Because,
In his eyes at that moment,
Countless ships seemed to crowd the waters not far from the harbor. Almost every warship within sight was there to claim Arthur's head.
At that very moment!
The forces of North Blue had all arrived!
The Vinsmoke Family of the Germa Kingdom had no fixed territory for their kingdom. Their nation was formed simply by joining dozens of astonishingly large ships together.
And this time,
They had brought almost half their kingdom to the scene!
They were the largest force among those who had come to kill Arthur.
However, besides them,
The major powers of the Underworld had also arrived.
Although none of those individual forces was as powerful as the Vinsmoke Family of the Germa Kingdom,
The warships they had temporarily brought together
Could still rival the Vinsmoke Family.
Then, besides those two major forces, there were countless pirates. Every pirate ship carried a pirate crew that killed without blinking.
Mixed among them were countless assassins from the Underworld.
They hid in the crowd,
Waiting to seize a chance to kill Arthur in a single strike.
And besides these people who wanted Arthur's head,
Even warships belonging to the Navy and the World Government had appeared on the other side of the island, facing the Germa Kingdom's ships and the others from afar.
This time!
All the forces of North Blue had mobilized!
All to claim Arthur's head!
Among them,
Some had been drawn by the three hundred million Beli, some wanted to make a name for themselves in this great battle, and others wanted the Donquixote Family's goodwill.
It could be said that
This battle,
As time had worked upon it,
Had become more than simply killing Arthur.
It had instead evolved into a battlefield where the forces of North Blue competed!
By comparison, Arthur's fate seemed less important. After all, in the eyes of everyone there, surrounded by so many people,
The brat named Arthur D. Dragonier was already certain to die!
All they needed to concern themselves with
Was considering
How to secure more benefits for their own side!
Whether for Beli, fame, or the Donquixote Family's friendship.
At that moment,
Diamante stood aboard a pirate ship and laughed smugly.
Earlier, he had nearly died at Arthur's hands.
Fortunately, Diamante knew when to let go. In the end, he had used the explosion as cover to escape what should have been their Donquixote Family base.
But he would never forget the humiliation of being forced to flee for his life by Arthur.
To think that he, a figure who had roamed the Grand Line,
Had actually been forced by some brat from North Blue to run like a stray dog.
It was simply unforgivable!
For that reason,
Diamante had to kill Arthur!
Only then could he wash away the humiliation in his heart.
Fortunately,
Doffy had personally issued a bounty.
Moreover,
Their family had also decided to abandon this base and find another island on which to establish their North Blue base after killing Arthur. That was why he could act without any reservations.
As Diamante saw it now,
Arthur no longer had any chance of survival!
Just then, a seabird swept over the island, taking in everything on it.
Meanwhile, aboard Diamante's ship,
They also received a report on the situation on the island.
"There's no movement on the island. Could that brat have escaped?"
One of Diamante's subordinates reported to him.
"Impossible!"
Diamante immediately rejected the idea. Their family's powerful intelligence network had investigated, and Arthur had never gone out to sea since setting foot on this island...
"Hmph!"
"Damned brat, do you think hiding will save you?"
Diamante sneered.
Then he waved his hand, signaling everyone to land on the island!
Although they could bombard the island with cannon fire,
Just a few rounds of blanket bombardment would leave not even a blade of grass standing, and Arthur would naturally die beneath the shells as well.
But Diamante wanted to see Arthur's corpse.
He wanted to watch Arthur die with his own eyes.
Likewise, the bounty's terms stated that only someone who killed Arthur personally could collect the reward.
So none of those who had come with Diamante this time minded.
As long as one of them could kill that brat personally,
Diamante, who was present, could serve as a witness
And confirm that the person could collect the bounty.
Inside the castle on the island,
Alfred watched the warships come ashore one after another.
His expression grew increasingly tense.
"Your Highness Arthur, their men have already landed!!!"
Alfred said anxiously.
For some reason, he felt that even the air on the island had grown especially heavy.
At those words,
Arthur, who was still enjoying his breakfast, leisurely finished his last bite, finally set down the breakfast in his hands, and wiped his mouth with a white cloth.
There was not a trace of tension or anxiety on his face.
It was as though he was not worried about anything at all.
A smile curved his lips as he said, "Alfred, find somewhere to hide with the others. I can handle everything here on my own."
As he spoke, Arthur finally stood up.
He walked slowly to the window,
And patted Alfred's shoulder in a gesture to him.
Then he looked toward the group landing at the distant docks. Instead, a barely concealable gleam of excitement and exhilaration appeared in his eyes.
"Breakfast is over. Now it's time to stretch my muscles..."
Arthur said casually.
He paid no heed at all to the people who had come to surround and kill him.
Seeing this,
The tension on Alfred's face did not fade, but this was an order from His Highness Arthur. He had no authority to change His Highness Arthur's mind.
Helpless, Alfred could only take everyone else in the castle down to the basement for shelter.
At that point,
Arthur was the only person left in the vast castle.
But that was for the best.
After all,
Things were going to turn very ugly in an instant.
With a thought, Arthur leaped out of the window in a flash, deciding to wait for everyone halfway along the road from the harbor to the castle.
Meanwhile,
Diamante led everyone onto the island.
He had a rough idea that the brat Arthur should be in his castle.
Yet just then,
As Diamante led the way and reached the halfway point,
Everyone suddenly stopped.
Because a figure sitting cross-legged in the middle of the road ahead had blocked their path.
At that moment, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:
"That's the guy on the bounty poster!!!"
"It's him!"
"So it's him!?"
"How does he dare sit here alone!?"
An uproar immediately broke out among the crowd.
Before you continue