City of Chaos, Fantasy Kingdom

Deep within the New World, a massive circular continent stretches across the vast ocean. If someone were to look down from ten thousand meters above, they could still vaguely see traces of its construction.

This is the second continent besides the Red Line. It is nearly ten times the size of a typical giant island and is known to the outside world as the Chaos Continent. However, in the eyes of the inhabitants of this continent, it is a Fantasy Kingdom that only exists in fairy tales.

This continent was created by Roy using unparalleled means to move the islands scattered deep within the New World and then piece them back together. In the eyes of most people, this ability to change the world and recreate mountains and rivers is no different from that of a legendary god.

As the legendary territory of the most ferocious and tyrannical pirate Nightmare, this continent naturally became a forbidden land in the hearts of the people, as if even the slightest association with it could bring misfortune and destruction. Even more so, rumors circulated that this continent was home to more than half of the world's outlaws, a bloody gathering of the disorder, a dark carnival, and a breeding ground for evil—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say. Over time, this continent acquired a terrifying synonym in people's minds— the City of Chaos!

However, those thugs who believed the rumors and came to this continent with a reckless and willful mentality were extremely unlucky and cried out in their hearts, "Who the hell spread these rumors?"

In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this continent a den of dark forces, because no matter how horrific the crimes committed in the outside world, no navy would come to arrest them, nor would any intelligence or espionage organizations of the World Government infiltrate to pursue them. The so-called bounties were just topics of conversation among a group of thugs, without any real meaning. This continent was like an absolutely neutral place forgotten by the world.

However, this does not mean that pirates who come here can really act lawlessly and do whatever they want. They must abide by the rules of this place, which the people here call the Fantasy Kingdom. The most important rule is that, apart from applying for a death match in the arena or a duel in the Colosseum, no killing is allowed on this continent.

The ruthless pirates, new to the area, naturally ignored it and looked down on it. They thought, "What a joke! I don't even care about the rules of the World Government, why would I be afraid of a bunch of pirates like you?"

Besides, what pirate would follow the rules set by another group of pirates?

However, to their surprise, those bastards from the Phantom Sword Pirates were even more perceptive than the CP forces under the World Government. It was as if they were under a net of heaven, and no matter where they fled, they would be caught in a very short time and subjected to corresponding torture. The most terrifying thing was that even death could not bring them relief.

This level of deterrence immediately calmed down those forces with ulterior motives, making them obediently abide by the rules of the Fantasy Kingdom and not dare to overstep them in the slightest. However, deep down, they were constantly thinking about how to escape this cage.

However, their actions were destined to fail. Not to mention the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who were second only to Nightmare, even the Senior Executive who rose with Nightmare possessed extremely terrifying strength, which they could not handle.

As a New Era pirate with ideals, abilities, and a sense of responsibility, Algeron was clearly not satisfied with his current peaceful life. However, he had witnessed too many people fail, and the punishment that was not even death was too terrifying. Without absolute certainty, he dared not cross the line and had to settle down for the time being to slowly consider his escape route.

"Isaac, it's you! You're still alive?" Algeron asked, half surprised and half delighted, upon encountering an acquaintance in his assigned area.

These were his childhood playmates, and they had made a pact to strive for the goal of becoming the Pirate Kings.

"Oh, it's Algeron." Isaac glanced at him calmly, shook his head and said, "You're too late; you've missed many opportunities."

"Opportunity?" Algeron was astonished. "What opportunities could there be in this godforsaken place? Weren't you tricked into coming here by some talk about the chaos's revelry?"

"Of course, it's the opportunity to join Nightmare's ranks!" Isaac's eyes shone with fervor. "At first, I was just as confused and resentful as you, but as I came to know Nightmare's greatness, I became more determined. Algeron, come with me, let's fight together to join Nightmare's ranks!"

Algeron was horrified. "Isaac, have you gone mad? Have you forgotten the vow you made when you set sail? You were to become a pirate captain and challenge for the title of Pirate Kings!"

"Are you still living in those pointless fantasies?" Isaac looked at him with the kind of pity one would give someone mentally challenged. "We've all grown up now, and we should be pursuing more practical things, not those childhood fantasies. My dream now is to make Nightmare the Pirate Kings! Only he can bring this crazy, chaotic world back on track!"

Algeron felt a tightness in his chest, a strange sadness washing over him. "You've changed."

"Yes, I've changed, but who can keep going with those unrealistic childhood dreams? What changed me is this world!" Isaac shook his head and sighed.

"It seems I have to give you a good wake-up call!" Algeron took a deep breath and drew his longsword from his waist.

"Alright, let me show you the results of my training over this period of time, so you can truly understand the greatness of Nightmare. Let's go, to the nearby arena."

"..."

"What are you waiting for? Fighting in private will be punished, and I'm sure you don't want to experience that."

"Since you know the punishment here is terrifying, why not choose to escape?"

Isaac looked at him like he was an idiot. "Can't you just not break the rules here?"

Algeron felt helpless. "Is it really okay for a pirate to say that we should obey the law?"

On the arena.

"Isaac, I will not show any mercy."

"It's no use, Algeron, you have no idea what you're missing!"

Swords flashed, and the two seemed to be transported back to their childhood days, when they sparred with wooden swords. Then, Algeron was instantly killed in one move.

"How could this be? No way! Why would the swordsmanship I mastered during my life-or-death struggles on the high seas be inferior to the training you underwent while imprisoned?" Algeron seemed devastated, his composure crumbling.

"Imprisonment? That's not an option." Isaac shook his head and continued, "We can use Nightmare's power to cultivate continuously in our dreams. I train twice as much as you every day, or even more, so naturally I'm stronger than you."

"Moreover, according to those big shots in the Phantom Sword Pirates, it seems that Nightmare will soon develop an even more convenient ability for us, called something like Dream Net. At that time, people on this continent will be able to communicate freely without any distance or barriers. You probably can't imagine that scene, so the gap between us will only widen."

"Is it really possible for people to be completely connected without any distance or barriers?" Algeron muttered to himself, his eyes glazed over.

"Of course! This is Fantasy Kingdom, a beautiful land where everyone's dreams come true. As long as we help Nightmare fulfill his dream, there will never be war, famine, suffering, or even death in this world again!" Isaac's eyes gleamed with a seductive light, like a fanatical religious figure.

"A dream... Fantasy Kingdom?"