Zephyr led his students into a sprint mode; they were no ordinary people now, so this distance was nothing to them.
They passed through several towns along the way, and the townspeople were surprised to see so many people in naval uniforms. News of the princess's kidnapping had not yet spread among the people, and the kidnapping had not been long ago. In order not to cause panic, the royal family also kept the news under wraps.
Although it is a place with thriving trade and all sorts of people coming and going, it is rare to see a navy rushing around like this.
Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Zephyr led his students to the palace as quickly as possible.
"We're here to support the royal family. Go and inform the king immediately!" Zephyr said to the palace guards as soon as he ran over.
The guards were initially terrified when they saw the rising dust, thinking someone was going to attack the palace. They only relaxed when they saw the navy uniforms.
"Yes, I'll go report right away!" The guards didn't dare to delay. They weren't from the World Government, and their country couldn't afford to offend such a massive organization as the Navy.
One of the guards quickly jogged into the palace. Zephyr's attitude was quite good; he didn't force his way in just because it was a Affiliated Nation. Some naval commanders might have done that.
Soon, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a magnificent robe and wearing a crown, came out, followed by many attendants and guards, as well as several people who looked like ministers.
"Commander, you must save my daughter! She's my only descendant!" The old man approached and immediately grabbed Zephyr's wrist, pleading anxiously.
The ministers behind him had varying expressions, and no one spoke, seemingly lost in thought.
"Now that we're here, we'll do our best, don't worry. Tell us the details first!" Zephyr replied.
"Yes, yes, yes, let me tell you the details first. Let's go inside and talk!" The king pulled Zephyr's hand and led him inside.
Zephyr was also quite helpless, but he understood how a father felt at that moment.
Vic had been observing the old king ever since he appeared. He wasn't very tall, only reaching Zephyr's waist. He was very old, with a face full of wrinkles and long eyebrows that drooped down to his cheeks.
He's so old but only has one daughter, who isn't married yet. It's probably because he had her late in life, so he loves her very much.
Vic and the others followed them into the palace. They also needed to understand the details of the matter, as they would be needed to help later.
The palace was magnificent and obviously very wealthy. It was huge, and its architectural style was different from the traditional ones. Vic had never seen anything like it before, with the use of curves and arches everywhere.
The old king led Zephyr Ochoku into the council hall, where all matters of state were discussed and decided.
Upon arriving here, the king released Zephyr's hand and ascended the throne on the high platform.
"Guards, bring seats to the naval officers!" The king regained some composure.
Soon, the guards brought in many chairs, and Zephyr didn't stand on ceremony, inviting everyone to sit down so he could get a proper understanding of what had happened.
"It happened yesterday afternoon. My daughter Paula insisted on going to the wine tasting event in the brewing town, which is a rare and sacred event in our country."
Our country's specialty is all kinds of alcoholic beverages. Paula is spoiled by me; she insists on going there, and I can't stop her—she's my only daughter.
So I arranged for guards to protect her, and she was fine throughout the entire banquet; many people witnessed this.
But she disappeared on her way back after the banquet. I waited in the palace for her to return, and I became anxious. I immediately sent people out to search for her.
As a result, the soldiers only brought back the charred corpses of the guards. Paula was missing. "I should have stopped her from going to that banquet!" The king said, his mood turning somewhat somber.
"Then how did you know the princess was kidnapped?" Zephyr asked.
"I immediately sent people to investigate the scene where the guard was found. It was a sparsely populated area, with several houses nearby that had been burned down, and all the residents inside were dead. There were no useful clues."
I mobilized the soldiers to search all night, but we found nothing. I was almost desperate. I didn't rest all night, just waiting for news.
But they got no useful results. Then, early this morning, someone shot a letter into the palace, which was discovered by the guards. The letter said that Paula had been kidnapped and they demanded a ransom of one billion!
The king recounted what had happened and then had the letter brought out for Zephyr to see. The letter contained very little information.
In other words, the princess has been kidnapped by them. They won't harm her; they're just after money—1 billion Beli. They want the king to send someone to a certain place to retrieve a Den Den Mushi ) so they can communicate more easily.
These kidnappers are incredibly cautious, unlike the typical style in this world. They operate with extreme secrecy, leaving no room for error.
Zephyr and the old king talked about some other things, but they were all trivial, mostly telling Zephyr to pay attention and that they would repay him properly. Vic wasn't very interested in listening.
" Rebecca, can your Observation Haki now see other people's outlines and facial features?" Vic turned to Rebecca and asked.
We'll need to find them later. Ordinary methods definitely won't work, because these people are too cautious. We probably can't find them with ordinary reconnaissance. We'll have to use Observation Haki to have any chance of finding them.
"I can manage up close, but not from a distance!" Rebecca said regretfully.
"Then you'll need to practice more. Whenever you have free time, use your Observation Haki to carefully sense things and refine your perception. Sooner or later, you'll be able to visualize it in your mind," Vic instructed.
Vic hadn't told Rebecca before that constantly using Haki could slowly increase Haki intensity, so this time he conveniently dragged her onto this fast track. And what Vic said wasn't wrong; focusing on sensing with your heart could indeed make your Observation Haki more precise.
"Yes, I know, I will try my best!" Rebecca said earnestly. She never doubted what Vic said, because Vic really was getting stronger and stronger at an incredibly fast pace.
Soon, Zephyr had learned about the whole incident but didn't have many clues. He sent the princess's photo, which the old king had given him, to everyone and then led the students to the scene for investigation.
Vic didn't go; he knew it wouldn't lead to anything. He simply said goodbye to Zephyr and explained that his Observation Haki could reflect images.
Zephyr immediately understood what Vic was planning, and he readily agreed to Vic's decision. He had no worries about Vic's strength at all; there were practically no places in the first half of the Grand Line that Vic couldn't go.
Vic, along with Rebecca and Wendy, began their investigation directly from the palace. Of course, only Vic was conducting the investigation; the two women were merely his followers.
With Vic's current Observation Haki range, he could cover the entire island, but he couldn't present a detailed picture of everything; he could only sense the aura from a distance.
He can only clearly display images within a five-kilometer radius right now, and even that is already very difficult for him.
Just like loading game footage on a computer, the more content there is, the greater the CPU and network speed required. Observation Haki is equivalent to network speed, which needs to upload and download the sensed images. If the distance is too far, the signal will be weak and it will be difficult to receive.
Vic didn't unleash his full firepower, as he wouldn't be able to hold out for long; he only maintained a distance of two kilometers for reconnaissance.
Use your Observation Haki once, and if you don't see anything, immediately recall Observation Haki and move to the next location to activate it again. This is the most economical way, instead of scanning while moving like a radar.
Wendy was very envious of Vic's ability to see distant scenes using Observation Haki, but her own Observation Haki had never Awakening and remained at the level of Kami-e, unable to make any progress.
Although Rebecca can't be like Vic, she has Awakening Haki, and her combat strength is now incomparable to what it used to be. No one in the Elite Camp can beat Rebecca now. Having Observation Haki is like cheating; she can know the answers in advance.
What Wendy, as a sniper, lacks most right now is Observation Haki, which is an essential skill for long-range sniping!