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"You... you're a Marine?"
Hearing his location revealed, a young boy, who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen, walked out from an inconspicuous corner.
His face was grimy, a deliberate attempt to conceal his true appearance. It was the hunted royal, Lionel Andrew!
For the past few days, he had been doing his best to hide his tracks. Fortunately, Pizarro didn't pay him much mind.
Otherwise, with his clumsy anti-tracking skills, he would have likely been sent to meet his royal parents long ago.
"Yep~ Admiral Sengoku sent us. We're here to save this country."
Looking at the down-and-out prince before him, Atlas felt no contempt. Instead, he sized him up with great interest.
His clothes were tattered but still undeniably fine, and his slightly haggard face was pale, with sunken cheeks. Prince Andrew hadn't been faring well.
THUD—!!
"Wah! Please, I beg you to save this country!"
As soon as he spoke, Andrew, who had been holding it all together, could no longer control the fear and grief in his heart.
He burst into tears with a "wah," his legs giving out as he knelt before the Marines, snot and tears streaming down his face, showing none of the poise of a prince.
"Get up first. Stop crying and tell me the general situation here."
Atlas casually raised a hand, and Andrew, who had been kneeling on the ground, was instantly lifted to his feet. Atlas was quite satisfied with the boy's attitude.
Perhaps due to his young age, he didn't have that typical aristocratic arrogance. Otherwise, after he dealt with Pizarro, it would be uncertain who the crown would fall to.
"The pirate who occupied the Chris Kingdom is named Pizarro. I heard the other pirates call him the Evil Tyrant King."
"Right now, besides the pirates Pizarro brought with him, there are other pirates who have landed on the island one after another. There aren't many of them, but they..."
"...The moment they landed, they began to burn, kill, and plunder the island's residents. Pizarro and his crew are living in the former royal palace."
"The other pirates are in the middle of the kingdom, guarding the palace. The outermost ring is where the surviving civilians and some nobles are."
Although nervous, Andrew's good upbringing allowed him to clearly and logically describe the current state of the kingdom.
"The inner two layers are occupied only by pirates?" Atlas asked solemnly.
Although he had used his Observation Haki for a rough scan when he landed, Haki wasn't omnipotent.
When it came to understanding the situation, he certainly couldn't compare to Andrew, who had experienced it firsthand.
"Mhm!" Andrew nodded heavily.
Even though he had already requested help from the Marines and had even promised the World Government officials certain conditions, he knew in his heart that as the sole legal heir to this country, he had to bear the necessary responsibilities of royalty.
So, he had taken great risks to gather intelligence on the state of the country.
"Alright, I understand. Do you want to come with us, or stay here?"
"I... want to go with you!" Andrew summoned his courage, displaying the proper quality of a kingdom's heir.
"Very good. Keep up."
Nodding with satisfaction, Atlas strode forward with the Marines. He didn't ask Andrew to lead the way. With his Observation Haki, it would be a joke if he got lost on land.
The territory of the Chris Kingdom wasn't very large, consisting of only a few small towns. In the second ring was the country's largest tavern, originally run by a nobleman.
Now, not only had the tavern changed hands, but it had also become the largest gathering place for pirates in the Chris Kingdom.
Pirates, after all, only pursued a few things in life, and alcohol happened to be one of them.
"Hey! Do you think Lord Evil Tyrant King wants to turn this country into a pirate nation? Hahaha!"
"Probably. Otherwise, he wouldn't let outside pirates like us in."
"The New World is getting harder and harder to survive in. Only in a lawless place like a pirate nation can you be a little freer. To hell with the Emperors of the Sea!"
"Shh~ Keep it down. If one of the Emperors heard you, they wouldn't even have to lift a finger themselves. There are plenty of pirates willing to do their dirty work for them."
Inside the spacious tavern, boisterous pirates gathered in groups, all looking fierce with guns and swords at their waists, chatting and talking nonsense without a care in the world.
Being a pirate was hard work. Not only did they have to face being hunted by the Marines and backstabbed by their peers every day, but they also had to endure the boredom of life at sea.
So, most of them could only vent their frustrations through alcohol; otherwise, they'd drive themselves mad.
"Speaking of the Emperors of the Sea, that reminds me of something..."
Suddenly, a pirate with a bare chest, a patch of dark chest hair exposed to the air, said with a drunken, gossipy look on his face.
"Huh? What is it? That Kaido of the Beasts was captured? That's old news, isn't it?" another pirate said with a look of disdain.
"Tch~ The Marines said they sentenced Kaido to death, but that's just a joke. How many times has it been now?"
"That's true..."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't get sidetracked! I was talking about Lord Evil Tyrant King," the chest-haired pirate interrupted with dissatisfaction.
"Lord Evil Tyrant King? Are you trying to get yourself killed, talking about him on his own turf? Are you drunk?" his companion reminded him in a low voice.
"Hic~ Get lost, I'm not drunk. I heard that Big Mom wanted Lord Evil Tyrant King as a son-in-law, but he was rejected."
"You know Big Mom's temper. Do you think he, Pizarro, can stay here safely?"
The chest-haired pirate let out a satisfying belch, pushed aside his companion, and began to spill the beans.
At these words, the pirates were first stunned, and the entire room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then, as if realising the implications, a huge uproar erupted.
"Hey, hey, hey! No way! He actually dared to offend Big Mom!"
"Then shouldn't we get out of Broccoli Island as soon as possible? With Big Mom's temper, the executives she sent to attack are probably on their way right now! I don't want to get caught in the crossfire!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Although Pizarro is strong, he's probably no match for the Big Mom Pirates."
"Yeah, yeah! Even though the Big Mom Pirates completely crushed the alliance of pirates who were stronger than Pizarro a few years ago!"
After hearing this news, many of the pirates already had the idea of retreating.
Regardless of whether the news was true or false, they were unwilling to risk their lives to find out. It is human nature to seek advantages and avoid harm.
CREAK—!
The tavern door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a voice devoid of any emotion cut into the pirates' discussion.
"Ah, my apologies, but you all..."
"Probably won't be able to leave!!"
"Huh? A Marine!"
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not drunk, am I? That man couldn't be..."
"The Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate—White Hō!!!"
CRASH-CLANG-BANG—!!
Hearing this, the pirates' faces first turned angry, but after getting a clear look at Atlas's face at the front, they fell into a complete panic.
They began to scramble, and the sound of tables and chairs being overturned filled the room.
This was the monster who had fought Kaido of the Beasts for three days and three nights to a standstill!
If the threat from Big Mom was a possibility in the future, the deadly pressure from this young Marine was here and now.
A group of pirates who were scared out of their wits just by hearing Big Mom's name—what courage could you expect them to have against a Marine Admiral Candidate of the same calibre?
"Just a bunch of fodder pirates," Atlas said, his gaze slowly sweeping over the pirates' uncertain and fearful eyes.
There were no opponents worth looking forward to. The strongest among them was barely at the level of a Supernova.
Even if they had learned Armament Haki, they were just slightly bigger fodder.
"You..." A hot-tempered pirate's face flushed red with anger at Atlas's contemptuous taunt, but his companions quickly stopped him.
Although they didn't know Atlas's purpose, it was best not to provoke this high-ranking Marine right now.
"They're all yours, Smoker!"
"And remember..."
"Leave no one alive!!"
Not planning to get involved, Atlas turned and led Andrew out of the tavern. Pirates of this level could be handled by his subordinates.
The current Smoker and Kyros were both proficient in two types of Haki. One was a Logia user, the other was a master swordsman. Dealing with this group of pirates was more than enough.
"Yes, Vice Admiral, sir!" The voice was firm and powerful. Over two hundred men had landed with Atlas this time.
Besides Commodore Smoker, there were several other commissioned officers, including Kyros.
Although most of them were surrounding the tavern, the combined shout of the dozens of men inside was enough to make the hearts of the panicked pirates tremble.
BANG!
The tavern door closed again, and Atlas's figure disappeared from their sight. The previously quiet pirates erupted like a pot of boiling water.
"Damn Marine! Just an arrogant brat!"
"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't mishear, did I? He wants to let these grunts deal with us? Hahaha!"
"How insulting!"
"When White Hō comes back in and sees the floor covered with Marine corpses, I bet the look on his face will be priceless! Even if I die then, it'll be worth it! Hahahaha!"
In the eyes of these pirates, the highest-ranking Marine left in the tavern, Smoker, was only a Commodore, barely above fodder level in the New World.
To think he could annihilate them all was a fool's dream. Smoker and Kyros's ranks were very deceptive.
Both of their true strengths far surpassed the insignia on their shoulders, which was why these pirates were so arrogant.
Outside.
Andrew glanced worriedly at the tavern door behind him and looked up at Atlas. "Vice Admiral, sir, they..."
"Don't worry. Smoker and the others can handle it."
BOOM—!
As soon as he spoke, a huge impact sound came from within the tavern, followed by a series of angry roars and curses.
"Get them! There are only a few Marines! What can they do to us!"
"Damn it, I don't believe it! I can't beat White Hō, but I can't beat you brats either? So what if you're a Logia user? I know Armament Haki!"
"So... noisy!"
Inside the tavern, Smoker slowly retracted the fist he had just thrown. A lit cigar was in his mouth. He slightly rolled his neck, and his joints popped like firecrackers.
"White Out: Domain!!"
Smoker's entire body turned into his element. A massive amount of smoke spread out, enveloping the pirates opposite him.
Countless smoke particles purposefully drilled toward the pirates' orifices!
Ever since Atlas had given him some insights on his smoke, Smoker was no longer focused solely on developing his fruit for physical combat.
He is now focused more on the inherent properties of his ability, maximising the lethality of the smoke.
"What is this? Entertainment for the gentlemen? Hahahaha! Mmph—!" Just as a pirate was mocking him, he suddenly felt his throat being blocked by something.
His face immediately flushed red, and he let out a muffled gurgle, clutching his thick neck.
This smoke was a creation of Smoker's ability and could harden or soften at his will. Once inhaled by the pirates, it would rapidly solidify, blocking any opening it could find. It was truly insidious!
"Not good! Everyone, hold your breath! Don't inhale this smoke!" Most of the pirates were smart and quickly reacted.
"It's useless. Even if you don't breathe, as long as there is any opening exposed to the air, my smoke can enter your body.
Holding your breath only slightly delays your death!" Above the vast cloud of smoke, Smoker's cigar-chomping face suddenly appeared on the ceiling.
"Kyros, the reaping is all yours!!"
"No problem! Five men, guard the perimeter! The rest of you, with me!" Kyros replied loudly.
Although the smoke filled the entire tavern, it was tightly wrapped around the pirates, and the outer layer was even solidified.
For the time being, no one could break through. They just needed to open a gap for the Marines outside and then give directions from within, and they could easily reap the heads.
"Aaargh—!!"
"What the hell? Damn it, we can't see the Marines' movements! If this keeps up, even if we don't suffocate, we'll be killed first!"
Although a few of these pirates had a rough grasp of Armament Haki, none of them had awakened Observation Haki. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in such a passive situation.
SHLICK—! x66
The sound of numerous blades cutting into flesh rang out, and blood sprayed wildly. Kyros and the Marines he led were frantically reaping heads.
At this moment, they realised that... killing pirates was actually not that hard!!
In an instant, the entire tavern was transformed into a slaughterhouse of flesh and blood.
The pirates' screams rose and fell, their furious roars growing weaker and weaker, finally turning into the whimpers of small animals.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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