In the square in front of the Dressrosa Royal Palace, tension mounted like a bowstring drawn to its maximum.
"What exactly do you want?" Dylan Yerrick, after tying King Riku's hands behind his back, didn't relax. Instead, he ordered one of his subordinates to pull out a pistol and press it against the King's temple, a straightforward threat.
"What do I want? Naturally, I want your Dressrosa to surrender and fall under the banner of our Pirate Alliance, and become our territory!" Yerrick sneered, his eyes gleaming with greed.
Hearing this, King Riku was enraged. He immediately retorted angrily: "You're dreaming! Even if you kill me, I will not surrender this entire country to you!" His voice trembled with suppressed fury, but his resolve was unshaken.
A trace of mockery appeared on Yerrick's face, and his tone was slightly playful: "Oh!? Is that so? I suggest you think it over carefully first!"
Whish! After speaking, his figure vanished from the square and reappeared on the wall at the entrance of the Royal Palace, beside the two young women. He pointed the sword in his hand towards the two women. Violet was immediately terrified and hugged Scarlett, her body trembling.
Whish! Whish! Whish!.... The guards uniformly aimed their gun muzzles and pointed them at Yerrick, on full alert.
"Hey, hey, hey! You all need to understand the situation now. Your King is in our hands! If you dare to shoot, your King will die!" Yerrick's threat was sharp and effective. Hearing this, the guards' faces showed hesitation, and they unconsciously lowered their gun muzzles, trapped in a dilemma.
Whish! Yerrick reached out and grabbed Scarlett's wrist.
The next moment. The three instantly appeared in the square, the Wapu Wapu no Mi's teleportation working perfectly.
"Tie both of them for me!" The blue-haired man waved his hand. Instantly, two pirates came and tied the two young women with ropes, cementing their grip. He also ordered the soldiers on the city wall to come down and surrender. Since the King was in enemy hands, the guards exchanged glances and could only obey, walking down the city wall, discarding their weapons, and being tied up by the pirates, a painful defeat.
"King Riku, now I'll ask you again... Are you willing to let Dressrosa surrender to our Pirate Alliance..." Yerrick wore a dismissive expression and reached out to pat King Riku's cheek, an act of humiliation.
Hearing this, the King of Dressrosa immediately clenched his fists and gritted his teeth: "You're dreaming! Even if I die, I will not surrender Dressrosa to you!" His resolve was unyielding, even on the brink of ruin.
"Oh~! It seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!" A sinister glint shone in Yerrick's eyes. Every second they delayed meant one more death for their Pirate Alliance. He had to act fast and break this King's psychological defense!
His gaze swept across and landed on the two Royal princesses. "My men... which of you wants to taste what royal princesses taste like?" Yerrick's voice was sly, full of provocation.
As soon as those words were uttered, King Riku's eyes widened sharply. The fury in his heart surged uncontrollably, almost burning him completely.
"I do!" "Captain, I'm willing!"
Yerrick's words stirred a thousand waves with one stone. The pirates responded one by one, their eyes unhesitatingly showing expressions of greed, a disgusting lust.
"You bastards!" Scarlett stood in front of her sister, shielding her with her body. She bit her lip tightly, and anxiety and fear quickly spread in her heart. Those pirates really wanted to do that to them! Seeing the leering faces of the surrounding pirates, Scarlett was already considering biting her tongue to commit suicide—a desperate thought.
Witnessing this scene, King Riku's eyes turned red, and his tiger-like eyes teared up. With his family and country at stake, he was tormented and unable to make a decision. If only he hadn't always adhered to the philosophy of refusing war, keeping the Royal Army's numbers few, barely enough to maintain public order, this incident would not have occurred.
Regret, humiliation, anger... these emotions filled King Riku's chest, but he could not bring himself to utter the words that would make the Dressrosa Kingdom surrender to the pirate forces. The citizens of this country already struggled just to pay tribute to the Tenryuubito, and could barely survive. If they also accepted pirate rule, how could the citizens bear such a heavy burden...? Tens of thousands of civilians in Dressrosa would die of hunger and poverty, and they might not even be able to pay the Tenryuubito's tribute next year! In this way, the Dressrosa Kingdom would become a country unaffiliated with the World Government, completely degenerating into a lawless zone rampant with pirates and human traffickers—a horrific scenario.
Crack! Just as the atmosphere was pressed to its extreme, an air portal opened in the square, splitting the air as if without warning.
Holding the Butcher's Blade and wearing a blood-stained Marine uniform, Sephiroth, with an exceptionally grim expression, walked out from the light green world within the door, causing the pirates to raise their weapons and aim at him, startled.
After Scarlett and Violet, the two young women, were tied up, he arrived in the square through the spatial portal, but he didn't immediately show himself. There were hundreds of armed pirates on the scene. Besides the hundreds of civilians, Scarlett, Violet, and King Riku were also in their hands. If Sephiroth were to appear rashly, it was hard to guarantee that those pirates wouldn't shoot indiscriminately in desperation, killing the hostages!
However... What he saw? How dare they! You actually want to ram me!? Although he was hesitant to accept Scarlett's feelings. But... He was actually someone who said he didn't want it, but his body was very honest!
Seeing this scene, how could the enraged Sephiroth remain rational...?
"Heh heh! So he's a Marine! I advise you not to act rashly. You don't want the Royal Family and civilians to be killed by us, do you?" Yerrick glanced at Sephiroth's blood-stained Marine uniform, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
There were indeed some in the Marines who had the heart to disregard the lives of civilians and kill pirates and civilians simultaneously. But... A Marine who directly attacked pirates without regard for the life of the King of a country affiliated with the World Government certainly wouldn't exist! If a King died due to a Marine's reckless actions, it would be a world-class political incident, which would disgrace the World Government. Even a Fleet Admiral might not be able to cover it up.
The kingdom paid so much tribute to the Tenryuubito every year, yet you Marines directly disregard the lives of their King to kill pirates...? Are you joking!? In that case, they might as well abandon the group and join the pirate forces! Yerrick provoked, confident in his advantage.
Hearing their Captain's words, the two pirates who had stopped their actions continued their movements, walking towards the two princesses, wanting to use them to threaten King Riku further.
At this moment, Sephiroth's emotions were at their absolute peak. He wished he could kill all the pirates before him, rage burning within him. His aura also became wilder due to his emotional fluctuations. As if sensing his emotional change, Haoshoku Haki, which had been ingrained in his mind and indifferent to him, finally responded, exploding.
Boom! A dominating, vast, and mighty aura erupted from Sephiroth's body. Dark red lightning flashed and disappeared in the air, splitting the sky.
Thump! Thump! Thump!... One by one, everyone except Yerrick, King Riku, and Scarlett, whether civilians or pirates, rolled their eyes, lost consciousness, and immediately fell to the ground, subdued under the irresistible wave of Haoshoku Haki.
Although Yerrick was strong enough, his consciousness went blank for a moment when this sudden change occurred!
Precisely at that moment, a bright light fully revealed itself in Sephiroth's eyes, and he swung his sword from nowhere, half of the Butcher's Blade in his hand suddenly disappearing into thin air—an invisible attack.
Whish! A moment later, Yerrick felt a pain in his neck. As his vision blurred, he saw a familiar yet strange headless body.
Isn't this my body...? How did he cut me...? We were clearly separated by more than ten meters... With endless confusion, Yerrick's head slowly closed its eyes, losing its life completely.
Sephiroth walked to the pile of hundreds of unconscious people, using his sword to cut the ropes binding King Riku and Scarlett, freeing both of them.
"Wuwuwu~!... Sephiroth... I was so scared! Wuwuwu~!" As Scarlett was freed, she immediately threw herself into the man's embrace, hugging him tightly, burying her head in his chest, and sobbing loudly, venting the mixed emotions of anxiety and joy in her heart.
"Okay! Okay! Don't cry... I'm covered in blood, I'm dirty! Can you let go of me for a moment, please!" Sephiroth raised his left hand and gently patted Scarlett's back, gently comforting her.
Hearing that, the young woman wouldn't give in, crying with a tear-streaked face while acting spoiled: "No! Anyway, my clothes are dirty too... Let me hug you a little longer!"
"..." Sephiroth could only remain silent, resigned to the embrace.
Enjoying the story? You can read 7 chapters in advance on p@treon/Rzzzy!