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Chapter 774: The Times Have Changed
Chapter 774: The Times Have Changed
The soldier was taken by the Navy for rest and recovery. After all, while Lida's ability could heal physical wounds, it had no solution for hunger and mental exhaustion.
In Kuro's eyes, that soldier had basically reached the brink of collapse. Although his physical strength had been restored, if he didn't get proper rest, he wouldn't last much longer.
As for this period of time...
Right now, he had arrived at the hillside north of the village.
The hillside was barren, with no vegetation at all. A little further down the slope were mine shafts extending upward in a dense network, showing signs of recent habitation.
Previously, people had been mining here, but with so many mine shafts, Gavas and his men had no idea which specific one they needed.
Kuro didn't know either.
But that was no problem.
He extended his hand toward the hillside and clenched his fist tightly.
"Lion Might!"
Rumbling sounds echoed as shockwaves radiated outward. The terrain began to shift, twisting and aggregating from the surroundings toward the center. The entire hillside and the ground below condensed into a thick stone pillar, with a mighty lion's head forming at its summit.
"Spit it out now!"
Kuro flipped his hand upward, transforming the lion's head as it opened its mouth toward the sky. From its maw poured stones of irregular shapes, glowing with crimson edges and greenish specks of light under the sunlight, soaring straight into the sky.
With his current level of ability, detecting differences within rocks was child's play.
The Bomb Rock vein hidden beneath the hillside was gradually extracted by Kuro until he could no longer sense any foreign substance within the rock, and the lion's head could no longer expel any more Bomb Rocks.
"Don't want to waste this either."
Looking at the massive stone lion formed by concentration, Kuro flicked his finger upward. With a thunderous 'Boom,' the hillside was ripped from its roots and soared into the sky, leaving behind a smooth, flattened surface as if crushed by a giant roller.
Chewing on a cigar and exhaling a puff of smoke, Kuro tilted his head to look at the sky and chuckled, "The weather's great today. A fine harvest."
While Kuro was gathering resources here, on the other side of Kolf Island at a somewhat open area, a group of people had gathered. One of them sat atop a large rock. His body resembled a mountain of flesh, and when he kicked aside the corpses before him, waves of fat rippled across his body.
"The Kolf Kingdom has always been a pirate nation. That kid Akitan actually wants to join the World Government? What a humiliation!"
As the mountain of flesh spoke, he took another puff from his pipe, exhaling smoke through his nose in powerful jets.
"Officer Sheridan! How about we head to Stone King City? Let's conquer this country!"
An excited pirate shouted the suggestion, prompting agreement from the surrounding pirates.
"Right! Let's go to Stone King City! This country could be ruled by Officer Sheridan!"
"Exactly! After being enslaved for so long, why should the Kolf family still rule this kingdom?"
"I'm an outsider, but I heard Kolf Kingdom is a pirate nation, not a slave nation or a member state of the World Government. Pirates have their own pride!"
"Seize this country!"
"Exactly! Seize this country!"
Faced with the pirates' fervent cries, the massive figure of Sheridan took a deep drag from his pipe. As the smoke billowed forth, his expression was obscured, making him difficult to read.
Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind.
It was aboard a Pirate Ship on the Grand Line, where an average-looking young man asked a handsome, slender youth.
"Hey Sheridan, what do you plan to do in the future?"
"Me?" The handsome youth hesitated, then replied, "Hmm, when I retire, I'll return to Kolf Island, marry a woman, have children, and build a family."
The average young man smiled, his teeth gleaming white under the sun. "Starting a family? What an admirable dream. When I inherit the throne, I'll make sure to promote this dream across Kolf Island!"
"No no no", the handsome youth shook his head vigorously. "Noardi, this isn't admirable at all. It's just a normal man's retirement life. You're the future king of Kolf, the king of the pirate nation. How could you promote such a dream?"
"A pirate nation..."
The average young man looked up, murmuring the words, then shook his head. "Sheridan, because of this title, Kolf Kingdom has already lost many lives. Though we are pirates ourselves, if possible, we should pursue peace. Times change. Even someone like Rocks could eventually fall."
"You're joking! That's Rocks we're talking about!" The handsome youth refused to believe it.
But the truth was, Rocks did fall, defeated by a Navy officer named Garp.
"It wasn't just Garp!"
Noardi, upon receiving this news, declared firmly. "Remember that kid with Luffy we met before? Roger! He participated in that battle too. It was Roger who ultimately defeated Rocks. Sheridan, the times are changing!"
"How could that be? That was just a rumor, right? That was just a young kid. How could he have such power?" At the time, Sheridan refused to believe it.
At that time, Roger was still just a newcomer who had recently gained some fame at sea, long before he became known for the legendary 'One Piece.'
But when Roger did become famous with the title of 'One Piece,' his days were already numbered.
Yet before Sheridan could hear the news of Roger's capture, he was captured first.
And when he finally emerged again, he found himself immediately surrounded by troops led by the now aged Noardi.
"The times have changed, Sheridan."
That cold expression and voice still echoed in his memory to this day.
As the smoke dispersed from his face, Sheridan's eyes flared open. Glaring at the gathered pirates, he roared, "Fine!!!"
He stood up, facing the direction of Stone King City. "Then let's seize this country! Restore the pride of the pirate nation!"
Noardi...
You betrayed me first!
"Ooooooh!!!"
The pirates erupted in cheers.
Several pirates exchanged knowing glances, smiles forming on their faces.
They were old hands at piracy, having been captured by Noardi and enslaved for over twenty years when he seized power two decades ago.
But when Luffy arrived and defeated Noardi, they were liberated. However, they chose not to leave.
With their age and strength, departing to start anew would mean they could never catch up with the younger generation. So they simply stayed.
They understood everything about this nation. With so many remaining pirates, if they united, they could certainly conquer this country!
And they had Officer Sheridan as their ultimate weapon. This man was a legendary pirate who had escaped from Impel Down, famous more than twenty years ago.
"The Indestructible" Sheridan.
Besides, they had Bomb Rocks. With Officer Sheridan's reputation and Bomb Rocks, they could certainly make a name for themselves right here on Kolf Island!
(End of Chapter)
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