Chapter 119

"Gion, did you say... Rhodes Island is gone?"

Tsuru was stunned.

How could such a large island just vanish?

Rhodes Island wasn't some small island—it was a solid, mid-sized island. Even the famed Golden Lion, who could move islands, had only ever relocated smaller ones.

A whole mid-sized island...

How could it simply disappear?

Could it be… Gion had gone to the wrong place?

But before Tsuru could voice her doubt, Momousagi (Peach Rabbit) interjected firmly.

"Sister Tsuru, I've triple-checked. There's no mistake—I'm at the right location!"

Her tone was resolute.

For a moment, Tsuru had no response.

She honestly didn't know what to say.

---

Late Night — Alabasta Kingdom, Capital Alubarna

West Sector — Northernmost bend of the Sandora River

A vessel over 200 meters long slowly emerged from the water—the Danaan.

Soon after, the hatch atop the ship opened. A tall woman in a mask stepped out, using Geppo to glide onto the shore.

"King Cobra, has everyone assembled?"

Hina landed before the king and asked plainly.

"Yes, the first group totals 1,500 people... but can your ship handle all of them in one trip?"

That was a lot of people. Even the Navy's large battleships typically only carried about 200 personnel.

"It's not a problem," Hina replied calmly.

The Danaan had an incredibly spacious interior. This was a decommissioned combat version—with all missiles, mechs, torpedoes and weapon systems removed. The freed-up space was vast.

Plus, at the Danaan's travel speed, the journey from Alabasta to Rhodes Island wouldn't even take two days.

As long as luxury wasn't expected, 1,500 people—or even more—could easily fit inside.

Hearing this, King Cobra nodded, no longer pressing the issue. After giving a few final instructions to Pell, he departed.

The 1,500 citizens and Pell then boarded small boats under Hina's direction, gradually making their way into the Danaan.

Roughly an hour later, the Danaan submerged once more and disappeared into the night.

As if nothing had happened at all.

These Alabastan civilians, now en route to the Navy's 157th Branch, wouldn't all necessarily become marines. Their fate would depend on their performance during basic training.

Those who failed to qualify would be reassigned—logistics, factories, or other support roles.

Naturally, anyone with special skills might be recruited into intelligence or other specialized divisions.

As for those without any usable skills...

Well, sanitation work would be a good start.

Regardless, they would not be returning to Alabasta anytime within the next year or two.

Once they completed their training and officially joined the branch, they would be allowed to bring family members to live on Rhodes Island.

This had all been negotiated in advance between King Cobra and Luo Lan.

Building residential blocks didn't cost many points anyway.

Even ordinary people could contribute in support roles—manual labor, logistics, maintenance...

However, there was one lingering problem.

Luo Lan could only recruit male soldiers from Alabasta.

After all, the Alabastan Royal Army didn't allow female personnel.

If Cobra were to suddenly enlist women, it would attract massive scrutiny—and likely provoke protests from within the kingdom itself.

Luo Lan had no interest in creating that kind of uproar.

Still...

He really needed to figure out a way to recruit more women.

The branch was growing fast—thousands of troops—and yet, there were only a handful of women.

The masculine energy was off the charts.

His soldiers didn't even have a chance to find wives!

But where was he going to find that many women?

That was a problem Luo Lan would have to solve in the future.

---

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The incident in Dressrosa continued to escalate, spiraling further out of control.

More and more kingdoms were pressuring the World Government.

At this point, over a hundred had joined the chorus of condemnation.

With Doflamingo still not found, the World Government had no choice but to send the Navy in to temporarily take over governance of Dressrosa—and they successfully rescued King Riku III.

However, there was friction in the process of reinstating him.

Admiral Akainu led the Navy into Dressrosa and captured several key members of the Donquixote Family.

This included figures like Vergo, as well as others like Viola, who hadn't followed Doflamingo to the volcanic island.

Sugar, on the other hand, appeared to have fled ahead of time.

Despite combing the entire kingdom, Akainu couldn't locate her.

As for those captured?

Most of them didn't even know who Sugar was.

King Riku tried to negotiate with Akainu, requesting the release of his daughter, Viola—explaining that she had never willingly joined the Donquixote Family and had been forced into it.

If it had been Aokiji in charge, he might have agreed.

At the very least, he would've contacted Sengoku for guidance.

But Akainu?

He wouldn't even entertain the discussion.

In his eyes, a pirate was a pirate.

He didn't care how you became one, or whether you'd harmed civilians or not.

If you bore the mark of a pirate, then your fate was sealed.

Release her?

Hah. Not happening.

He immediately had Viola loaded onto a prison ship alongside the other captives—bound for Impel Down.

King Riku considered appealing to the World Government, but they were already overwhelmed.

Unable to capture Doflamingo and lacking a clear scapegoat, the furious Five Elders turned all their frustration onto Riku himself.

"This is all your fault!"

"If you hadn't been so weak back then, Doflamingo wouldn't have stolen your throne!"

"If that had never happened, we wouldn't be in this mess now!"

In their eyes, King Riku was the root of the entire crisis.

As for his daughter?

A pirate deserves to be imprisoned. What's the problem?

They couldn't get Doflamingo, but they could certainly vent their rage on Riku.

And so, even after appealing to the World Government, King Riku returned empty-handed.

As for taking her back by force?

Impossible.

A Marine Admiral, several Vice-Admirals, and over 3,000 elite marines—there was no chance of success.

And yet...

King Riku couldn't bring himself to give up.

What could he possibly do?

---

The night before Viola was to be transferred—

A news coo silently swooped into King Riku's temporary residence under the cover of darkness.

It left a Den Den Mushi on the windowsill and tapped on the glass before flying off into the night.

King Riku opened the window, staring at the snail-phone in confusion.

"Since when do news birds deliver Den Den Mushi...?"

Brrr brrr brrr...

Suddenly, the snail began to ring.

King Riku quickly realized that someone was trying to contact him.

Considering how he'd recently been freed—largely due to the pressure generated by that explosive article from Morgans—and the fact that this device had just been delivered by a news coo...

Could it be?

The infamous Morgans himself?

"Greetings, King Riku."

A youthful voice came through the snail-phone.

So that's what Morgans sounded like?

He sounded... young—like a fresh-faced man in his twenties.

"Hello! I must thank you, Mr. Morgans. If not for your report, Dressrosa might still be—"

Before he could finish, the voice interrupted:

"Hold on. I'm not Morgans."