After Felost led Jack away, Rosinante couldn't help but chuckle with satisfaction.
It was no wonder he was in such a good mood—after all, Jack would one day become one of the Three Disasters of the Beasts Pirates, a powerhouse with a bounty of one billion berries, a true monster of the seas. And now, this monster was under his command. At last, Rosinante had someone truly formidable who could hold the line on his behalf.
"With the Kingdom of Joromia as a foothold, I'll recruit the rising stars flooding into the New World. That way, I can assemble a force of my own at lightning speed. The only problem is... the Navy and the World Government surely won't just sit back and watch me grow unchecked. If they send admirals, I won't be able to stop them with my current strength. I need a plan," Rosinante mused, his eyes sharp.
At the same time, in the Marine Headquarters—Marineford!
"Sengoku, what the hell is going on with you people?! Do you realize the magnitude of this mess?!" roared the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, his voice booming across the war room.
"My apologies, Fleet Admiral. This was my error—I got outmaneuvered by Roger," Sengoku admitted without excuse.
"Sigh… fine. Things have gotten to this point, there's no use blaming you. I'll explain the situation to the Five Elders myself. But we're in deep trouble now. Thanks to Roger's last words, people all over the world are rushing to the seas. Pirate assaults are slamming Marine bases across the globe. If this continues, how can we still speak of justice on the seas?" Kong's tone softened a little upon hearing Sengoku take responsibility, but the concern in his eyes only deepened.
He knew full well that this outcome wasn't Sengoku's fault. The moment the World Government decided to publicly execute Roger, the damage was already done. No amount of Navy precaution could have stopped Roger from saying what he wanted in his final moments.
"There's one more thing. According to CP's intelligence, Roger may have left behind an heir. This will be your responsibility—no matter what, we must find the Pirate King's bloodline," Kong ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Sengoku nodded solemnly.
"And one more thing—what happened in Loguetown with Borsalino? How did he end up defeated? You understand how serious this is? Borsalino and the other two are the Navy's rising stars. They're meant to become our future top combat strength. If they're being beaten so easily, how can they possibly shoulder that title in the future?" Kong questioned grimly.
"That's exactly what I wanted to report, sir. We need to pay close attention to one individual—Donquixote Rosinante. He's the one who defeated Borsalino in Loguetown," Sengoku said.
"Donquixote? That name… is he a former Celestial Dragon?" Kong's face turned grave the moment he heard the name. Anything involving the Celestial Dragons was never a small matter, even if the Donquixote family had already been stripped of their status.
"Yes, sir. Former Celestial Dragon Donquixote Rosinante—Doflamingo's younger brother. And I fear… he may be even more dangerous than Doflamingo himself," Sengoku replied.
"He's only in his teens now, isn't he? You're telling me he already has the strength to defeat Borsalino?" Kong asked, clearly skeptical.
"Rosinante has the Silent-Silent Fruit. He's about on par with an average Vice Admiral, but what's terrifying is his freakish talent for Devil Fruit development. He's managed to evolve the fruit to the point where he can silence other abilities—including Devil Fruit powers. Borsalino lost because he underestimated that ability," Sengoku explained.
"He can silence Devil Fruit powers?" Kong's eyes widened.
"You're certain?" he asked, his tone stern.
"Judging from the battle with Borsalino, yes. Rosinante can indeed suppress Devil Fruit abilities—but there are limitations. According to Borsalino, if he had been prepared, Rosinante might not have succeeded. Plus, he needs to make physical contact to activate the ability. That's why I recommend raising his bounty," Sengoku said.
"How much are you thinking?" Kong asked.
"Two hundred and thirty million berries," Sengoku replied.
"You want to raise it by nearly two hundred million in one go?" Kong fell silent, deep in thought.
"He's got Vice Admiral-level strength and had been hiding it before. Two hundred and thirty million isn't too high," Sengoku added.
"Make it three hundred million. We can't let this one continue to grow unchecked," Kong said firmly.
"Three hundred million?!" Sengoku was clearly stunned. In this era, before the age where bounties of several hundred million became the norm, a bounty exceeding a hundred million already marked someone as a feared and famous pirate. And yet Rosinante—who hadn't even entered the Grand Line—was being given three hundred million berries. It was unprecedented.
"I'll send a Vice Admiral who isn't a Devil Fruit user to deal with him. Your top priority now is still finding the Pirate King's heir," Kong said.
"Understood." Sengoku bowed his head.
The Navy believed Rosinante was still in the Four Blues, or perhaps in the first half of the Grand Line. What they never imagined… was that he'd already stepped into the New World.
…
In the Kingdom of Joromia, the royal plaza before the palace was packed with countless citizens, all standing with anticipation in their eyes, gazing toward the palace steps, waiting for a single person to emerge.
"Lord Rosinante is coming out!" someone cried out excitedly.
All eyes turned toward the palace's high platform. A young man dressed in magnificent robes slowly stepped out, flanked by a procession of palace guards.
"Lord Rosinante!" the crowd erupted in cheers.
"When our kingdom was under pirate attack, and the royals and nobles fled like cowards, it was he who descended from the skies to defeat those pirates and protect us. Today, I—Felost—along with the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Joromia, hereby proclaim him our king! May he forever shield us and protect the Kingdom of Joromia!" Felost declared, dropping to one knee before Rosinante.
"We pledge ourselves to Your Majesty! Please protect the Kingdom of Joromia forever!" the Royal Guard echoed in unison.
"Long live King Rosinante! Long live King Rosinante!!" The people roared together, their voices like a wave of hope crashing against the scars of recent tragedy.
The citizens of the Joromia Kingdom had just endured their homes being pillaged, their kin slaughtered by bloodthirsty pirates. They longed desperately for someone powerful to protect them—and Rosinante, the man who saved them, was now their only beacon of hope.
"From this day forward, I am the King of the Kingdom of Joromia! Under my protection, any who dare infringe even a single hair of this kingdom—will be my enemy!" Rosinante declared, his voice booming across the plaza.
"YEAHHHH!!!"
As the cheers of the Joromia people thundered around him, Rosinante solemnly placed the crown of the kingdom upon his head—the symbol of his new reign.