Chapter 56: Seeking Readership! Slave King's War Preparations!
Tutmos Kingdom, as mentioned before, is a desert nation, but unlike Alabasta, it is located in the South Sea and experiences normal four seasons. Its most beautiful season is winter.
During winter, the entire island is covered in fluttering snowflakes, blanketing the golden sand sea with a layer of ice and snow. The intermingling of white and gold creates a visually stunning scene.
The entire Kingdom, although a medium-sized Island, only has one city, called Shabak, also known as Sand City.
Sparse population, desert environment, and a single city – all of these give the impression of weakness and poverty. Even Pirate Ship passing by are too lazy to waste time landing.
But what the world doesn't know is that beneath the surface capital of Shabak lies an extremely vast Underground Passage. Layer upon layer of Buildings shimmer with bright yellow Lights, and the hustle and bustle is interwoven with shouts, screams, wails, and cries. It seems that every breath of Air here is filled with despair and pain.
Soldiers wearing green Collars, dressed in white robes, and wielding whips, battle axes, spears, or Firearms patrol and guard every corner. Their faces are expressionless, making them look extremely terrifying.
Looking into the distance, one can see the tallest and most striking pyramid-shaped Building, which is the true Royal Palace of Tutmos Kingdom.
Just moments ago, King Taklama, the 'Slave King' who is famous in the Underworld, received news that a Fleet from Marine Headquarters was coming to arrest him.
However, sitting on the Golden Throne, he showed no reaction. The High-Ranking Official below could not discern the King's expression.
This is because King Taklama wears a Golden Mask, and his attire is in typical Pharaoh Style – a white robe, a wide neckpiece, and a Golden Scepter held in his hand.
In the Great Hall built of massive stones, four High-Ranking Official in white robes stood, flanked by rows of strong and sturdy Royal Guard.
"Your Majesty, should we prepare to evacuate?" One of them hesitated for a moment before speaking.
King Taklama sitting on the Throne asked in return.
"How many people, how much Treasure, and how many Ships can we evacuate in about two hours?"
"This…" The Official hesitated, then asked, "Then should we notify the Slave Hunter outside to come back for support?"
"No."
King Taklama seemed to have his own ideas and immediately rejected him.
"The total number of Slave Hunter is only about ten thousand, and less than two thousand are in the South Sea. Even fewer can return in a short time. There is no point in them coming or not. Even if ten thousand people could return, what use would they be? They are not personnel for combat in the first place."
"Then what do you mean?" the Official asked doubtfully.
"What I mean is, evacuation is definitely necessary. Now that we have been brought into the open, we must find a way to return to the shadows!"
The King Taklama, adorned in gold, stood up from the Throne, instantly revealing his two-meter-tall, robust figure. His cold Mask looked down at the four people below.
"But now the Navy's first Fleet has arrived at the door. If we want to preserve most of our Strength, we must first defeat them, and then, before the second, stronger Fleet arrives, slip back into the darkness!"
Upon hearing this, the four Officials suddenly understood and grasped their King's idea.
"Two hours is enough for us to prepare for war. At the same time, prepare the Ships as well. After defeating the Navy Fleet, immediately transfer the main force and all necessary supplies and Treasure!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"But should we bring the Slaves along?" another Official asked, because for Tutmos Kingdom, Slaves are their main source of income.
"Bring the fifty thousand most valuable Slaves. As for the rest, let them sleep beneath this Desert. It can be considered a decent burial place." King Taklama made a ruthless decision.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Officials responded in unison again. No one said a word for the abandoned Slaves, because if they dared to speak out, they would immediately become one of them.
"Have you found any information about Rear Admiral Dorag and Rear Admiral Evan?" King Taklama asked.
"Your Majesty, Rear Admiral Evan, according to Intelligence from Slave Hunter in the Grand Line, is a quite outstanding Swordsman, but there is nothing else noteworthy about him. On the contrary, Rear Admiral Dorag requires your attention."
"Oh? Is he an Ability User?"
"No, the Intelligence the Slave Hunter found indicates he is not an Ability User, but his Identity is very special."
"Tell me about it."
"Yes, Rear Admiral Dorag, full name Monkey D. Dragon, is the son of Navy Hero Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. It is said that this is his first time leading a large-scale military Mission as the commanding Officer."
Hearing garp's name, King Taklama's Eyesight under the Golden Mask became solemn. As the Slave King of the Underworld, he knew many things that ordinary people could not access.
Most Civilians believe that garp is called Navy Hero because he has been pursuing the Roger Pirates for a long time, repeatedly pushing them into desperate situations, and finally personally arrested Roger and sent him to the Execution Platform.
But the King knew very well that this was not the case, or rather, this was not the main reason. According to his speculation, Vice Admiral Garp's Strength might even be above that of Navy Admiral Fleet Admiral Sengoku 'the Buddha'.
"Have you found out where Vice Admiral Garp is now?"
The minister in charge of Intelligence respectfully replied, "Slave Hunter have not found out the specific location. It is said that Vice Admiral Garp has always been a lone wolf, and in Marine Headquarters, he is the kind of person who can go wherever he wants. However, they say there are rumors that Vice Admiral Garp has recently returned to his hometown, East Blue."
"Is that so…"
King Taklama breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, while also thinking that in the upcoming battle, he should try to spare Dragon's life. There was no need to completely enrage garp for this.
garp could chase Roger to the death for more than ten years, so he could probably also chase and kill him for more than ten years to avenge his son.
He didn't want to provoke a Mad Dog with the world's highest Combat Power!
"Alright, all of you go and prepare!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Soon, in the Underground Passage city of Tutmos Kingdom, the more than thirty thousand Slave Guard Legion began to stir. They brought out Firearms and Ammunition, and even Cannons, in large quantities, and then arrived at the nearshore area through the Underground Passage, starting to establish layers of Defense Line and Traps.
The foundation of the Slave King over decades was completely activated at this moment.
At the same time, batches of young and strong men were pulled out of the Prison Cell. Guarded by Soldiers on both sides, they lined up and walked towards the Great Pyramid. No one knew what King Taklama was going to do…
In short, everyone knew that this was a War, a War with tens of thousands of participants on both sides!
On the Sea, Dragon's side also met up with the Fleets of Branch 194, Branch 242, and Branch 289 of the South Sea. At this time, the scale of the Navy Fleet was exceptionally large.
Five Headquarters-Class Battleship, each fully loaded with a thousand Headquarters Navy, two Cannon Decks, and three triple High Gun Mount, totaling thirty-three Large-Caliber Cannon.
Eighteen Branch-Class Frigate, each with one Cannon Deck, totaling twelve Medium-Caliber Cannon. Among them, the eight Warship from Branch 194 were fully loaded with five hundred people, and the remaining ten were all regular three hundred people.
The total military strength of the entire Fleet was twelve thousand!
Although it seemed inferior to the thirty thousand strong army of Tutmos Kingdom, in Dragon's view, his side was stronger than the former in terms of both Combat Power and firepower.
One Rear Admiral, fifty Headquarters Officer proficient in Six Styles, and even some who had eaten Devil Fruit, were enough to suppress those Soldiers who were responsible for guarding Slaves all day long.
As for King Taklama, he would naturally deal with him.
Although according to Intelligence, the Slave King's Strength in all aspects was above his own, Dragon did not feel the slightest fear because of this.
Just thinking about how winning against the opponent could save hundreds of thousands of Civilians, the blood in his body began to boil. This was the War for Justice he had always dreamed of!
"Target, Tutmos Kingdom!!"
Dragon flew in the Air with a Green Whirlwind, issuing an Order to the huge Navy Fleet composed of twenty-three Warship of various sizes below.
"Set sail!"
(End of Chapter)