By the afternoon, the royal palace square was overflowing with people, far more than had gathered during the last public trial of the slave traders.
"What big announcement is the king making this time? Could it be about those heroes?"
"Probably. Maybe the king wants us to meet the heroes of our kingdom."
"No way. The king had already hosted a banquet for them and awarded them medals. Isn't that enough?"
"Why not? They helped us wipe out a massive threat. Calling us here to cheer for them is only right."
The man who had spoken earlier glanced at the irritated bystander glaring at him and quickly changed his tune.
"Right, right… You're right. I misspoke."
Everywhere across the square, similar conversations played out—some full of anticipation, others brimming with gratitude. Everyone was waiting for the people who had brought them salvation.
Before long, the king appeared, leading his entire court onto the raised platform in the center of the square.
This time, the faces of the kingdom's high officials held none of their usual arrogance or calm. Instead, their expressions were clouded with unease, deep despair, and the raw fear of death.
Buggy followed at the rear, choosing a shadowed corner from which to watch.
Naturally, the king stepped forward to speak. Looking down at the expectant faces of his subjects, regret flickered briefly in his eyes.
From the perspective of the state, even now, he did not fully believe his actions were wrong. But facing the people directly, he could not deny a pang of remorse—he had, indeed, caused them immense suffering.
He began to confess: how, to pay the Heavenly Tribute to the World Government, he had resorted to selling human lives for gold; how the kingdom's upper echelon had been complicit in the slave trade; and why he now stood here, admitting his crimes. He also revealed what Buggy and his crew had done to uncover the truth.
When the truth came out, the entire square froze. No one had expected the slave-trading network to reach so high, up to the king himself.
After a moment, the silence was shattered. Some people erupted in rage, fists waving in the air. Others stood motionless, eyes wide with disbelief.
The angriest were those directly harmed by the slavers. Knowing that the king and his court had orchestrated it all pushed their fury past the breaking point—they wanted to tear them apart.
Some, however, had more conflicted thoughts. These people reasoned that their current safety and prosperity owed something to the king's rule, even if his methods had been ruthless. At least he had kept pirates at bay.
Others simply looked on indifferently, detached from the affair.
Seeing the crowd ready to boil over, Buggy stepped forward. His voice carried across the square:
"I understand your anger. Truth be told, I'm furious too. That's why I'm here today—to stand with you. How they are punished… I'll let you decide."
Hearing this, the mob calmed just enough to remember who had exposed the truth. They owed this knowledge—and perhaps their justice—to Buggy and his crew.
But as soon as he gave them the choice, impatient voices roared back:
"Kill them! Kill them!"
The chant spread like wildfire, the words "Kill them" echoing across the square, shaking the clouds above.
When Buggy saw the fury at its peak, he stepped back. The crowd surged forward, storming the platform. In an instant, the king and his court were surrounded, fists and feet raining down on them.
Identity no longer mattered. The people's rage was absolute. After only a few screams, the king and his nobles vanished beneath the crush of bodies.
Whether it was the poison taking effect or the beating itself, Buggy couldn't tell—but when the mob finally withdrew, nothing remained but torn scraps of flesh.
When their rage had burned out, the crowd didn't disperse. Instead, every gaze turned to Buggy and his companions, gratitude shining in their eyes.
"Hero!"
"Hero!"
"Hero!"
The chant rolled through the square again like thunder.
Once the shouting died down, Buggy spoke a few calming words before returning to the palace. There was still too much to handle, and little time to waste.
The scale of his actions meant that while the people of the Ilusia Kingdom were grateful, the World Government, the Navy, the Gorosei, and even the Celestial Dragons would be enraged. They would not let this pass quietly. Buggy could already feel the coming storm.
He had urgent matters to resolve before leaving—first among them, stabilizing the kingdom. With nearly all the high-ranking officials dead in the square, governance risked collapsing into chaos. He needed to appoint the remaining loyal officials to keep things running.
Second, the remnants of the slave-trading network spread across the kingdom had to be dismantled immediately. He couldn't trust the Navy or World Government to act—they might ignore it entirely, letting the slavers slip back into business.
Finally, there was his promise: to protect the innocent families of the executed nobles. He would see to it they left Ilusia unharmed, spared from the people's wrath.
Thankfully, before his death, the king had disclosed detailed information about the slave network's operations and leaders, and identified a group of uninvolved officials who were ordered to obey Buggy's commands in the short term.
Over the next ten days, Buggy and his crew worked tirelessly, sometimes personally taking down dangerous slavers. The innocent relatives of the executed officials were quietly escorted out of the kingdom.
The country gradually stabilized. The citizens noticed no disruption in daily life; instead, they felt relief, some even reuniting with kidnapped family members who had been rescued before they could be sold.
This unexpected victory brought hope to many. The destruction of the slave network had freed lives, reunited families, and brought a rare sense of justice to the people.
The kingdom was secure… for now. But Buggy and his crew were already making preparations to leave. The danger they had invited was closing in fast.