Hidden Treasure

Before those powerful slashes, even sturdy city walls could not withstand a single strike from the two Swordmasters.

The two had fought for less than two minutes, yet every surrounding building had already been utterly destroyed.

Pami's body bore many sword wounds that cut to the bone. Li Yuan, on the other hand, had no injuries apart from his torn clothes, at most bearing a few white sword marks on his body.

"I've already seen your swordsmanship. Before you die, let me show you mine."

"Limitless: Void-Breaking Sword Art!"

Zhanfeng returned his sword to its sheath, then drew it in an instant. What followed was an enormous Sword Qi slash one hundred and fifty meters long.

The Sword Qi slash was incomparably sharp and impossibly fast, even breaking the sound barrier. Pami could not react at all and could only rely on his body's instincts to hold his sword before him.

"Crack!!!!"

Yet before that powerful, razor-sharp slash, even Pami's Longsword coated in Armament Haki was cut apart. He could even clearly feel his throat being severed!

"Ple..."

Knowing that his life was fading away, Pami struggled to extend a hand, wanting to ask Li Yuan for something.

"Sorry, I refuse!"

Li Yuan turned and left coldly. Naturally, he knew what Pami wanted to ask of him.

But he would not agree. He was not the sort to sympathize with an opponent and grant their request because of a duel.

What was more, this person before him did not even know his name, and his strength was nowhere near enough to earn Li Yuan's respect.

"Bang!!!!"

Unable to hear the answer he wanted before his death, Pami's unwilling eyes could not close, but his body had already fallen.

"Everyone, begin the looting!!!"

Li Yuan shouted to the pirates behind him, who had been itching to make a move.

"Long live the Decapitation Sword Master!!!"

"Charge!!"

"I want to loot! I want Treasure!!"

"."

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, the pirates excitedly jumped down from the ships and rushed into Pano Kingdom to loot. Anyone who dared resist was killed.

In an instant, the once-peaceful Pano Kingdom was overrun by pirates who wantonly burned, killed, plundered, and ravaged it, turning it into a living hell.

Li Yuan watched all of this, but said nothing. After all, he was the chief culprit, and also the one who benefited the most.

Li Yuan did not pay much attention to the pirates. Instead, he headed straight for the royal palace. As for the noble district, he had already sent Kano and the others to pillage it. The palace naturally belonged to him.

"Your Majesty, we must leave quickly. General Pami cannot stop those vicious pirates."

Inside the palace, an elderly minister was urging King of Pano, who sat upon the throne.

"Prime Minister, as king, how could I abandon my people and flee alone? Say no more."

King of Pano shook his head and spoke firmly.

"Very good. You are a king who truly loves his people. Unfortunately, you do not possess enough strength to protect your kingdom. So, to spare your kingdom even greater losses, hand over all your Treasure."

Li Yuan silently appeared before King of Pano and looked down at him as he spoke.

"Guards, protect the king!!!"

Seeing Li Yuan suddenly appear, the prime minister instinctively shouted.

"Tap, tap, tap!!!"

There were still some guards in the palace, and they quickly rushed in.

"Hmph!!!"

However, as Li Yuan unleashed his Conqueror's Haki and enveloped those soldiers, they instantly collapsed.

"My patience is limited. Will you hand it over yourselves, or do I search for it myself?"

"If you hand it over yourselves, you may still live. But if I have to find it myself, then none of you will survive."

The king and the prime minister had not been covered by Li Yuan's Conqueror's Haki, so they had not been knocked unconscious. He could now control its range with ease.

Some kingdoms had hidden Treasure Vaults. If Li Yuan searched himself, he might not even find them. The best method was to make the kingdom hand them over willingly.

"As long as you promise not to harm my people, I will give you all the Treasure in the kingdom."

King of Pano said tremblingly.

"You are not qualified to negotiate with me. Either die, or hand over all your Treasure. My patience is limited. You have three seconds to consider!"

Li Yuan threatened him, placing the Zanfeng Sword against King of Pano's neck.

"I-I'll hand it over!!!"

Feeling the chill against his neck, King of Pano finally bowed to death. As long as he remained alive, the kingdom would remain, and it could recover.

"Come. Take me to the treasury!"

Li Yuan smiled in satisfaction.

As for the Treasure elsewhere in the palace, Karu and the others would naturally come to loot it later.

Since Li Yuan was leading the crew, he would naturally take the largest share. The other pirates could only follow along and drink the soup.

"This is the royal treasury!"

King of Pano quickly led Li Yuan into the treasury.

"That's all?"

After entering the treasury, Li Yuan saw that there was so little Treasure. Altogether, it was not even worth five hundred million, and his expression immediately darkened.

No matter how he looked at it, this did not resemble the treasury of a kingdom.

"Pano Kingdom is poor, which is why we cannot afford the Celestial Gold and cannot become a World Government Affiliated Nation."

Hearing Li Yuan's words, King of Pano hurriedly explained.

"Hmph, I think you're being dishonest!"

Li Yuan snorted.

"A mere Secret Treasury thinks it can evade my Observation Haki?"

Li Yuan slashed at a hard wall beside the treasury. The wall was a full two meters thick, but it was split open directly by Li Yuan's strike.

Once the wall was cleaved apart, another treasury was revealed. The Treasure inside was more than three times that of the outer treasury.

"It's over!!!"

This Treasure was Pano Kingdom's accumulation over many years. They had never used it, even when they could not afford the Celestial Gold.

Every king of Pano knew that this Treasure could only be used in a moment of life or death, or even after Pano Kingdom had been destroyed, to establish the kingdom anew.

Even powerful people from other kingdoms had probed the place with Observation Haki and found nothing. Why had this pirate discovered it? King of Pano could not understand.

"You can die now!"

After finding Pano Kingdom's Secret Treasury, Li Yuan immediately ended King of Pano's life.

"If your own eyes and emotions hadn't told me, I wouldn't have found it either."

Only after King of Pano died did Li Yuan murmur this explanation to the dead king.