The Last Base

"Father is dead," the eldest prince, Sabre, sighed and said. The second prince, Belinda, didn't speak, nor did the third prince, Laimer. As princes, they couldn't claim to have very deep feelings for Brady; for Brady, they felt more awe. They felt a bit melancholic and emotional.

"What do we do now?" Belinda turned to Sabre and asked. Sabre was undoubtedly better at handling such matters than they were.

"Don't worry, Kaido probably wanted to kill Father because of his abilities," Sabre said somewhat casually. "Things will go back to how they were. We'll need some time to recover and stabilize the domestic situation, and there are those out-of-control fierce beasts and giant beasts to deal with. However, without our powerful military, we might have to abandon the outer towns."

"Why not just pledge allegiance to Kaido? With his strength, dealing with the giant beasts and the kingdom's future safety would be very easy," Laimer said. He was someone who loved to fight and craved power. He managed the army, enjoyed war, and seeing Kaido's immense strength, he couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

However, it was very clear that Sabre and Belinda did not agree, nor would they ever agree. How could those who had held high positions for so long possibly submit to someone else, especially a pirate?

Laimer said no more. It was just a thought he had. After all, compared to the unfamiliar Kaido, the three of them were on the same side.

"Are they over there? Then let's take care of them," Teach chuckled faintly from the shadows, leaning against the wall, breathing slightly heavily. A blood-stained long sword was in his hand. He had changed his sword; the previous one had already been discarded. Because he had cut down so many people, even a long sword made of fine steel had its blade dulled.

At the same time, his Observation Haki was monitoring the battle in the royal city. King Brady had died as he had calculated, killed by Kaido. However, Teach hadn't expected Garp and Roger to show up on this island as well, and now a three-way battle was unfolding. Although the Roger Pirates were one-sidedly dominating Garp and Kaido.

Garp's suit was torn and he looked somewhat disheveled, with some superficial injuries. However, these were just minor wounds that posed no threat to his life. His powerful combat ability only grew stronger as he fought, but facing the siege of so many members of the Roger Pirates, he was still at a disadvantage.

The breeding bases controlled by the nobles within the city, while cultivating pets, were also secretly raising human-pets. These nobles and royalty, being so high and mighty, had little contact with the common people. It was also to avoid contact with the populace and prevent their shameful secret of raising human-pets from being discovered. If it were known, they would not only offend all the commoners of the Kate Kingdom but also the entire world.

Now, all those involved in the matter of raising human-pets in these breeding bases had been ruthlessly killed by Teach. He intended to search the wilderness outside the royal city for those hidden bases, some in dense forests, some underground, and some that appeared to be ordinary breeding bases on the surface but were secretly raising human-pets.

Along the way, Teach unexpectedly encountered the kingdom's three princes, the ones who held the country's power, and the last seeds of this country's sin. If they weren't dealt with, such evil would continue to breed. Teach understood the necessity of eradicating the root of the problem after killing so many people.

Many guards had been dispatched, leaving him with only over three hundred guards. He wasn't worried about whether these guards could protect him, because after witnessing such monstrous power, more guards would be useless.

"Who?" Laimer, the strongest, keenly sensed something was wrong. He was very familiar with that faint scent of blood. He turned his head and shouted. But there was no one there. Turning back, he found a masked man appearing before him. "Hiss!" With his back to Laimer, Teach's long sword had already pierced the hearts of the eldest prince, Sabre, and the second prince, Belinda.

Sabre was just an ordinary person. Belinda had some strength, having undergone some training, but facing Teach, the difference was like that between dimensions. Therefore, they died instantly from Teach's assassination, their eyes wide open, their expressions filled with unwillingness, dying with their eyes unclosed.

"Damn it, who are you? How dare you kill them!" Laimer roared, tears streaming from his eyes. Although there wasn't much familial affection, compared to King Brady, the three of them had spent their days together, knew each other very well, and had a certain understanding. Even with competition, it never went too far. Upon learning of Sabre and Belinda's dealings, he had no intention of interfering. The three of them could be considered comrades. He never expected his two brothers to die right before his eyes.

Laimer's body began to change. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was a top-tier dinosaur, its strength comparable to that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Although slightly smaller than a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it possessed a more terrifying bite force. Rage had almost driven him mad. He completely disregarded, or perhaps forgot, Teach's terrifying strength, opening his massive jaws to bite at Teach.

Teach leaped into the air, evading the attack. His powerful Armament Haki enveloped him. With a turn, he delivered a powerful punch to the Tyrannosaurus Rex's head. The brain took a heavy blow. Laimer was unable to resist this punch. His massive body collapsed to the ground, and he fell unconscious, dazed.

In just a few seconds, two of the three princes were dead, and the remaining one's fate was unknown. Only then did the guards react. Most of them had no intention of fighting Teach. With their leader gone, their legs trembled in fear, and their weapons fell to the ground one by one. However, some were loyal and wanted to avenge the three princes.

"You killed the princes! We absolutely won't let you leave here alive!" someone shouted, charging at Teach. People always had confidence in themselves, and with their superior numbers, they believed Teach was just an assassin and that they could handle him.

But soon, Teach's actions told them they were wrong. He was not someone these ordinary people could deal with. Teach was even somewhat numb. Killing, his expression didn't change at all. Fear made them want to flee. "Run! Get others to come!"

"This country is finished." The guards who charged were easily cut down by Teach. The remaining ones fled in panic, while others simply gave up resisting. But Teach wouldn't hold back. Although he had changed his appearance, his clothes remained the same. He didn't want too many people to remember his face, and he had already killed so many; a few more wouldn't matter.

Before long, the area had become an ocean of corpses, bodies lying everywhere on the ground. Teach didn't spare those who had surrendered, nor would he. These guards were confidants of the royal family and had some knowledge of the inner workings of the royalty and nobility, even participating in them. Therefore, Teach wouldn't let them go.

Teach left. The fate of the third prince, Laimer, was unknown. Whether he would survive depended on his own fortune, as this prince had not participated in the human-pet breeding. Although Teach had attacked with full force, with the powerful vitality of Laimer's ancient-type Dragon-Dragon Fruit, he had a high chance of survival.

Mobius went to other breeding bases. With his strength, he was capable of handling them. Teach eliminated one base after another, killing everyone inside, leaving only the human-pets still in the process of being raised.

There were hundreds of human-pets still in the process of being raised in these bases, all of them children under ten years old. There were also some within the city, but Teach didn't bother with them, leaving them where they were.

Looking at the huge base before him, Teach and Mobius met there. Mobius was accompanied by a young boy, slightly younger than him, wearing clothes and able to stand. However, his cold eyes made him look like a snake.

Facing Teach's gaze, Mobius was somewhat helpless. "There's nothing I can do. He insisted on following me. In the breeding base specifically established by the second prince, after I killed everyone, I found him. He was raised by the second prince, living with snakes. However, someone was already specifically training him in assassination techniques and how to stand."

"Whatever you want. If you like him, take him," Teach said, not paying much attention. Seeing the familiar aura on him and the venomous snake beside the boy, he couldn't help but think of the assassins he had encountered outside that abandoned breeding base earlier. This boy had likely been trained in the same way, not as a human-pet, but as an assassin.

"Well, I noticed he didn't have a name yet, so I gave him one. His name is Wos," Mobius smiled. Wos followed behind Mobius, seemingly without emotion, and didn't speak. However, Teach keenly sensed that when Mobius called out his name, a flicker of light seemed to flash in Wos's eyes.

"Alright, this is the last place. Let's go in," Teach said, directly storming into the breeding base. Mobius followed closely behind.

Teach's Observation Haki had already covered the entire base. There were some guards inside, and the rest were a few people specifically responsible for breeding the pets. Breeding pets didn't require many people, and these guards were assigned to keep an eye on the workers involved in breeding these pets.

In this base, a young man in a white lab coat looked at the cute child before him and couldn't help but smile, though a hint of malice flashed in his eyes. In a crucial corner of the breeding base, guards were watching him. This breeding base raised foxes. The cute child was living with a group of white foxes, his eyes shining brightly, as agile as a fox.

The young man watched the child happily and nimbly jumping around in the facilities built for the children, amidst a group of white foxes.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound. Turning his head, he saw two masked men and a boy who had somehow broken in. The guards and the other personnel like him had all fallen in a pool of blood. He was just an ordinary person. Seeing this scene, his legs went weak with fear, and he dared not say a word.

One of the men in the lead gave him a cold glance, then turned his gaze to the child playing not far away. The surrounding slaughter had not affected the child's joy; he merely looked curious.

Seeing the man's gaze fall upon the child, the young man's heart chilled. Looking at the corpses lying nearby, he thought the man was going to kill the child. A powerful force surged within him, overcoming his fear. He rushed towards the child, picking him up in his arms, tears welling up in his eyes. "Please don't hurt him, spare his life. He's just a child. If you want to kill, kill me!" the man shouted loudly.

Teach slowly walked towards the two of them. The man held the child tightly in his arms, his back facing Teach. Teach held his long sword and slowly approached. The crisp sound of footsteps echoed as he drew closer. Then, the man felt a sharp sting in his back. Teach, holding his sword, pressed the tip against the man's back.

The man felt as if this was the last moment of his life, tears constantly flowing from his eyes. He looked up at the child's pure eyes, as if wanting to engrave them deeply in his mind.

Teach didn't strike. Instead, he retracted his long sword. He could feel the man's sincere affection for the child he was raising, his genuine desire to protect him even at the cost of his own life.

Mobius, standing beside him, remained silent. He also felt the man's attitude towards the child, and there might be some hidden reasons.

He had prepared himself for death, but after a long time, the man behind him didn't make a move. Instead, he withdrew his sword. In this moment of transition from death to life, the man couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He turned around to face Teach and the others, still holding the child tightly.

"Speak, what is your relationship? What are the hidden reasons?" Seeing that he remained silent, Teach asked directly.

The man saw that Teach didn't seem hostile. He stroked the child's head in his arms and revealed a warm smile, beginning to tell a story. "My name is Clarence. I am a doctor. This child is my son. I named him Krell. He is a smart child."

"Nine years ago, Krell disappeared. He was only two years old at the time. I searched frantically throughout the royal city, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air. Even after hiring guards to search, the final result I received was that he had been eaten by a fierce beast." As he spoke, Clarence gritted his teeth and fell into memory.

"I was unwilling! I heard such words several times. In this kingdom, more than a dozen children under three years old mysteriously disappear every year, and the final conclusion is always that they were eaten by fierce beasts. In this pet kingdom, such things are normal. Someone will always be accidentally killed by an out-of-control fierce beast. In a royal city of hundreds of thousands, a dozen or so cases are insignificant. Gradually, everyone got used to this conclusion."

"But I didn't believe it, and I vaguely sensed something was wrong. So, I started secretly observing the actions of the nobles and guards. I even witnessed it once: a guard abducting a toddler."