The soldiers patrolling the coast spotted the gigantic ship flying through the sky at once.
At first, they thought it was an illusion. They rubbed their eyes and looked again—
"R-Report, sir! A gigantic pirate ship... It's f-flying into our waters!"
The soldier in the watchtower trembled so badly he nearly burst into tears.
The commanding officer stationed there paled at the news and rushed out of the barracks. He raised his binoculars and looked up.
"A gigantic pirate ship? And it's flying in the sky?!"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
In all of West Blue, there were only a handful of forces with pirate ships of that size.
Could another reckless pirate be coveting the legendary treasure of Flower Country?
They just kept coming, one after another—didn't they know that Flower Country had its "pillar" standing guard?
But when his gaze fell on the flag atop the mast, his heart clenched.
That flag...
"Identify that flag immediately! Which pirate in West Blue does it belong to?!" the officer roared.
He had already recognized it. He just didn't want to believe it.
The next moment, a voice trembling with abject terror rang out from the watchtower:
"S-Sir... The flag on that ship... It doesn't belong to any pirate in West Blue!
"That symbol... It looks just like the flag of the legendary overlords of the New World—the Rocks Pirates!"
The Rocks Pirates?!
How could that terrifying crew, whose fearsome reputation was enough to silence crying children, have appeared in West Blue?!
"Y-You said what?! The Rocks Pirates?!"
The officer's face turned deathly pale.
Why? What could the Rocks Pirates possibly want with Flower Country?
Could it be... the treasure on the Ice Continent?!
"Q-Quick... Go to the palace and inform the king!!" the officer shouted, his voice distorted by fear.
"No need to trouble yourselves with announcing me—"
The soldiers on the dock looked up in horror. A figure had appeared before them without them noticing.
He was a young man, not even twenty, with black hair, crimson eyes, and a cold expression.
He wore a black coat open at the chest, with a dark longsword at his waist. His entire presence radiated an oppressive aura that made it hard to breathe.
Inside the magnificent palace, the king was enjoying a dance performance with his favorite concubine in his arms. The place was steeped in extravagance.
"Your Majesty, have another drink~"
The beauty spoke in a sweet, soft voice, her eyes smoldering.
The king laughed heartily and was just reaching out to pull her close when suddenly—
A series of frantic screams and the sounds of heavy bodies hitting the ground came from outside the palace.
Before he could even get angry, the palace's magnificent doors tore from their frames with a thunderous crash and flew straight into the hall!
"Protect the king!!"
The guards nearby reacted quickly, rushing forward to shield the king.
They were all handpicked experts, each with at least the strength of a Navy captain.
"Bang!!"
The man Luo Tian had casually hurled into the hall was one of the guards who had been standing at the entrance.
"Bastard! Who dares to trespass in the royal palace?!"
The king glared at the tall figure slowly walking in through the palace gates, his face flushed with rage and his mustache trembling.
"Old man, what are you barking about?"
Luo Tian's voice was cold, like a winter wind sweeping through the hall.
The king's vision blurred.
The next moment, a heavy blow struck his chest. The world spun around him, and he was kicked to the floor.
A foot pressed down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He was on the verge of suffocating.
The force was controlled with exquisite precision—it made him feel the threat of death without killing him outright.
"Guards! What are you standing around for?! Take this madman down!"
The king had never suffered such humiliation. His reason vanished beneath a wave of rage, and he bellowed furiously.
He was the ruler of Flower Country, one of the most powerful men in West Blue!
Even Chinjao, the pillar of the Happo Navy, had to bow respectfully when he saw him!
And this upstart, who knew where he had come from, dared to—
"Quit barking."
Luo Tian's voice remained calm.
"I took care of the guards outside on my way in."
He paused, then swept his gaze over the few guards still in the hall.
"As for them—"
Before he could finish, a heart-stopping crimson gleam flashed through Luo Tian's eyes.
Whoom—
Conqueror's Haki!
He hadn't unleashed his full power, only directing a precise burst at the few people in the hall.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The remaining guards didn't even manage a groan. Their eyes rolled back, foam spilled from their mouths, and they collapsed unconscious.
They hadn't even seen what happened. They'd only felt an indescribably terrifying presence crash over them like a landslide and a tidal wave before losing consciousness.
"Now it's quiet."
Luo Tian looked down at them, his gaze as icy as frost.
When the king met his eyes, it was as though a hand had closed around his throat. All his curses caught in his mouth, and he trembled from head to toe.
"Who... Who are you... Why have you entered the palace... What do you want..."
The king forced out a smile more painful than a grimace. He had completely given in.
After witnessing the man's inhuman strength, all he wanted now was to stay alive. The dignity of a king had long since been cast aside.
"Luo Tian, officer of the Rocks Pirates."
Luo Tian gave his name plainly.
It might save him some trouble during the "negotiations" to come.
After all, the fearsome reputation of the Rocks Pirates was enough to make most people give up resisting.
"W-What... The Rocks Pirates..."
The king gasped, his voice cutting off.
His eyes widened as he stared at Luo Tian's young face. A newspaper he had read recently flashed through his mind—
The World Economic News Paper's front-page headline, that face far too young for its fame, the staggering bounty of 2.5 billion Beli...
The king's eyes rolled back, and he fainted from sheer terror.
Luo Tian, an officer of the Rocks Pirates—how could he not know who that was?
Though he lived far away in West Blue, as the ruler of a country, he had heard plenty about the notorious pirates who had made waves across the seas in recent years and carried absurdly high bounties.
Especially this monster, whose very first bounty had reached the staggering sum of 2.5 billion Beli.
Luo Tian couldn't help feeling speechless at the sight.
He had thought that a king in such a high position would at least have some backbone or schemes. He hadn't expected the man to faint outright.
He raised a hand and slapped the king across the face, waking him.
Smack.
The king slowly came to. His blurred vision gradually cleared, and he saw that young, cold face again. At that moment, he wished he really were dead.
"Y-Your Excellency... P-Please spare me..." he stammered incoherently.
Luo Tian lifted his foot and hauled him up. "Take me to the Ice Continent."
At the words "Ice Continent," the king jolted in shock.
So that was it! The Rocks Pirates were after the Glacier Treasure, which had been passed down and guarded through the generations by the pillars of the Happo Navy!
It made sense. In Flower Country, only the mountains of treasure buried beneath the glacier could interest the Rocks Pirates enough to send an officer in person.
It was the wealth accumulated over eleven generations since the founding of Flower Country!
Though the treasure was supposedly protected and passed down by the Happo Navy, successive kings had all regarded it as their private property.
They had simply been unable to get their hands on it, since the glacier was impenetrable and the Happo Navy stood guard.
And now the Rocks Pirates were coming to take it...
Before you continue