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Glory to my chief Proofreader: Solare. For he is the one who points out mistakes and acts as my favourite wall to bounce ideas off of.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER.
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"Hey Mongrel, how much time do you think it would take me to go up that Castle and Overthrow the Kingdom?"
At those bold words, it seemed like the entire bar had instantly fallen silent. It wasn't just the pirate crew, it was also the other bar patrons who had stayed silent to keep out of the pirates' path.
"...What?" Kaiden eventually managed to squeak out, although the words had nearly died in his throat as he said them from his sheer disbelief. Even after a 2 year long sail, his crew's collective bounty had only reached 198 Million, with him contributing 85 Million of that amount.
'Is this the difference between us and True Pirates?' He thought, his brown eyes only barely daring to meet Adam's crimson irises, taking in the sheer intensity of Will brimming within them. 'Complete and utter Confidence? Or is it Madness? I can't even tell!'
"I asked how much time you think it would take me to go up that Castle and Overthrow the Kingdom. It's a simple question, I'm sure even a Monkey like yourself should be able to answer it." Adam said bluntly, causing the pirate captain and his crew to flinch at the cold tone.
'A Monkey?' Kaiden questioned himself internally with a gulp before shaking his head, trying to think of an answer that would satisfy Adam, he had a sinking feeling that an unsatisfactory answer could lead to an untimely demise.
"Um.. I dunno, maybe 2 Hours? I mean you can fly and are pretty s-strong, right?" He answered with a slight stutter after a few seconds of deliberation, they all waited with bated breaths for Adam's response.
The Lunarian tilted his head slightly at that, humming as if in thought before he shrugged. "Eh. I could do it in less time than that, but good enough."
With that, the white haired man simply walked away from the bounty board and made his way out of the bar, leaving dozens of confused and speechless onlookers inside. The pirate crew just stood there, still unsure if they were completely in the clear or not, but decidedly breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the building.
Adam absentmindedly swung the door of the Town Hall closed behind him, he looked out at the village before him indifferently. He spotted most of not all of the village crowded around the bonfire, almost as if they were in the middle of some kind of festival or party.
The child he ran into when he landed on the island, Dalton if he remembered correctly, was playing in the middle of the congregation with a few of his friends. Adam shrugged and walked forwards towards the crowd without a care in the world.
As he walked, many people took notice of him and pointed him out to each other as he was a very unique looking outsider. As for the few that remembered the news of his actions on Whiskey Peak and Loguetown, they slinked away in fear and advised others to do the same.
This all meant that when Adam reached the bonfire, everyone had parted ways and cleared a path for him, allowing him to reach Dalton and his group of friends who had not caught on to his existence yet.
"Dalton, right?" Adam called out, grabbing the black haired kid's attention. The child turned to face him, he held a small ball in his hand which he was playing with his friends with.
Dalton's eyes widened in recognition as a cheerful grin covered his face again, "Oh, hey! It's you Mister!"
The Lunarian nearly chuckled under his breath, instead simply letting out a small exhale of amusement at the kid's obliviousness and innocence. It was one of the main reasons he was soft on them and refused to hurt children.
'This special type of innocence is something to be treasured and protected in a world as ugly as ours…' Adam thought as a small gentle smile covered his face, he walked forwards and stood by the black haired child before turning to him.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to know who the owner of that castle is up there?" He asked, drawing nervous glances from the adults around while Dalton simply brightened up.
"Oh yeah! That's King Balthus' castle! Mommy says he owns the island too, so you should be careful around him mister; I wouldn't wanna see you get hurt!" Dalton answered with an expectant grin, Adam simply sighed and reached his hand forwards, patting the kid on the head and ruffling his hair slightly.
"Thanks, Brat."
One of Dalton's friends stepped forwards to Adam and pointed at his wings curiously, "Sir, are those wings real? Can you fly?!"
Hearing the kid's excited tone, Adam began chuckling despite himself. "Hah! Yes, Brat. Yes they are; and yes I can."
"Woah~!"
Sounds of awe echoed in the air as the Lunarian just shook his head and began walking away from the group of villagers, drawing more than a couple of relieved sighs.
Dalton stepped forward tentatively and called out to him just as he reached a nearby cliff face facing the giant mountainous spire which held the castle at its peak.
"Um.. Mister! What's your name?! What are you going to do?!"
Adam turned to him slightly and smirked, "I am Adam D. Valentine, and I am going to.. Go for a Walk…"
Dalton tilted his head again and looked confused, "What does that mean though?"
"Well~... Let's just say you should keep an eye out for some fireworks."
With those words, the Lunarian jumped off the cliffside, his wings allowing him to defy gravity and leaving them all to watch on in wonder and awe as he flew throughout the night sky unabated.
It was Freedom, in its Purest Form.
And although the citizens of Drum Island may not know it now, this night will be one that they shall all remember, nor will they forget the name of Adam D. Valentine.
…
Meanwhile…
Drum Kingdom's Royal Castle, Royal Throne Room.
A dark purple haired child stood by his mother's side, holding onto leg with both arms as he watched his father's meeting in the Throne Room. His name was Wapol, son of Balthus, and the Crown Prince of Drum Kingdom. And as such, he was obliged to stand in and observe his father's work.
The Throne Room itself was rather large, with pillars aligned at both sides of its rectangular design. There were dozens of guards standing at attention around the room, ready to step in and protect the King at a moment's notice.
The King himself, Balthus, sat at a large Silver throne adorned with Gold engravings. He had a tense expression on his face, it was obvious that he had heard something that didn't quite sit right with him. Balthus tilted his head slightly as if in thought, before speaking up.
"I understand that you are quite the accomplished Bounty Hunter, Elemer Throne - That is why I had reached out to you with this offer after all. But a monthly salary of 100 Million Berries regardless of any incidents is rather much, don't you think?"
The King apprehensively shifted in his regal White and Violet robes, leaning forwards and raising a hand to make a counter offer. "What about 50 Million Berries per month, along with a 'Per Incident' system where you are paid extra depending on the times you had to work?"
"That is more than generous. Especially considering that, as the head Guard, you wouldn't have to interfere and do much work at all unless it was an emergency!" He concluded, looking into the slits of Elemer's knight helm.
The knight himself stood before him at a shocking 8'11 feet tall without any visible reaction, he wore jagged armor wrapped in crimson briars twisted like living vines.
A tattered cloak draped over his armour's worn steel plates, with a pointed helm that concealed his face. He had a hand placed on the hilt of a massive, weathered greatsword rested holstered against his side.
Eventually, a low grunt escaped his throat as he spoke up to answer with a deep, gravelly voice. "...You approached me, knowing who I am. Do I need to remind you how I defeated a Pirate worth 420 million Berries?"
King Balthus was immediately taken aback by the knight's harsh tone, not expecting such a blunt response. "I-I apologise if it seemed like I was undervaluing your status, I am well aware of your power, Elemer of the Briar. But as a King, I must make sure to look out for the welfare of my subjects first, no?"
"100 Million Berries per month isn't an insignificant drain on our funds you know? We aren't that wealthy of a nation to be able to afford such things!" He explained, wanting to try and convince the Bounty Hunter to see reason.
"Hrn... 70 Million. I'll take the offer after we discuss the details." Elemer replied after a few seconds of thinking, he watched on silently as his reply drew a small smile from the king. A weary sigh escaped his throat, he knew he had inadvertently opened up a dialogue for Balthus to try and bargain with him.
But before he could speak up to stop his train of thought, a crushing flood of pressure washed over the entire room. Instantly, all of the royal guards, along with Wapol and his mother, had fallen to their knees and were knocked unconscious. A few seconds after that, the doors to the throne room opened slowly.
As they did, they revealed Adam, his unnervingly large frame fitting comfortable through the enormous doors of the throne room. With a keen eye, you could spot some blood on his knuckles, presumably the result of him getting physical during his way to the throne room.
King Balthus, who had surprisingly held onto his consciousness, was a man who prided himself on making sure to be ready for every possible eventuality, visibly baulked in horror at the sight of Adam. He had recognised the "Rookie" Pirate worth 460 Million Berries on sight.
After all, he was the reason the King even bothered to contact Elemer in the first place, he needed a plan and a strong fighter in case Adam had set his eyes on his Kingdom as he did Whiskey Peak and Loguetown.
And so, abandoning all sense of decorum or royalty, Balthus hurriedly stood up from his throne and pointed at Adam before panickedly shouting. "ELEMER! FORGET WHAT I JUST SAID, I'LL PAY YOU DOUBLE HIS BOUNTY TO JUST KILL HIM NOW!"
The knight was at first taken aback by the sudden change in the King's attitude, but a second later he too recognised Adam as that new 'Supernova' rookie pirate that took Paradise by storm 2 weeks ago. He nodded at Balthus in confirmation, drawing a relieved sigh from Balthus as he faced off against Adam.
One of Adam's eyebrows lifted up in slight intrigue, he could intrinsically tell that this Knight wasn't some joke he could kill in an instant. Despite that, he just shrugged and moved his hands up from his sides to shrug.
"Listen, I assume you are some kind of Bounty Hunter that he contracted to kill me - And quite frankly, I don't care. If you get out of my way now and leave, I won't kill you. I just want the spineless Rat behind you." Adam called out, entirely uninteresting in fighting and allowing him a chance to leave with his life.
To that, Elemer Thorne, 'The Briar Knight', simply grasped his Greatsword's hilt tightly and withdrew his blade. He held the large crimson blade with both of his hands, pointing it at Adam with a determined air. A second later, the Lunarian's eyes widened slightly at seeing a sheen of Armament Haki begin coating it.
Despite that, a small smirk covered Adam's face, it turned out that this battle could be some fun after all. "So, a man of few words, huh? I suppose I can respect that. Fine, I'll play with you for a bit. Just try not to disappoint me, Mongrel."
After those words, Adam raised his own hands, his own Armament Haki coating them with their inky black gleam, he still hadn't bothered to switch into his 'Invulnerability Mode' yet either. Elemer seemed to tense at that, realising that his battle may have become way harder than he thought it would be.
Then, without sparing even a single moment of thought, Adam shot forwards at Elemer, leaving a crater in the marble floor of the throne room where he stood. The Briar Knight swung his Greatsword at Adam who clashed against it with his bare Haki clad fist, causing sparks to shoot from their exchange.
Adam hummed slightly as he kept pushing forwards with his right arm, a moment later he diverted it to the left which caused Elemer's blade to slip along his Haki coated forearm. And then with a swift movement, he threw his hand to the right harshly, widely forcing the Knight's guard open.
A surprised grunt escaped Elemer as Adam's left hand came crashing in at his helmet in a violent haymaker, yet he stood steadfast, protecting himself with Haki and preparing for the impact.
He was sent stumbling backwards with a loud crash, Elemer had taken the hit right on the chin and was still standing strong. His Haki had blocked most of the attack's damage, leaving only a small dent on his crimson tinted helmet.
"So, it seems my Haki is stronger than yours." Adam stated as he cracked his knuckles, drawing an annoyed grunt from the Briar Knight. "Do try to keep up, Mongrel. It would be a shame to cut this battle short this early!"
The Lunarian rushed in again, looking to go for another haymaker which Elemer responded to in kind. However, just before they were about to clash, Adam swerved around the Knight and revealed it to be a feint, instead swerving around and going for a kick to Elemer's neck.
Just when the kick looked close to making impact due to the Knight's misstep, something bizarre occurred. The thorny vines covering Elemer's armour seemed to writhe with supernatural power before shooting forwards faster than Adam could have expected.
They latched onto his leg, clamping around him with a vice grip before flinging him away from Elemer and into a nearby pillar. The marble pillar shattered on impact with his body, letting him crash through it as he swerved around mid air before planting his feet into the ground to stop himself.
Adam looked down at his legs, finding some tears into his pants but not any damage other than that thanks to his Armament Haki. He then looked back up at Elemer Thorne, watching as the vines wrapped around his Blade's hilt and held it to his side.
"A Devil Fruit, huh?" Adam asked rhetorically as he placed a hand on his neck, cracking it while making his way back to the battle. He took special care to observe how the vines on Elemer's body responded to him; it seemed like the Bounty Hunter had mastered his Devil Fruit well.
"Hrn… Paramecia Thorn-Thorn Fruit." Elemer grunted with his usual monotone gravelly voice, raising his other hand slightly before slamming it onto the ground. A second later, it trembled before a wave of Thorns spiked out of the ground in Adam's direction.
Adam seemed unmoved simply avoiding most of the wave but grabbing one thorn spike with his Haki clad hand, bringing it close to his face to observe it. "Huh.. Doesn't look like actual vines, more like rusted copper?"
The spiked thorn in his hand writhed once again, showing that it was still connected to Elemer as it began sprouting additional spikes that went to pierce him. Adam didn't seem to care though, as he simply crushed the thorns followed by setting his hand ablaze.
In a second, they all melted and fizzled away, showing that they were still susceptible to his powers either way. He smirked at this confirmation, looking up at the Briar Knight who looked unaffected by this news. Elemer simply raised his left hand, forming a shield of vines and thorns on it.
That shield was then covered by his Armament Haki, showing that he could at the very least coat whatever thorns are directly connected to him with his Haki. The same was done with his Greatsword as he then rushed forwards, not allowing Adam to take the lead this time.
The Lunarian simply grinned, he was about to rush ahead at Elemer again but noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. And so he flicked his left hand at it, sending a fireball just in front of the movement and causing King Balthus to squeak with fear and fall on his ass.
Adam turned to him slightly and saw that it was the King, he was trying to escape with his wife and child in his arms. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave yet, Mongrel 'King'. It would be inconvenient if you were to call the marines now, just sit still and wait for your turn like a good little Monkey."
King Balthus didn't seem to be able to say anything and instead just nodded repeatedly with a face full of terror. Adam just rolled his eyes and turned back to Elemer, it was just in time in fact as he instantly raised his left Haki clad hand to block the Greatsword crashing down at him.
Sparks flew from their exchange as Adam just smirked at him before activating his back flames, signaling his switch into 'Invulnerability Mode'.
"My My~! An eager one, are we? Trying to attack me while I was looking elsewhere.."
Adam clenched his right arm, coating it with his Armament Haki and flames before shooting it forward at his abdomen with a shout. "Bad Monkey!"
Elemer blocked the attack at the last second with his shield, the impact pushed him away from the Lunarian who followed suit to keep up the pressure. The two of them began clashing fist to blade, with Adam holding the clear advantage.
Small dents here and there began dotting the Briar Knight's armour while Adam stood unharmed short of some frequent cuts on his clothes, the Durability granted to him by his 'Invulnerability Mode' combined with his Armament Haki was simply too much for Elemer to pierce.
A low growl reverberated through the rusted armour of the Briar Knight, his frustration at being overpowered this much was evident. Elemer stomped his foot onto the ground which trembled and quivered before it was overrun by Inky Black thorny vines.
"Thornbreaker Surge!"
They rushed forward at Adam like a tidal wave, the Lunarian simply laughed before pulling back his arm. Flames licked at it, building within his grasp before he threw the hand forwards and sent a blast of hellfire directly at the Bounty Hunter.
The concentrated blast of flames slammed against the wave of Haki coated thorns, they struggled against them for a moment before bursting through. The blast of flames, though weakened, would still be enough to deal significant damage if it had landed directly.
This was something that didn't fly past the seasoned Bounty Hunter, who grounded his stance once again with both hands grasping his Greatsword tightly, filling it with as much Haki as he could. He then brought his blade upwards into the air before cutting down at the wave of flames.
"One Sword Style: Briarfall Cleave!"
As the Greatsword crashed downwards, a slash of energy and compressed wind shot forwards and, as the attack name implied, cleaved the wave of flames and cleared the way for him. Elemer didn't get a moment to breathe however, as Adam was revealed behind the wave of flames with a leg primed to stomp his head in.
He swung his Blade upwards, clashing against Adam's foot and deflecting it away from its target. The Briar Knight took a step forward, readying himself before thrusting the Haki clad blade at Adam's neck. The Lunarian saw this coming and grinned, taking advantage of his already skewed balance and falling to the ground.
This caused the blade to miss and cut through the air above him, and then before Elemer could bring it back; Adam swung his leg upwards, kicking the Knight just at his blade's hilt. This unexpected move took the Knight off guard enough for him to lose grip of his blade, allowing it to careen upwards into the sky.
Quickly, Adam rolled in his place, avoiding a hastily produced bind of thorny vines from Elemer. He looked at the Knight with a grin as he placed a hand on the ground. "Y'know, it's ironic that you just called that move a 'Cleave'..."
Just then, a Spiderweb-like surge of razor sharp flames surged outwards from Adam's hand, slicing the ground beneath them into flaming rubble. The sudden change in their battleground threw the knight off balance as his once steady marble footing was snatched away from him.
Adam himself was not affected by this as he had thought of and trained this move during a battle with Brogy a week ago. And so he rushed forwards to his opponent's open guard, slamming an elbow into the Knight's abdomen which drew a gasp and a cough up of bile through his helmet's slits.
He then backed off slightly and shifted his stance, reading a Haki coated fist before gut punching him in the same place again. This time, a slight crack shook the armour as another cough echoed through the air, with blood slightly seeping from the helmet's slits.
Adam's hand then sparked with fire, sending a concentrated blast point blank into the same location once again. This time it sent the Knight stumbling backward, exploding his armour open as if cracking a nut. Elemer gritted his bloodstained teeth, crossing his arms together in front of himself as a shield of Haki coated vines formed before him.
However, the Lunarian was not deterred, simply rushing forwards and slamming his Armament Haki clad fist against the shield with a bellowing chant.
"CLEAVE!"
The shield was instantly torn apart, not able to keep up against the overwhelming power of the razor sharp flaming slashes. It left Elemer undefended as Adam's hand blurred forwards like a viper, latching around his helmet's face and crushing it slightly before he swerved his body around and threw him away into a nearby wall.
Adam looked down at his opponent sitting against the cracked wall, he walked forward, grabbing his weathered crimson Greatsword that landed on the ground along the way. When he reached him, he saw Elemer struggling to move and pick himself off the ground.
To that, Adam just raised his foot and placed it on his chest, pushing his body back onto the wall behind him. "Don't bother. There is no running away from me."
He then raised the Knight's own Greatsword against him, coating it with his own Haki and pointing it at his head. The Lunarian hummed, deciding to give him one last kindness for at least giving him a fun fight.
"Any last words?"
Elemer Thorne just sighed tiredly with weariness, "Huff… What does it matter? When you're Dead, all that's left is a Worthless Husk."
"Kuhaha! Well said!"
With that, Adam thrust the blade forward, piercing straight through the Briar Knight's helmet and the wall behind him. A small splatter of blood painted the wall behind him a crimson red as Elemer Thorne instantly died, it was a merciful, quick and painless Death.
"Hm.. Well, well said for a Monkey at least. I, however, plan to leave much more behind than just my Corpse." Adam muttered as he stepped off of the Bounty Hunter, letting go of the Greatsword that stayed spiked through the corpse and the wall as he looked outside a nearby window into the starry night.
"A Legacy. A Legacy that will never Die. An Immortal Legend."
Adam D. Valentine then turned back to the rest of the throne room, locking eyes with King Balthus who was currently cowering on his back in the corner of the room as it sunk in how truly helpless he was.
"As for you… Well, Mongrel? What are you waiting for?" Adam questioned while tilting his head slightly, as if he was being forced to point out the obvious. He began walking forwards lazily, each step sending shivers down the King's spine.
His crimson eyes seemed to glow like twin orbs of Hellfire in the dark throne room as he looked down at the quivering worthless excuse of a 'King', his body framed in the shadow of the flames at his winged back.
And then he said but one word, an Order that demanded Absolute Obedience lest you meet your untimely Demise.
"Kneel."
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Author's Note:
The Kingdom was Overthrown in like 30 Mins, almost sad really.
ALSO, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
The Elden Ring fic is out(funny coincidence that it came out with this chapter, huh?).
But anyways, if you like Elden Ring I made a Tarnished SI fic called 'The Speedrunner's Guide to the Lands Between'.
It should be on my profile, but if you're too lazy here's the link:
https://www.webnovel.com/book/elden-ring-the-speedrunner's-guide-to-the-lands-between._31933499008470905###
…
Next Chapter Title: At Least it's Not a Desert.
…
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