Pteranodon Fruit

Suddenly, King Gilia's gaze turned incomparably resolute. "I seem to recall that Lord Roy's bounty is also 50 million Beli. If we ask him to intervene, could we possibly avert this disaster?"

Duke Hess shook his head with a bitter smile. "Your Majesty, you're thinking too simply of pirates. Lord Roy may seem quite approachable, but pirates care only about profit, not sentiment. He would never take on an opponent of the same caliber just because we begged him to."

The Navy Minister sighed as well. "What is even more terrifying is that, according to the reports, Rear Admiral Arita suffered such a crushing defeat because he underestimated the Drunken Pirates. Furthermore, Rear Admiral Arita assessed the Drunken Pirates' captain—Big Drunkard Vasco Shot—as being worthy of an 80 million Beli bounty. He is a pirate who has been severely underestimated. If he had not committed the brutal act of conquering the Ciss Kingdom, his original bounty would have hovered at only around 10 million Beli."

"Gasp, 80 million Beli? My God, even the most vicious pirates in the North Blue don't have bounties like that, do they?"

"I remember that Crocodile the Sand—Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai—only has a bounty of 81 million Beli. Could this Big Drunkard really possess strength on the level of a Shichibukai?"

"Idiot, the bounties of the Shichibukai were fixed long ago. Don't judge a Shichibukai by their bounty."

"What the hell is the point of discussing the Shichibukai right now? The critical question is how we survive! Strength worthy of an 80 million bounty is absolutely not something we can handle. Even among the powerful nations of the Grand Line, few have the military might to deal with pirates at that level."

"We should just disband. Everyone should flee the Gilia Kingdom as quickly as possible. However many can escape, let them escape. It's still better than waiting here to die."

For a time, everyone talked over one another, but most of the discussion centered around how to flee, how much property to bring, and how many people to take with them.

"Enough. Shut up, all of you!" King Gilia suddenly roared, startling everyone else. Was this still the same cowardly king from before?

"Hmph. The Gilia Kingdom will not fall. No matter how slim the hope may be, I will do everything in my power to save her. I know I am not a good king, but at the very least, I will become a qualified one. Besides, it is still too early to speak such defeatist words. The Gilia Kingdom is not without bargaining chips."

After hearing those words, some showed disdain, some lowered their heads in shame, while others fell into thought. Duke Hess, who had the closest ties to the royal family, looked slightly moved and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, are you referring to that legend? Could that legend truly exist?"

The others were utterly confused. Did the Gilia Kingdom have some famous legend? Were those two bluffing them? Why did none of them remember anything like that?

"No more talk. Come with me at once to seek an audience with Lord Roy. I believe that thing will definitely move him."

"But, Your Majesty, Lord Roy is also a pirate. Fickleness is in a pirate's nature. Aren't you afraid that once Lord Roy learns the news, he might turn around and join forces with the Drunken Pirates to conquer our Gilia Kingdom?" Although Duke Hess usually flattered Roy lavishly, at a critical moment, he could not place his trust in a band of pirates' honor.

The king paused at those words before answering with a resolute expression, "No matter what, this is our only choice, isn't it?"

Naturally, Roy had no idea what was happening at sea. After all, his Observation Haki had not yet reached the point where he could foresee the future.

At that moment, he was drenched in sweat at the training ground. No one's success came by chance. Even though he had already reached the very pinnacle of the North Blue, Roy never relaxed his training for a single day.

"Captain, that king says he has urgent business with you. Should I let him in?"

"Mm, let him in." Roy, who had just been about to rest for a while, wiped away his sweat with a towel, put on his coat, and walked outside.

After offering his thanks, King Gilia hurried inside. The moment he saw Roy, before he could even speak, he seemed to be overwhelmed, as if he had fallen into the most terrifying nightmare. Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, and even opening his mouth was extremely difficult.

Roy understood at once. He had just finished training and had not yet reined in his aura. Naturally, it was not something a king whose combat ability was even inferior to an ordinary person could endure. Honestly, Roy had not expected the king to remain conscious instead of fainting on the spot.

"Alright, what is it?" Roy concealed some of his aura before asking, without the slightest intention of apologizing.

King Gilia gasped for air as though he had narrowly escaped death, his heart filled with shock. Roy had seemed easy to get along with before, so he had assumed his strength was not as terrifying as the legends claimed. Yet he had never expected a person to be so powerful that he could not even withstand their aura.

Yet it also gave him a sliver of hope. Since Lord Roy was so terrifyingly strong, perhaps he really could deal with the Drunken Pirates. If the Drunken Pirates' captain had been severely underestimated, then Lord Roy's strength could very well have been severely underestimated too. All that remained was to see whether the bargaining chip he offered could move Lord Roy.

"Lord Roy, I sincerely hope that you will intervene and save our Gilia Kingdom."

"Oh? What happened?" Roy was somewhat puzzled. It had not even been a day; why did King Gilia look as though disaster were about to strike?

"A group of extremely terrifying pirates is pursuing a Marines Commodore. They are about to reach the Gilia Kingdom, and those pirates are simply too vicious. They have a history of conquering a kingdom. Once they defeat the Marines Commodore, they may very well vent their anger on our Gilia Kingdom. I beg you to show mercy and save us pitiful people." By the end, tears and snot streamed down his face as he dropped to his knees, making Roy regard him in a new light. For a king to cast aside his dignity and kneel on the ground was no easy thing.

King Gilia had already closed his eyes, as though awaiting judgment from fate.

"Tsk, tsk. Admirable courage indeed." Roy spoke unhurriedly. "But it is certainly a bold idea. Who gave you the courage to seek help from a pirate?"

"I understand. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I am willing to offer sufficient bargaining chips in exchange for Lord Roy's help in overcoming this crisis. Please." King Gilia slammed his head against the ground again, and blood began spreading across the floor.

"Sufficient bargaining chips? Interesting. But there are not many things in this world that can move me."

"A Devil Fruit. It is an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit."

"Hm? What did you say?" A sharp glint flashed through Roy's eyes, and an invisible pressure descended directly upon King Gilia, making his bones creak.

"It is the Zoan-type, Ancient Zoan Pteranodon Fruit, Quetzalcoatlus Model."

"That is indeed an excellent bargaining chip. Fine, I agree."

P.S.: Drake's fruit is the Dinosaur Fruit, Tyrannosaurus Rex Model, but pteranodons are not actually dinosaurs, so I made up a Pteranodon Fruit myself.