Raising Legends in Roger’s Shadow

Chapter 295 295: The Rapid Expansion of Power

In the plaza of Gran Tesoro, giant screens continued to broadcast the increasingly chaotic battle on the distant island in real time. The early frenzy and greed slowly cooled under the weight of brutal reality.

After the initial shock faded, greed surged again, then gradually settled. Some sharper-minded allied kings and more seasoned pirate officers began to sense that something was deeply wrong.

No. It was not just one or two things. Nineteen out of twenty things were wrong.

We had walked straight into a nest of Celestial Dragons.

"This is madness… pure madness… this is not a game we are meant to play…"

The allied king from the West Blue set down his wine glass, his hands trembling as he whispered urgently to his captain of the guard behind him.

"Hurry. Contact our people through the Den Den Mushi. Order them to withdraw at once. Immediately. Forget the treasure chests. Our lives matter more."

"But Your Majesty, those five billion Berries…"

"Idiot. You have to stay alive to spend money. Do you want every elite soldier of our kingdom to die there? Pull them back now!"

What kind of "game" was this, really?

This was clearly a coliseum carefully prepared by the Lord of the Mist, designed to filter out the strong. Reed had dangled five billion Berries as bait. It was nothing less than a giant meat grinder. Look at the famous names fighting on that island. How desperate and brutal their battles were. Even Crocodile had been eliminated in an instant.

Had they not seen how Donquixote Doflamingo stood frozen at the edge of the battlefield for so long?

They feared that their subordinates might be wiped out by some monster at any moment. This battlefield had long surpassed what they could afford to gamble with.

If they stayed any longer, let alone sharing in the spoils, their elite forces would likely end up as nothing more than cannon fodder.

An allied king from the South Blue turned pale and hissed to his captain of the guard, "Contact our forces now. Tell them to withdraw immediately. Abandon the fight. Return to Gran Tesoro at once."

"Bring our people back now!"

"Retreat. Now. Forget the treasure chests!"

"Damn it, let them fight to the death. If they cannot bring back five billion Berries, then let them die!"

"Haha, the five billion is mine!"

The plaza filled with tense, overlapping calls from Den Den Mushi.

Pirates were even more blunt. Some surviving officers shouted into loudspeaker snails, "Captain, stop fighting and pull back. The brothers cannot hold much longer!" and "Boss, forget the money. Come back now!"

On the island battlefield, some struggling pirate crews and royal guards who had already considered retreat felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They immediately tried to disengage. Of course, there were also those who charged in recklessly, unwilling to turn back.

That was when Tesoro's people made their move.

Tanaka appeared beside the kings and pirate officers who had just given withdrawal orders. Dressed impeccably, wearing a practiced smile, he emerged without any threat or display of force.

He did not coerce them. Instead, he calmly offered either a business card or a finely crafted invitation. Which one he handed over depended on how he judged their status.

"Your Majesty, sir," Tanaka said gently, "after witnessing competition of this level, I believe you now have a clearer understanding of power and the balance of the New World. Gran Tesoro and the Crimson Dawn Pirates have always appreciated those who know how to assess the situation."

He ignored those whose faces had gone pale with terror, people so shaken that they could barely stand.

His attention focused on those who, despite their fear, still showed reluctance, ambition, or calm calculation in their eyes. They were afraid, deeply afraid, but not yet broken.

To them, he usually offered a business card.

But if the king remained composed, and the retreating ships showed disciplined formations rather than blind panic, then Tanaka would present an invitation.

To the pirates, he said, "Your crew showed courage. In the Grand Line, fighting alone is never easy. Would you consider joining one of the fleets under the Crimson Dawn banner? We can offer protection, resources, and a future with far more room to grow."

He carefully avoided the word recruitment. He chose words like joining and partnership to preserve their pride.

To the allied kings, he said, "A great kingdom needs strong friends. The Crimson Dawn Kingdom is always willing to build lasting cooperation with nations that have vision. Perhaps we can find time to discuss trade, military exchanges, and ways to respond together to some of the more unreasonable demands of the World Government."

These moves worked.

Some pirate fleets, already shaken by the overwhelming display of top-tier power and painfully aware of their own limits, accepted the offer almost without hesitation. Who would risk their lives at sea when they could cling to the Lord of the Mist's golden leg, quite literally a golden leg?

Some allied monarchs felt their hearts race. They had long grown tired of the World Government's exploitation and the arrogance of the Celestial Dragons. Forming a special relationship with a force that possessed such terrifying military power and wealth rivaling a nation was nothing short of acquiring a powerful trump card.

A corner of the plaza quietly turned into Tesoro's recruitment and diplomatic ground.

The pirates were delighted. They had expected to leave empty-handed, having only glimpsed Reed from afar, yet now they were being invited to join his forces.

The allied kings were equally pleased. What kind of diplomacy was this? It felt more like direct support. Even if their interests became entangled with Reed's in the future, who really cared?

Tesoro was pleased as well. The Crimson Dawn Kingdom and its affiliated Crimson Dawn Pirates began to expand at a frightening speed.

Those who could witness such a grand stage without losing their composure, who could maintain diplomacy within such a massive power base, were people worth working with. Cooperation had to be built with the intelligent. Stupidity was a flaw that could not be concealed. Even when foolish people acted with good intentions, they often made things worse. Kindness and foolishness were not the same thing.

So who was the most miserable person right now?

Smart guess.

Even if our Eight-Dog squad fought to the end, what could that change?

All of this was transmitted back to Marineford through visual Den Den Mushi, without the slightest distortion.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku looked far beyond serious. His face was as dark as burnt ash, so dark that even a speck of dust looked like falling cinders.

"Bastard. Reed, that scoundrel."

Sengoku slammed his fist onto the table, startling the Den Den Mushi into hopping.

"He is not playing a game at all. He is using this to purge unstable elements, absorb fresh blood, and expand his influence. He is openly undermining the World Government."