One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

However, there had never been any calls for him to become one of the Four Emperors before. This was partly because they hadn't officially entered the New World yet, but the bigger reason was that even if an adventure team of only nine people killed the Five Elders, they still couldn't become one of the Four Emperors.

The Four Emperors must have real territory and a large number of soldiers who can fight and defend. A pirate crew with only a few elite officers will only be able to engage in small-scale battles for their entire lives.

Roger's pirate crew was also primarily focused on adventure, just like Luffy's. However, Roger had nearly thirty core members. When facing tens of thousands of pirates surrounding Shiki at the Battle of Eddwar, Roger won a decisive victory, which attracted countless small and medium-sized pirate crews to follow him afterward.

Therefore, the event that truly propelled Luffy and his crew to the position of Yonko was the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Several pirate crews, each capable of commanding respect on their own, drank the sake of becoming Luffy's adopted son and declared their allegiance to him.

To dominate the seas, numbers are indispensable.

The Straw Hat Grand Fleet was destroyed by Robert, and if he doesn't get some manpower for Luffy now, he's really afraid that Luffy won't be strong enough when they fight Im later.

So Robert didn't take these 100,000 people for himself, but for Luffy.

At its peak, the Whitebeard Pirates had over 1,600 official members and a massive 50,000 members in its affiliated pirate crews, not to mention a dedicated logistics team.

Even after suffering repeated heavy losses, there were still many elite troops left. Especially after Robert took over, a large number of crew members who had either escaped or been scattered were found and brought back. He was not short of men.

Neptune remained silent for a long time, pondering the feasibility of Robert's suggestion.

These fish-men are like a hot potato; no matter how he handles them, it will trigger a series of adverse consequences. Selling them to pirates in this situation might be considered incompetent, but compared to other solutions, the side effects are actually much smaller.

Robert then gave him another push: "You don't need to get involved in this. Just keep everyone locked up on Fishman Island for now, and I'll find a way to take them away."

Neptune's eyes lit up; he was too good at playing dumb, and he immediately made a decision.

Ace nudged Robert with his elbow: "Are you taking so many people back to Skypiea?"

Robert shook his head and said, "Why would I bring so many fishmen back? We have enough manpower. This is a little gift for Luffy."

-----------------

Luffy, unaware that he has inexplicably gained 100,000 subordinates, is still loudly and greedily eating.

In this life, Fishman Island did not fall into Big Mom's hands, so there was no situation where Luffy ate the tribute desserts and couldn't explain the situation.

The real riots were not as simple as depicted in the comics; countless civilians were killed in the ensuing turmoil.

The New Fishman Pirates are even more ruthless than humans when they turn their backs on their own kind who don't share their loyalty.

Furthermore, with the resurfacing of the death of Queen Otohime, the entire Ryugu Kingdom was filled with an atmosphere of sorrow.

Despite their grief, the Neptune family hosted a small banquet for Robert and Luffy's crew at the Ryugu Palace.

The Straw Hat Pirates, always carefree, were immersed in the joy of having once again successfully defeated the villains.

Robert glanced at Neptune, and the old king nodded knowingly to Robert.

Robert smiled and said, "Luffy, I heard that you and Uta are childhood friends."

Luffy laughed heartily and said, "Yeah, Uta has loved singing since she was little. It's so great to be able to realize her childhood dream now."

Robert asked meaningfully, "Have you ever heard Uta sing?"

Luffy paused for a moment, scratched his head and said, "I thought you were dead for the past two years, and the crew members were scattered to different places and disappeared. I've been training hard every day, and I've never actually heard of Uta's concert."

Robert clapped his hands and said, "That's perfect! Uta is going to have a live concert broadcast nationwide in the Dragon Palace Kingdom in a little while!"

The Straw Hat crew was very excited to hear this. In fact, only Luffy and Usopp had been offline for the past two years. The other members were not training in secluded places. They had all seen the Usopp concert announcements in the news more than once.

Uta is now an absolute superstar, and tickets for her and Karina's collaboration are extremely difficult to obtain.

The banquet hall had been equipped with live streaming equipment, just like the one Hody Jones used a few days ago to announce to the nation that King Neptune would be executed.

King Neptune was the first to announce to the nation: "People of the Dragon Palace Kingdom, three days ago, our country suffered a horrific rebellion."

"Fortunately, the Dragon Palace Kingdom was blessed by the Heavenly Lord of Thunder. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates descended from the heavens and helped us end this tragedy."

Spreading faith in the Dragon Palace Kingdom was Robert's primary plan. Now that King Neptune had officially declared himself the Thunder God, effectively establishing a state religion, Robert received a notification the very next second.

[Your overall reputation with the Dragon Palace Kingdom has reached Exalted.]

You have effectively occupied the entire Fishman Island.

Pirate Crew Territory: Fishman Island

[Population: 130 million]

Special Races: Merfolk (Racial Skills: Swift Swim, Underwater Breathing, Fish Communication); Fish-Men (Racial Skills: Water Manipulation, Great Strength, Underwater Breathing)

[Based on the Epic achievement trait, your Conqueror's Haki weight has increased by 1, and your current weight has increased by 7.]

Robert was a little confused. There were two special races on Fishman Island, but the Conqueror's Haki weight only increased by a little bit for him. He didn't know if the race didn't worship him or if the fish and mermaids were counted as a whole when calculating Fishman Island reputation.

However, this attribute panel never responds to me, so the weighting is already set in stone.

Neptune, having been instructed by Robert to specifically mention the Thunder God, was unaware of the immense benefit his official endorsement would bring to Robert, and continued reading his prepared statement:

"History must be remembered. As the King of the Dragon Kingdom, I hereby declare that the day of the tragedy will be designated as a National Day of Remembrance, and a ceremony will be held every year to commemorate the victims who lost their lives in the riots!"

"Today, we are honored to have invited the famous sea songstresses Karina and Uta to hold a charity concert for the victims!"

"All citizens of the Dragon Palace Kingdom can enter the Kingdom of Songs through live streaming!"

"At the same time, we will also—"

"Live broadcast of the execution of the mastermind behind this rebellion!"

Chapter 22 With the Bigger the Hat Comes the Greater the Responsibility

The execution of the rebel leader was expected by everyone. With such a large rebellion that almost wiped out King Neptune's entire family, no one would stand up and advise him to be magnanimous.

The rebels have shown their cruelty, and the vast majority of civilians on Fishman Island hate them to the core. Even the Straw Hat crew has no intention of pleading for them.

They simply didn't expect that King Neptune would be so eager to execute the prisoners before everyone had left.

Karina stepped forward, took the microphone, expressed her deep sympathy for the tragedy that had occurred in the Merfolk Kingdom, and then began the first song.

Their performances always begin with Karina singing in the real world, followed by Uta subtly joining in with harmonies, drawing the audience into the illusory world created by the Song Fruit without them even realizing it. The special effects explode the moment the chorus begins, giving the audience the greatest sensory stimulation.

As Karina's singing gradually rose in pitch, Uta's harmonies began to blend in, and suddenly, everyone on Fishman Island entered a dreamlike realm.

Whether it was the soothing power of the song itself or the calming effect of Uta's Song-Song Fruit, the people of the Ryugu Kingdom truly forgot the pain they had just experienced and wholeheartedly immersed themselves in the joy of appreciating the music.

The Straw Hat crew in the world of Song Song were overjoyed. They had been scattered to different places for two years, and each of them had been training hard so that they would never be separated again. They had lived a hard life for the past two years.

Now that all the companions are safely reunited, they have returned to the dreamlike Dragon Palace Kingdom and embarked on a long-awaited adventure. They can also get up close and personal with world-renowned songstresses like Karina and Uta, and everyone is immersed in happiness.

Luffy was jumping around excitedly, almost leaping onto the stage to perform with Uta, when suddenly he felt a tight grip on his arm.

Luffy didn't react excessively. Even though it was in a dream world, Uta still arranged for the venue to be packed to enhance the excitement of the concert, so it was normal for someone to hold the wrong hand.

But Luffy quickly realized something was wrong. The hand that was holding his arm was very firm, as if it was going to take him somewhere.

Luffy looked at the person who had pulled him in confusion, momentarily dazed, then his eyes filled with tears: "Sabo!"

"Sabo, you're not dead! That's great! Where have you been all these years!"

Sabo was startled and moved by Luffy's sincerity. He forced back his sobs and said, "It's a long story. Actually, I've already met Ace before. I came here specifically to see you."

Luffy was both crying and laughing: "He actually kept this from me! Just wait until I get out there, I'll give him a good fight!"

Sabo had just arrived at Fishman Island. After rescuing Kuma in the Sabaody Archipelago, the Revolutionary Army mobilized almost the entire force to send Kuma back to the rear for treatment.

But by this time, the bear had long lost consciousness, and no matter who spoke to him, he remained silent.

Just then, Ace sent a message inviting Sabo to meet the three brothers on Fishman Island. As Luffy's father, Dragon naturally wouldn't stop them, and with a wave of his hand, he let Sabo, who couldn't be of much help in the matter of Kuma, leave.

Sabo came to Fishman Island hoping to reunite with his two long-lost brothers, but Robert assigned him a mission. Now he can only suppress his excitement and complete the storyline Robert gave him.

"Come with me, I have something to tell you."

Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, Sabo was Luffy's sworn brother from childhood, so naturally Luffy wouldn't doubt that Sabo was lying to him.

The two squeezed through the boisterous crowd. Sabo pulled out a small bottle and held it to Luffy's nose. Luffy took a sip and exclaimed, "What is this! It stinks!"

Immediately afterwards, he felt a blur before his eyes and returned to the real world.

The banquet hall was still the same banquet hall, and the entire Straw Hat crew was fast asleep on the floor. Robert, Ace, and the others were also fast asleep, but King Neptune and his three sons were nowhere to be seen.

Luffy scratched his head and looked at Sabo standing in front of him: "What happened? How did we wake up?"

Uta's Devil Fruit ability is known to fans all over the world. They make detailed disclaimers before holding concerts, and all fans enter the dream voluntarily.

Sabo said seriously, "Luffy, there are some things I can only trust you with."

Luffy glanced at Ace, who was lying to the side with a smile on his face: "Can't even Ace be told?"

Sabo shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to believe him, it's that this matter involves the Ryugu Kingdom and the Whitebeard Pirates. I don't want to put him in a difficult position, so it's better to let him continue to be immersed in his dream and know nothing."

Upon hearing this, Luffy knew that something big was about to happen, and his tone became serious: "What exactly happened?"

Sabo said, "King Neptune wants to execute all the rebels!"

Luffy scratched his head and said, "He mentioned this before?"

Sabo then emphasized, "It's about executing all the rebels!"

Luffy's eyes widened. He finally realized that before the concert, King Neptune had said he would execute the main culprit, but now Sabo was telling him that everyone would be executed!

"King Neptune himself knew that killing 100,000 people at once was too cruel, and among them were 30,000 human slaves, so he specially arranged this concert to lull the entire nation into a dream."

"He is now leading his guards to the prison, intending to take advantage of the concert to massacre 100,000 rebels!"

Luffy's heart raced. It wasn't that he was overly compassionate; he didn't object to killing a few rebels as a warning to others. But killing 100,000 people at once would be something anyone would find hard to bear.

Luffy swallowed hard, unsure of what he could do.

Luffy is indeed kind-hearted, but he's not really a saint; if he doesn't like something, he'll just walk away.

Seeing that his brother didn't say anything, Sabo could only say to himself, "These 100,000 lives are now only saved by you."

Luffy hesitated, "Those people just committed heinous crimes on Fishman Island. I really can't persuade those they hurt to forgive the murderers who killed their loved ones..."

Sabo was almost persuaded by Luffy. Robert probably thought it would be difficult to convince Luffy by entrusting such a troublesome piston to him.

A pleasant female voice rang out: "Hey, what are you all dawdling about here for? If you don't go save them soon, they're going to attack!"

Luffy and Sabo turned around and saw Uta hopping over as if nothing had happened.

"Karina and I can only sing for two hours at most. The guards of the Dragon Palace Kingdom know that time is limited and will definitely kill the prisoners in the shortest time. Why are you still dawdling here?"

Luffy was a little confused. What did he mean by dawdling? He hadn't agreed to go and rescue anyone.

Sabo grabbed Luffy and ran outside, while Uta shouted from behind, "Don't worry, I've woken up your crew, they'll come to pick you up in a boat!"

Luffy: So everyone conspired together and just wanted me to take the blame?