The Butcher Arrives

To be honest, the greenery on this island was really terrible. After leaving the city, as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single tree. The only surviving vegetation was probably just the wild grass covering the ground.

"That's because of the war—nothing usable can be left behind." Kaiser Lynn clearly knew more about this situation.

"How long have the wars between your kingdoms been going on?"

"Who knows? As far back as I can remember, the war was already happening. I've heard it's been decades, maybe even starting from my great-grandfather's generation. But at first, it was just small skirmishes. Lately, it seems like they're getting serious."

"Then how did you end up here? Logically, you couldn't have come here alone, right?"

"There was a traitor in our kingdom." When she said this, Kaiser Lynn gritted her teeth, clearly filled with hatred for that traitor.

"He lured me outside the city, but a small squad of soldiers from this kingdom was already lying in ambush. As expected, I was captured. When they tried to take me back to their palace, I managed to escape."

"You managed to escape? How?" A weak, defenseless woman slipping away from trained soldiers—that genuinely surprised Shirakawa.

"Because I had sleeping powder on me. While they were cooking, I secretly slipped it into their food. Once they all passed out, I ran."

"You were really lucky. If a few of them hadn't eaten, you wouldn't have gotten out. But I'm a bit curious—why were you carrying sleeping powder on you?"

"Hehe, it's a must-have for my pranks. I never thought I'd actually use it like that." Kaiser Lynn stuck out her tongue, looking a little embarrassed.

"Pranks? Using sleeping powder for pranks? You really are mischievous." Shirakawa didn't know what else to say about her.

"I'm starting to wonder if your father couldn't stand your pranks anymore and deliberately handed you over to the Kingdom of Mol."

"No way! My father isn't like that! Don't talk nonsense."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop."

Through their conversation along the way, Shirakawa understood how Kaiser Lynn had ended up here and what her kingdom was like.

Unlike the kingdom Shirakawa and the others were in now—which focused on military strength—the Kingdom of Mol prioritized internal governance. Though their military power was slightly weaker, their domestic affairs were the best among the three kingdoms, and their people had the strongest sense of belonging.

"What about you? Where are you from?" After introducing herself, Kaiser Lynn wanted a clear picture of the three of them.

"Bucky and I are from the West Blue." Shanks threw an arm around Bucky's neck, speaking very intimately.

"West Blue? Bucky, you're from the West Blue? I thought you were from the East Blue." Shirakawa knew Shanks was from the West Blue, but he'd always assumed Bucky was from the East Blue.

Because in One Piece, the Straw Hat Pirates first encountered Bucky in the East Blue.

"Of course I'm from the West Blue. The people who come out of the East Blue are all monsters. I couldn't handle that."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, the captain and the first mate are both from the East Blue. Even Garp in the Marines is from the East Blue. If I were from the East Blue, maybe my strength would already be on par with the first mate's."

"Hmph." Shirakawa let out a cold laugh at that.

"With your personality, it doesn't matter where you were born. If you want to get stronger, you'd be better off finding a powerful Devil Fruit and eating it."

"No way! A Devil Fruit worth a hundred million Berry—eating it would be a total waste! The only proper use for a Devil Fruit is to turn it into Berry."

"Tch, you're such a money-grubber. If your strength isn't up to par, no amount of money you have will stay yours."

"And you? Where are you from?" Though Kaiser Lynn was a bit confused by the exchange between Shirakawa, Shanks, and Bucky, she understood that Shanks and Bucky were born in a place called the West Blue.

"Me? I'm from the sky." Shirakawa pointed upward.

"The sky? You're lying, right?" Kaiser Lynn said incredulously. How could a person come from the sky?

"You don't believe me? Ask those two—they both clearly saw me descend from the sky."

"That's right, Shirakawa really did fall from the sky. It scared us at first." Shanks chimed in.

To be honest, even now, Shirakawa didn't know why he had landed on the Roger Pirates' ship. Maybe it was because Roger's Conqueror's Haki was so strong that it attracted his Power of the King.

"Wow, you're really amazing then." Kaiser Lynn let out an impressed exclamation, though her tone felt a bit perfunctory.

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." Shirakawa shrugged helplessly.

Just then, Shirakawa suddenly heard the rapid sound of hooves, and the noise was quickly approaching them.

"What's wrong, Shirakawa?" Seeing Shirakawa stop abruptly and his expression turn serious, Shanks asked him.

He knew that Shirakawa wouldn't change his expression for no reason—something must have happened.

"Someone's coming toward us. If I'm not mistaken, they're enemies."

As he finished speaking, Shirakawa snapped his head around and spotted a Black Scale Horse racing toward them in the distance.

As the Black Scale Horse drew closer, Kaiser Lynn recognized the fat figure sitting on it, and her face changed.

"Who is he?" Noticing the shift in Kaiser Lynn's expression, Shirakawa asked.

"He's the infamous Butcher Akda—both the city lord and the general defending the city."

"Is that so? Then it looks like his target is us."

Not far from where Shirakawa and the others stood, Akda stopped. He looked at Kaiser Lynn with a lecherous expression.

"Princess Kaiser Lynn, why did you leave without saying a word to me? You really don't give me any face."

When he said that, Kaiser Lynn trembled and quickly hid behind Shirakawa.

"Oh, are you saying they kidnapped you and brought you out? Don't worry—I'll kill them all and personally escort you back to the city."

Hearing those words, Kaiser Lynn's body couldn't help but shake with fear.

"Hey, you pig-faced piece of trash, you're way too full of yourself." Buggy couldn't stand someone like this—he'd survived facing Garp, the Golden Lion, and Whitebeard, let alone some small-town general.

"Pig... you dare call me a pig?" At the word "pig," Akda's face turned extremely dark.

"That's right, you're nothing but a fat pig, and you have the nerve to boast about killing us? If you can, then try it."

Who knew where Buggy got the guts to talk like that.

"Then I'll start with you." Akda charged straight off his horse toward Buggy, the large cleaver in his hand ready to take Buggy's head off at any moment.

Seeing Akda suddenly lunge, Buggy was stunned—he hadn't expected this fat bastard to be so agile.

But Shanks reacted quickly, drawing his blade and stepping in front of Buggy, blocking Akda's strike.

Shanks was the type who said little in a fight—life and death meant nothing, and if you had a problem, you settled it with steel.