Kapitel 97: Chapter 97: Reverse Pushed?
The pirates under Li Yuan's command watched with keen interest as the nobles displayed their ugly faces.
Now they understood why Li Yuan had captured these nobles alive—it was to manage the kingdom.
Seeing these nobles switch allegiances faster than flipping a book, Li Yuan couldn't help but twitch his lips.
However, he still used Observation Haki to scan the nobles, instantly identifying anyone who harbored ill intentions toward him.
"My loyalty is not just empty words!"
Li Yuan stood up from the throne, the Seven Star Sword appearing in his hand, exuding a chilling aura. Even the pirates present felt the murderous intent radiating from him, causing cold sweat to break out on their backs.
"Swish, swish, swish!!!"
Suddenly, Li Yuan's figure vanished from in front of the throne, only to reappear back in front of it an instant later.
The nobles couldn't even see Li Yuan's movements; to them, it seemed as if he hadn't moved from his original position.
"Ah!!!!"
However, in the next moment, among the forty or so nobles kneeling below, thirty of their heads suddenly rolled to the ground, blood spraying out and splattering onto the remaining nobles, dyeing them crimson.
The sudden turn of events nearly caused the surviving nobles to go into shock!
"You all are still alive, so that proves your loyalty to me. From now on, this kingdom will be entrusted to you to manage!"
Li Yuan said coldly, as if he hadn't just executed those thirty individuals.
"Yes, yes, we will not disappoint your expectations, my lord."
The surviving King Petrie quickly replied.
Just moments ago, he thought he would be killed, yet he was still alive. However, his loyal minister Afo was dead!
"I will allocate one-tenth of the treasures we seize from you to you as startup capital. From now on, you must provide me with annual tributes."
"Otherwise, I won't hesitate to replace you with a new set of managers."
Li Yuan's gaze fixed on the surviving nobles.
It wasn't that Li Yuan didn't want to find others to manage; the fact was, all his subordinates were pirates, and none of them knew how to manage a kingdom.
So he could only choose from the original management staff of the kingdom.
This was also why many pirates chose not to occupy a kingdom but instead preferred to plunder and leave. Most of these pirates were uneducated brutes, incapable of managing territories; they could only raid.
"Yes, yes, we understand!!"
The surviving nobles thought they had secured their lives, but they realized there was still a risk of execution.
"Also, you too, do not cause trouble on our territory. Remember, you'll also have a share of the tributes next year!"
Li Yuan then turned his gaze to the watching pirates.
"Don't worry, Captain! We will obey the rules!"
Mari and the others quickly assured him.
The nobles' tributes meant tributes to their pirate crew, and as members of the crew, they certainly wouldn't destroy their own cake.
"Kano, Mari, split into two groups and occupy all the surrounding islands for me."
"Do the same as here!"
With that, Li Yuan sent them off to work.
Since the Venus Kingdom was now under his control, the surrounding smaller islands needed to be claimed as well.
This was a strategy they had established from the beginning.
"Don't worry, big brother! We'll get it done!"
"Yes, Captain! We won't let you down!"
Mari and Kano responded.
Excited by the prospect of raiding more islands, the pirates eagerly followed their captains.
"Karu, you'll recruit subordinates within the Venus Kingdom, expanding your numbers to a thousand."
"You can start by recruiting from the defeated kingdom's soldiers and get those nobles to cooperate."
"Finally, find out if that Rufiel is willing to submit. If not, kill him directly."
Li Yuan instructed Karu.
"Understood, big brother."
Karu nodded.
After handling these trivial matters, Li Yuan left the palace, leaving the rest to the nobles and the former King Petrie to manage.
Later, Li Yuan found Razzli, who was tending to the wounded with a group of female doctors.
As Li Yuan's crew expanded, Razzli had recruited several female aides and taught them medical skills, becoming the ship's doctor, so she didn't need to treat every injury personally.
Razzli aimed to be Li Yuan's dedicated doctor.
"Razzli, come with me. I have something good to show you."
After finding Razzli, Li Yuan led her to the king's private chambers, which had become his exclusive palace after conquering the Venus Kingdom.
"What is it?"
Seeing Li Yuan bring her to this luxurious chamber, Razzli's face flushed, her thoughts momentarily drifting.
"The Devil Fruit you've been longing for, the Paramecia-type Medicine-Medicine Fruit!"
Li Yuan revealed the fruit to Razzli.
As the ship's doctor, Razzli naturally desired a Devil Fruit that would aid her medical skills, but such fruits were not easy to find.
Who would have thought that a Devil Fruit was hidden in the treasury of the Venus Kingdom?
The Medicine-Medicine Fruit could regulate the ratios and concentrations of drugs, even allowing medicinal materials to exceed their inherent effects.
It could also combine different materials to fully activate their properties or even create entirely new medicines that didn't exist in this world.
For a doctor, the Medicine-Medicine Fruit was incredibly valuable!
"The Medicine-Medicine Fruit? This is amazing! Thank you, Li Yuan!"
Upon hearing this, Razzli excitedly clutched the Devil Fruit, never expecting Li Yuan would actually find one suited for her.
Overwhelmed with joy, Razzli completely forgot about the taste of the Devil Fruit and bit down on it.
"Ugh!!!"
As soon as she tasted its repulsive flavor, she remembered just how awful Devil Fruits could be!
"The Venus Kingdom is itself a land rich in various medicinal plants. You can freely use those resources."
"I will also entrust you with the management here; you can turn this place into a medicinal kingdom to provide you with all kinds of herbs."
After Razzli finished eating the Devil Fruit, Li Yuan smiled and said.
"Okay, I understand! I will thoroughly develop the Devil Fruit and create unique medicines that can be sold worldwide to help you accumulate wealth!"
Razzli said excitedly.
She had always wanted to help her big brother, but felt she lacked the ability.
Now with the Medicine-Medicine Fruit, she could finally showcase her skills in the field of medicine to help Li Yuan.
"Let's set some initial goals first."
"First, study how to use some mild medicinal herbs to nourish children's bodies and subtly enhance their physiques and potential. Once you've figured it out, Esthers and the others will benefit greatly."
"Next, research a drug that can enhance the physiques of adults. Ideally, it should have no side effects. If it does, it's fine because we're not using it on ourselves; it's for others. We can use it on ourselves once we've developed a version without side effects."
"Also, look into what can quickly restore stamina and is easy to carry."
"If you want to make money, consider developing a scar-removing drug; that should sell well worldwide."
"…"
Li Yuan shared his thoughts with Razzli, and based on his ideas, she could estimate the time required to realize those goals and prioritize her research.
"After all this talking, have you said enough? Don't you realize I'm quite excited right now?"
Listening to Li Yuan ramble on, Razzli suddenly decided to take action, pinning Li Yuan to the ground and sitting firmly on him!
How could he not notice that she was already filled with excitement? He kept talking on and on, clearly prompting her to take the initiative!
Surprised by Razzli's boldness today, Li Yuan thought back to how he had been pushed into a corner by Xia Qi once, and now Razzli seemed to be enjoying a similar approach.
However, thinking of this, Li Yuan decided to experience the sensation of being passively overwhelmed, so he chose not to resist and let Razzli take the lead.
Surprisingly, it was a rather unique experience.
From this point on, there was no need for Li Yuan to intervene personally in the occupation of the smaller islands; Kano and Mari could handle it all.
However, the key was maintaining control after capturing those islands.
Thus, Li Yuan decisively recruited subordinates on these islands. Although most were just ordinary people, essentially cannon fodder.
This recruitment expanded his forces to over ten thousand, equaling about half the number of the former Venus Kingdom's army.
With this many cannon fodder, it was barely enough to defend the islands.
Fortunately, there were no other pirates coming to disturb them, and with the flag of the Rocks Pirates and Li Yuan's reputation, that was more than sufficient!
After subjugating all the islands, Li Yuan took a tour around, releasing his Conqueror's Haki to intimidate the inhabitants.
However, he didn't knock anyone out; he merely aimed to use this method, combined with his subordinates' propaganda, to declare himself the master of these islands.
Meanwhile, Li Yuan used his Observation Haki to sense any strong ill will directed at him.
Those harboring strong animosity, regardless of who they were, would suffer the consequences at the hands of Li Yuan's subordinates.
"Ugh, I really need more subordinates. Why should I personally root out threats to my rule on every single island?"
After touring all the islands, Li Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
It was an unavoidable situation; during the early stages of expanding his influence, he had to handle many matters personally. Only after his power grew and his subordinates matured would he be able to delegate tasks.
Once he had enough manpower, he could easily resolve any issues by sending his subordinates.
"Let's first completely dominate this sea area. There's no time for external development in this chaotic New World."
"Just maintaining control over this territory is already quite a task."
"Next, I'll focus on training. Once this place is fully stabilized, it'll be time to return to Hive Island."
"Rocks wouldn't want us officers to be absent for too long."
With that thought, Li Yuan went back to training.
A month passed quickly, with the Venus Kingdom and the surrounding islands firmly under Li Yuan's control, maintaining basic stability. It was now time for him to leave.
"Razzli, you'll stay here to develop the Medicine-Medicine Fruit and manage the territory."
"Karu, protect Razzli and safeguard this land."
As he prepared to leave, Li Yuan left Razzli and Karu behind.
Given that the Rocks Pirates might soon make significant moves, it was safer to leave Razzli here.
Karu, as an ancient Sword-Wing Tiger who could fly, was more than capable of protecting Razzli. Even if they encountered overpowering enemies, he could carry Razzli to safety from the air.
"Okay, Li Yuan, I will diligently study the medicines you mentioned."
Razzli understood her lack of strength and didn't ask to accompany Li Yuan.
"Kano, Mari, gather your forces; we're heading back!"
Before departing, Li Yuan took those willing to return to Hive Island with him.
He also took along those who had recently joined his crew and harbored ill intentions.
These individuals would serve as cannon fodder on future battlefields.
"Mommy, Mommy! Li Yuan, it seems you had quite the successful outing!"
As soon as Li Yuan returned to Hive Island, he encountered Charlotte Linlin.
Behind her were four children around ten years old, clearly her offspring.
"Are these your kids? They look pretty good."
Li Yuan asked knowingly.
"Of course, they are my children! Perospero, Katakuri, Daifuku, Oven, you should greet the Infinite Great Swordsman!"
Hearing Li Yuan praise her children, Charlotte Linlin beamed with joy.
"Hello, Infinite Great Swordsman!" × 4
Perospero, Katakuri, Daifuku, and Oven all obediently greeted Li Yuan, responding to their mother's instruction.
"Linlin, I heard you can infuse lifeless objects with your soul and turn them into living Homies?"
Upon seeing Charlotte Linlin, Li Yuan suddenly recalled the massive gravity stone from Gravity Island.
If he could turn that gravity stone into a Homie, wouldn't he be able to take it with him?
That would mean he'd essentially have a movable gravity-altering device!
The more he thought about it, the more hopeful he felt it could be achieved.
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