Amidst a chorus of angry curses and indignation, the royal family of the Fufeng Kingdom was brought over.
The elderly man with white hair at the head of the group was none other than the current King of the Fufeng Kingdom, and the biological father of [ One Sword ].
At this moment, the old King was stripped of his royal robes without mercy, and dressed in plain prison clothes. There were several handprints on his face, his steps were unsteady, and his hair was a mess. Only a few traces of majesty flashed in his eyes, but he was extremely dejected and his expression was gloomy.
Behind the old King was [ One Sword ]'s birth mother, a middle-aged woman in her fifties. She had clearly taken good care of herself before, with fair skin and few wrinkles on her face. She was also dressed in plain prison clothes, but now she was on the verge of collapse. Her hands and feet were bound by heavy iron shackles, and she could not even stand steadily. If it weren't for the old King and a pretty young woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six supporting her, the queen of the Fufeng Kingdom would probably have fallen over long ago.
The pretty young woman was also dressed in plain prison clothes, handcuffed and shackled. She was in slightly better spirits and had a beautiful face. She was a very pretty woman. Beside her was a five or six-year-old child with big eyes full of fear. He was clutching his mother's clothes and following closely by her side. His eyebrows and eyes looked very much like [ One Sword ]. He should be the son of [ One Sword ], the biggest traitor in the empire.
Next came the other members of the Fufeng Kingdom family and some of the kingdom's guards. These people didn't receive the same treatment as the previous ones. Anyone with martial prowess had their collarbones pierced and pulled through with iron hooks. Bloodstains dripped down. These men were true heroes; although their faces were as pale as gold and their lips were purple from the pain, they endured it without uttering a sound.
"Kill them! Kill those bastards from the Fufeng Kingdom!"
A shout rang out from the crowd, and small stones, vegetable leaves, and rotten eggs rained down on them. The anger of the city's citizens towards the traitor had actually been accumulating and brewing to its limit. The greatness of the power of the masses lies in the fact that once incited, they have the blind power to destroy their opponents and even themselves at any time.
At this moment, the crowd's anger reached its peak, and everyone's eyes were red. Even the timid five- or six-year-old boy, who had several large bumps on his forehead, unusually held back his tears and was held tightly in his mother's arms. This thin and petite woman, who had no martial arts skills, used her body to shield her son from most of the attacks. Soon, she was covered in the smell of rotten eggs and was also covered in bruises from being hit by stones.
Soon, the group of prisoners from the Fufeng Kingdom were brought to the execution platform.
"Prince One Sword of the Fufeng Kingdom betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy, turning against the empire and inciting the invasion of the Ten Empires Allied Army, resulting in the fall of the six southern provinces of the empire and the suffering of the capital..." The military clerk loudly read out the imperial military's verdict. All members of the Fufeng Kingdom were to be hanged immediately. Thirty-one people, men, women, and children, were hanged and their heads were displayed to the public.
A cheer erupted from the crowd.
"No! We've been wronged! We'll die with our eyes open in disbelief..." The beautiful young woman, who had been silent all along, suddenly Shout, struggling frantically and tightly embracing her young son, pleading, "We really didn't know about the Prince's treason! We didn't conspire to betray the country! The Fufeng Kingdom family has always been loyal to the empire! When the Crown Prince went on his Southern Frontier expedition, a total of six thousand men from the Fufeng Kingdom accompanied him. Prince [ One Sword ] killed ten of Spartak's top warriors, sustaining over twenty wounds himself. Of the six thousand Fufeng men, three thousand seven hundred and eighty-one died in battle, and five hundred and forty were crippled..."
This beautiful young woman is none other than the only Prince consort of [ One Sword ].
The five- or six-year-old child is the only bloodline left in this world by [ One Sword ], and his name is Luffy.
However, the poor young woman's pleas for mercy were quickly drowned out by the even more furious shouts and curses of the onlookers.
At this moment, who would calm down and think about so many things? [ One Sword ]'s betrayal and defection to the enemy was a fact witnessed by countless people. The scene of him wearing the Dortmund general's armor was firmly recorded in the hearts of the soldiers defending the city.
"Please, please! We don't care if we die, just spare Little Luffy. He's still a child, he doesn't understand anything..."
The pretty young woman, tears streaming down her face, tightly hugged the executioner who had placed the rough noose around her neck, hoping to spare the five- or six-year-old boy. Seeing her young son also with the noose around his slender neck, her heart broke.
"Spare him! He's the only bloodline of the Fufeng Kingdom family! For the sake of the heroic souls of those who died for the Fufeng Kingdom, spare Luffy!"
The sound and its appearance were so tragic that, under normal circumstances, it would absolutely make one sigh and weep.
A few people in the crowd were deeply moved, but the executioner coldly shook his head. The order was jointly issued by the Imperial Military Department and the Imperial God of War. Although the people of the Fufeng Kingdom were pitiful, [ One Sword ]'s treason was a fact. The anger of the royal family, the Military Department, and the common people all needed to be borne by someone. Within this empire, no one could save the people of the Fufeng Kingdom.
All the prisoners were led to the gallows.
The prisoners had nooses around their necks, one end of which was fixed to a horizontal beam above them. The wooden planks they stood on were equipped with a mechanical device with a movable mechanism. As soon as the executioner gave the order, the mechanism would turn, the planks would loosen, and the prisoners would lose their footing and be hanged directly from the horizontal beam. This was a relatively cruel form of torture. The rough and hard rope would strangle them to death, and the prisoners would clearly feel the painful process before death!
The people of the Fufeng Kingdom have given up hope.
The young woman, tears streaming down her face, continued to plead desperately...
The executioner raised his hand, and amidst the urging and shouts of the surrounding crowd, was about to shout the words "execution"...
Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out from within the crowd, silencing the clamor—
"Wait a minute!"
A handsome young man with long black hair stepped out from the crowd and stopped the execution.
"Who goes there? How dare you disrupt the execution ground! You're incredibly audacious!"
Soldiers immediately stepped forward to stop the black-haired young man. The executioner, a middle-aged man with a slightly harsh face, looked him over and noticed that the young man was only wearing an ordinary coarse cloth robe and had no armor or other identification. He didn't take it to heart and loudly ordered him to stop.
Who knows--
"[ One Sword ] Wuzui, and the Fufeng Kingdom Wuzui too. Release them!"
This young man's words were earth-shattering; he dared to defy the world and utter such words. Who did he think he was? Wasn't he afraid of being crushed by the angry crowd?
Sure enough, these words immediately enraged the surrounding crowd.
"Who the hell are you? How dare you speak up for a piece of trash like [ One Sword ]?"
"This guy's a madman, he must be with [ One Sword ]'s gang. Arrest him and hang him!"
A chorus of curses erupted, and the people's gazes toward the black-haired young man instantly filled with hostility.
The middle-aged executioner gave a signal, indicating that the soldiers should step forward and arrest the black-haired young man. If he dared to say such things and was let go, the Imperial Military Department and the First Prince would be furious, and the executioner would be in deep trouble.
Suddenly, everyone saw a blur and a figure flash before their eyes. The black-haired young man appeared on the gallows in an instant. With a casual wave of his hand, more than thirty cowhide ropes snapped and fell from the necks of the prisoners from the Fufeng Kingdom.
"You... Guards! Surround him! How dare you attempt a prison break! This man must be a spy for the Lyon Empire! Arrest him! Arrest him! If he resists, kill him without mercy!"
The executioner was horrified.
Soon, a large number of soldiers surged in from all directions, surrounding the execution platform. Hundreds of magic-piercing arrows were drawn with a creaking sound, their gleaming tips aimed at the black-haired young man on the platform and the prisoners from the Fufeng Kingdom. At the slightest sign of trouble, the arrows would be drawn.
The situation is on the verge of erupting.
Clang!
Just then, a black token was thrown to the feet of the executioner. The black-haired young man, without turning his head, said calmly, "[ One Sword ] Wuzui. No one is allowed to harm the Fufeng Kingdom!"
"Who do you think you are..." the executioner instinctively cursed, but when he looked down at the black token, he was completely stunned. He couldn't utter a word, his face turning deathly pale, and he stammered, " Martial Saint Token... you... you are...!"
Third update.
Thank you to the following individuals for their support: Wind-like Silence, I Love Big Milk, eee775, Guarding the Love in My Heart, and Low-key A Zhe.