"Insolent!!!"
As soon as his voice fell, a pressure as heavy as a mountain descended upon the room.
Flander looked terrified, kowtowing repeatedly like pounding garlic. "My Lord, I didn't say it! I didn't say it! It was that old fool Leyton who said it!"
"Yes, my Lord! We have heard rumors of this as well!" the surrounding ministers chimed in.
If they didn't speak up for Flander now, their King probably wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
"Hehehehehehe... What audacity!!!"
Saint Roswald narrowed his eyes and squeezed his right hand hard.
"Ah!! My Lord!!"
King Flander's Queen, who was currently in Roswald's embrace, cried out in pain, looking at Roswald with pleading eyes.
Seeing this scene, Flander's face turned green. He lowered his head and gritted his back teeth fiercely, but dared not say a word.
He had intended to use the Celestial Dragon to eliminate Leyton, but he hadn't expected his own Queen to get dragged into it as well.
"Good. Very good!!"
"To not even respect the great and holy Celestial Dragons... a bunch of fools courting death."
"All of you, go prepare. This Saint will personally visit Kast!!"
"Once I'm done enjoying the Queen, I will wipe Kast from the face of the earth."
Saint Roswald waved his hand as if stating something trivial.
The others showed no strange expressions, believing his words implicitly.
What a Celestial Dragon said was already an established fact; no one could change it.
Although to Saint Roswald, those CP0 agents were nothing more than dogs.
But one has to look at the owner before beating a dog. The opponent's actions clearly showed no respect for him, no respect for the Celestial Dragons.
In that case, there was no need for them to continue existing.
Hearing Saint Roswald's decision, Flander felt a surge of wild joy in his heart.
With venomous eyes, he fantasized: Leyton, let's see if you die this time.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit will be mine sooner or later. No one can take it from me.
Under Saint Roswald's orders, the troops were quickly assembled. Along with CP agents and numerous Marine soldiers, a massive force marched grandly toward the Kast Kingdom.
...
Meanwhile.
"Captain, are we late??"
Linlin and the others, led by Roger, finally arrived at the main hall and met with Raynor.
"Just in time," Raynor turned to welcome them.
"Captain, those soldier corpses outside..." Jace frowned. On the way here, they had seen many soldier bodies being disposed of and had some guesses.
"World Government people did it. I've already killed them."
Raynor waved his hand, not wanting to dwell on the matter.
"Are these Little Nuo's crew members??"
Leyton stepped forward, looking Linlin, Jace, and the others up and down, his gaze lingering on the nearly 20-meter-tall Hajrudin.
With his sharp eyes, he could tell at a glance that these "kids" were extraordinary.
"Good. Very good indeed."
Leyton nodded with satisfaction. With their help, Little Nuo's future path would surely be smooth sailing.
Linlin, Jace, and the others greeted Leyton one by one.
"Captain, what do you need us to do??"
After greetings, everyone got down to business. The enemy had come knocking on their door; if they didn't counterattack, they'd be a laughingstock.
Even Shakuyaku, who usually loved to joke around, became serious, waiting for Raynor's instructions.
"We..."
Puru Puru Puru—Puru Puru Puru—
Just as Raynor was about to speak, the Den Den Mushi on the armrest of the throne suddenly rang out with an urgent alarm.
The sound drew everyone's attention. Leyton answered immediately.
"Your Majesty, this is Observation Point 5. We've spotted the Romanov army! They are about half an hour away from the Kingdom's port."
"How many of them are there?!"
"About twenty thousand! And on the deck of the main ship, there's a group of masked individuals of unknown identity."
"They..."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Before the soldier could finish, the sound of cannon fire erupted on the other end, followed by the communication cutting off completely.
Everyone knew Observation Point 5 no longer existed.
"Twenty thousand... Isn't that the entire military force of the Romanov Kingdom? They've mobilized everything!!"
"Unknown identities, masks... World Government agents are here too!!"
"They're all here. They intend to completely annihilate my Kast Kingdom!!"
Realizing this, Leyton felt dazed, his strength draining from his body.
"These guys actually dare to come??"
Hearing the news, however, Raynor's lips curled into a cold sneer.
He had originally planned to take people over there.
Now it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.
"Captain, what should we do??"
Shadow and the others rubbed their fists, looking impatient.
Right now, they wanted to do one thing: kill!!
"Since they're here, naturally, we should go welcome them!!"
"Father, wait here with peace of mind. I'll be back shortly!!"
Raynor didn't want to unleash a massacre here. It would dirty Kast.
Bodies everywhere would make people nauseous.
"Linlin, Jace, Roger, Rupert, Streusen, Hajrudin—you guys stay here. Watch over Kast for me and guard against any surprises."
"Leave those scum to us."
"Don't worry, Captain!!"
"Big Bro, with me here, there won't be any problems."
"Alright then. Shadow, kill a couple extra for me!!"
"Let's go!"
Raynor piloted the Ark Maxim, taking Shakuyaku and Shadow with him. They quickly vanished from everyone's sight.
There was a reason Raynor only took these two.
No matter how many soldiers Romanov had, they were just fodder. He didn't need that many people.
Shakuyaku's Soul Homies were perfect for clearing out large numbers of weak enemies (AOE), and it would also help her further develop her abilities.
As for Shadow, the guy had been stifled for eight years. Raynor was simply letting him vent.
"Little Nuo, you..." Watching Raynor's retreating figure, Leyton's face was filled with worry.
"Don't worry, old King. With the Captain there, those guys don't stand a chance," Roger comforted him softly.
Leyton stared at Roger and asked, enunciating each word, "Tell me, exactly how strong is Little Nuo right now??"
...
"Lord Roswald, we are about to arrive at the port of the Kast Kingdom."
Holding a telescope, Flander reported the latest situation with a fawning expression.
"Hmm, good!"
Saint Roswald toyed with the soft flesh beneath the Queen's clothes, causing her to cry out coquettishly in pain.
They were almost at Kast. This Queen felt pretty good, but he wondered how that Queen would feel.
Thinking of this, he increased the force of his fingers, eliciting a scream of agony from the woman.
Flander, kneeling on the ground, had a look of pure venom in his eyes, his own fingers digging so hard into his flesh they nearly drew blood.
He swore that later, he would kill every single person in the Kast Kingdom.
Not one would be left alive.
...
"Captain, I sense their presence."
"About twenty ships. Over ten thousand people."
As the Ark Maxim flew rapidly, Shadow reported what he had detected.
"Raynor, don't worry. No matter how many people there are, I'll kill them all for you later!!"
"Little Wind!!"
With a soft call from Shakuyaku, the Wind Homie flew out.
"Mama!!" The Wind Homie leaned affectionately on Shakuyaku's shoulder.
Shakuyaku lifted a finger, and a wisp of wind began to swirl around it.
As long as she had her Little Wind, it didn't matter how many enemies came.
"And me." Shadow gripped his dagger tightly.
"Twenty thousand soldiers, mobilizing the entire force... Flander really went all out."
"But this is good. It saves a lot of trouble."
"Except for the Celestial Dragon, kill everyone else freely!!"
Raynor gave the order immediately. Today, he was going to unleash a massacre!!
The sea would be dyed red with blood!!!
The Ark Maxim sped through the air. From his high vantage point, Raynor soon saw dozens of ships sailing aggressively toward the Kast Kingdom.
It wouldn't take long for them to reach the port.
Raynor didn't bother hiding. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone below.
The strongest CP0 agents instantly went on alert, surrounding Saint Roswald, their bodies radiating chilling killing intent.
"Who goes there?! Get down here and bow before the Lord!!"
"Who are they?!" Flander peered through his telescope at the person standing at the bow.
He doubted his eyes for a moment, rubbed them, and after confirming again and again, he became excited.
"My Lord! That guy is Leyton's son, Raynor! See? These bastards truly have no respect for you at all."
"He dares to look down on you from above!!!"
"Such audacity! His crimes are unforgivable!!"
This time, even without Flander adding fuel to the fire, Saint Roswald's anger could no longer be suppressed.
The audacity of someone making him look up at them was absolutely detestable!!
"You lowly commoners! Get down here right now!!"
"Who allowed you bastards to be above this Saint's head??"
Furious, Saint Roswald shouted, spittle flying everywhere, spraying the face of the Queen in his arms.
"You are that Celestial Dragon, Roswald!??"
Standing at the bow, Raynor looked down at Saint Roswald, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Insolent! How dare you call the Lord by his name directly! Do you want to die??"
A CP0 agent stepped forward immediately and scolded angrily.
"Commoners! Truly a bunch of filthy commoners!!!"
"It seems Flander was right. You scum really don't put this Saint, or the great Celestial Dragons, in your eyes at all."
"Wait until I shoot you down! I will torture you thoroughly!!!"
"I will make you my dogs!!!"
"You useless trash! What are you standing there for? Shoot these commoners down immediately!!"
"I want them to be my slaves!!"
"I want them kneeling at my feet begging for mercy!!"
Saint Roswald was so angry he was stuttering.
"Yes, yes! Open fire! Fire immediately!!" Flander ordered at once.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The dark muzzles turned upward, flames erupted, and cannonballs poured out without reservation, flying like a storm toward the Ark Maxim in mid-air.
"Keep that dog alive for me. Kill everyone else!!"
"Don't worry, Captain!!"
"Child's play!!"
Facing the incoming barrage, Shakuyaku's lips curled into a cold sneer.
"Little Ice!!"
With a call from Shakuyaku, the Ice Homie flew out, opened its mouth, and spewed extreme cold air, freezing all the cannonballs in mid-air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!Clang! Clang! Clang!
The frozen cannonballs lost their momentum and fell into the sea, splashing water everywhere.
"Shakuyaku, tell your Homie to take it easy! Leave a few for me!!"
Shadow reminded her, and then his body exploded completely, transforming into a cloud of black mist that vanished from the Ark Maxim.
"My Lord, be careful!!"
The Observation Haki of the CP0 agents protecting Saint Roswald screamed a warning, and their expressions changed drastically.
Fortunately, the black mist didn't seem to be coming for them.
It went straight for the ships at the very rear.
Soon, pig-like screams erupted from the decks, rising and falling in waves that seemed endless.
"Bastard! What the hell is this thing??"
"Counterattack! Counterattack immediately!!!"
"Idiot! We can't even see where he is, how do we counterattack??"
The entire ship was enveloped in black mist, obscuring the soldiers' vision. They couldn't see anything clearly.
While they were still dazed, people around them fell one by one into pools of blood.
Even in death, their eyes were wide open. The only wound on their bodies was a tiny cut on their necks.
In less than a few minutes, hundreds had died tragically at Shadow's hands.
Inside the black mist, Shadow's figure darted back and forth, reaping soldiers one by one like a grim reaper.
"He really likes to show off. But killing like that... who knows how long it'll take."
"Watch this!!"
"Little Wind!!!"
Seeing Shadow's killing efficiency, Shakuyaku covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.
"Bad Wind Tornado!!!"
Leaving Shakuyaku's side, the Wind Homie transformed completely in just a few breaths.
Gone was the docile creature in Shakuyaku's hands.
Transforming into a storm tornado, the Wind Homie spun wildly like the center of a black hole. Its powerful suction force pulled ten ships directly into it.
"Bastard! I can't control my body!!"
"We can't escape! What kind of monster have we provoked?!!"
"Aaaah!!!!"
The terrifying tearing force gave many no time to speak before their bodies were ripped to shreds.
Turning into pools of flesh and blood, they merged with the gale.
In just a few minutes, nearly half the fleet—a full ten thousand soldiers—were torn apart by the storm. The ships turned into countless splinters, the soldiers into minced meat.
As the storm dissipated, everything fell into the sea. The surface turned crimson with blood, and as the sea breeze blew, a thick, pungent scent of blood quickly filled the air.
"Now that's efficiency!!"
Looking at her results, Shakuyaku crossed her arms, satisfied.
Gulp.Gulp.
The remaining soldiers who had just reacted to the scene sucked in a breath of cold air uncontrollably.
What kind of god-like power was this??
With a mere gesture, she had destroyed half their fleet. Ten thousand soldiers died at her hands.
How were they supposed to fight an opponent like this??
"Devil Fruit users??"
"Protect the Lord!!"
Several CP0 agents quickly realized something was wrong.
"Bastard!! Didn't you say Kast Kingdom had no experts? Who are they??"
An angry CP0 agent couldn't help but scold Flander.
"I... I... I don't know either!!!"
Flander, completely terrified, slumped on the ground, his voice trembling.
Isn't that guy Leyton's son? When did his son get such powerful subordinates??
It's over. It's over. Can the guys around the Celestial Dragon even beat them??
"Killing so many at once is really boring. Looks like I need to speed things up!!"
Seeing half the enemies gone, Shadow muttered helplessly to himself.
"Darkness · Erosion!!!"
With a roar, countless streams of black energy surged from Shadow's body, spreading rapidly in all directions. In less than a few breaths, the black mist had enveloped three more ships.
"Strangulation!!!"
Shadow, fully merged with the black mist, suddenly disappeared.
"Aaaah!!!"
"Bastard!!!"
"No!!!"
"..."
Simultaneously, the screams of soldiers on the decks of three ships rang out.
In just two minutes, on three ships, a total of three thousand men fell into pools of blood.
"Not bad."