The World Government's intelligence and propaganda capabilities were formidable.
Just a few days after York conquered the Vodka Kingdom, news of the warrior nation's destruction and its occupation by an Emperor-tier pirate armada dominated the front pages of the World Economic Journal.
The name of the Crimson Harvest Pirates once again resounded across the globe, striking terror into the hearts of the public.
However, as was standard procedure for the World Government, the news reported was nine parts true and one part highly manipulated fiction. By carefully redacting key contextual information and inserting specific, sensational keywords, York and the Crimson Harvest were portrayed as complete and utter villains—bloodthirsty tyrants who had massacred an innocent kingdom unprovoked.
As for the truth about the Vodka Kingdom—why its citizens were actually eager to accept the rule of the Crimson Harvest, the systemic abuse of the former King, and York's subsequent sweeping land reforms—not a single word was allowed to see the ink of the newspapers.
Of course, such heavily biased reports were completely disregarded by York himself. And surprisingly, even most ordinary civilians, unaware of the truth, simply read the headline, sighed, and muttered, "Another great pirate capable of destroying a nation has appeared."
It wasn't that an event as major as nation-destruction wasn't sensational; it was because the world was growing numb. The late Rocks D. Xebec had destroyed nations before. And now, concurrently, there were super-armadas roaming the seas like the Roger Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, and Golden Lion Shiki's Flying Armada.
The public was becoming desensitized to the continuous emergence of these walking natural disasters. It felt as if the destruction of the Rocks Pirates hadn't brought peace, but had instead ushered in an even more despairing, chaotic era.
Precisely because of this overwhelming global anxiety, Monkey D. Garp—the Marine Hero heavily promoted by the World Government's propaganda machine—became even more deeply ingrained as a beacon of hope in people's hearts.
Correspondingly, out of sheer terror, various affiliated nations proactively increased the amount of Heavenly Gold they paid in tribute to the Celestial Dragons. They desperately hoped that through increased economic funding, the Marines, under the leadership of heroes like Garp and Sengoku, could quell the chaos on the seas as soon as possible.
Just like that, half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
During this six-month period, the Vodka Kingdom did not launch a single foreign war of plunder. Instead, under York's meticulous governance, the entire nation turned inward, focusing on infrastructure and agriculture. The newly founded Crimson Empire gradually and stably prospered.
On a bright morning, a large, highly advanced ship bearing the four English letters MADS painted on its hull slowly docked at the Empire's newly constructed deep-water port.
A young man with a head shaped like an elongated light bulb—a brain case almost the same size as his actual torso—led three peers of varying, bizarre appearances down the gangway. They gazed out at this island they had previously never even considered visiting.
"Is this really the Vodka Kingdom?" Vinsmoke Judge muttered, his tall, imposing figure clad in a scientific lab coat. "It's quite different from what the geopolitical rumors said."
"Well, obviously!" a rotund, funky-looking scientist chomping on a cigar—Queen—laughed loudly. "It's the Crimson Empire now! And the King is Lord York! It's only natural for it to be completely different from before, you idiot!"
A much younger, gaunt man with a sinister, gaseous aura—Caesar Clown—snickered behind them, already calculating how he could benefit from this new environment.
These four uniquely shaped individuals were the core of the legendary MADS research institute: Vegapunk, Queen, Vinsmoke Judge, and Caesar Clown.
The official responsible for greeting them had actually been waiting at the port for a while. Seeing the eccentric geniuses disembark, he immediately escorted them to the Royal Capital.
Compared to half a year ago, the capital had been completely renovated and rebuilt. There was absolutely no trace of the blood-soaked, corpse-strewn battlefield it had once been.
York personally received the four scientists in the grand hall of the Royal Palace. Standing beside the throne was a slim, well-dressed older man.
"Welcome to the Crimson Empire," York greeted them warmly. He gestured to the man beside him. "Allow me to introduce you to Dr. Myscina Asie. He created Pure Gold exactly 163 years ago, and is arguably the world's absolute top authority in material science today."
"Dr. Asie?!" Vegapunk gasped, his massive head leaning forward.
"Created Pure Gold 163 years ago?!" Queen's jaw dropped, his cigar falling from his mouth.
The MADS quartet was collectively stunned.
"This is a joke, right?!" Caesar shrieked, his eyes bulging. "How could someone from over a century and a half ago still be alive right now?!"
While Queen, Judge, and Caesar instinctively rejected the impossibility of it, the unparalleled genius Vegapunk was the first to logically process the information.
"If Pure Gold truly possesses the legendary, rumored ability to halt the aging process and grant eternal life," Vegapunk muttered, his eyes shining with scientific fervor, "then this is indeed not biologically impossible."
"It's truly unbelievable," Judge couldn't help but exhale, staring at Asie with profound respect. "This world is indeed full of miracles! Today, we actually get to meet a living pioneer who previously only existed in our historical textbooks!"
As the world's top four active scientific minds, the MADS quartet had always been fiercely at odds with each other, with only Vegapunk consistently and frustratingly outperforming the other three. Besides each other, the only scientists they respected were the long-dead pioneers whose names graced the pages of scientific history.
Asie, as the legendary alchemist who successfully synthesized Pure Gold, was naturally one of those revered pioneers.
At this moment, Vegapunk and the others truly felt the surreal illusion of a historical idol stepping out of a myth and into reality.
Asie scratched his cheek sheepishly. Having been subjected to York's strict diet and rehabilitation, he had slimmed down from his formerly obese, dinosaur-costume-wearing figure into a healthy, normal-looking man.
Looking at the intensely admiring gazes of the four strongest scientists in the modern world, Asie coughed with slight embarrassment. "Ah, actually... I didn't develop Pure Gold for any grand scientific pursuit. I simply forged it to cure my daughter's illness..."
York sat on his throne, quietly watching the five generational geniuses get acquainted.
Once their initial shock and excitement had settled, York leaned forward, returning to business.
"The reason I called you back to my territory this time is twofold," York stated, his voice echoing in the hall. "First, to review your technological progress. Second, there is a highly classified matter I'd like to discuss with you."
Hearing the shift in tone, Vegapunk put aside his casual thoughts and stepped forward, formally reporting their current research achievements to York.
Besides a few peculiar, highly destructive weapon concepts—like Queen's viruses or Judge's explosive gunpowder blooms, which York deemed to have no significant practical effect for his current goals—Vegapunk revealed their greatest breakthrough.
Prompted by York's specific, futuristic hints half a year ago, Vegapunk and his team had prematurely succeeded in discovering the ultimate blueprint of life.
"We have successfully isolated and proven the existence of the Lineage Factor," Vegapunk announced, adjusting his glasses.
Upon hearing this, York's eyes immediately lit up with intense, burning ambition.
"You've successfully mapped the Lineage Factor?!" York asked, leaning forward eagerly.
Vegapunk nodded gently, though a hint of scientific guilt flashed across his face. "Yes, Your Majesty. However... although the Lineage Factor has been discovered and isolated, the practical methodology of how to successfully splice, clone, or utilize it is still in the theoretical research phase..."
The Lineage Factor (the blueprint of life itself) involved the most fundamental, god-like secrets of the human body and Devil Fruits. It was entirely expected that they wouldn't be able to weaponize or apply it immediately upon its discovery.
York did not blame Vegapunk in the slightest. Instead, he laughed heartily and waved his hand grandly.
"Excellent! To have successfully discovered the blueprint of life in just half a year... your research progress has far exceeded my highest expectations!" York declared. "Next week, I will allocate another 20 Billion Berries directly to your laboratory for further research! I expect you all to strive for even greater, world-altering achievements!"
Upon hearing that their funding was being injected with another 20 Billion Berries, the MADS quartet couldn't help but tremble with excitement. Queen, Judge, and Caesar, in particular, repeatedly guaranteed that they would produce results that would conquer the world.
Once the scientists had finished celebrating their massive grant, York's smile faded into something far more serious.
"The funds and the protection are my absolute support for your research," York continued, his gaze sweeping over the four men. "Next are my conditions. And I expect you to agree to them."
"Conditions? What conditions?" Vegapunk instinctively asked, his tone cautious.
"I require the MADS research institute, and all of its personnel, to permanently relocate into the Mirror World from now on," York stated firmly.
"The Mirror World?!" Queen gasped.
The MADS quartet, having worked with the Crimson Harvest before, knew exactly what the Mirror World was: an independent, pocket dimension connected exclusively through Stussy's Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability.
Once inside, without York or Stussy's explicit permission, they would absolutely not be able to leave that dimension. It was the ultimate, inescapable fortress.
The immediate implication of York's words was crystal clear: he was taking absolute control of their personal freedom to ensure that their world-breaking research results would never fall into the hands of the Marines or rival Emperors.
Hearing this, the quartet instinctively felt a surge of resistance. They were free-spirited, arrogant geniuses.
However, they were also highly logical men. They quickly understood that York's approach was entirely reasonable. If they were in York's position—funding a multi-billion Berry project that could rewrite the laws of biology—they would absolutely do the exact same thing to protect their investment. Careless underworld patrons like 'Loan Shark King' Du Feld, who merely threw money at them and asked no questions about security, were actually the foolish anomalies.
Thus, after a brief, tense consideration, the quartet ultimately nodded, agreeing to the conditions proposed by the Emperor.
Correspondingly, Vegapunk sternly reiterated their original, foundational agreement with York: that York would continue to fund them unconditionally, and that their core research wouldn't be mindlessly exploited.
To this, York, the First King of the Crimson Empire, solemnly reaffirmed his absolute commitment to their mutual ascension.
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