Chapter 40: The Borrowed Kingdom
Chapter 40: The Borrowed Kingdom
"Attack! Attack!"
Before Maryka could reply, the remaining soldiers shouted, brandishing their spears as they advanced.
Sarge glanced in their direction. "They're loud."
Whoosh!
A residual shadow darted out from the crowd.
Hoo!
Amid the storm, Akin's staff twirled in a circular motion, the iron balls at the ends whipping up a gust that deflected even the pouring rain, not allowing a single drop to touch him.
He pounced, his body slightly hunched, resembling a hunting cheetah.
Boom!!
As the staff lunged forward, the soldiers that were struck by the iron balls shattered along with their spears and armor. Their bodies flew backward, crashing into the remaining soldiers and sending them all toppling to the ground.
Even so, Akin showed no mercy. He rushed to the fallen soldiers, staff twirling as he forcefully smashed the iron balls down, caving their heads into the sandy beach. He charged again, continuing his assault on the other soldiers.
Facing a single pirate, these dozens of soldiers couldn't even muster a counterattack. They could only watch helplessly as he swept through them like a force of nature, soon leaving them all lying on the ground. Their armor was smashed to pieces, and even if they had lost the ability to resist, Akin still mercilessly smashed the iron balls into their hearts or heads.
Boom!
Only after crushing the heart of the last soldier, sending half his body into the sandpit, did Akin slowly stand up. All around him, not a single soldier was left standing.
The rain washed away the blood on his face, and he twirled his staff, securing it at his waist. That unperturbed face, set against the backdrop of the fallen soldiers and gloomy sky, resembled a ghost that reaped lives.
The civilians' pupils constricted as they looked on, their faces revealing their fear.
'Ghost Man' Akin.
There might be mistakes in names, but none in titles. This existence, which had earned such a reputation on the high seas, would naturally show no mercy in battle.
Especially since the people here weren't his benefactors. As such, he had not the slightest scruple.
"Your speed has improved significantly. The training these days has been effective." Sarge nodded. "After some more time, you should be able to grasp 'Shaving'. Good job."
"Yes, Captain Sarge. I will redouble my efforts and live up to your expectations!"
The 'Ghost', feared by all, lowered his murderous head respectfully to Sarge.
"Then, let's continue with my proposal."
Sarge said, "You're an excellent cook, and I'm missing a chef on my ship. Come aboard with me."
He knew about the Bridge Kingdom—the massive bridge built in the East Sea where slaves and criminals from all over gathered to live. Once there, one was as good as dead.
It would be a waste for a chef of this caliber to die.
Maryka glanced at the fallen soldiers and then at the head on the sandy beach. She pursed her lips and asked, "You're not an ordinary pirate, are you?"
A subordinate proudly shouted, "Our captain is the overlord of the East Sea! He's Norton Sarge, with a bounty of 70 million berries!"
"Seven thousand million..."
Maryka's eyes widened slightly. "Although I haven't been paying attention to the news lately, this bounty is extremely high for the East Sea. You mentioned taking the king earlier. Could it be that you plan to do so without any regard for the consequences?"
Facing what was obviously the king's guard, they had directly taken lethal action without any hesitation or concern for the impact.
If that were the case, such a bounty wouldn't be impossible.
"That doesn't matter. What's important is that I've set my sights on you. I like taking kings the most, and since you're also a king with no worthwhile spoils, then you yourself are the spoils. Come aboard with me."
Sarge waved his hand. "Correspondingly, I'll give your citizens 'protection'. They can come aboard together and become my subordinates, no longer suffering here."
Although this group of people was malnourished and seemed to have no combat capability, with most of them being the old, weak, sick, or young.
However, Sarge didn't care about that.
Pirates were free to do as they pleased, and he saw value in this talented cook and the hundred or so "burdens" he had brought along.
Besides, if their physical condition wasn't up to par, they could always train. No one started out as a powerful warrior; everyone grew stronger step by step.
Even if they were older and lacked the potential for growth, there was still the miraculous power of Devil Fruits in the vast ocean, capable of enhancing one's strength in an instant.
What mattered most was not strength, but willpower.
In any endeavor, unless it was truly impossible, one had to have the determination and willpower to see it through.
The same was true for a pirate's life.
Out on the high seas, if you didn't have the guts to face any challenge that came your way, you wouldn't last long.
Sarge could tell that this group lacked that essential willpower.
Very few people would persist in chasing their dreams, no matter how many times they failed, like he had—a man who had tried his hand at everything and failed miserably, yet still refused to give up on his dream of becoming a landlord.
This had nothing to do with strength; even if Sarge were an ordinary man, he wouldn't have given up on his dream. He would have found a way to fight against the injustices of the world.
But these people were different. They weren't fighting back; they were simply enduring.
These civilians lived on the beach, resiliently rebuilding their homes after each high tide, stubbornly surviving in one place. They seemed strong, but without Maryka, they would likely fall apart.
Although he had only just met them, Sarge could tell that it was only because of Maryka that they had managed to stick together.
However, for the sake of this talented cook, Sarge was willing to show mercy and offer them protection. If they truly couldn't adapt to the pirate life, he would let them disembark and find a new life in another town.
"No, we can't," a fisherman said before Maryka could respond. Mustering his courage, he continued, "We can't be pirates, Captain. We appreciate your offer to take us aboard, but we have families. If we don't go to the Bridge Kingdom, our families will suffer in our stead."
"Exactly," Maryka sighed. "We don't have the freedom to choose. The price is too high, and ordinary people like us can't afford it. The people who live here are just regular folks who can't pay their taxes."
The Kingdom of Shallow Sands was not a member of the World Government and thus had no human rights.
But this kingdom hadn't always existed; it had come into being later.
On this stretch of the continent, where the Kingdom of Shallow Sands now stood, there had once been only a vast beach belonging to the Kingdom of Deep Woods behind it. These people had once been citizens of that kingdom.
The Kingdom of Shallow Sands was a leased territory of the Kingdom of Deep Woods. This larger kingdom would expel those who couldn't pay their taxes, sending them to Shallow Sands, where they would automatically switch nationalities and become citizens of a non-member state, losing their human rights at sea.
Without human rights, they were at the mercy of others.
The Kingdom of Deep Woods didn't have abundant resources, except for one—a large population. To cope with the gold flowing to the heavens, they would select individuals from Shallow Sands and sell them to the Bridge Kingdom in exchange for money.
Even so, no one volunteered to go to sea, because it was usually just one person who couldn't pay their taxes, and their family remained in the Kingdom of Deep Woods.
If they tried to escape, their property would be confiscated, and their family would be sent to the Bridge Kingdom in their place.
Furthermore, since they would be leaving from a non-member state, they could be sold as slaves on the high seas without any repercussions.
And that wasn't all. Even upon reaching the Kingdom of Shallow Sands, they wouldn't be given the tools to start anew.
This land was leased from the Kingdom of Deep Woods, so rent had to be paid. Every year, officials from the Kingdom of Deep Woods would come to collect, and if the people of Shallow Sands couldn't pay, they would incur debt. The officials would then boldly take them as slaves, without any pretext.
Maryka had grown up in such an environment.
She didn't owe any debt herself; she simply couldn't bear to stand idly by and watch.
(End of Chapter)
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