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This kind of threat was meaningless to Daiki, yet even he knew the game that needed to be played.
When facing the Den Den Mushi, he deliberately showed a flicker of concern on his face, a calculated expression that made the pirate on the other end believe he had the upper hand.
In reality, Daiki was already two steps ahead. His mind, always sharp, had already initiated the plan. His hand subtly gestured, signalling the King's Guard members into action.
They moved as one cohesive unit, with no wasted movements and no unnecessary noise.
These were no ordinary soldiers they were elite warriors, trained to respond swiftly and quietly, disappearing without so much as a whisper.
The guards, dressed in the distinctive dark uniforms of the Tru Kingdom, vanished into the shadows of the narrow alleys.
They avoided the eyes of curious onlookers, blending seamlessly into the surroundings as if they were phantoms.
In moments, they were gone, moving quickly in the direction indicated by Daiki, who, despite his outward calm, was fully alert to every detail of the unfolding situation.
"Don't harm our comrades," Daiki spoke into the receiver of the Den Den Mushi, his voice steady.
"We are preparing the 10 million Beris now, but we must guarantee their safety. I need Barlow to speak now," he added, the urgency creeping into his voice at just the right moment.
There was a pause on the other end, static crackling faintly, before the one-eyed pirate captain responded.
"No problem. As long as you prepare the Beris, your comrades will be safe. We can even guarantee that," the pirate said, his voice smug and assured. He believed he had all the cards in his hand.
Daiki's lips curled slightly. If only he knew.
While the pirate captain continued to boast about their so-called guarantees, Daiki remained focused on the task at hand. His eyes darted between his surroundings, ensuring the safety of his group.
He was running at the front, his agile form cutting through the narrow streets of the coastal town.
The Royal Guards followed in perfect synchronization, their heavy boots somehow silent on the cobblestone roads.
With his right hand, Daiki issued commands with quick, decisive gestures that sent his men exactly where they needed to be.
Daiki's left hand clutched the Den Den Mushi, still communicating with the pirate crew, playing along with their bluff.
Through the uneven streets of Nanohana, Daiki led his men towards the pirates's hideout, his mind calculating every step.
The air was thick with the desert heat of Alabasta, a faint breeze kicking up grains of sand from the surrounding dunes.
The buildings here, with their sun-bleached walls, seemed to sag under the weight of the relentless heat.
The people of Alabasta moved lethargically through the streets, their heads low, focused on their day-to-day survival, unaware of the game of life and death being played in their midst.
Finally, Daiki arrived at a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the town.
The structure was little more than a collection of rotting wooden planks and crumbling stone, barely standing, and surrounded by the arid, lifeless landscape.
He halted in front of the house, his breath steady despite the run, and spoke into the Den Den Mushi with a smile. "The Beris are ready. They're right outside your door. Just come out and get it."
Inside, the one-eyed pirate captain grew suspicious. His voice crackled through the Den Den Mushi, laced with doubt. "Do you think we're afraid of harming your comrades? Are you trying to trick me?"
Daiki's smile didn't falter. "If you're so confident, why don't you open the door and take a look for yourself?"
Another pause, longer this time. From the shadowed interior of the house, one of the pirates, a thin man with sunken cheeks and trembling hands, hesitantly approached the door. His heart raced as he reached for the rusted doorknob.
The entire house seemed to groan under his weight as he turned the handle and pulled the door open.
The sight that met his eyes left him speechless. His knees buckled, and his voice caught in his throat as he stared at Daiki and the Royal Guards standing just outside.
"C-Captain..." he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
Behind him, another pirate, a burly man wearing a tattered beret, shoved him aside impatiently.
"What's wrong with you?" the man demanded, stepping into the doorway.
But when his eyes fell upon the same scene, his face drained of colour. His reaction was no different from the thin man's. They hadn't expected this.
Daiki stepped forward, his expression now devoid of the playful smile he had worn just moments before. His eyes were cold, calculating, and filled with the promise of violence.
He raised the Den Den Mushi to his lips once more, his voice as sharp as a blade. "If you harm anyone from the Tru Kingdom, there's only one outcome."
Before the pirates could react, Daiki moved. His speed was blinding, a blur of motion as he closed the distance between himself and the man in the beret.
The pirate had no time to register what was happening before he was sent flying through the air, crashing through the flimsy wooden walls of the house.
The boards splintered and shattered, offering no resistance to Daiki's raw power.
Inside, chaos erupted. The remaining pirates, including their one-eyed captain, barely had time to reach for their weapons before Daiki was upon them.
He moved like a shadow, slipping between their clumsy attacks with ease.
The captain, once so confident, found himself backing away, his single eye wide with fear as Daiki appeared before him.
Barlow, who had been beaten and tied up in the corner of the room, looked up at Daiki with a mix of relief and shame. His face was swollen, his clothes torn and dirty.
He had once been a captain, a man of respect and authority, but now he was nothing more than a bruised mess.
Daiki's gaze hardened as he looked at Barlow. "You were once a captain, and now look at you. How did you end up like this?"
"I didn't want this..." Barlow muttered, his voice weak and filled with regret. He winced, his swollen face throbbing with pain. "I just wanted to go out for a drink... I didn't even get through two glasses before they knocked me out and dragged me here."
Daiki's lips curled into a sneer. "And now we're supposed to fix this mess? 10 million Beris did you think they would get away with that? In the Tru Kingdom, we've always been the ones robbing pirates, not the other way around."
He turned his cold gaze to the one-eyed captain, whose back was now pressed against the far wall.
Blood seeped from a cut on the captain's forehead, trickling down his face, but his fear paralyzed him.
Daiki's presence was suffocating, his killing intent so palpable that it drained the room of any hope the pirates might have had.
With a swift motion, Daiki dispatched the remaining pirates. Their cries of pain were brief, and the only sound that remained was the creaking of the broken house and the soft rustle of the wind outside.
As Daiki and Barlow exited the building, they left behind a scene of devastation. Blood seeped from the broken wooden walls, staining the sand outside.
"You'll need to explain yourself to His Majesty when we return," Daiki said flatly as they walked. "As a navigator, how could you disappear at such a crucial moment? How did you ever become a pirate captain? Do you know how much worse it could have happened to your crewmates?"
Barlow didn't respond. His swollen face and the humiliation of his situation left him speechless. Instead, he simply apologized. "I'm sorry. I've caused you trouble this time."
Daiki sighed. "Alright. As long as everyone's safe, that's what matters. Let's head back quickly. His Majesty is already on his way to Alubarna. Don't delay his plans."
"Yes, Daiki-sama," Barlow replied, though he had to be supported as they walked. His injuries were severe, and it would be weeks before he fully recovered.
The pirates had been unlucky to cross paths with the Tru Kingdom. Not only had they failed to get any ransom, but their ship had already been sunk in Nanohana port. Their plan had unravelled spectacularly.
With the threat eliminated, Daiki, Barlow, and other crewmates with the Royal Guards set off for Alubarna.
The heat of the Alabasta desert bore down on them as they walked, their pace steady despite the harsh conditions.
Nearly four hours later, after covering a hundred miles on foot, they finally saw the towering walls of Alubarna in the distance, gleaming in the midday sun.
The city was much livelier than the surrounding desert towns. Its walls stood at least a hundred meters high, casting long shadows over the bustling streets below.
As Daiki's party entered the city, they immediately drew the attention of the locals.
People turned to stare at the white carriage and the heavily armed guards, whispering amongst themselves.
Such processions were usually reserved for royalty or high-ranking officials.
But Daiki's focus was elsewhere. His eyes scanned the city, noting its poverty. Even here, in the royal capital, the signs of hardship were evident.
'If the condition of the royal city is already like this, how much worse it must be in the more remote areas, ' Daiki thought while looking at the royal capital.
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