Originally, Cydrick had been summoned by First Prince Byrd to lead the First Legion to the capital, Nakor, as reinforcement. To reach Nakor as quickly as possible, he decided to take a shortcut through the Corisdo Grand Canyon with half his army, while the other half took the main road.
However, just as his army passed through the canyon, the garrison stationed at Micity Port sent an urgent distress call via Den Den Mushi, reporting that monsters and a large pirate fleet were attacking the port and had already breached its defenses.
Cydrick immediately sensed trouble.
The Micity Port garrison had twenty thousand troops and nearly thirty warships. For them to be breached so quickly was alarming.
Considering that First Prince Byrd had tens of thousands of troops under his command in Nakor and wouldn't be defeated so quickly, Cydrick decided to personally lead his contingent back to rescue Micity Port. As for the army on the main road, they would continue to Nakor.
But as his army returned along the canyon, they first encountered a group of routing soldiers, and then, before even leaving the canyon, they were attacked by a overwhelming swarm of stone and metal monsters.
His entire army of forty thousand was massacred in an incredibly short time, blood flowing like rivers, with countless casualties. If not for his strict discipline, the army would have long since collapsed. Even so, the remaining forces were now on the verge of breaking.
"Our purpose, you ask..." Dimitri smirked cruelly, stating bluntly, "Of course, it's to conquer this country."
There was no need for Aeridar to conceal their intentions to avoid multiple factions ganging up on them, but for Dimitri and his group, their mission was to push all the way to the capital, so there was no need for secrecy.
"Hiss! You... you're insane, aren't you?" Cydrick gasped, staring at Dimitri in disbelief.
"Hahaha! Since we dared to come, we naturally made all the necessary preparations," Enrod laughed heartily.
"You won't succeed. You underestimate the strength of this Kingdom too much," Cydrick declared confidently.
As the Minister of Military Affairs for the Clifford Kingdom, he naturally knew the extent of the Kingdom's power: four hundred thousand well-trained elite troops, dozens of warships, several masters no weaker than bounty heads exceeding 100 million Berries, and even a top-tier swordsman comparable to a Great Pirate.
Unless an Emperor attacked, even a large pirate fleet would struggle to make headway against them, let alone these current adversaries. While their strength was undeniable, and they possessed the ability to control these monsters, it was still not enough to face the Kingdom's full might.
"Do you think it's just us?" Dimitri grinned. "My captain has already gone to the capital to help your prince contend for the throne... By now, he's probably dealt with most of it."
"Third Prince!!!" Cydrick's pupils sharply constricted. A single person flashed across his mind like lightning. Among all the princes, only the Third Prince, Casey, had an unknown powerful force under his command, rumored to be pirates from overseas.
'Could it be...? And their captain wasn't here, yet they could subdue so many masters. Their strength must be immense...' He quickly shook his head, the thought alone terrifying him.
Cydrick dared not delve deeper, as if to steel himself, he declared, "What a joke. With a great swordsman like Saxon the Sea Splitter guarding the capital, you unknown, second-rate pirates, no matter how many of you there are, will never be a match for a single stroke of his blade!"
"Second-rate, unknown pirates?"
From high above, Ward, the Paperman, pressed his white top hat, glaring down with a sinister expression. Enrod's grip tightened on his katana, and Dimitri sneered repeatedly. None of these pirates were known for their good temper, and being spoken to in such a manner only fueled their inner fire.
"Let me show you the power of us 'second-rate, unknown pirates'!" Ward's paper wings flapped, holding him aloft. He extended his right hand, and countless square white papers instantly converged, forming a white long spear.
Hum!
Ward gripped the spear, and a dark black surge enveloped it, transforming the white paper spear into a pitch-black, metallic-sheened iron spear.
Armament Hardening: Paper Spear!!!
Whoosh!
With a flash of his white wings, Ward shot towards Cydrick like an arrow, incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he was directly above his opponent, thrusting his black spear downward as if tearing through the very air.
Clang!
Cydrick retreated a step, raising his spear to parry. The two long spears instantly collided, producing a piercing metallic clang that stirred the surrounding air and unleashed a powerful gust of wind. However, Cydrick possessed immense strength, deflecting the black spear descending from above with a single thrust.
At that moment, Enrod flashed forward, his blade light like lightning, its sharpness aimed directly at Cydrick's neck.
"Scattering Nail Gun!!!"
Cydrick roared, extending his left hand. His five fingers pointed towards Enrod, and suddenly, five gunmetal-colored thin nails pierced through the flesh of his fingertips, shooting out.
"This is bad!"
Enrod abruptly stopped, twirling his long sword furiously in front of him, consecutively slicing through the incoming nails.
Clang, clang, clang...
All five thin nails were cut in half, falling to the ground. Then, Cydrick, without waiting for Ward to continue his attack, turned his body and fled.
That's right, he turned and ran.
"Damn it!"
Dimitri, riding 'Taigo', nearly popped his eyeballs out. He had been preparing to seize the opportunity for a sneak attack, but his opponent shamelessly ran away. Of course, he also didn't consider how shameless it was for the three of them to gang up on one person.
"I'll go too!"
Ward and Enrod were initially stunned, not understanding what their opponent was doing. But when Cydrick had run a few dozen meters, they both realized and quickly gave chase.
Cydrick knew his own strength. In a one-on-one fight, he was confident of winning; in a two-on-one, he was confident of a draw, but in a three-on-one, he would lose.
Moreover, there were not just these three masters, but several more, along with those indestructible monsters.
He had no chance of winning at all. Continuing to fight would likely lead to his death. It was better to run back to the capital and expose the pirates' true objective.
Ward, capable of flight, was the fastest and quickly reached behind Cydrick.
"Continuous Scattering Nail Gun!!!"
As he ran, Cydrick continuously flung his hand backward.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Tens, then dozens, of tiny black shadows came tearing through the air, some heading for Ward, others for Enrod, incredibly fast and urgent.
Facing the incoming tiny black shadows, Ward and Enrod clearly saw that they were tens of dozens of thin nails, and they could even sense the power of Armament Haki wrapped around them.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Helplessly, Ward and Enrod quickly stopped.
Countless square white paper pieces converged in front of Ward, forming a large triangular shield. At the same time, Armament Haki covered it, creating a pitch-black iron shield that blocked the thin nails' attacks with ease.
As for Enrod, he naturally relied on his quick sword slashes. With several lightning-fast strikes, sparks flew in the air as he cut down all the incoming dozen or so nails, demonstrating his exquisite swordsmanship and incredible speed.
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