With Dragon gone, all of Loguetown descended into chaos.
The Emperor Wang Shi of the Goa Empire had actually been assassinated by the Revolutionary Army.
Captain Smoker had been exiled by Wang Shi, and with Wang Shi dead, he could never return.
The people knocked out by Conqueror's Haki in Loguetown Square gradually came to.
Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya had been out shopping when they heard the panicked crowd shouting. Their faces went pale, and they rushed toward the Execution Platform.
His Majesty Wang Shi had been killed?
How was that possible!
Wang Shi was so powerful, with his Exile Power. He could even exile the North Blue Germa Kingdom's strongest modified soldiers.
Who in the East Blue could kill him!
Eric, El Drago, and the others came to and stared grimly at the half of the Execution Platform that had disappeared.
Their King Wang Shi had vanished along with half the Execution Platform.
Who was that terrifying figure in the green robe? How could he be so frightening?
He could not only unleash Wind Blades as solid as real objects, but also summon thunder. He was practically a god.
Those solid Wind Blades, gleaming with a metallic sheen, were probably ten thousand times stronger than Eric's Wind Blade.
"Has fate reached its end?"
Van Augur leaned against the wall, trembling. He had never expected that Wang Shi, whose power had only just begun to rise, would be assassinated by a super-strong fighter from the Revolutionary Army.
Should he stay in the Goa Empire as a baron, or set sail again?
Without Wang Shi, he didn't think the Goa Empire could continue to exist.
"Wang Shi, one day I'll avenge you."
Zoro struggled to his feet and gripped the Sandai Kitetsu Wang Shi had given him. Another goal had appeared in his eyes.
That man in the green robe was incredibly strong.
He wondered whether the World's Greatest Swordsman could defeat him.
"His Majesty Wang Shi..."
Saka's tiger-like eyes brimmed with tears as he tightly gripped the Ryo Wazamono Yubashiri. He couldn't believe Wang Shi was really dead.
As a swordsman and bodyguard, he had failed to protect Wang Shi, and he felt deeply ashamed.
"How could this happen! Boss Wang Shi is dead?"
Bartolomeo had gotten back up, but disbelief filled his eyes too.
The hope rising in the East Blue couldn't just die like this.
They hadn't even defeated the arrogant Germa Kingdom from the North Blue yet!
Dezaya and Gambia were just as shocked and disappointed. They had only just met Wang Shi, and now he had been taken down.
Fate was cruel, that was all.
"Van Augur! Eric! Where is His Majesty?!"
Nami and the other two hurried over, looking around for Wang Shi.
Eric glanced at the half-missing Execution Platform and the blood Wang Shi had splattered on the ground, then sighed deeply.
He had no idea what to do now either.
Should he keep serving as the Goa Empire's Guard Army commander and an imperial baron, or go back to sea as a bounty hunter?
"How can this be!"
Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya trembled as they approached the bloodstains, then sank helplessly to their knees.
They had only been shopping for a little while, and now His Majesty Wang Shi was dead?
"I don't believe it..."
Tears welled in Nami and Nojiko's eyes.
Wang Shi had promised to take them on diplomatic visits to the Affiliated Nations across the Four Blues and travel around the world.
How could he just die like this?
The Marines who had been knocked out gradually woke up.
A Marine communications officer was about to report the news of Smoker and Wang Shi's disappearance to Marine Headquarters.
Just then.
Amid Nami and the others' sobs,
a bloodied figure suddenly appeared in midair above the Execution Platform and fell into the remaining half of its frame.
"It's Wang Shi!"
Zoro, who had been watching the Execution Platform, immediately leaped up and caught Wang Shi as he fell. Using the frame to break his fall, he safely landed.
"His Majesty is alive!" Saka cried out in delight.
"Kaya, hurry and treat His Majesty!"
Nami and Nojiko shouted, their tear-streaked faces finally breaking into faint smiles.
When Van Augur saw Wang Shi reappear, light returned to his eyes. He immediately ran over to keep watch.
It seemed their fate was still unfolding.
"His Majesty is all right!"
Eric and El Drago had been bewildered and unsure what to do, but the moment Wang Shi reappeared, they cast aside all those confused thoughts.
Even the pirates wearing Slave Collars breathed a sigh of relief.
If Wang Shi died, Empress Sally would surely execute them to accompany him in death. They would have no chance of survival.
"Haah... haah..."
Wang Shi was covered in blood, like a glass doll, and gasped for breath. Blood continued to seep from his wounds.
Kaya tended to him with a heart full of concern, bandaging his wounds and using every kind of clotting medicine and potion without holding back.
Wang Shi's consciousness was hazy. He could feel more and more people gathering around him.
He slowly raised a hand and used his power to release Smoker.
He knew this Marine captain would protect him more diligently than his subordinates would.
As Smoker appeared, Wang Shi let his hand fall weakly and gave a carefree smile.
In his battered state, though, he looked utterly wretched.
"What happened!"
Smoker had been about to draw his Seastone Jitte, intending to stop Wang Shi from going up to the Execution Platform.
How had everything changed in the blink of an eye?
He saw Tashigi unconscious, the Marines in a panic, and Wang Shi surrounded by people protecting him.
Wang Shi was lying on the ground, covered in blood and barely alive.
"Waaah, Captain Smoker, you're finally back!"
"It... it was the Revolutionary Army that attacked His Majesty Wang Shi!"
The Marines looked at Smoker in delight as he reappeared.
They had thought Captain Smoker would be exiled forever because of Wang Shi's death.
"What! The Revolutionary Army attacked Wang Shi?"
Smoker felt a chill run down his spine. He guessed that Wang Shi had exiled him for a while.
During that time, the Revolutionary Army had attacked Wang Shi and left him gravely wounded.
Smoker looked at the half-destroyed Execution Platform and Wang Shi, covered in injuries.
Who could have attacked Wang Shi?
He hadn't even had time to react before Wang Shi exiled him in an instant.
Was the attacker who had beaten Wang Shi this badly an Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army, or had the Leader of the Revolutionary Army acted personally?
The Revolutionary Army had gravely wounded the emperor of an Affiliated Nation in his territory, Loguetown. The Marine Branch would probably bear considerable responsibility.
Even though Wang Shi had exiled him, he was still the one in charge of the branch and would have to take the blame.
"Get Wang Shi to the Marine Branch at once and keep him under protection!"
"Listen up! Maintain order in the square!"
Seeing the crowd continuing to gather, Smoker immediately began assigning tasks.
At the same time, he quickly asked his subordinates how long he had been gone and what had happened while he was away.
Before long, Tashigi was also revived.
"Captain Smoker, you're back!!"
Tashigi cried out in delight, her eyes full of worried tears.
"Did you see who attacked Wang Shi?"
Smoker asked sternly, his face grave. After hearing his subordinates' account, he had already more or less guessed who it was.
"Conqueror's Haki! It was the Leader of the Revolutionary Army! It was him!!"
Terror filled Tashigi's face. She had seen Dragon, and he looked exactly like the man on the wanted poster.
"So it really was him! The Leader of the Revolutionary Army attacked the emperor of the Goa Empire. This is extremely serious."
Smoker's face turned ashen. This was beyond his ability to handle.
He had to report it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately.