Emptying a Magazine in One Second Wasn't My Limit!

Shamrock was left speechless by Akira calling him Choux. One hand pressed against the hilt of the rapier at his waist, he wanted to lash out but did not dare.

Of course, it was not because he feared Akira's immense strength—the strength that had sent Gunko and five other members of the Knights of God flying with Conqueror's Haki. He was worried that losing his composure now would ruin the more important matter at hand.

After secretly taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Figarland Shamrock, acting on Lord Im's orders, awaits Marshal Akira."

Akira looked around, his brow immediately furrowing. Ignoring Shamrock, he turned to Gunko. "Miss Gunko, it seems you didn't pass along my message. If Im wants to see me, then show me your sincerity!"

As if she had expected Akira to ask this, Gunko turned sideways and flicked her sleeve. "Bring him up."

At Gunko's command, several fully armed palace guards in helmets who stood some distance behind the Knights of God immediately turned and ran off.

Before long, the guards returned, escorting "Spandam" back at a brisk pace.

"Kneel!"

The moment they brought Spandam before Akira, one of the soldiers viciously kicked him, forcing him to his knees.

"You can't treat me like this!"

"I'm Spandam, a man who has rendered great service to the World Government!"

Spandam struggled to rise after being kicked down, but two palace guards immediately forced his head down. Even so, he struggled violently and roared in indignation, "Let me go! Damn it, you worthless trash!"

At last, after a fierce struggle, Spandam still failed to get back on his feet, but he managed to raise his head again.

However, he did not look at Akira. Instead, he turned toward Shamrock, Gunko, and the others standing by and watching coldly.

"Hahaha, who would've thought!"

"Who would've thought that the World Government, which has stood atop the Red Line for eight hundred years, would fall so low as to compromise with a traitor! Knights of God? Five Elders? Pah! Sooner or later, you'll pay a painful price for this compromise. Akira dared to launch a mutiny today; one day, he'll surely trample the World Government beneath his feet as well—"

"How presumptuous!"

Gunko's willow brows shot up. With a flick of her sleeve, her unique Devil Fruit ability was unleashed. The next instant, a bandage-wrapped arrowhead flew out soundlessly, instantly winding around Spandam's neck and hoisting him high into the air.

Shamrock spoke up in time to stop Gunko from killing Spandam. Suppressing the anger of having just been ignored, he said unhurriedly, "How he is dealt with is up to you."

"Only Spandam?"

Akira glanced at Spandam, who was dangling by the neck, a trace of cruelty in his calm voice. "That isn't enough, Shamrock. You have to pull up the weeds by the roots. If I remember correctly, Spandam has a son too. What was his name again... Spanda...m? Right, that's it!"

"Akira!"

Never expecting Akira to spare not even his son, Spandam struggled madly again despite the grip around his neck, forcing out the words, "A man must answer for his own deeds! Spandam has nothing to do with this!"

"You can't put it that way."

Akira waved for Gunko to lower him, then stepped forward and looked down at Spandam, who had collapsed on the ground and was gasping for air. "If I kill you here, then it will have everything to do with your idiot son. He'll definitely hold a grudge against me because of it, and the Five Elders can use him. Later, they can use him as an excuse to disgust me. Even if I fly into a thunderous rage, the Five Elders can claim that Spandam was merely acting on his own to avenge his father!"

"Spandam, I have to admit, you are quite capable. You actually managed to get in with the Five Elders and have them order Enies Lobby to put me on trial! If I hadn't built up quite a few connections over the years, I really might have fallen into your hands this time."

"Unfortunately, no matter how skilled you were at scheming, you never would have imagined that I would launch a mutiny. Much less that I would take complete control of the Navy in just one day!"

"The winner becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit. You have to accept it!"

"Of course, I must thank you. If you hadn't intervened at this time, I might not have made up my mind so quickly."

"To show my gratitude, I have to reunite you father and son!"

At those words, despair flashed through Spandam's eyes. He roared like a madman, "Akira, you—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Spandam could finish, one of the palace guards beside him suddenly stepped forward, swiftly raised his gun, and decisively pulled the trigger at Spandam's head.

The sudden scene caught everyone present off guard, their eyes widening in shock. Shamrock reflexively gripped his sword hilt, ready to draw.

"Marshal Akira!"

Before Shamrock could draw his sword, the palace guard who had emptied his magazine immediately stood at attention, faced Akira, and saluted. "Please forgive this subordinate for executing him in your presence. Emptying a magazine in one second isn't my limit—I only hoped to let you see my loyalty!"

"What does this mean?" Akira blinked in confusion.

Over the years, he had wanted to cultivate some trusted subordinates and capable officers in the Holy Land. However, the Navy stationed in the Holy Land had been transferred from Marine Headquarters and special units before he had even joined the Navy. They were directly commanded by Fleet Admiral Kong. Moreover, before launching the mutiny, he had only been a vice admiral and could not enter the Holy Land whenever he pleased, making it impossible for him to lay the groundwork properly.

He could not even win over the Navy stationed in the Holy Land, let alone the palace guards of the Holy Land.

As if he knew what Akira was thinking, the palace guard hurriedly removed his heavy helmet, revealing a young face. "Marshal Akira, this is our first meeting. But I have long heard of your deeds. They all say that you answer every request!"

"My parents were brutally killed by pirates several years ago. My younger sister was rescued, but her injuries were so severe that she became disabled! All these years, I have wanted nothing more than to avenge them, but..."

At that, the palace guard kicked away the helmet he had removed, his expression resolute. "I want to take this chance to ask you to take me out of the Holy Land."

"I understand." Akira nodded. "You want to leave the Holy Land and avenge your parents and sister, right?"

"Yes!" The palace guard nodded fiercely.

"You can." Akira turned sideways and made way for him. "The road is beneath your feet. Just stride forward."

The palace guard had not expected Akira to agree so readily. He froze for a moment, then could no longer contain himself. Raising his hand in salute, he shouted, "Loyalty!"

Akira waved his hand. "Go on!"

"Yes!" The palace guard answered again, then ignored Shamrock and the others, held his head high, and strode toward the lift.

Just as he reached the entrance to the lift, the palace guard suddenly turned around, dropped to both knees before Akira with a thud, and choked out loudly, "Lord Akira, if I succeed in getting my revenge and return alive, can I... can I become your subordinate?"

Akira nodded. "You already are, soldier!"

--

An extra chapter for the brothers who sent update tokens, liked, and generated power with love.

(Three Admirals, Yonko crews, Five Elders, Sixpences, Shichibukai—if you like this book, could you add it to your bookshelf and follow it? I want to make a group, hehe~ (I'll reply to anything related.))

(Also, future updates will all be posted at 12 a.m., with two stable updates every day. Since Tomato uses a free model, posting more chapters doesn't increase the author's income by much. So, let's do an extra chapter event: for every additional thousand free "Generate Power with Love" gifts, there'll be one extra chapter.)

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