Storming the Palace
As brothers, you keep each other in mind—even across a battlefield—and if something happens, you do not hesitate to step in.
Yang Ning had received plenty of "gifts" from his sworn brother, Sword General—dozens of pirate henchmen delivered right to his doorstep. With that kind of help, there was no reason for him to stand by and watch the man die.
Just as he was about to step out of the forest, the Blood King, clad in a crimson high-collared robe, raised his voice:
"Little outsider, come out. I know you're hiding."
He sneered, his tone dripping with contempt.
"I don't know how you convinced this dog to betray me, but killing a handful of worthless lackeys won't change anything. If you don't come out by the time I count to ten, this mutt dies."
The Blood King lifted his blade with one hand. A thick, bluish-black tentacle—clearly the product of a Devil Fruit—snaked out from beneath his robe and wrapped tightly around the Sword General's neck.
"One."
He barely finished saying the word when Yang Ning leapt out of the trees.
"You're calling me a rat? Your whole family's rats! Are you blind? Does this look like a rat to you? Cut the nonsense!"
The Blood King narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand Yang Ning's insults, but every instinct told him the words weren't flattering.
"You noisy little beast… You refuse to kneel before your king. Then die."
Without hesitation, he loosened his grip. The battered Sword General—armor shattered, body torn open by wounds—fell from the high wall.
As he plummeted, wind howled past his helmet. He forced open his eyes. Above him stretched a vast blue sky.
"So… this is where my life ends?"
Before he could crash into the ground, a pair of strong arms caught him.
When he lifted his head, Yang Ning's grinning face filled his vision.
"Yo. Catch was clean, right?"
The light-hearted tone shattered the swordsman's last resolve. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Forget me… Watch out for the Blood King. He can attack at long range with no warning. His destructive power is strong, and his swordsmanship isn't weak either… I'm sorry. I couldn't do more. The rest… is up to you."
"You've already done plenty."
Yang Ning set him down gently, then lifted his gaze toward the top of the wall, meeting the Blood King's eyes.
Both looked at each other with pure, unfiltered killing intent.
BOOM!
The Blood King struck first. An invisible shockwave shot down like a cannon shell.
Yang Ning wasn't fast—nor did he possess Observation Haki—so he only sensed the attack when it was almost on top of him. Fortunately, the moment he stepped out of the forest, he had already activated his Soul Furnace shield.
Bang!
Two invisible forces slammed together, kicking up dust and rippling the air under Yang Ning's feet.
With a single blow, his 222-point shield was reduced to almost nothing.
No wonder this man ruled an entire island. If Yang Ning had taken this hit when he first arrived in this world, he would have died instantly.
But that was then. Today, he was a very different man.
After shooting the Blood King an unmistakably rude gesture of "international goodwill," Yang Ning didn't stay put like an idiot. He immediately dashed toward the palace gates.
Almost all his skills were melee-focused. Only Starfire Blade counted as ranged. Meanwhile, the Blood King clearly fought like a long-range Devil Fruit user. Yang Ning had to close the distance.
Up on the wall, the Blood King didn't understand the gesture—but he certainly caught the meaning.
"That damned outsider rat… After him!"
He sent waves of pirate henchmen into the palace corridors, while he followed behind at his own pace.
The hunt began inside the Blood King's palace—a giant, maze-like structure.
Who was the mouse? Who was the cat? Both sides believed they knew the answer.
"Why the hell is this place so absurd? Who needs a bedroom so big it needs its own postal system?"
Yang Ning stood at a crossroads of identical gray-white buildings. The whole palace looked like someone had copied and pasted the same architectural block ten thousand times. Even someone with a good sense of direction would find this place a nightmare.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone. The pirate henchmen knew their way around.
"There! The outsider rat!"
Voices rose around him as pirates swarmed in from all directions.
Yang Ning immediately locked onto the direction of their shout.
"Oh great. First Old Red Coat calls me a rat, and now you cheap muscleheads are following along? You've got guts."
Already irritable from the palace layout, he drew his sword and charged.
The henchmen knew exactly how terrifying Yang Ning was. They wanted to maintain formation, but the moment he rushed at them, the pressure crushed their courage. Many turned and ran while screaming.
Could they escape?
Not a chance.
Even without mobility skills, Yang Ning's stats were far above any ordinary fighter. In a short dash, they didn't stand a chance.
In the gray corridor, blades flashed and screams echoed. Blood splashed across the stone walls.
After cutting down another wave of henchmen, Yang Ning suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He didn't think—he moved. Instinct made him leap aside.
An instant later, an invisible shockwave slammed into the ground where he'd been standing, blowing out a massive crater.
Dust curled upward—and there he saw him.
The Blood King in his crimson robe.
The man was over a hundred meters away, separated from Yang Ning by dozens of henchmen and two long halls.
Yang Ning's eyes sharpened. He sprinted over the rubble and flung a Starfire Blade.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shockwaves rained toward him like machine-gun fire—silent, invisible, deadly. Only the sound of slicing wind warned him of each attack.
Starfire Blade clashed with the shockwaves, but the Blood King's rate of fire was far higher. The shockwaves that slipped through slammed into Yang Ning's shield again and again.
Fortunately, the individual damage wasn't high enough to break the shield immediately.
After tanking dozens of hits, Yang Ning broke into the front line.
This time the henchmen didn't flee. With the Blood King right behind them, running meant instant death. They had no choice but to charge.
Dozens of swords swung down on Yang Ning. Each hit was weak, but together they whittled down his shield—and the Blood King's next shockwave finally pierced through and struck his body.