. Margret Kingdom!"
Prince Pericles sighed, "Well, that avoids a war and saves many lives. However, the Margret royal family is likely in deep trouble. The South Blue Alliance involved over a dozen kingdoms, and the World Government couldn't have missed such news."
"Besides, the royal families of the other participating kingdoms will also face severe punishments to some extent. But the World Government has changed significantly recently, so it's hard to predict what will happen. In the past, it would have been clear—they'd all be dragged to the Nation of Bridges in the East Blue."
The king nodded repeatedly, still shaken, and looked gratefully at his eldest son.
"Yes, thankfully, you advised me back then, or we'd be in big trouble now. In the future, if you have any opinions, make sure to tell me immediately!"
"Of course."
Prince Pericles, seeing his father become so reasonable, felt that such a significant change wasn't bad at all, though he couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. Meanwhile.
While the father and son were conversing, the St. Margret Kingdom they had mentioned earlier had its only two ports blockaded by Navy battleships.
However, these weren't the large battleships from the Marine Headquarters but smaller ones from the local South Blue branch.
Though not as large, heavily armored, or equipped with as many and powerful cannons as the Headquarters battleships, there were quite a few of them—six in total.
They came from the South Blue's 125th Branch Base.
The mission was led personally by the base commander of this branch, Captain Wolf, with his deputy being the former base commander of the South Blue's 194th Branch on Watermelon Island, Captain Harros, who had been transferred and demoted for accepting bribes from the 'Slave King.'
He was now a lieutenant commander.
However, Lieutenant Commander Harros harbored no resentment. Instead, he felt incredibly fortunate, exclaiming that the Headquarters had been lenient with him by not sending him to Enies Lobby for a visit.
He believed this was due to the Marine Headquarters showing consideration for his son, Gasparde.
Through communication with his son via the Den Den Mushi, Lieutenant Colonel Haros had learned that the Special Paramecia-type Candy Fruit had already been delivered to the intended recipient by Vice Admiral Dragon.
On this matter, he felt genuine gratitude and admiration for Vice Admiral Dragon's integrity. He had initially worried that Dragon might covet the fruit for himself, but it now seemed that the son of the Navy hero Garp was indeed an extraordinary figure.
Returning to the main topic.
Gasparde was no longer a first-class seaman at headquarters. Thanks to the Special Paramecia's Elemental Transformation Ability, which resembled that of a Logia-type, he had begun to attract the attention of higher-ups. After completing several missions, he was promoted.
Now, he was a full-fledged ensign at headquarters, which in the South Blue would be equivalent to a lieutenant! "But what is this G-0 branch my son mentioned? I don't recall there being a G-0 among the G-series branches." Just as Lieutenant Colonel Haros was feeling puzzled, he noticed a group of black-clad individuals exuding a chilling aura, escorting a crowd of well-dressed but handcuffed men, women, and children from deep within the island. They were pleading and weeping as they were led away.
On both sides, a large number of terrified civilians gathered to watch, but neither they nor the soldiers of the kingdom's army dared to speak loudly or attempt to rescue the royal family under the watchful eyes of the Navy personnel at all levels.
"Ah, it's over already? That was quick. As expected of the experts from CP2." Lieutenant Colonel Haros sniffed the air, keenly detecting the faint scent of blood carried by the wind.
"It seems they killed quite a few people in the palace."
He had originally thought that this mission might lead to a major clash with the country's military, but to his surprise, from the generals down to the soldiers, no one dared to order the firing of cannons or guns.
This clearly demonstrated the level of prestige the Navy now held across the world! "Heh, sooner or later, Gasparde will become strong too, just like that Admiral Akainu or Admiral Kizaru."