Mary Geoise, the Beginning of the Riot

The system's electronic voice echoed in Roya's mind the moment he set foot in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

This Devil Fruit ability suited Roya perfectly.

But he had no intention of eating it yet.

As he strolled through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Roya wanted to see if there was anywhere he could check in.

But all he saw along the way were flames and fighting.

Some slaves betrayed their companions just to survive, all for the sake of gaining an extra second or two to flee.

Some slaves, unable to break free from the explosive collars around their necks, could not bear to watch others escape and began slaughtering indiscriminately.

Some had even killed until their eyes turned red, lunging straight at Roya when they saw him in his cloak.

Roya cut them down with a single slash.

There was simply too much of this.

It completely ruined Roya's mood for continuing his stroll through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

Just as Roya was about to leave, he heard running footsteps behind him.

The footsteps were heavy, with no attempt whatsoever to conceal them.

Slowly turning around, Roya saw, illuminated by the flames, a red fish-man with thick curly hair and a wide mouth rushing toward him.

Roya narrowed his eyes slightly.

He could tell that the fish-man in the distance was already gravely wounded.

His body was covered in wounds of all sizes, blood continuously seeping from them.

If he had not been a fish-man, Roya thought he would already have been a corpse.

The fish-man had clearly seen Roya as well. He did not know who Roya was, and although Roya's attire looked rather strange, it was fine so long as he was not one of those people in white cloaks and masks!

Fisher Tiger immediately endured the searing pain, took a deep breath, and shouted at Roya, "Hey! You up ahead! Run! There are masked people chasing us from behind!"

Those masked people were most likely CP0.

And if nothing unexpected had happened, the person before him was likely Fisher Tiger, the "culprit" behind this riot.

Roya instantly deduced Fisher Tiger's identity.

But Fisher Tiger saw that Roya remained unmoved, and his heart burned with anxiety!

"Didn't you hear me?! Run!"

Fisher Tiger shouted another warning to Roya, but the instant he finished speaking, blood sprayed from his mouth.

He had already been fleeing nonstop while dragging his heavily injured body along. Those two shouts had only worsened his injuries!

Yet even so, he did not hesitate to warn Roya loudly. That was likely the charm of Fisher Tiger.

At that moment, five figures in white cloaks and masks appeared behind Fisher Tiger.

"No matter who you are, anyone who wreaks havoc in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise will not escape death!"

Hearing the words behind him, Fisher Tiger's heart sank to the bottom.

He had not expected CP0 to arrive so quickly.

Fisher Tiger immediately clenched his teeth and stepped in front of Roya.

Then he abruptly turned around, shielding Roya behind him.

"I'm probably near my limit. I'll hold them back. Hurry, hurry and run!!!"

Fisher Tiger shouted that final sentence with nearly all the strength in his body.

Roya looked at Fisher Tiger before him and chuckled. "You really are overbearing, but I don't have a habit of hiding behind others."

As Roya's words fell, Fisher Tiger felt as if a gust of wind had drifted past his back.

Roya instantly rushed out from behind Fisher Tiger.

Fisher Tiger's pupils suddenly contracted at the sight.

He wanted to warn Roya that the five people before them were incredibly powerful!

But blood had already clogged his throat. Apart from coughing harder and spilling even more blood, he could not make a sound at all.

Fisher Tiger did not dare watch any longer. In his view, defeating five such powerful people alone was simply impossible.

But in the next instant!

Towering flames reflected in Fisher Tiger's eyes.

It was the most outrageous slash he had ever seen in his life.

Blazing flames filled the sky, erupting from that man's blade.

With just one strike, he slaughtered on the spot the five people who had severely injured Fisher Tiger moments ago!!!

Fisher Tiger stared at the scene before him in disbelief, shock surging through his heart. How is this possible?! Who exactly is this guy?! He's actually... actually this powerful!!!

Just as Fisher Tiger was stunned, Roya had already slowly sheathed his sword and walked over to him.

As though everything had been effortless.

As though, in Roya's eyes, those five powerful figures had been as weak as cannon fodder.

After steadying his breathing, Fisher Tiger forcefully swallowed the blood in his mouth and said softly to Roya, "Th-thank you."

"No need to thank me. I was just passing by."

As he spoke, Roya bent down and directly hoisted Fisher Tiger onto his shoulder.

"Put me down. I'm... just a burden."

The further he spoke, the quieter Fisher Tiger's voice became.

"Don't talk. I'll take you somewhere to stop the bleeding."

Roya carried Fisher Tiger toward a nearby manor.

Not much of the manor had caught fire yet.

Roya kicked the front door open and entered the room.

He then carefully set Fisher Tiger down on the floor and used materials from the room to give him some simple bandaging.

"Rest here for a while. As long as I'm here, you'll be fine."

Hearing Roya's words, Fisher Tiger felt warmth fill his heart.

Just as he was about to thank Roya, a strange noise suddenly rose from beneath the room.

It immediately put Fisher Tiger on guard.

Roya looked at Fisher Tiger, signaling that everything was fine, before finding the entrance to the basement alone.

The corridor leading into the basement was pitch-black.

Roya gently pushed out his sword guard with his thumb, and wisps of flame flew from the scabbard, illuminating the corridor for him.

As Roya continued deeper inside, the strange noise grew clearer and clearer. It sounded like the voice of a girl...