Even though this was not their first time seeing Ghost Hand unleash his Conqueror's Haki, it still sent their hearts racing with excitement.
This was their boss, a powerful man destined to rule the Sea.
As the Conqueror's Haki swept over them, space itself seemed to freeze. The fighting spirit and furious cries atop the wall abruptly ceased.
Then came countless thuds of bodies falling.
The soldiers stood in rows, their eyes rolling white, their weapons dropping to the ground as they toppled backward.
No matter how fierce their resolve was, they were still ordinary people.
In a world where individual strength could reign supreme over everything, even giving their all could not protect them from a single glare.
This was not fantasy. It was reality.
"So it really wasn't enough?"
Charles did not need to turn around to know what had happened behind him.
Apart from him and his eldest son, only a dozen or so officers behind him remained standing on the wall, along with a few dozen strong-willed soldiers scattered farther away.
Spread along the long wall, standing among countless fallen soldiers, they looked terribly alone.
And filled with endless sorrow.
Their eyes were bloodshot, their trembling hands gripping their weapons tightly. They planted those weapons against the ground to keep themselves upright.
Then they all turned toward the middle-aged figure above the central gate and roared with every ounce of strength they had.
"Kill!"
Their voices were faint, but loud enough to carry across the entire battlefield.
"Your Majesty..."
Behind Charles, an officer stared at the pirates below with trembling lips, his eyes filled with bitter defiance.
He was not afraid, but he felt despair at what lay ahead.
Charles raised
his sword and roared, **"Soldiers, follow me down and kill the enemy! Even if there