One Piece: Tainted Throne

Accompanied by personnel from the World Government, Princess Audrey returned to the royal palace of Heim Kingdom.

The gathered nobles, already awaiting her arrival, stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Among them, those who had remained loyal to Audrey looked elated, relieved that their unwavering support had not been in vain.

On the other hand, the nobles who had aligned themselves with Minister Fort and Minister Asol appeared uneasy, uncertain of their impending fate.

Audrey raised her hand, and immediately, the W.G officials moved to seize a portion of the nobles.

Though she had been submissive in front of Romantis, here in the palace, Audrey was the esteemed princess, the future queen. Since she had decided to act, she did so with swift and decisive force.

"Your Highness, why is this happening? I have always been loyal to you!"

"Princess, you cannot do this to me!"

"Spare me, Your Highness!"

No one had anticipated that Audrey would order arrests the moment she returned, not even granting the nobles a chance to plead their case.

Despite their desperate pleas, Audrey remained indifferent, and the World Government officers were even less inclined to show mercy to the nobles of a mere allied kingdom.

"I am willing to trade all my family's wealth for my freedom!"

Seeing that begging was futile, some nobles immediately resorted to offering their accumulated fortunes in exchange for their lives.

However, none of the remaining nobles dared to intervene. Everyone understood that Audrey was purging her opposition, and stepping forward might invite disaster upon themselves.

More importantly, Audrey had directly commanded W.G officials, which meant she had undoubtedly reached an agreement with Romantis.

"Hmph. You colluded with the Germa Kingdom, leading to our nation's defeat. My father was killed, my brothers slaughtered, and now you still dare beg for mercy?"

Audrey's gaze burned with cold fury as she recalled the brutal execution of her father at the hands of the Germa Kingdom and the deaths of her brothers in battle.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A volley of gunshots rang out, and the captured nobles collapsed, lifeless.

Each shot echoed through the chamber, hammering into the hearts of the remaining nobles. Some, overcome with fear, broke out into cold sweats.

With measured steps, Audrey approached the throne and seated herself. She picked up the documents Romantis had given her and pulled out a section.

"I am not a ruler who kills without reason. Here are the crimes of those who have just been executed—you may review them yourselves."

With that, she tossed the documents onto the floor before the nobles.

But no one dared to step forward and pick them up.

They had all seen that Audrey had only revealed a portion of the documents—who knew if their names were listed in the remaining files?

Now that she had the support of a Celestial Dragon, Audrey could accuse anyone of anything and have them executed on the spot.

Seeing the terror in the nobles' eyes, Audrey felt a sense of satisfaction.

She recalled how these very people had tried to force her into offering herself to a Celestial Dragon to secure the kingdom's future. Now, watching them tremble before her, she felt an intoxicating surge of power.

'So this is what it feels like to hold authority?'

'It is... exhilarating.'

Since the fall of her father and the royal army, Audrey had endured nothing but humiliation upon returning to Heim Kingdom.

"I know that all of you are loyal subjects of the kingdom. Now that the traitors have been dealt with, I believe that, with your assistance, we can restore Heim Kingdom to its former glory."

Having achieved her objective of intimidating the nobles, Audrey switched to a conciliatory tone. After all, she still needed them to help govern the kingdom.

Hearing this, the remaining nobles—now grateful just to be alive—rushed to pledge their allegiance.

"Your Highness is wise beyond her years! Under your rule, the kingdom will surely prosper! We swear our loyalty to you!"

Looking down at the nobles swearing fealty, Audrey felt that her efforts had been well worth it.

"St. Romantis himself will personally crown me in a week's time. This is the coronation procedure—Finance Minister, gather your people and ensure the preparations are flawless."

"Remember, do not make any mistakes. If you anger St. Romantis again, even I will not be able to save you."

The royalty of the pirate world had never witnessed the power of religion, nor had they experienced the might of divine rule.

For Audrey, this coronation was not just a mere formality—it was a grand display of her recognition by a Celestial Dragon. With it, both the nobles and commoners would submit to her rule more easily.

"Understood, Your Highness! I will fulfill St. Romantis' requirements to the best of my ability and ensure his satisfaction!"

"Then go. Prepare everything."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

..........

At the northern border of the North Blue, near the Red Line, a fleet of Marine battleships had arrived.

"Report, Admiral! The Germa Kingdom has already crossed the Red Line and entered the East Blue."

Hearing the report, Admiral Aokiji removed his eye mask, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

He gazed up at the towering Red Line and muttered lazily, "So they've already crossed? What a pain. It'll take quite some time to pursue them to the East Blue."

It turned out that upon learning that the World Government had dispatched a Celestial Dragon and a Marine Admiral to deal with the North Blue's Four Kingdoms Massacre, Germa Kingdom's King, Judge, had chosen to flee.

Rather than face Admiral Aokiji in battle, Judge had opted to retreat, taking advantage of Germa Kingdom's mobile fortress—its massive snail ships—to scale the Red Line and escape to the East Blue.

Due to the Red Line's natural barrier, for the Marines to pursue Germa Kingdom into the East Blue, they would have to detour through the Grand Line—a journey that would take several months.

Furthermore, a Marine Admiral could not afford to be absent from his duties for such an extended period.

*Buru Buru Buru!*

At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku picked up the ringing Den Den Mushi.

"Aokiji, how is the situation on your end? When can you return?"

"Fleet Admiral, we have a problem. Germa Kingdom has already crossed the Red Line and entered the East Blue. Should I continue the pursuit, or should we assign someone else?"

"They've crossed the Red Line? What a headache..."

Sengoku frowned. The Marine Admirals were critical assets in the fight against pirates, and each had vital responsibilities. He couldn't afford to let Aokiji be gone for months chasing after Germa Kingdom.

Worse still, what if Aokiji finally cornered them in the East Blue, only for them to scale the Red Line again and return to the North Blue?

The vastness of the seas made tracking pirates an incredibly difficult task, let alone blockading an entire kingdom with mobility like Germa's.

"Return to Headquarters. I'll report this to the Five Elders and let the World Government handle it."

After some deliberation, Sengoku decided to call Aokiji back.

Germa Kingdom was no small threat. Unless an Admiral was personally deployed, the Marines had no effective means of controlling them.

But they also couldn't afford to station two Admirals—one in the North Blue and one in the East Blue—just to chase them down.

More importantly, Germa Kingdom was still a World Government-affiliated nation.

The W.G had yet to revoke its status, which meant they likely intended to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels rather than military action.