The arrival of a Marine leader wielding such supreme authority was, in itself, a powerful signal.
"It's over!"
The old king let out a mournful sigh.
Yet he failed to notice the smile on the guard captain's lips beside him, or the excitement and anticipation on the young prince's face below.
In the blink of an eye, a figure strode through the doorway.
It was not Kizaru.
But when the old king saw him, his entire body shuddered. He slid from his throne like a puddle of mud and collapsed on the floor, utterly dazed.
"The Fleet Admiral!"
"Xia Le!!!"
The guard captain's pupils contracted, his face stricken with horror.
Chapter 416: That bolt of lightning
Lulusia Palace.
A deathly silence hung over it, so still that it inspired fear.
And indeed, the atmosphere permeating the palace at that moment was enough to make anyone tremble.
One second, they had thought the visitor was Kizaru, one of the five Senior Admirals. The next, the man stepping inside was the supreme commander of the Marines.
In that single instant, a string of information flashed through the old king's mind.
The man unrivaled throughout the world!
The supreme commander of the Marines, the legendary Emperor of the seas!
The legend who had organized the Conference of Twenty Nations and afterward become the greatest power behind the Twenty Kingdoms.
Yes, that was the truth. Though never explicitly stated, that conference had already established the arrangement.
Actual control of the Twenty Kingdoms had long since changed hands.
If there was anyone the old king had feared most lately, it was undoubtedly the man before him.
Tall, broad, and powerfully built, he radiated strength at a glance. His sheer presence made the weak feel insignificant and tremble.
It was the instinctive suppression of a superior