While the Five Elders were in their meeting, three navy ships marked with "G2" on their sails were sailing toward the Kingdom of Lulusia, located in the New World near the Lulusia Kingdom.
The weather in this area was not particularly good. The sky was overcast, and raindrops the size of soybeans fell from the sky, pelting the waves, which crashed against the hulls of the ships in the strong wind.
The three navy ships formed a triangle formation, navigating through the turbulent waves. On the deck of the leading ship, a man wearing a Vice Admiral's coat lowered his binoculars, revealing a resolute face and a distinctive bald hairstyle.
Seeing the outline of the island emerging from the rough sea, he said, "We're almost there..."
Beside him, another man with a similar hairstyle nodded slowly as he stared ahead. "Lulusia Kingdom, our destination. I never thought Fleet Admiral Sengoku would have such boldness."
"Hahaha, after all these years, we finally have a chance to change these corrupt seas," G2 Branch Vice Admiral Comil said with a smile.
They were initially on alert at the G2 branch, ready to support the navy's grand fleet stationed at Lodestar Island. However, not long ago, they received an unexpected order from Corazon, the adjutant to Fleet Admiral Sengoku at headquarters.
The order was straightforward and blunt: Comil was to lead the G2 branch to take over the Lulusia Kingdom and enforce military control.
At first, they were skeptical about the order. After all, such direct intervention by the navy in a nation's affairs was something the World Government would never allow.
But after Sengoku himself called and revealed some details, Comil realized that the navy was planning something big this time.
The Lulusia Kingdom wasn't far from the G2 branch. It was a member of the World Government in the New World and was more of an archipelago than a single landmass. Apart from the main island, Lulusia, the other islands were small and sparsely populated.
"Lulusia's status among the World Government's member countries is fairly low, mainly relying on agriculture and livestock, and is known worldwide for its high-quality produce.
The kingdom's king, Seki, hardly manages domestic affairs, as long as the people pay their taxes on time. But one thing's certain: the loyalty of King Seki to the World Government is unimaginable," said the adjutant beside Comil.
Their branch had intel on the Lulusia Kingdom. It was considered quite wealthy in the New World. Despite the high taxes, the common people lived relatively well—at least compared to those in other countries suffering under noble oppression.
Although the land belonged to the nobility, as long as the tenants paid their dues, the rest was theirs. The surplus might not have been much, but it was enough to survive.
As the adjutant briefed Comil on the situation, he kept his gaze forward.
The three navy ships moved quickly, and before long, the silhouette of the island grew clearer.
"We've arrived."
Comil signaled, and a nearby sailor quickly handed him a transponder snail.
Comil picked up the receiver and spoke in a deep voice, "Everyone, we're about to land on Lulusia Kingdom. All personnel, prepare for battle."
Upon hearing Comil's order, the sailors on the three ships uniformly drew their weapons, readying themselves for combat.
Each of these large ships could hold over a thousand people.
Due to the New World's dangerous environment, these ships were always fully manned.
Although there were only three thousand soldiers, Comil believed that would be more than enough to take Lulusia Kingdom.
The three ships quickly approached Lulusia Kingdom's port.
Through the rain, the silhouettes of the ships loomed large as they approached, catching the attention of the Lulusia Royal soldiers stationed at the port.
The highest-ranking officer at the port, hearing his subordinate's report, frowned and picked up his transponder snail to issue orders: "Unidentified ships approaching at two o'clock! Prepare to fire! And try to contact them—make them identify themselves!"
For anyone living in the New World, unidentified ships were almost always considered enemies.
But before the port's defenders could act, the main cannons of the three navy ships began to smoke, and the screech of shells cutting through the air was piercing amidst the rain.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shells tore through the rain, striking the coastal defenses with deadly accuracy, shredding them to pieces.
"Land the troops!"
Following Comil's command, the three ships pulled up to the port, and waves of sailors, dressed in navy uniforms, swarmed ashore, charging toward the heart of Lulusia Kingdom.
The surviving royal soldiers, still stunned by the bombardment, were quickly surrounded by the advancing navy.
One Lulusia soldier, shocked and disbelieving, shouted, "The Navy?! Why is the Navy here..."
Another, who seemed to be an officer, widened his eyes in terror as he looked at the navy surrounding him. "Why is the Navy attacking us? Lulusia Kingdom is a member of the World Government! Aren't you afraid of retribution from the World Government?!"
As a member country of the World Government, Lulusia should have been under the Navy's protection. But now, the very protectors had become attackers. He couldn't understand why.
No one bothered to explain his confusion.
As Comil led his men toward the castle where King Seki resided, a navy officer hurried over and whispered something to him.
"Where are they?! Bring them over!"
Hearing the officer's report, a dozen pirates were quickly brought forward, escorted by the navy.
Comil approached, looking down at them. "Why were you found in the home of a Lulusia Kingdom minister?"
At Comil's question, the pirates exchanged glances but remained silent.
Seeing their silence, Comil raised his hand, preparing to order their execution.
"Wait! Wait! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Just don't kill me!"
Seeing the raised guns around them, one of the pirates quickly spoke up.
They had assumed the navy would hand them over to Lulusia for trial. They hadn't expected the navy to plan on killing them directly.
"We're not pirates! We're members of the Lulusia Royal Guard! We were just following orders from above! We didn't want to do this!"
As these words left his mouth, the surrounding sailors widened their eyes in surprise. Comil took a step forward, grabbed the pirate by his collar, and pulled him up, snarling, "What do you mean you're not pirates?!"
"No, we're members of the Royal Guard, chosen by King Seki to pose as pirates! We regularly went to sea disguised as pirates to plunder, making the people think the royal family could protect them. And also..."
Bang!
Before he could finish, Comil drew his sword and stabbed the man.
From the pirate's words, Comil had understood the true nature of this kingdom.
The kingdom's strategy was to keep its people ignorant, weak, exhausted, humiliated, and poor, thereby ensuring generations of servitude.
Raindrops fell on Comil as he stood there, feeling a chill in his heart.
What the Lulusia Royal Family did was not much different from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Perhaps the only difference was that the Lulusia Royal Family was the 'Celestial Dragons' sustained by the Lulusia Kingdom, while the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise were sustained by the whole world.
And those who sustained them were ordinary people.
These ordinary people were like crops, cut down only to grow back again, and cut down once more...
They would continually offer their lives to the 'Celestial Dragons.'
[AN - New Ln - Marvel: I'm really not Superman. IS online, please read it as well. If you cant find it then please click on my profile and go to my works, you will find it there]