Chapter 243: Aoki Takes Action
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The luxurious palace was in disarray. The once sparkling floor was now sullied with garbage and blood.
Philip sat in a chair, his face pale but his expression unnervingly calm as his absent gaze lingered on the ground.
"What a shame for such a beautiful floor," he murmured.
It had been imported from the North Sea at great expense, a treasure no one else in the kingdom possessed. Those crude pirates, unable to appreciate its worth, had destroyed it without a second thought.
"Your Majesty, the enemy is closing in! Please leave at once!"
The urgent cry broke his reverie.
Philip turned toward the voice.
"Dean, leave me here and run," he said firmly.
Dean, a tall, middle-aged man clad in heavy armor, spoke in a deep, resolute tone. "My duty is to protect Your Majesty. How could I abandon you and flee?"
Philip shook his head. "Dean, I relieve you of all your duties. Go, now!"
"Your Majesty, please, let us leave together!" Dean pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation.
Leaning back in his chair, Philip offered a faint smile.
"How can a king live on when his kingdom is no more? As a father, I've done my duty by ensuring Alice's escape. Now, I must fulfill my duty as a king."
Dean fell silent for a moment, the weight of Philip's words sinking in.
"I understand," Dean finally said. "But as the chief guard, my duty is to protect Your Majesty to the very end."
Philip glanced at him, recognizing his unwavering determination.
"Ha! Excellent! Then today, we'll show those pirates that while Etania can be defeated, she will never surrender!"
Bang!
The hall doors burst open, and sunlight flooded the chamber. A group of figures stood silhouetted at the entrance.
"So soon?" Philip narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the newcomers.
But something was off. They didn't resemble the pirates he had expected. Among them, one figure appeared strikingly familiar.
Stepping forward, a young woman's excited voice rang out.
"Father!"
Philip froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
"Alice! It's really you!"
For a brief moment, relief overtook him, but it quickly gave way to anxiety.
"Alice, why have you returned? And at such a time? Dean, quickly, take Alice away!"
Alice shook her head resolutely. "Father, I came back because—"
Hualala!
The sound of hurried footsteps outside the palace cut her off.
All eyes turned toward the commotion.
Four figures strode into view.
The one in the center was a young man with unremarkable features, his calm demeanor exuding a quiet authority.
To his left stood a man clad in gleaming silver armor, carrying a matching sword. Despite his flashy attire, his face was strikingly unattractive.
On the right were two identical men, as if sculpted from the same mold.
Philip's complexion turned ashen, and his eyes filled with anguish.
"It's over. How could this happen?" he muttered, despair heavy in his voice.
He had steeled himself to die alongside his kingdom but had gone to great lengths to ensure Alice's escape. Why had she returned now?
Oblivious to her father's turmoil, Alice began briefing Aoki in a low voice.
"The one in the middle is Orlando. His bounty exceeds 300 million. The man in silver armor is the vice-captain of the Orlando Pirates—the one who pursued us in Shuigu Town."
She nodded toward the silver-armored man before shifting her gaze.
"The one on the left is Silver Blade, captain of the Silver Blade Pirates. I just killed his vice-captain."
Finally, she gestured toward the identical men.
"The twins on the right are the captains of the Gemini Pirates. Individually, they're the weakest here, but their coordination is impeccable. Together, they're even stronger than the Silver Blade Pirates."
Aoki's gaze swept across the group, his expression calm as he nodded.
"So there are four captains across three pirate crews. That explains it," he said quietly.
Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the tension.
"Alice! You're back!"
Orlando wore a smile, his tone carrying the warmth of greeting an old acquaintance.
"I heard the news a few days ago and was planning to meet you in person," he began, his voice light. "But I was too preoccupied here and couldn't spare the time. So, I sent Karen and the others ahead. I didn't expect we'd meet like this today. Is this fate?"
Alice's cold gaze met his, sharp and unyielding.
"It seems you don't know yet," she replied icily. "All the people you sent are dead."
Silver Blade's lips curled into a mocking smirk. While the twins were more subtle, their expressions betrayed a similar sense of schadenfreude.
Though they cooperated for a shared goal, there was no camaraderie between the pirate crews. The Orlando Pirates were undeniably the strongest, both in individual prowess and overall strength.
Seeing Orlando face a setback was a rare treat, a moment of satisfaction for his so-called allies.
Silver Blade, however, remained blissfully unaware that his own vice-captain had also met his end just moments earlier.
Orlando's expression faltered briefly but quickly regained its usual calm.
"Is that so?" he said smoothly. "We'll talk about that later. For now, I have more pressing matters."
His gaze shifted, lingering briefly on Aoki before settling on Philip.
"Your Majesty, what do you think?" Orlando asked, his voice adopting a veneer of politeness. "If you relinquish the throne, I can guarantee your safety.
And now that Alice is back, how about this? I'll marry her, and we can truly become one family."
"Orlando, stop dreaming!" Philip shot back coldly.
The king's voice was resolute, his belief unshaken. The identity of pirates confined Orlando and his ilk to a fleeting existence. Even if Etania fell today, Philip believed that one day someone would rise to defeat them and liberate the kingdom.
If they were granted legitimacy, however, it wouldn't just be the kingdom that perished. Its people would be doomed to endless suffering under the rule of pirates.
Orlando maintained a sincere tone. "Your Majesty, if not for yourself, at least consider Alice. She's still so young—"
"That's enough. I'm not interested in listening any further," Aoki interrupted, his calm voice cutting through Orlando's speech.
The sudden interjection drew everyone's attention.
Until now, Aoki's presence had been overshadowed by Alice, but his words forced all eyes onto him.
Curiosity, disdain, and suspicion painted the faces of those present as they regarded him.
Orlando, still smiling, studied Aoki with interest.
"And who might you be, my friend?" he asked.
Aoki ignored the question, his gaze shifting past the palace gates to the throng of pirates outside.
"Are there a hundred of them?" he asked casually.
The palace wasn't large enough to hold them all, so most of the pirates remained outside, with only a few having entered.
"Probably not," Alice replied, her tone uncertain.
Aoki turned back to face Orlando and his group.
"Then we need to deal with them quickly," he said matter-of-factly.
A flicker of darkness crossed Orlando's face.
"Is this bravado, or are you truly confident?"
Alice's sudden return had already thrown him off balance, the timing completely unexpected.
As a cautious man, Orlando was unsettled by this unforeseen development, especially by the stranger now standing before him.
Though unfamiliar with Aoki's face, Orlando's mind worked quickly. He prided himself on knowing the appearance of every notable figure across these seas, and this man matched none of them.
Even so, the stranger's calm and composed demeanor made him uneasy.
Orlando reminded himself that there were fools in the world who didn't know their place. He couldn't yet decide if this man was one of them.
But he knew one thing for certain: Alice was not someone who acted recklessly.
Although stubborn and straightforward, Alice was far from foolish. Would she deliberately bring a fool here?
This thought unsettled Orlando. At the same time, he felt a flicker of irritation at the blatant contempt directed at him.
What he despised most was being looked down upon, though no one would ever know it—he never revealed such feelings. Instead, those who dared to belittle him had all been silenced, leaving no one alive to tell the tale.
Orlando's gaze returned to Aoki, scrutinizing him thoroughly for a second and then a third time.
Still, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
Even using his Observation Haki, he couldn't detect any powerful aura emanating from the stranger.
Doubt lingered, but Orlando's mind churned, weighing his options. After a moment, he decided to test the waters and turned to Alice with a polite smile.
"Alice, this friend of yours is..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Aoki's figure blurred, vanishing in an instant and reappearing right in front of him.
Orlando's words caught in his throat, and his face twisted in alarm.
Realizing too late that he had gravely miscalculated, Orlando didn't hesitate to retreat.
"My friend, there may have been a misunderstanding between us. I'm willing to—"
Aoki's calm eyes gave no response, and his thick, black tail sliced through the air.
Boom!
The strike came with a force so overwhelming it seemed to split the air itself. The cold, razor-sharp blade at the tail's tip appeared in front of Orlando as if it had teleported.
Panic surged through Orlando's very soul. Instinctively, he activated his Armament Haki, coating his hands in the dark sheen of protective energy as he raised them to shield his forehead.
Phew!
The sharp tail pierced through Orlando's arms, cutting through his defense with ease. The blade drove into his forehead, exiting cleanly out the back of his skull.
His body froze, rigid and unmoving, before slowly collapsing.
The light in Orlando's eyes faded, leaving only lifeless darkness.
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