"Daddy, Daddy!!"
Upon hearing Yadina, Akame and Esdeath joyfully called out.
"Oh, my sweet daughters, come here, let Daddy hold you!"
Li Yuan's heart swelled with happiness upon hearing his daughters call him "Daddy," knowing they were his own.
Li Yuan lifted Akame and Esdeath and placed them on his shoulders.
"Wow, so high!!"
"This is so fun, so fun!!"
Akame and Esdeath were delighted by being lifted high for the first time.
"Yadina, I'm back!"
Li Yuan, with Esdeath and Akame, made his way to Yadina, expressing all his longing in that single sentence.
"It's good that you're back!"
Yadina's eyes welled up with tears.
Li Yuan gently supported Yadina, comforting her.
"Yay yay yay!!"
Without Li Yuan's hands for support, Akame and Esdeath quickly grabbed onto his head, fearing they might fall.
"Daddy, Daddy!!"
Upon returning to the room, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang, who had been playing outside, also came back.
They curiously looked at Li Yuan, their father.
"Not bad!!"
"Here, I brought you some treats."
After Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang returned, Li Yuan gathered the four little ones in his arms.
Esdeath and Akame perched on Li Yuan's shoulders, while Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie sat on his legs. Beside them, Yelena brought out the treats Li Yuan had brought, and the family enjoyed a moment of harmony.
After arriving on Amazon Lily, Li Yuan rarely engaged in intense training. Instead, he practiced swordsmanship, maintained his physique, and spent time with Yadina and his four children.
He awaited the birth of Yadina's child.
A month later, Yadina gave birth smoothly to a son.
"Li Yuan, give him a name."
Yadina, with a mother's radiant smile, cradled her child despite her pale complexion.
"Let's call him Andre Faraday."
Li Yuan suggested with a smile, unfazed by the task of naming.
"Faraday, you must be a good boy."
Yadina found the name fitting.
After his child's birth, Li Yuan stayed on Amazon Lily for another month.
Then he left Amazon Lily, found his original ship, and returned to Hive Island.
Following the Rocks Pirates' plundering of 20 portions of Heavenly Gold, the Five Elders somehow negotiated with the Celestial Dragons to secure a larger share of the Heavenly Gold.
They then injected these funds into the Navy, Impel Down, and other areas in need of reinforcement and expansion.
As a result, the Navy managed to recover some of the strength lost in their previous battle with the Rocks Pirates.
Currently, the Navy had withdrawn from the New World, focusing on the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, aiming to clear their rear of pirates.
Meanwhile, the Rocks Pirates' officers were aggressively expanding their territories.
Even the remote sea areas previously ignored by the Rocks Pirates became targets for these officers.
The Golden Lion was the most aggressive, occupying any island he fancied, even using his powers to float islands into the same sea region to form his base.
Whitebeard, after finding his family, wandered the seas and adopted anyone he took a liking to as his "son."
Charlotte Linlin set her sights on a territory called the Totto Land, a region of 34 islands.
However, this region was under the Rocks Pirates' control, specifically Rocks', and she couldn't seize it from him.
Like the others, Li Yuan also sought to expand, targeting the seas around Wano Country and even beyond.
However, lacking sufficient manpower, he could only wait to expand further as his influence grew.
Thus, the New World entered its darkest era.
The officers of the Rocks Pirates were far from benevolent, claiming territories through slaughter. Any resistance was met with a single response: kill!
They killed until heads rolled, rivers of blood flowed, and no voices of resistance remained.
After their previous defeat, the Navy chose not to confront the Rocks Pirates in the New World, opting instead to bide their time and strengthen their forces.
This allowed the Rocks Pirates to thrive and expand their territories in the New World.
The New World turned into a pirate's paradise, with the Rocks Pirates reaching an unprecedented peak.
Each officer, including the cannon fodder, commanded at least ten thousand men.
Counting the affiliated pirate crews, the entire Rocks Pirates numbered at least one million.
This number continued to grow with time.
By the year 1483, Li Yuan was 18 years old.
His long, blood-red hair blew in the sea breeze, and standing at three meters tall with a handsome face, he was quite the lady killer!
Since the last plundering of Heavenly Gold, more than half a year had passed. In a few months, it would be time for the annual Heavenly Gold tribute again.
At this point, the Rocks Pirates' officers were once again gathered by Rocks.
It was clear to all that Rocks had his eyes on the Heavenly Gold once more.
"Yo hohoho, Captain, are we going to plunder the Heavenly Gold again? I'm starving for treasure!"
John was the first to speak after entering the meeting room.
"Wa hahaha, this time we're not plundering the Heavenly Gold!"
Rocks' words left everyone stunned.
Meeting at this time wasn't for plundering the Heavenly Gold? Then what was it for?
Rocks didn't seem like someone who feared World Government retaliation.
"The Heavenly Gold is just a small portion of the tribute world government member nations give annually. To acquire substantial wealth in one go, we should target the world government member nations themselves!"
Rocks' face showed a greedy expression.
"Yo hohoho, Captain, I get it. This time, instead of targeting the Heavenly Gold, we're going to directly plunder the world government member nations before they send their tribute. Their wealth far exceeds that of the Heavenly Gold."
John quickly understood Rocks' plan.
Plundering the wealthiest world government member nations was the fastest way for pirates to accumulate riches.
"You're half right. The world government member nations in the New World are the poorest globally."
"The wealthiest member nations are concentrated in the seas of the Four Blues, the richest regions."
As Rocks spoke, he eyed the Golden Lion.
"Ze hahaha, Captain, we understand. By targeting the world government member nations in the Four Blues, we can catch the Navy and World Government completely off guard!"
The Golden Lion quickly grasped Rocks' idea.
Rocks' plan was undeniably audacious and clever. The World Government and Navy would never expect such a move from the Rocks Pirates.
"Wa hahaha, gather the entire fleet. Don't tell the crew our target, set sail!"
Rocks laughed maniacally.
After the meeting, the entire Rocks Pirates mobilized.
The movements of the Rocks Pirates couldn't escape the notice of the World Government and Navy.
At Navy Headquarters:
"Notify Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr to be ready to deploy at any moment!"
Seeing the Rocks Pirates' movements, Kong immediately alerted the high-ranking Navy forces to prepare for battle against the Rocks Pirates!
"Admiral, is there activity from the Rocks Pirates again?"
Sengoku asked upon entering the office.
Currently, Sengoku had risen to the rank of Admiral alongside Kong's promotion to Fleet Admiral.
"Yes, the Rocks Pirates' fleet has left Hive Island."
"All the officers have set out together, heading towards the Kingdom of Sicily."
Kong pointed to the map.
"Rocks' target is the world government member nations!"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku realized Rocks intended to plunder the member nations again.
Yet, Sengoku couldn't quite understand why Rocks would attack the member nations again since he hadn't targeted them since the last time.
"Exactly, the Rocks Pirates' target is clearly the world government member nations, and Sicily and other member nations have already requested aid from the World Government and Navy."
"The World Government and Navy must not delay and should prepare to deploy immediately!"
Kong said sternly.
This time, the World Government would also send reinforcements to support the Navy in intercepting the Rocks Pirates.
Otherwise, the Navy alone couldn't defeat the Rocks Pirates. The World Government needed to deploy at least the same forces as in their last battle against the Rocks Pirates.
However, just two days into their voyage along the planned route, as the Navy and World Government's forces headed towards the Kingdom of Sicily, the Rocks Pirates' fleet of over fifty ships was lifted into the air by the Golden Lion's Devil Fruit ability.
Moreover, the officers of the Rocks Pirates used Conqueror's Haki to destroy all the Den Den Mushi, preventing any messages from being sent out from the fleet.
"Curse that Golden Lion!"
"Immediately contact the CP department and have them determine the destination of the Rocks Pirates!"
Science Defense God Satan Saint fumed upon hearing the news in the Holy Land Mariejois.
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