At this moment, someone who looked like the captain of the kingdom soldiers stepped forward. His expression was cold, his gaze sharp as he stared at the pirates, and he shouted, "By order of His Majesty the King, starting immediately, all pirates entering our territory must register at the port registry, pay an entry fee, and surrender all weapons and munitions. In addition, within the kingdom, you are forbidden from disrupting the daily lives of our citizens in any way. You have now committed an illegal invasion. Come with us at once. If you resist arrest, we do not mind using force!"
"Captain!" The pirates all turned their pleading eyes toward their captain.
Their captain was a bald, burly man. Facing over a hundred kingdom soldiers, he tightened his grip on his heavy blade. His eyes hardened as he bared his teeth and said, "Ignore them! These kingdom soldiers are just putting on a show. They would never dare lay a hand on us!"
"Move! Arrest every last one of them. Anyone who resists, kill them on the spot!" The kingdom captain waved his hand without expression, and the soldiers behind him surged forward like a tide.
The Raging Wave Pirates instantly fell into chaos. Their captain, that bald brute, looked around in panic, searching for a chance to escape.
Suddenly, his eyes landed on Barta's family nearby. His face lit up at once. He swung his long blade and pointed at them, threatening, "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill them!"
Thud thud thud! The soldiers' footsteps were steady and firm. They were not affected by the threat at all and kept advancing.
"You… You don't care if citizens die?" the bald brute shouted in a fluster.
Barta's family froze where they stood, completely at a loss as the sudden turn of events hit them.
Yet the kingdom soldiers did not slow down in the slightest, continuing forward.
"Bastards! You forced me!" Seeing the soldiers closing in and his men falling into panic, the bald brute's face sank. With a vicious snarl, he charged straight at Barta's family.
Barta's family went deathly pale. Yu let out a terrified scream and shut her eyes.
At that critical moment
Boom!
A foot slammed down, crushing the bald brute into the floor. The sheer force made the planks explode apart instantly, wood chips flying everywhere.
The bald brute let out a shriek and passed out on the spot.
"Captain!!!"
"Who are you?!" All the pirates stared in terror at the mysterious masked man who had appeared out of nowhere and knocked their captain out with a single stomp, an ANBU member.
The ANBU member swept them with a cold glance, then kicked the unconscious bald brute flying straight toward the kingdom soldiers.
"Thank you for your assistance, sir," the kingdom captain hurried forward and said respectfully.
The ANBU member did not respond. His figure flickered, and he vanished without a trace.
Including the captain, every kingdom soldier's eyes showed reverence and longing.
Now everyone understood. Those masked figures were all secret elites personally trained by His Majesty the King.
Each one of them far surpassed ordinary people and could be called top tier powerhouses.
Soon, the commander of the kingdom soldiers snapped out of his shock. His gaze swept across the panicked pirates. With a light wave of his hand, the soldiers under his command surged forward like a tide, instantly subduing every last pirate and hauling them away.
Inside the restaurant, only Barta's family remained, standing there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
Meanwhile, the other two pirate crews in town were also hit by sudden raids from the kingdom soldiers.
With ANBU members assisting from the shadows, the kingdom soldiers captured all pirates with almost no effort at all.
News that His Majesty had ordered a full scale purge of pirates spread throughout the entire country at lightning speed.
In an instant, the Zephyr Kingdom was overflowing with celebration, and the people's admiration for King Roy grew even deeper.
…
While the pirates in the Zephyr Kingdom were being wiped out, deep within the royal palace, inside Roy's bedroom.
He sat at his desk. Behind him, the young maid gently massaged his shoulders.
Roy's fingers lightly tapped the map on the desk, his eyes occasionally drifting to the stack of intelligence reports about other kingdoms nearby.
Finally
Tap!
His finger stopped at a spot on the map.
The place he pointed to was the kingdom closest to the Zephyr Kingdom, the Rus Kingdom.
"You will be my first target for conquest…" Roy murmured, his tone filled with determination.
The Rus Kingdom lay to the northwest of the Zephyr Kingdom, roughly twenty nautical miles away.
Its land and population were both more than three times that of the Zephyr Kingdom. Its kingdom army numbered as high as fifty thousand. The scale of its fleet was still unclear, but its military strength was undoubtedly far beyond Zephyr's.
Its current king, Steve Gall, was quite famous in the West Blue. He had once charged alone into an enemy formation and personally slain the ruler of the Brown Kingdom, rising to prominence from that deed.
Roy's finger traced lightly across the map, marking the Rus Kingdom's position as he reviewed the detailed intelligence gathered by ANBU.
ANBU, this elite force skilled in intelligence gathering and assassination, truly lived up to expectations. In just a few days, they had collected such abundant information, leaving Roy deeply satisfied.
On the stage of war, intelligence often decided the balance of victory and defeat. Even with a powerful ANBU at his disposal, Roy would never underestimate any opponent.
After all, ANBU members were made of flesh and blood too. They could grow tired, they could be wounded, and they could even die under gunfire and cannon blasts.
Carelessness that led to unnecessary sacrifices was something Roy could not accept.
"At present, our kingdom army is only a little over five thousand, while the Rus Kingdom has fifty thousand troops. The gap is enormous. Even with ANBU support, a head on clash is not a wise choice. When tens of thousands of guns and cannons fire together, even White Fang would struggle to withstand it…" Roy thought silently, then the corner of his mouth lifted into a crafty smile.
Looks like the outside world's contempt for the Zephyr Kingdom is going to give me the perfect opening.
After a moment of contemplation, Roy suddenly spoke. "Xixi, go out for a bit."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The young maid clearly understood Roy had important matters to handle, so she did not say anything else. She gently closed the door and quietly left.
"White Fang." Roy stared at the map and called softly.
"Your Majesty!" White Fang's figure appeared beside Roy in an instant, like a ghost.
"Pass down the order. Have Stanley begin conscription and expand the kingdom army." Roy wore a strange smile as he continued, "Also, have Stanley announce to the outside world that in three days, we will launch a full offensive against the Rus Kingdom and demand their immediate surrender!"
"As you command!" White Fang did not hesitate. His figure flashed, and he was gone in the blink of an eye.
Roy also stood up. He walked to the window, his gaze sweeping over the bustling town below the palace. With a thought, his personal panel opened.
"The next legion… it won't be long before we meet." He murmured, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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