Threatened

Taro Kingdom!

"So this is the destination!"

Xia Zhiqing checked the location on the mission, confirmed it, and came ashore!

Meanwhile, in the royal palace not far away!

"Your Majesty, just as you planned, the ones carrying out Dongping Kingdom's mission are the Summer Bounty Crew!"

A middle-aged man dressed like a minister ran in excitedly and reported breathlessly to the old man on the throne!

"Good. Notify the guards not to stop them. For the fate of our Taro Kingdom, we're going all in!"

After hearing this, the old man's previously clouded eyes suddenly lit up!

It was rather frightening!

"Yes!"

The minister answered and was about to leave when an unfamiliar voice sounded. "The fate of the kingdom you two keep talking about wouldn't happen to involve me, would it?"

Both men were greatly startled and hurriedly looked over, only to see a flash of lightning streak over. A young man and a woman appeared at the doorway!

With those traits, who else could it be but Xia Zhiqing!

He had arrived so quickly because, upon landing at the harbor, he had used Observation Haki to investigate.

Then he discovered that something was seriously wrong with the kingdom. Afraid that the mission might go awry, he grabbed Anna and rushed over!

What a joke—what other royal palace wasn't heavily guarded!

Yet this one had its gates wide open, with pitifully few defenses!

It was absurdly shabby! One look was enough to tell something was wrong!

"You're Natsi, right!"

Upon seeing Xia Zhiqing, the king let out a long breath of relief before speaking!

"It is quite an honor that you know me. Now, please hand over Dongping Kingdom's prince!"

"Though I don't know why you withdrew the palace guards, I'll have quite a headache if you interfere with my mission!"

Lightning crackled in Xia Zhiqing's hand, making one's scalp tingle!

"I can give you the prince!" the king said, directly lifting the curtain behind him.

There, a defiant-looking young man was tied to a pillar!

The instant he saw Xia Zhiqing, his eyes immediately filled with joy!

"Tell me your conditions!"

Xia Zhiqing looked at the king, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth!

For some reason, he sensed something unusual!

"Help me kill the king of Dongping Kingdom, and I'm willing to pay three times the mission reward!"

Xia Zhiqing's brow twitched upon hearing that. "What if I refuse?"

"Then I'll immediately detonate the bomb on him. Your mission will fail, and the king of Dongping Kingdom will hold a grudge against you!"

"He might even hire assassins to hunt you down, and it could damage your bounty crew's reputation. Think carefully about whether that would be worth it!" the king said calmly!

"So I have no possibility of refusing at all. I can only accept your mission, huh!"

Xia Zhiqing narrowed his eyes and bared a mouthful of white teeth in a grin. "But you forgot..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Zhiqing turned into an afterimage and appeared before the king, paralyzing him with lightning!

"Now your life is in my hands as well. If you want to live, you'll have to follow my arrangements!"

Xia Zhiqing pressed his gun against the king's head and said!

"Hahaha, then shoot! This old man came here prepared to die! If I die, the prince dies too. It makes no difference!"

The king's words left Xia Zhiqing somewhat stunned!

Hey, hey, hey, this isn't how the plot is supposed to go!

Normally, shouldn't he immediately beg for mercy and say he didn't want to die, then get threatened into submission?

As the king of a country, shouldn't he be terrified of death?

Why was this king such a freak!