<h4>Chapter 145: Let the Blood Flow Like a River!</h4>


    For three full days, udius stirred up chaos across Mariejois, leaving no stone unturned. Nearly every Celestial Dragon family had been "visited" by him, their homes ransacked under the guise of enforcement.


    Like at Saint Rosward''s estate, wherever udius went, he left with something valuable, whether it was ves or treasures. By the end of it, udius had umted a small fortune.


    He wasted no time. All 300+ freed mermaid ves were loaded onto his ship, and with Mero and Lenny apanying him, udius set sail for Sabaody Archipgo. Once there, he nned to have his massive gship, the Prometheus, coated, a task that would take at least a week given its size.


    But udius wasn''t one to sit idle. During that week, he intended to get a few things done. First, he''d send word to Fish-Man Ind, letting them know to prepare for his arrival. Second, he would oversee a joint operation between CP-X and Marine Headquarters to clean up Sabaody Archipgo. The normally chaotic ind was about to be a war zone.


    Back in Mariejois, inside the grand offices of the Five Elders, a pile ofints sat on their table, and none of them wereughing.


    The pile was made up entirely of letters from furious Celestial Dragons, all directed at udius. The grievances were identical: using udius of raiding their homes, stealing their ves, and even taking their rare treasures.


    Of course, udius denied everything. "What nonsense," he''d say. "As an upper-tier Celestial Dragon, I have more wealth than any of you. Why would I stoop so low as to covet your measly possessions?"


    The Bald Elder picked up one of the letters and shook his head. "Apparently, udius did agree to rece the gate at Rosward''s estate, but what he installed instead was a giant iron wall that sealed them insidepletely. They can''t even leave their own house because he didn''t bother leaving a keyhole."


    "Hahahaha!" The Sword-Wielding Elder chuckled, tapping his sword''s hilt. "That kid has really caused a stir. Mariejois has been in an uproar for days now. He''s be the embodiment of chaos like a gue gode to life."


    "And he refuses to admit he''s taken anything from them," added the Blond Elder, shaking his head in exasperation.


    The initial edict to free the mermaid ves had been a rtively straightforward order, but udius had turned it into a full-blown spectacle, stirring up all of Mariejois. Now, not only the Celestial Dragons, but nearly everyone in Mariejois knew what he''d done.


    News had spread that Saint udius had stormed through the Domain of the Gods, liberated over 300 mermaid ves, and was now escorting them to Fish-Man Ind.


    Even the major ve traders in Mariejois, sensing which way the wind was blowing, had sent their remaining mermaid ves to udius without waiting for him to demand them. They couldn''t afford to provoke someone who dared to disrespect even other Celestial Dragons.


    In the past, udius had a decent reputation in Mariejois. While he was known to be entric, people didn''t see him as a threat. But now? His actions had cemented him as someone no one wanted to cross.


    By the time he left for Sabaody Archipgo, his new reputation as "Mariejois'' Demon King" was solidified. Even the Five Elders, sitting amidst piles ofints, couldn''t deny that udius had lived up to his title.


    "How should we handle this?" asked the Bearded Elder with a small grin.


    "Well," the Bald Elder began, "it''s not like udius is doing this for himself. He''s carrying out an important task for us. No matter how messy this has be, he acted without hesitation showing us his loyalty in the process. We can''t let him feel abandoned now."


    The Bald Elder''s tone was protective, and his fondness for udius was evident. Truthfully, the more he watched udius, the more he appreciated him. In fact, he''d even started entertaining the thought of arranging a marriage between udius and his granddaughter. After all, udius wasn''t justpetent he was reliable, resourceful, and carried himself like a leader.


    But for now, those musings were set aside.


    The Curly-Haired Elder frowned and rubbed his chin. "Still, he''s a bit too arrogant. If this continues, the grievances in Mariejois will grow toorge to ignore. We need to rein him in just a little."


    The Bald Elder nodded thoughtfully. "That''s fair. We need to address the optics. Perhaps something symbolic to appease the others."


    "Let''s fine him," the Blond Elder suggested after a moment. "Five hundred million berries."


    The Bald Elder considered the figure and then nodded. "Alright, five hundred million it is."


    On the surface, it sounded like a significant punishment, but in reality, it was little more than a p on the wrist. The annual funds allocated to udius by the World Government were well beyond that amount, not to mention the wealth he''d umted through other ventures.


    And after ransacking the Celestial Dragons'' estates during his "operation," udius had likely pocketed a sum well exceeding two billion berries. Losing five hundred million would hardly faze him.


    With the matter settled, the conversation shifted.


    "So, what''s he up to on Sabaody Archipgo?" asked the Blond Elder.


    "Causing even more trouble than he did in Mariejois," the Bald Elder replied, pulling out two files from the stack of reports. He opened them and ced them on the table for the others to see.


    The top report was apanied by a gruesome photograph: a pyramid of severed human heads. In the underworld, such disys were referred to as skull towers, used to terrify and suppress opposition.


    "Killing," murmured the Blond Elder, raising an eyebrow.


    "Indeed," the Bald Elder confirmed. "udius cleaned out the ve trade on Sabaody Archipgo. Every ve trader there has been executed, their heads piled up in thewless zone as a warning. Even a number of pirates got caught up in the purge. The message is clear, and the results have been effective."


    "Violent, but efficient," the Sword-Wielding Elder noted, leaning back in his chair. "It seems udius'' methods are already producing results."


    "Ultimately, it''s just some scum getting what they deserve," the Bald Elder said. "And beyond eliminating the ve trade, this sends a strong message. Whether it''s Mariejois or Sabaody Archipgo, the World Government''s sincerity toward Fish-Man Ind is on full disy. udius'' actions speak for themselves."


    Indeed, udius'' over-the-top antics weren''t just about theatrics they were calcted. By raising such amotion, he demonstrated the World Government''smitment to improving rtions with Fish-Man Ind. The more chaos he caused, the more weight his negotiations would carry.


    For the Five Elders, this was all part of the n.


    "Think about it," the Bald Elder said. "For Fish-Man Ind, udius went as far as offending the entire Celestial Dragonmunity in Mariejois. He left Sabaody Archipgo soaked in blood with over two thousand heads on disy. If that''s not sincerity, what is?


    "If they still hesitate or try to push back, they''re only making things harder for udius. And do you think someone with the title of ''Mariejois'' Demon King'' will let himself be embarrassed on Fish-Man Ind? I''d love to see them try."


    ***


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