This Welcome Is Pretty Unique
As he spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"As you get older, you tend to forget things that aren't that important."
Is that strange?
Kuta gazed at the two islands in the distance, shimmering golden in the setting sun.
A strong sense of curiosity flashed through my mind.
Being invited by the Golden Lion, even though he ultimately declined, means he must be someone extraordinary!
The welcome in Chapter 6 was quite special.
Bass Island.
Spring Island, Central Palace.
This place no longer resembles what a Royal Palace should look like.
The Royal Palace was filled with Pirates.
These Pirates were either lying down, sitting, or shouting.
It was basically a chaotic mess.
In another palace, however, the scene was quite different. Everyone there wore cold expressions and drank their wine in silence.
He looked around warily at everyone and everything.
Judging from the aura emanating from these guys, they shouldn't be Pirates.
This is the Bass Kingdom today.
Looking further out, apart from the two remaining relatively intact Royal Palace in the central Royal Palace, the entire Kingdom was in ruins.
The villages surrounding the Royal Palace were all in ruins.
And in some of the ruins, one can still see numb, desperate faces.
There weren't many people, and they weren't very strong; they were mostly elderly people and children, and even women were few in number.
These people hid carefully, searching for something, as if afraid of being discovered.
All of this serves as a reminder to those who arrive here that this is no longer the prosperous, joyful, and happy Bass Kingdom it once was.
The island is still the same island.
However, the Bass Totto Land mentioned above has disappeared without a trace.
Now only the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled remain.
The former Kingdom and docks have been completely transformed into Paradise for Pirates and Bounty Hunter.
Why can Pirates and Bounty Hunter coexist peacefully on this Island?
Like Whiskey Peak, they're probably just a bunch of incompetent newcomers who've just entered the Grand Line and are waiting to be hunted!
Here, Pirates can turn into Bounty Hunter at any time, and Bounty Hunter can turn into Pirates at any time.
They not only rob Pirates, but they also rob passing merchant ships.
Some of them can even transform into Human Traffickers in an instant.
Because the best-selling commodity on the Grand Line is all kinds of slaves.
Bass Island.
In the giant harbor between two islands.
The harbor is shaped like a river; the water is deep, but not wide.
It's clearly man-made.
The left bank is shaded by green trees, while the right bank is covered in snow and ice, a pure white expanse.
Just then, the Freedom, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, slowly sailed in.
The two sides of the river were as silent as night, without a single light.
However, the river channel on the left side of Spring Island Harbor was filled with people.
"Look at the Flag, it's another newcomer!"
"Hahaha..."
"The heads of these Pirates are yours, the Bada Bounty Hunters."
Although the Kuta are very famous, their Flag are not as well-known.
After all, he had only put a bounty on him a few days ago.
On the left side of the river, Bada
One of the henchmen lying nearby heard his boss's voice and immediately fired at the Freedom.
Snap!
That gunshot was like a fuse.
Then countless gunshots rang out from all around.
The Bullet weren't aimed at the people on board, but at the ship itself.
Their plan was to first destroy the ship, and then deal with the Pirates who had fallen into the sea.
They've all fallen into the sea; doesn't that mean they can do whatever they want with that?
"Damn it, I already told you, these Pirates are from our crew!"
As countless gunshots rang out, Bada rushed out first.
He planned to occupy a favorable position and wait for the Pirates to fall into the water.
They'll catch them all the time.
"Um!"
Just then, Bada, who had just jumped into the river and was rushing forward, suddenly stopped and froze in place.
"What's wrong, boss?"
One of the dozens of his men who rushed out after him quickly asked.
Seeing that his boss didn't reply, he didn't dare to ask any more questions, but simply followed Bada's gaze to the Freedom.
"Well!"
He froze on the spot after just one glance, then his pupils widened rapidly, as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
At this moment, everyone in the harbor, whether they had surfaced or not, stopped in their tracks.
They looked at the bow of the Freedom and felt a pang in their hearts.
"How did this guy get to the Grand Line so quickly?!"
Although they knew that given the bounty on the other side, they would definitely come to the Grand Line.
But this is way too fast!
They only saw the Wanted Poster on the other side two days ago!
You just happened to come! And then they happened to run into you.
Most importantly, he's traveling in such a small boat; it doesn't look like a vessel befitting his status as a new generation of legendary Sea!
If the Freedom were more inconspicuous, they wouldn't have opened fire so hastily, and they wouldn't be so afraid now.
Some of the newly emerged Pirates immediately lay down on the ground, wishing they could dig a hole and bury themselves. They didn't dare to breathe loudly, for fear of being discovered by Kuta.
They stared at the Bada gang, who were frozen in place, from afar.
They couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.
Thankfully, thankfully they weren't the first to rush out.
"Hmm! Could this be a special welcoming ceremony held on Bass Island?"
Kuta expanded its Space Domain, blocking Bullet coming from all directions.
"Didn't the old man say this place was very prosperous?"
"It's very prosperous!"
Indigo chuckled and stepped forward, looking around at the dark, unlit dock.
And in the distance, halfway up the mountain, only two relatively intact palaces remain.
The Royal Palace was taken aback.
"That's impossible! Judging from the state of disrepair, this place has been abandoned for at least a year!"
"The Bass Kingdom is World Government Member States; it can't be destroyed so easily."
"And this is all without any news."
He shook his head as he spoke, then seemed to have thought of something.
"If a country is to be destroyed, there is only one possibility,"
"What's possible?"
Kuta looked at Indigo a puzzled expression.
"That country couldn't afford the Heavenly Tribute, and was therefore removed from the Affiliated Nation by the World Government."
"Then this country will be quickly wiped out by endless war."
"This also explains why there hasn't been much news coming out."
"Because the World Government simply doesn't allow extensive reporting of news from here."
As he spoke, Indigo's face gradually darkened, as if he were thinking of the past, and a trace of memory flashed in his eyes.
"There are many such countries in the New World."
"These countries are constantly embroiled in war, and their royal families relentlessly plunder every penny and wage war against other nations, all for the slightest chance of joining the World Government."
"Oh!"
Kuta Guotou and looked at the Royal Palace halfway up the mountain, asking in confusion, "Even if they were stripped of their titles, the country wouldn't be destroyed so quickly!"
As he spoke, he retracted his Space Domain, Bullet outside fell onto the water's surface like rain, creating ripples.
These ripples were just like Kuta's feelings at that moment.
He was just hoping this place would bring him some fine wine!
But what awaited them was a throng of Pirates and Bounty Hunter at the dock.
He gazed at the dilapidated Royal Palace in the distance, a flash of red light in his eyes, and his Observation Haki instantly swept across the entire dock.
Not a single Civilians was found.
Even if a country is destroyed, there shouldn't be no one left, and it's impossible for everyone to become Pirates and Bounty Hunter!
His Haki then expanded, gradually enveloping the entire Spring Island.
With his exaggeratedly powerful spirit, his Observation Haki could easily cover a small Island.
Of course, he's not at Enel's level yet.
That guy's Devil Fruit combined with Observation Haki creates his own unique "Mantra," which is probably the most extensive Observation Haki in the entire Pirate King!
"Um!"
Kuta suddenly froze.
In his perception, besides these Pirates and Bounty Hunter, only the old, weak, sick, and disabled remained on this island.
Not a single young or middle-aged person was among them.
Even the children were like Nezumi, Hiding and Fleeing.
His breath was weak and filled with fear.
Prolonged starvation.