The massive flagship of the Crimson Harvest Pirates, propelled by Dragon's howling winds, quickly vanished into the distant horizon.
Not long after York and his grand fleet departed Mock Town, a full-length mirror—intentionally left behind in a ruined tavern—suddenly rippled like water.
Skypieans and Shandians, wearing unified, pristine uniforms and bearing wings on their backs, emerged one after another from the glass. They were led by Gloriosa.
The former Empress looked out over the blood-stained, plundered ruins of the lawless port. She planted a Crimson Harvest flag into the dirt.
"From today onwards, this island is our territory," Gloriosa announced to her sky-dwelling soldiers. "Clean it up."
Back on the Blue Sea.
After a simple yet thorough headcount, York confirmed there were exactly 1,518 newly joined pirates aboard the flagship. There should have been over 1,600, but the remaining dozens had unfortunately died in the vicious infighting the day before.
Among the surviving 1,500 recruits, many were nursing light to severe injuries.
"Captain York, where are we heading next?" Dragon asked, looking at the groaning men on the lower decks.
York glanced at the injured crew, then reached into his coat and pulled out an Eternal Pose.
"First, we go to Drum Kingdom. We need to recruit a medical division and treat the injured."
Drum Kingdom—the winter island where Luffy and Chopper would eventually meet. In York's current timeline, Chopper hadn't even been born yet, and the tyrannical Wapol was merely a thought.
However, precisely because of this, Drum Kingdom was currently at its absolute peak as a world-renowned medical holy land. Despite being a barren winter island, it maintained its status as a World Government affiliated nation solely because its unparalleled medical expertise continuously attracted massive wealth from the outside world, allowing them to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
York did not intend to destroy the Drum Kingdom on this trip. He was merely going to aggressively "recruit" doctors.
His reason for sparing the kingdom was simple, pragmatic greed: the Munch-Munch Fruit (Baku Baku no Mi).
York didn't care about preserving the "canon plot" for the sake of it, but he cared deeply about the strategic value of that specific Devil Fruit. Not to mention the theoretical possibility of the Munch-Munch Fruit allowing someone to merge and eat a second Devil Fruit, its canonical ability to synthesize the strongest alloy in the world—Wapol Metal—was invaluable for his MADS scientists.
It was worth sparing the island and waiting for Wapol's birth just to give the future tyrant a chance to find the fruit, only for York to harvest it later.
After about ten days of sailing, the Crimson Harvest flagship successfully arrived at the bitterly cold, snow-covered shores of the Drum Kingdom.
As the fortress-like pirate ship eclipsed the harbor, the originally calm and peaceful port city immediately erupted into sheer panic.
"PIRATES!!"
"The pirates are here!!"
"Run for your lives! Notify the Marines!!"
The panicked screams of the citizens instantly stirred the bloodthirsty desires of York's new recruits.
These were genuine, hardened pirates of the Grand Line. They were completely different creatures from the romanticized crews of the future. Murder, arson, rape, and plunder were their daily bread. Seeing weak, defenseless citizens fleeing in terror was their absolute favorite trigger.
Hundreds of pirates drew their cutlasses, laughing maliciously as they prepared to jump ship.
"NO ONE MESSES AROUND ON MY WATCH!!"
York's voice, amplified by a Den Den Mushi megaphone, thundered across the deck, stopping the pirates dead in their tracks.
"I came to this island to recruit doctors!" York commanded, his Haki bleeding into his voice. "Have you idiots forgotten the crewmates who died of infection during the voyage because we didn't have surgeons?!"
"If you want someone to stitch your guts back together after our future battles, then you will rein it in! There will be plenty of time for you to kill and burn later!!"
With that, York instructed Dragon to select a few dozen pirates who possessed the ability to follow basic orders to accompany them ashore.
York casually grabbed a few panicking town guards, demanding the location of the Royal Palace. Learning that the castle was located at the peak of the 5,000-meter-tall Drum Rockies, the group headed straight for the mountains.
Along the snowy trails, they encountered the island's unique apex predators: the Lapahns.
These were highly aggressive, giant, carnivorous snow rabbits. Standing over three meters tall and hunting in massive packs, they were a nightmare for ordinary travelers.
Unfortunately for the Lapahns, they had just ambushed a Yonko-tier crew.
York didn't even need to lift a finger. The veteran pirates swarmed forward, laughing as they slaughtered the giant rabbits before the beasts could even attempt to trigger an avalanche.
"Haha! Fresh meat for the voyage!" Ivankov cheered.
Ivankov, Kuma, and Ginny actively participated in the skirmish. Their combat performance was excellent. Ginny and Kuma utilized their Devil Fruits, while Ivankov—already displaying terrifying martial arts talent at sixteen—subdued a giant Lapahn barehanded.
After clearing the wildlife, York bypassed the treacherous climb entirely. Kaido shifted into his Azure Dragon form, generating Flame Clouds to lift York and his boarding party directly to the summit.
They successfully breached the castle courtyard before the King and his retinue could even attempt an evacuation.
The current King of the Drum Kingdom—likely Wapol's grandfather—stood surrounded by terrified ministers and palace guards, facing down the Lord of Corruption and his bloodthirsty crew.
"P-Pirates..." the elderly King stammered. He tried to look outwardly fierce, but his knees were visibly shaking. "What... what do you want?"
"Nothing much," York smiled, stepping forward. "I plan to recruit some doctors from your country. I don't want to waste time searching house by house, so I'm going to have you issue a Royal Decree. Gather all the top doctors in the country here, and allow me to 'interview' them."
"J-Just... just that simple?" the King swallowed hard.
"Of course! If you're unwilling to cooperate, however, I don't mind making things a bit more troublesome." York's eyes flashed with a hint of red Haki.
The King didn't dare refuse. He immediately ordered his scribes to draft the decree.
Under York's watchful eye, a large group of Royal Guards used the island's unique ropeway system to descend from the mountain, heading to the various towns to deliver the summons.
York didn't care if those messengers contacted the Marines. He had just vaporized a Buster Call fleet and ten thousand soldiers a few weeks ago. He was confident that any nearby Marine branches would be very 'sensible' and only arrive after he had finished his business and left.
Several hours passed. The sky grew dark, and the biting cold set in, but not a single doctor had arrived yet.
York waved his hand. "Let's go inside. We'll occupy the palace until the doctors arrive!"
"WOOOO!!" the pirates cheered.
Living in a proper royal palace, eating royal food, and sleeping in royal beds was something these thugs had always dreamed of but never dared to attempt.
The King wanted to reprimand the rude pirates tracking snow and mud onto his carpets, but seeing the gleaming cutlasses and York's terrifying presence, he didn't dare let out a peep.
Once inside, the newly joined pirates immediately acted like wild dogs unleashed from their collars. They began ransacking the halls, pocketing silver candlesticks and smashing locked doors.
Among the boarding party, only a small handful of pirates remembered York's strict rules at the harbor. They stayed quietly behind York, making no aggressive movements.
The others, seeing that York wasn't actively stopping them, grew bolder.
One of the pirates dragged a terrified, beautiful young woman—one of the royal princesses—before York.
"Captain York!" the pirate grinned, shoving the crying woman forward. "This is the most beautiful princess here! Please, enjoy her!"
York stopped walking. With Shakky resting her hand on his left arm and Stussy on his right, York looked down at the pirate.
"Do you honestly think I need a common beauty?" York asked coldly.
The pirate froze. He looked at the two peerless, world-class beauties standing beside his Captain, and then at the princess he had just snatched. The comparison was laughable.
"I... it seems... I really don't," the pirate stammered, sweating profusely. "I'm sorry, Captain York. I was ignorant."
"No. Your heart is in the right place," York said, carefully observing the man.
He was about thirty years old, well-built, with a shrewd intelligence in his eyes. Considering he was the first pirate to actively try and curry favor with the Captain rather than just looting blindly, York decided to make an example of him.
"What's your name?" York asked.
"Scott, Captain!"
"Good. Scott," York paused briefly, then laughed heartily. "From now on, you are the First Squad Leader of the Crimson Harvest Pirates! Your status is second only to the core cadres!"
Scott's eyes widened in absolute shock and joy. "Thank you, Captain York!!"
"Furthermore," York continued, pointing at the trembling princess. "This woman you snatched is yours. Remember! She is the wife I bestowed upon you! Treat her well, or I'll kill you."
Scott's quick mind instantly grasped the deeper meaning of York's words. This wasn't just a reward; it was a leash. He immediately dropped to both knees.
"Thank you, Captain York! My life belongs to you forever!!"
"Hahahaha!" York waved his hand dismissively. "Go! Enjoy your new prize!"
Scott respectfully bowed, picked the weeping princess up by her waist, and carried her off to one of the royal bedchambers.
The surrounding pirates watched him leave, their eyes burning with intense jealousy and resentment.
"How did he get promoted so fast?!"
"That cunning bastard!"
"What a lucky son of a bitch..."
Standing beside York, Dragon silently took everything in. His brows furrowed deeply. The revolutionary's innate compassion was violently warring with the brutal reality of pirate life.
Sensing the tension, York spoke before Dragon could voice his disgust.
"Dragon," York ordered softly. "Go and quietly note down the names of the men who obeyed my orders at the harbor and stayed behind me just now."
Dragon looked up, surprised.
"In the future, those disciplined men will form the true core of our crew," York explained coldly. "As for the rest of these animals looting the halls... except for Scott, I will find opportunities to use them as cannon fodder until they are all dead."
Dragon's pupils contracted. He nodded slowly. He finally understood that York was not truly indulging the pirates; he was filtering them.
But as the sounds of looting and the cries of the royal family echoed through the palace, Dragon still hesitated.
York glanced at him, knowing exactly what was bothering the young man.
"Dragon," York said, his voice dropping to a chilling, philosophical whisper. "Remember this. The premise of the rule 'do not harm one's family' is that one does not benefit from one's family."
York looked at the terrified King and the crying nobles.
"These old nobles have enslaved others for generations. They have lived in unimaginable luxury built entirely on the broken backs of the poor. Perhaps there are some innocent individuals among their descendants who haven't personally committed any evil deeds."
York's eyes hardened. "But as long as those 'innocents' sit in palaces and passively enjoy the wealth created by their ancestors' atrocities, they are complicit. Do not carry a moral burden when we settle the accounts of history."
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