From the port town, slaughtering all the way to the center of the island.
The army, weakened by the new Saxon King's policies, could not hinder the Rocks Pirates' advance at all.
And accompanying the slaughter and advancement, York saw another side of this country.
The Saxon Kingdom, known as one of the few wealthiest kingdoms in the New World, was also once one of the top-ranking nations in military power.
The port town where York first landed fit this description perfectly.
Not only were there a large number of troops stationed there, but the decoration of each residence was exceptionally exquisite and luxurious.
Those fodder pirates under the Rocks Pirates' banner were still plundering that port town.
However, as he entered the inland, he saw a large number of starving serfs.
Each of them was either emaciated with protruding bellies or swollen all over.
The former was due to extreme hunger leading to eating too much mud, and the latter was also due to extreme hunger causing edema.
Even so, they still had to drag their dying bodies to work in the fields.
Yet, despite the fields being full of lush green wheat seedlings, York still witnessed a scene of two starving people exchanging their children who had already starved to death.
"Exchanging children to eat?"
York had seen these words quite often in history books in his previous life, but it was his first time witnessing it with his own eyes.
So York charged into the nearest noble estate.
No, accurately speaking, this wasn't an estate; it was a castle.
A typical Western-style ancient castle, just not as grand and magnificent as those famous tourist attractions in York's previous life.
On the castle walls, a group of energetic soldiers were keeping watch, and a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes stood on the tower, responsible for command or supervision.
"Pirate! You can't take this place down! Retreat!!"
The gorgeously dressed middle-aged noble didn't speak harshly; he simply told York to leave.
Seeing this, York temporarily suppressed the anger in his heart and asked, "Are all these fields outside the castle yours?"
The middle-aged noble's expression remained unchanged as he shouted sternly at York: "That has nothing to do with you! Get lost quickly! Pirate!"
York frowned slightly, then a smile appeared on his face.
He sheathed his long sword, which was stained red with blood, clasped his hands together, and began to emit Holy Light from his entire body like a Buddha.
"The Sin of Hunger!"
"Countless people have died of hunger on your land, so I shall bestow upon you the joy of being full!"
Holy white light shone below the castle walls. None of the people observing from the walls escaped it; their bodies shook collectively, and then happy smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously.
"My stomach is so full... I can't walk."
*Boom!*
York raised his hand and destroyed the castle gate with externally emitted Armament Haki.
Then, radiating Holy Light from his entire body, he walked a complete circle inside the castle, including every corner, finding all the people hiding and bestowing upon them the joy of being full.
By the time York left the castle, a group of pirates had finally arrived from the port town.
York put away his ability ahead of time and met with them.
"The people in the castle have lost their ability to resist. Don't hurt them; just take all the wealth."
"Of course, if you are interested in the noblewomen inside, playing with them doesn't matter."
With that, York left the place directly and headed for the next noble castle.
The group of pirates glanced at York's retreating figure, hesitated no longer, and rushed into the castle quickly.
"Kill!"
With a wave of their blades, several guards were immediately cut down. But soon, someone noticed that after these people were hacked to death, their faces showed the despair and terror expected before death.
However, aside from those they killed, everyone else's face wore a satisfied smile.
They recognized this kind of smile, and they were very familiar with it.
York sought out Rocks for "advanced studies" almost every half-month, and they were illuminated by the Happy Holy Light almost every half-month as well.
At that time, the expressions on the faces of countless partners were exactly like this.
It was just that back then, they were completely immersed in happiness and didn't feel anything was wrong.
But now, as bystanders, they suddenly felt it was a bit creepy.
"The feeling of being full, it's so wonderful~~"
The gorgeously dressed middle-aged noble appeared in front of the pirates.
The pirates raised their blades, looking vigilant, but the middle-aged noble let out a loud burp.
"No... you are not allowed to rob my family's treasure! *Burp*~ Come... someone come! Kill this group of pirates for me!"
"No... can't do it, Master..."
"Our stomachs are too full, can't move. Wait for us to digest..."
"Bastards!"
The guards' reaction infuriated the noble master, but he himself had little mobility because his stomach was too stuffed.
Seeing that their movements were all slow and leisurely, the pirates' expressions gradually changed from terror to sinister grins.
With a wave of their blades, they casually hacked the noble master to death and rushed into the castle to plunder wildly.
During this time, screams of female family members rang out frequently, but this no longer had anything to do with York.
...
Several days later.
The plundering of the Saxon Kingdom was complete.
This country really didn't have a single strong person left. Occasionally, some people who could be called experts appeared, but they basically couldn't withstand a single move from Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and the others.
The Rocks Pirates, including Rocks' flagship, filled all 28 pirate ships with valuable goods and sailed away swaggering before the Marines arrived.
On the island, a large group of commoners watched the retreating figures of the Rocks Pirates with deep resentment in their eyes.
They didn't hate the Rocks Pirates for taking the island's wealth, but...
"Why didn't you kill all the nobles!!"
When the Marines arrived belatedly at this island, the whole island seemed to have returned to its original state.
A large number of commoners were oppressed, while the nobles lived in luxury.
Only...
The leading Marine Vice Admiral eventually discovered an anomaly.
That was, when the nobles hosted them, they indeed filled the tables with delicious food and fine wine, but they themselves didn't eat a single bite.
The leader of this operation was Sengoku.
He asked the new Saxon King.
"Your Majesty, why aren't you eating any of this delicious food?"
"Because we aren't hungry."
The King, who hadn't ingested a drop of water or a grain of rice for three days, had severely deformed facial skin, yet he still smiled and remained indifferent to the food.
"Your Majesty, are you really not hungry? Are you ill? Do you need me to find a doctor for you?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Vice Admiral Sengoku, but there's no need. We truly aren't hungry. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other nobles."
"We have received divine protection and will no longer be troubled by hunger."
"We no longer need to drink a drop of water or eat a grain of rice to maintain our health! This is the benevolent reward we received for not pursuing military force and following the path of peace!"