The Flames of Revenge, Twenty-Two Years Later
South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
The billowing smoke stained the night sky, and towering Huo Guang swept across the Lawless Zone of the kingdom, encompassing half of its territory.
Twenty-two years ago, the former king of this kingdom chose to cut the entire country in half to avoid the exorbitant Heavenly Tribute.
The north of the kingdom was designated as Lawless Zone, while the south was protected by the Royal Army and navy.
Without the protection of the Royal Army and Navy, the civilians, who had no ability to resist, naturally became easy prey for pirates and bandits.
Whenever pirates passed by, they would take the opportunity to cut a large slice off these "fat pieces".
A few months after the decree was issued, Embrio Ivankov, who had returned from the sea and found his own ambition, joined forces with Monkey D. Dragon to form the Freedom Fighters, determined to make the king rescind the law.
Bartholomew Kuma and Ginny, who had escaped from the God Valley together, also joined the cause. Six months later, they finally overthrew King Dong of the Sorbet Kingdom and supported the former king to ascend the throne again.
Although the state of the Lawless Zone could not be reversed, the Royal Army still placed Lawless Zone back under protection.
Inside the Sorbet Palace, the deposed former king Bekori, was so excited that he danced with joy as he held a telescope and gazed at the distant Huo Guang and the occasional cries of pain.
His comical long nose and the ugly expression draped under the crown conveyed an unspeakable sense of pride.
"Hehe, hahahahaha! You damned lowly people, how dare you overthrow me and drive me out of the kingdom in such a humiliating way! Now it's your turn to scream in agony before me..."
"To be honest, the king of the Goa Kingdom is a real genius. He actually thought of using this method to burn those disobedient low-level trash to death. If I had used this trick more than 20 years ago, the kingdom would definitely have Celestial Dragons visiting. Hahahaha!"
Below the throne, the old king, with his white hair and emaciated body, had blood on his face and tears streaming from his cloudy old eyes.
"Bekori! You cruel and heartless bastard! Those are all citizens of the kingdom! How dare you do such a thing..."
Before he could finish speaking, heavy stomping echoed through the silent palace. The accompanying soldiers remained expressionless, clearly loyal to Bekori.
"You old bastard, if you hadn't tipped off those damned scoundrels, I wouldn't have been wandering outside for over twenty years!"
"Now that all those tough bastards have left, won't this kingdom fall into my hands?"
He stomped on the throne again and again until the groans beneath his feet ceased and the old king's chest stopped rising and falling. Only then Bekori snort coldly and sit once more on the throne he had forcibly seized.
"Hehehe, now I'm still the king of the Sorbet Kingdom, and those damned commoners will never dare to rebel against my rule again..."
"This time I'll see who dares to question my legitimacy!"
Meanwhile, inside the house engulfed in flames, a brother and sister huddled in a corner of the room. Thick black smoke seeped into the kitchen, turning their already pale faces black.
"Sister, I'm scared, I'm scared..."
The children, not even three or four years old, were trembling, and the little girls, seven or eight years old, were sobbing uncontrollably, yet they still mustered their courage and offered words of comfort through sobs.
"Don't be afraid, cough cough, Daddy's coming back soon, he'll definitely... cough cough cough, he'll definitely get us out of here..."
Whoosh!
The fire spread to the roof beams, and the fragile wood sparked as it suddenly fell from the ceiling.
The crisis came unexpectedly. Noticing the strange noise coming from the black smoke, the little girl instinctively looked up and screamed.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
Splash! Pop!
The falling rocks and thick smoke did not arrive; instead, a tall, imposing figure appeared before them.
"Pastor, it's the Pastor!"
The sudden arrival of their savior brought tears to the eyes of the siblings, with the older sister anxiously asking questions.
"Pastor, can you see where Dad and Mom are?"
Xiong, who had always been kind to others and silently bore the pain of the sick elderly, refused to turn back and remained silent.
In the distant sea of fire, two bodies rushed toward the house, but fell halfway there, their remains charred beyond recognition, accompanied by countless wails and screams.
"Leave here first. Once the fire is out, your parents will come back, they definitely will..."
With a pop, the two siblings appeared on the edge of the Lawless Zone zone.
The gentle sea breeze dispelled the scorching heat, and the surrounding area was filled with survivors whom the bear had rescued from the inferno.
A hint of bewilderment crept into his fearful eyes. The young child looked around, and the suppressed sobs plunged him into confusion, as he was still unaware of the meaning of death.
"Sister, why are they all crying? Aren't Mom and Dad coming back?"
At this moment, the older sister's lips trembled, and she just stared blankly into the distance, like Kuma fire with a devil's smile, before kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly.
Alive, dead, wounded and dying, their bodies charred black yet still clinging to life...
For each family, the recurring tragedies unfolded right before one person's eyes, and Xiong's face turned crimson, an unprecedented rage brewing and fermenting in his chest.
"Save the next one, save the next one..."
Unbeknownst to them, a great fire burned everything to the ground, turning the once chaotic and bustling Lawless Zone into a complete ruin.
Is this the limit?
Click! Click!
His knuckles cracked, and his eyes behind his glasses burned with rage. The tragedy that had once saved him from the dragon was now playing out once again in the Lawless Zone of the Sorbet Kingdom Goa Kingdom.
He didn't have the power of a dragon, so he could only save them one by one, watching helplessly as lives that could have been saved vanished before his eyes.
"What's going on? Why would the king set fire to Lawless Zone? How could the old man do such a thing..."
"Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear! It wasn't the old king who did it, it was Bekori, that guy... that guy is back, and he's even learned the policies of the Goa Kingdom ..."
Burned to the bone, the dying guard struggled to speak, but ultimately couldn't hold on any longer and closed his eyes with tears in his eyes.
"Bekori, you did all of this!"
"Mr. Bear, don't go! Bekori is a king recognized by the World Government, and the Navy is behind him!"
Several guards with minor injuries tried to stop him, but Xiong's figure had already disappeared from their sight.
In the northern part of the Sorbet Kingdom, the city walls, which had been taken over by Bekori, had long been sealed off with iron plates. The people of the north surrounded the city walls, and no one dared to utter a word.
"His Bekori has now promulgated a new law. From today onwards, the amount of tribute to Heavenly Tribute will be restored to the previous amount. Anyone who dares to disobey will suffer the same fate as the Lawless Zone!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!