Holding two by the hand, stepping on two with his feet.
Rosse, in the most humiliating way imaginable, brought Maureen and the others into the palace.
Rosse used different methods for different people.
But toward those like Maureen and Edith, he only unleashed the darkest evils within himself.
The kinds of "games" he never used on Olvia or Moa were now being put to use.
———
[Four Hours Later]
Stella, who had been waiting by the door all this time, finally heard Rosse's voice calling her.
Without the slightest hesitation, Stella smiled faintly and pushed open the great doors of the palace.
The interior looked as if it had been swept through by the sea itself.
Stella knew this was all created by Rosse's Devil Fruit ability.
Her gaze swept over the shredded cloth and fresh blood on the floor, showing not a hint of surprise.
From the moment Rosse called for her, she already knew. Inside this palace, apart from Rosse, no other living presence remained. [T/N: 😐]
The last time Rosse had played this wildly was probably back in the Kingdom of Lanka, what was now the Jaygar Region.
Stella's thoughts drifted briefly, then she walked forward step by step, finally laying eyes on the three princesses, Edith and the others.
The three princesses were lined up in a row, kneeling and kowtowing toward the doorway. Between their thig*hs, all was blo*d. When Stella walked closer, she saw, six blo*d holes in total. The brutal*ty of the battle was clear enough.
A little further behind them, Maureen was sprawled in a full split, her expression utterly broken. The marks on her body were even more numerous than those of the three princesses combined.
And the two wounds she bore looked larger, deeper, than any of the others'.
"Master," Stella's face did not change in the slightest. She merely bent slightly at the waist and gave a respectful salute to Rosse, who sat upon the bed.
Sympathy?
She had no such worthless emotion.
The faces of these nobles, she'd seen them countless times back when she was a slave in the market.
They might appear noble and proper on the surface, but if she had been bought by them as a slave, her fate would have been far worse than the four before her.
At least they were indoors, facing only Rosse. Those female slaves bought purely for amusement… their deaths were much more miserable.
"Clean them up," Rosse said indifferently, "and send them back to King Perth exactly as they are."
He reached a hand toward her as he slowly stood.
Understanding perfectly, Stella stepped forward and helped Rosse change into the new clothes she had prepared.
The previous set had long been torn to shreds during the "battle."
"Yes."
Once Rosse was fully dressed, Stella bowed slightly and watched him walk out of the palace, until his figure vanished from sight.
Only then did she take out the prepared white cloth.
Keeping the four women's positions exactly as they were, she carefully wrapped each one.
Rosse's order was to keep them "exactly as they were." All she needed to do was obey.
———
[An Hour Later]
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
In the Figarland family mansion, King Perth stared blankly at the four "gifts" sent to him, completely breaking down.
Around him, several other kings and queens had gathered to watch the spectacle, their gazes toward Perth filled with a strange mix of horror and disbelief.
At the same time, their fear of the Celestial Dragons, and especially of Rosse, rose to new heights.
Today it was Perth. Next time, it could be any one of them.
True, it was Perth who had provoked Rosse first, and they had already heard about the general situation from the reports spread by Sora.
But seeing Maureen and the others' final fate… they couldn't help feeling a chill of pity and dread.
No one knew when they themselves might one day stand in Rosse's way.
Noticing the others' shaken faces, the seated Saint Garling revealed a look of satisfaction.
Since Rosse wasn't afraid of trouble, Garling had no reason not to help spread his "fame."
His own son had been stomped on and beaten by Rosse like that, how could Garling not be angry?
He couldn't win in a fight, sure. But that didn't mean he couldn't cause Rosse some problems.
Rosse wanted to unify the power of the allied nations? Fine. Garling would make sure that path wasn't smooth.
Even if Flevance hadn't turned out ideally, after today's reckless display by Rosse, those allied nations would be forced to think very carefully about their next moves.
———
[Jaygarcia Family Palace]
Inside the massive hot spring bath—
"Will what happened today affect your plans?", Titi, holding two small brushes, was gently scrubbing Rosse's back.
Beside Rosse, curled up like a kitten, was Conia.
These past few days in the Holy Land, Conia had finally gotten her wish, she'd given herself to Rosse. And that night, she alone had him all to herself.
The events of that night were known only to Rosse and Conia themselves… and to Gion, who had turned into a bat and secretly watched from the rafters.
The others didn't know the details, but Gion had said that Rosse was "very gentle" that night, far gentler than he usually was with her.
"Influence my plans? You're giving Garling too much credit," Rosse closed his eyes slightly, letting Titi continue scrubbing, the soft brush spreading the bath gel across his back.
"He shouldn't have gathered a whole crowd to watch Perth's humiliation. Only a pig-brain would think that was a good idea."
"Why do you say that?"
Titi asked curiously, pausing slightly, the brush strokes unconsciously lightening.
"Harder."
Rosse leaned back a little, feeling the ultimate softness pressing against him. The bath gel was probably overused already, poor Vivi would be the one to suffer for it tonight.
"The impact of a scene hits much harder than just a story. After seeing Maureen's fate with their own eyes, I doubt many of them would dare rebel. At most they'll mutter complaints in private. Garling's mistake was misjudging those nobles. They're not pirates, nor warriors, just a flock of weak, timid sheep."
"Was that how you saw Arabasta before?"
Titi sighed faintly, leaning forward slightly as she scrubbed harder per his command.
In truth, she should have hated Rosse.
At his side, there was no real respect. Only the constant breaking of her pride, her bottom line pushed lower and lower until every part of her was conquered.
Her becoming what she was now, all of it was Rosse's doing.
If not for the forced encounter back on Drum Island, there wouldn't have been Vivi, and there wouldn't be this her either.
She couldn't say whether it was good or bad.
Now, she felt light and unburdened, but also strangely sentimental.
"It was before," Rosse said calmly, showing no mercy for Titi's feelings.
"But not anymore. The Arabasta from before looked like a juicy piece of meat to me. Without strength to protect yourselves, even if I hadn't taken it, someone else would have. Maybe a pirate, maybe someone else."
"I know…", Titi murmured, voice low, "Recently, a pirate called Crocodile came. He calls himself the 'Desert King.' Wanted to stay in Arabasta for a while. He's really strong, we couldn't even fight back. Even Miss Zannie could only barely drive him off."
If not for Rosse's protection, Arabasta might already have fallen under Crocodile's control. There'd be no such thing as peace or prosperity now.
And being on the Grand Line, Titi knew perfectly well what pirates were like.
If Crocodile had succeeded, her fate would've been far worse than this.
"Saint Rosse…"
"Hmm?"
"Oh no…"
"Tch!"
[T/N: I don't get it, is Garling this stupid? He bowed to Rosse during entrance in front of whole world, showing he was below him and the exact next day he shows everyone how cruel Rosse is and thinks they will rebel Rosse for him?]