The world of the Pirate King was a world full of contradictions. It held fairy-tale adventures, but also the hellish scene now laid bare before Tsugikuni Yoriichi and the others.
For powerful people with strength, this world was dreamlike. All the good things one could imagine could be found here.
Endless wealth? Overwhelming power? A life surrounded by beautiful women? All of it was open to the strong.
But behind this fantastical world, what most ordinary people tasted was often suffering.
At Tsugikuni Yoriichi's instruction, Kyros, a local returning to his hometown, jumped off the ship and approached a young man dressed as a guard who was sitting on the ground resting, asking him what had happened here.
"Friend, may I ask what happened here?"
Since last night, the guard's nerves had remained taut. After all, whether the pirates had truly left was still unknown. The guards dispatched by King Riku to the port to calm the people had stayed on high alert, terrified that the pirates might suddenly return.
After all, such things had happened before.
Thus, when Kyros came over and asked about last night's events, the guard was sitting on the ground with his hands hanging limply over his knees, his head buried deep between his legs to block out the sunlight.
Hearing Kyros's question, the young guard quickly raised his head and looked at Kyros nervously. When he saw that Kyros was wearing a Marine uniform, his expression froze, and he could not help crying out:
"M-Marines?!"
The appearance of a Marine truly surprised the guard.
This was Dressrosa, located in the heart of the New World. The people living here would likely struggle to see Marines even a few times a year. In this era, the Marines still lacked the capacity to send much force