"What! How dare they defy my orders!?"
Wapol, who had been picking his nose, was instantly furious, glaring viciously at the figure standing ahead with his hand on his sword.
"A mere pirate, so what if it's 400 million berries? I am the king and there are these thousand guards."
"This..."
Chess' face changed dramatically. He had clearly tried to put it in a good light and specifically pointed out the danger.
How could Wapol still not hold back?
"Destroying my auction, violating the laws I set, is defying the king! Soldiers, Dalton, kill him, quickly kill him for me!"
Wapol didn't care about any of this. If his auction was ruined, how could he make a big profit when the goods couldn't be sold at a high price?
Moreover, he had his eye on the bounty of that pirate named Hiroto.
400 million berries...
Enough for him to squander for a good while. After all, it's the soldiers, his property, who would go up and fight to the death.
Trading a small loss of property for a large gain, is that a difficult choice?
"Wa-wait!" Chess hurriedly waved his hands.
"Are you defying me?"
Wapol turned his head, looking at Chess beside him, his eyes turning sinister.
"No, you are right." Chess instinctively put on a fawning smile.
At that moment, Hiroto's voice rang out. "So, you've decided to seek death, is that it?"
"Huh?"
Wapol turned his head back, looking furious. "How dare you speak to me, the king, like that! Soldiers, what are you still doing? Hurry up and kill him!"
As his words fell, a crimson slash shot into the sky. A fierce wind pressure swept across the earth, and a light wave containing terrifying energy shot straight into the sky.
Dalton had just transformed into his hybrid form, intending to carry out Wapol's orders. He stopped before this soaring crimson light, looked up, and a wave of fear swept through his entire body.
The soaring crimson light exploded in the sky, instantly tearing through the snowy curtain of the sky, revealing the long-lost brilliant sunlight.
The village... no, one-fifth of Drum Island, was bathed in sunlight under the hole in the sky.
Yet when that gentle, soft sunlight fell on them, Dalton and the others felt no warmth, only bone-chilling cold and fear.
The sky... the snowy curtain sky that hadn't changed for how many years, was pierced?
Pierced by the light wave released from a casual slash by the man before them?
Was this terrifying strength, this ability to pierce the sky, something they could really deal with?
Dalton and the soldiers froze in place, not moving a muscle, their eyes filled with fear.
"Wh-what is that!?"
Wapol looked up, mouth agape, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
But the huge hole in the sky was so glaringly obvious.
He suddenly realized that this pirate with a 400 million berries bounty seemed, should, might, perhaps, not be someone he could set his sights on?
"That's... a misunderstanding, there's no such... Ahhh!"
Wapol screamed as Shusui pierced through his shoulder, sending him flying and pinning him to the snow.
"Ahhh! It hurts! Protect me!"
Wapol screamed and rolled around, then was stepped on by Hiroto, who had appeared beside him.
Hiroto looked down at the king under his foot, the blade reflecting a sharp, cold light. "I was originally thinking of spending money, but now it seems I don't have to spend a single berry."
"Your Majesty!"
Dalton's expression changed.
"Bring those three Devil Fruits over here." Hiroto stepped on Wapol, looking indifferently at Dalton.
"You... How dare you! I am the king of a member nation, I can have the Marines come protect me! If you attack me, it will cause a lot of trouble!"
"Noisy."
Hiroto impatiently twisted Shusui, the blade digging a bloody hole in Wapol's shoulder.
Wapol immediately lost his bluster, shouting in panic, "Go get the Devil Fruits! Give them to him!"
"Yes!" Chess hurriedly nodded and ran off.
Seeing this from the side, Carina's eyes flickered. She said something to Hiroto and then followed Chess.
After the two left, beads of sweat covered Wapol's forehead, his face pale from pain. "Can you let go of me now?"
"Hmm..." Hiroto glanced at him, seemingly thinking about something.
Then he grabbed Wapol by the neck, lifting the corpulent king up with one hand.
He looked at the extremely nervous Dalton and suddenly asked, "Interested in becoming the new king?"
Dalton: "???"
"Tell me about the situation with those Devil Fruits." Hiroto changed the subject.
Dalton hesitated for a moment, looked at the huge hole in the snowy sky, then at the king in the other party's hand who was being choked and about to pass out.
He still honestly said, "They're in the castle. Those bounty hunters are being held under guard."
"Wait until after the auction ends, then turn on them and take everything?"
Dalton remained silent.
Based on his understanding of Wapol, this was probably the king's plan from the start.
"What a slapdash auction."
Hiroto complained, then as if he had made a decision, he said softly, "In that case, let's give the Marines and the World Government a heads-up first."
Crack!
The sound of bones unable to bear the strain echoed.
At the same time, [Gluttony] was activated.
"Gah..."
Under Dalton's incredulous gaze, Wapol only had time to utter a few fragmented syllables before his neck was snapped.
"You..."
"I never agreed to let him go."
Hiroto tightened his grip on Shusui's hilt, various entries empowering him. Then he unleashed a Flying Slash far surpassing the previous one.
The earth trembled, the air wailed, the fierce wind pressure swept across the land like a typhoon, pushing houses over. Within it, a crimson slash that seemed capable of reaching the heavens and piercing the earth soared into the sky, roaring forward with unmatched force.
This time, it wasn't aimed at the sky, but towards the side of Dalton and the others.
Whoosh!
Amidst the sharp screech, the solid ground cracked open into a ferocious chasm.
The snow and soil, hard as steel, collapsed and caved in, swallowing half the village into the maw of the abyss.
Following the violent wind pressure was Hiroto's indifferent words.
"Before you say anything, let me remind you, don't make me unhappy."
(End of Chapter)
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