In the vast and boundless world of One Piece, there was a kingdom in the West Blue: the Zephyr Kingdom.
When the first rays of morning sunlight fell gently upon the land, the magnificent palace, drenched in gold and extravagance, was bathed in a warm, radiant glow.
The palace stood proudly at the heart of a bustling town. The Zephyr Kingdom's blue and white flag snapped in the sea breeze, as if declaring its authority and glory to the world.
Deep within the palace, in an exquisitely decorated, breathtaking room, a young man with black hair and black eyes lay quietly on a soft bed.
His face was pale as paper, without the slightest hint of color, making him look painfully weak.
"Roy-sama, it's time to change the medicine."
With those gentle words, the door slowly opened. A beautiful maid with a graceful, mild demeanor stepped in lightly, carrying medicine and bandages.
She stood by the bedside, a trace of timidity in her eyes as she looked carefully at the young man on the bed.
Hearing someone call him, the young man slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on the maid.
Then, with effort, he rolled over onto his stomach. Though his complexion was still paper-white, he forced out a smile and said to her, "Sorry to trouble you."
"It's not trouble, not at all. Taking good care of you is my duty!" The maid became flustered by his words. She stole a glance at his face, pale and weak, yet still wearing that warm smile, and her cheeks instantly reddened.
In a panic, she set the medicine aside, then gently and carefully lifted his shirt, beginning to untie the bandages on his back that had been stained a deep red with blood.
"Hiss…"
As the bandages came off bit by bit, a shocking, vicious-looking blade wound was exposed to the air without any concealment.
The maid took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She cleaned the wound meticulously, applied ointment, then carefully wrapped him in fresh bandages.
Throughout the entire process, the young man clenched his teeth and endured the pain in silence, cold sweat constantly rolling down his pale face.
"Roy-sama, the wound has been treated. Do you have any other instructions?" the maid asked softly, holding the used bandages.
"No, that's all. You can leave," the young man said while forcing himself to bear the pain. He struggled to roll over again and lie back down, then waved his hand weakly, signaling her to go.
"Yes." The maid lowered her head slightly and turned to leave.
However, when she saw that his face was still so pale, pity inevitably rose in her heart.
She hesitated, then couldn't help speaking again. "Roy-sama, please don't lose heart. I believe that under your leadership, our Zephyr Kingdom will surely overcome this crisis."
The young man paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips lifted into a warm smile. "Thank you for believing in me."
The maid's face turned bright red. She lowered her head shyly and hurried out of the room.
After she left and the door closed, the smile on the young man's face instantly turned into bitterness.
"Lead the Zephyr Kingdom out of hardship… haha…" He tugged at the corner of his mouth and slowly closed his eyes.
In truth, he was not originally from this world.
His name was Roy. A sudden accident had caused him to be reborn into this unfamiliar world.
This was the world of One Piece, and he had become the prince of a small country in the West Blue: the Zephyr Kingdom. His full name in this world was Zephyr Roy, with Zephyr being the royal family name of the kingdom.
At first glance, reincarnating as a prince sounded unbelievably good.
Even if he couldn't live like a king in this sea of pirates, at the very least he should have been able to eat well, dress well, and enjoy a life of comfort and status.
But reality was nothing like that.
In this world, nearly every nation chose to join the World Government and become an affiliated country. On the surface, they were protected by the Marines. In truth, they were also watched.
The Zephyr Kingdom, however, happened to be one of the few countries that refused to join the World Government.
Because of that, the Zephyr Kingdom received no protection from the World Government.
For more than a hundred years since its founding, it had been harassed time and again by pirates and other underworld forces.
Fortunately, the commander of the kingdom's legion had been a fairly powerful Devil Fruit user, allowing the kingdom to survive through all that turbulence until now.
But a week ago, misfortune struck.
One of the three major mafia forces in the West Blue, the Gambino family, set its sights on the Zephyr royal family.
The Gambino family deployed fewer than a thousand people, yet with their refined and powerful weapons and equipment, they easily crushed the Zephyr Kingdom's army of nearly ten thousand.
Not only that, the Gambino family also had a Devil Fruit user. In front of everyone, the Zephyr Kingdom's legion commander was killed on the spot by him.
After that, the man charged into the palace alone and brutally murdered the current king of the Zephyr Kingdom.
Before leaving in swaggering fashion, he threw down a ruthless ultimatum: "Seven days from now, the Zephyr Kingdom must submit to the Gambino family unconditionally, or the kingdom will be wiped out."
Over the following week, after suffering the heavy blow dealt by the Gambino family, the Zephyr Kingdom was also hit by a frenzy of pirate raids. The entire kingdom teetered on the edge, close to collapse.
Someone tried to send a distress signal to the Marines, but the Marines ignored it completely, showing no response at all. The whole country fell into deep despair.
As for Roy, unwilling to watch his country fall with his own eyes, he put on armor and went to the front during a fierce pirate assault, only to be knocked unconscious by a single slash.
That shock was what awakened the memories of his previous life, long sealed away since his rebirth.
"The commander died… the army scattered… the king was murdered… the kingdom is on the brink… haha. In a situation like this, is it even possible for me to lead the Zephyr Kingdom out of this disaster?"
Roy slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ornate ceiling. He had no mind to appreciate the luxury, only a bitter sense of despair.
And then, at that moment, a series of mechanical, icy notification sounds suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding! The Strongest King System has finished loading!"
"Scanning the current world structure… scan complete!"
"Generating personal panel… generation complete!"
"Welcome to the Strongest King System. This system will accompany the host throughout the process and help the host build the strongest empire. For details, please check the personal panel!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]