"So strong...", Feeling the intense pressure brought by rapidly ascending into the sky, Sora subconsciously let out an exclamation.
Even though she had previously witnessed Rosse casually create a hundred-meter-deep sea trench, this, bringing a ship flying tens of thousands of meters into the sky, was simply not the same concept.
The warship beneath their feet had already soared into the clouds, at least several thousand meters high.
Moreover, as the altitude passed a thousand meters, the Reverse Mounatin's sea current beside them began to be cut off, the seawater continuously converging beneath the ship's hull, continuing to push them upward.
"It is very strong, but he just likes to mess around," Gion sighed, her blood-red bat wings spreading out, wrapping Stella and Sora within them.
"With Master's strength, it doesn't really count as messing around. He only does things he's highly confident in," Stella wore a brilliant smile at the corner of her mouth, her admiring gaze resting on Rosse.
Having followed Rosse for so long, she had already gotten used to this kind of life.
Compared to the hell that imprisoned her for three years, her current life was so good it was hard to believe.
"Wow!"
"Pfft, Reiju really seems to love this kind of soaring feeling," Looking at the excitedly flailing Reiju, Gion couldn't help but smile.
She always felt that Reiju wouldn't be too well-behaved in the future, just like Ace, who was still in the Holy Land. From birth, he already seemed lively.
With these two little ones in the future, things would definitely be more interesting.
With the assistance of the rising seawater, the warship quickly passed over Reverse Mountain and hovered at a height of over a thousand meters above the peak.
"Come take a look," Rosse lightly waved his right hand, and the Trident of the Sea God was retracted by him.
He didn't need a weapon to use his abilities, but always felt that this pose looked cooler, better than clenching fists and crouching down to punch hard. [T/N: 🙄]
Strength may be temporary, but style lasts a lifetime.
"Coming."
Gion and the others heard Rosse's call, and knowing it was now safe, they all ran to his side and looked down.
Rosse also walked to their side, quietly observing below.
A massive red mountain range stood tall beneath them. Four sea currents from the East, South, West, and North Blues seemed to defy the laws of physics, surging upward to converge at the top, then flowing downward through the only passage.
That downward-flowing waterway led to the first half of the Grand Line.
The five water currents converged at the peak of Reverse Mountain, forming a strange yet breathtakingly beautiful sight that captivated anyone who saw it.
"A city can be built in a place like this?", It was Gion's first time looking down at Reverse Mountain from this angle, and she voiced her doubt.
After all, according to Rosse's idea, a giant city would be built on Reverse Mountain.
But looking at the five raging waterways below, it didn't seem like a place where a city could be built.
"It's possible, don't underestimate the power of the World Government. Just the number of Earth-type solidification ability users alone, there are at least over twenty," Rosse smiled.
He wasn't worried about the city-building issue. Even Mary Geoise eight hundred years ago had more treacherous terrain than here, and the World Government still found a way.
It's just that Mary Geoise wasn't built on a waterway, but rather on the land beside one.
But this time, the city he wanted to build on Reverse Mountain would encompass the waterways within.
"If the World Government has such power, why didn't they build a city here before? If they blocked this place, ordinary pirates would have no way to enter the Grand Line, right?", Sora raised her question. As the queen of Germa Kingdom for the past few years, she had a decent understanding of the world's structure.
The Four Blues accounted for eighty percent of the world's population, but due to the rarity of Haki and Devil Fruits, and the lack of systematic training, the overall combat power of the Four Seas was weak.
Instead, the Grand Line, because of its harsh climate and fierce people, had much stronger combat power.
Those pirates from the Four Seas, once entered the Grand Line, mostly perished in the first half. But still, quite a few managed to stand out and become strong pirates of the New World.
"Because of cost issues, or rather, those Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land are used to looking down on others, they simply despise those pirates," Rosse gently shook his head and explained Sora's question, "Building a city here would require at least several hundred billion Berries, and the maintenance costs afterward would be astronomical. Comparatively, the World Government would rather spend less money maintaining the navy, it's not only cheaper but more effective."
"Besides, even if you cut off the pirates' route through Reverse Mountain, they can still find ways to cross the Calm Belt, or study how to become stronger in the Four Blues."
"Rather than letting them figure out how to grow stronger in the Four Blues, better to let them kill each other in the Grand Line."
"There weren't many pirates before, so it was fine, but now that Roger started the Great Pirate Era, it must be bad for the World Government, right?", Sora frowned in concern.
She had been reading a lot lately, so she understood more and naturally had more doubts.
"That's nothing to worry about. Although the number of pirates seems high now, it's still within a controllable range. The World Government has no intention of suppressing them. In fact, they're even a bit laissez-faire¹."
Thinking of those old fogeys' mindsets, Rosse couldn't help but sneer.
The Celestial Dragons were like bandits in power, completely ignorant of what capital exploitation meant, only knowing how to plunder barbarically, almost as if they wrote "robbery" on their faces.
"Laissez-faire?", Sora was a bit surprised.
"If there aren't many pirates, how will allied nations pay the Heavenly Tribute?", Rosse's rhetorical question left Sora momentarily speechless.
The Germa Kingdom made its living through mercenary work, so she knew exactly what that meant.
If the world were peaceful, Germa Kingdom would have no commissions, and the World Government's navy would be out of a job too.
'But raising bandits to strengthen one's own position, is that really right?'
"This kind of behavior is foolish, but I can't change it right now. So for now, this is all I can do. Maybe once I become one of the Five Elders, I can gradually change the situation," Rosse drew a big vision, his gaze burning as he looked around, the people here were all his confidants, his future team.
"Saint Rosse, I believe in you," Gion was the first to speak. She didn't understand those complex political concepts, but she could understand these simple words.
Ever since following Rosse out to sea, she had seen too many evil deeds. Not just from pirates, but from the navy and the World Government too. There wasn't a single good apple.
Although Rosse didn't always act humane, at least he was trying to make a change. That was enough for Gion.
"Your Highness, I believe in you too," Sora playfully winked at Rosse. She understood that Rosse was trying to win loyalty, but in a world like this, a boss willing to promise a better future was already rare and precious.
Besides, her heart was already entirely Rosse's, so of course she stood by her man.
"Hope the future gets better,".Zephyr looked down at the five water flows below and exhaled lightly.
Just this act of building a city on Reverse Mountain made Rosse worthy of his undying loyalty.
Though this wouldn't directly reduce the number of pirates, it could effectively lower the probability of pirates growing powerful.
And hearing Rosse's disdain for using bandits for political leverage, Zephyr knew Rosse had a better way, and was willing to wait for the answer.
After enough cycles, maybe pirates really would disappear from history.
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