Listening to the words coming from beside him and feeling the biting blade against his neck, Wapol's expression changed drastically, boundless fear rising from the depths of his heart.
"I, I..."
"You, you wouldn't dare kill me, I am the king of a World Government member nation!"
"I'm telling you, even if you are the Revolutionary Army, once you kill me, you..."
*Rip!!*
The sound of flesh tearing came, and Wapol's voice ceased abruptly, his pupils suddenly widening; the warmth spreading from his neck prevented him from forming complete words, only allowing him to emit gurgling sounds.
Wapol clutched his neck with both hands, trying in vain to stem the seeping blood and hold onto his fading life.
But sadly, it was all futile!
No matter how hard he struggled, his life ebbed away relentlessly, the feeling of his body slowly losing strength filling him with unimaginable terror.
"King Wapol!!"
Chess and Cromolimon behind him roared loudly.
But Wapol could no longer hear them; his body collapsed heavily onto the snow, the light in his eyes gradually dimming as his blood drained away.
Kyle glanced at him, his expression utterly devoid of fluctuation.
He had killed plenty of people; what was one more?
The next moment, Kyle's gaze swept over towards Chess and Cromolimon on the other side.
The instant their eyes met Kyle's, both their bodies trembled simultaneously.
An immense terror surged from within them as they tremblingly looked at Kyle.
They couldn't help but step back several times, pointing fingers at Kyle.
"You, you're finished, you are absolutely finished!!"
"How dare you lay a hand on King Wapol, just wait for the World Government's sanctions, you..."
Before they could finish, Kyle delivered a slash to each of them.
And both were exquisitely precise, a thin line of blood appearing on their necks, just like Wapol's.
If he had already killed Wapol, why would he care about these two?
Further behind, the guards who witnessed this scene collectively shuddered, their eyes reflecting fear of Kyle.
Especially the moment Kyle's gaze swept over them, their bodies jolted in unison.
Looking at the remaining people, Kyle had no intention of killing them.
These guard members followed Dalton, and many among them were also dissatisfied with Wapol's tyranny.
Vengeance had its rightful target; Wapol had to die, but they did not.
Still, they needed to be rendered unconscious!
Kyle's eyes narrowed slightly, and a terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, sweeping towards the crowd.
*Boom---*
In an instant, these people lost consciousness, their eyes rolling back as they collapsed onto the ground.
Behind Kyle, Sabo felt nothing particular about this scene, but Chopper's eyes widened, especially upon seeing the blood spilled on the ground, a flicker of fear showing in them.
"You'll get used to it! Wapol committed countless evils; if we hadn't done this, the only ones to suffer would be the citizens of this country!"
"Then, even more people would die because of his tyranny!"
Sabo spoke to Chopper.
*Gulp!*
Chopper swallowed hard and nodded, indicating he understood.
But understanding was one thing; this was his first time witnessing such a scene, and he needed some time to adjust.
"Let's go! Find Doctor 20!"
Kyle said, then took the lead walking towards the castle.
Before using his Conqueror's Haki, he had first sensed with his Observation Haki, so he hadn't affected Doctor 20 and the others.
Before long, Kyle led the two to find Doctor 20.
The moment they saw the three black-robed figures appear, their bodies couldn't help but tremble.
Although they hadn't left this room, they had certainly sensed the huge commotion outside just now.
Now that these three black-robed figures could enter here, one didn't need to think too hard about the situation outside, right?
Looking at them, Kyle didn't waste words; he pointed at Chopper and spoke to them:
"I need you to treat his injuries. In return, I will grant you freedom, so you no longer have to endure Wapol's rule!"
These people were merely coerced anyway; promising them freedom held immense appeal.
Sure enough, upon hearing Kyle's words, their eyes collectively lit up with a gleam.
One of them asked with a trembling voice:
"G-great sir, is what you said true? Can you really grant us freedom?"
"I have no reason to deceive you!"
Kyle said flatly.
They were silent for a moment, then spoke in unison after a while:
"Alright, we agree!"
They had no choice but to agree anyway; given the current situation, regardless of whether the other party could actually free them, this was their only available path.
But if they could gain freedom, then so much the better.
"Go on! Lie down on that bed in the middle!"
Kyle called out to Chopper behind him.
Chopper hesitated for a moment, but looking at the backs of Kyle and Sabo, the hesitation in his eyes immediately vanished, all of it transforming into determination.
With an air of one heading to their death, he walked towards the bed.
But suddenly, one of Kyle's words made Chopper instantly drop the act.
"You're going for treatment, not to be injured. Who are you putting on that act for?"
"Uh... well, it's just scary!"
Chopper said sheepishly.
Arriving by the bed, one of Doctor 20 spoke up:
"Please take off your robe!!"
"Huh?!"
Chopper was startled and instinctively looked towards Kyle.
Only after seeing Kyle nod did he remove the black robe.
!!!
The moment they clearly saw Chopper's appearance, all of Doctor 20 jumped in fright, and some even took a step back.
"A... a snow monster?!"
One of them stammered.
"What snow monster? Have you no knowledge? Open your eyes wide and take a good look. This is clearly an ape, alright?"
Chopper didn't speak, but Kyle interjected first.
Hearing this, Chopper opened his mouth, wanting very much to say he was neither a snow monster nor an ape, but remembering what Kyle had told him earlier, he held it in.
...
Doctor 20 were silent for a collective moment. After a while, having calmed their emotions, they spoke again:
"Please lie down. We will begin your treatment!"
Although none of them were veterinarians, they could draw analogies from related knowledge, right?
It probably wouldn't be a problem!
However, during the treatment process, they only then realized just how severe this "ape" before them was injured.
His body bore numerous injuries, large and small, some fresh, and some old internal injuries from long ago.
Seeing this, their expressions all turned serious, and they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to treating Chopper; treating the injured to the best of their ability, maximizing the healing of their wounds, was what they, as doctors, ought to do.
With twenty doctors working together, it took less than half an hour to completely address all of Chopper's injuries.
"The basic treatment is complete. Now, he only needs about a month of rest to recover!"
One of the doctors stated.
Kyle nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
This Doctor 20's professionalism was far superior to that guy Hiriluk's.
In the original story, after Hiriluk brought Chopper back, it took him a whole year to fully heal Chopper's injuries.
Now, it only required a month, and this estimate was based on the doctors' assessment using the recovery abilities of a normal creature.
Given Chopper's constitution, the recovery time would likely be even shorter.
"How do you feel?"
Kyle asked Chopper.
"My body feels warm and comfortable, no pain!"
Chopper said after a moment of reflection.
He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this way; for so long, his body had known nothing but pain upon pain.
"That's good! Then let's go!"
Kyle said again, then turned to leave. Sabo followed behind, and Chopper quickly followed suit, while also remembering to put the black robe he had taken off earlier back on.
The room was left with only Doctor 20, looking at each other, exchanging bewildered glances...
---
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