"Now then, tell me, why is there an 80 million bounty on your head, little Robin?"
With a flick of his magic staff, Robin's small body was slowly levitated into the air.
The sight made Lordling's face pale again, and Robin began to struggle frantically in terror.
"How does it feel to have your life beyond your control?" the King asked with a sinister grin.
"Let me go!" Robin screamed, feeling like she was suffocating.
"Tell me, why is there an 80 million bounty on your head?" the King repeated, his voice hoarse and chilling, making Robin tremble.
"She... she can decipher the Poneglyphs, Your Majesty!" Modoray blurted out, fearing Robin would be killed.
"Did I ask for your opinion?"
Who could have imagined that King's smile would vanish instantly, replaced by an icy chill? With a flick of his magic staff, he pointed it at Modoray.
An invisible shockwave erupted. Modoray's face twisted in horror as he was sent hurtling through the air, spitting blood mid-flight. He landed thirty meters away, his fate uncertain.
"Once the answer is revealed, Akatsuki, life becomes utterly meaningless."
King's icy gaze pierced Robin's face before his figure flickered, vanishing only to reappear moments later, reclining once more upon his throne.
After a moment of silence, King spoke again. "He says you can decipher the Poneglyph?"
Robin lowered her head, refusing to answer.
King paid her no mind, tapping his temple with his staff as if recalling something.
"This king... seems to recall there being a record of the Poneglyph somewhere?"
Robin's eyes lit up momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure.
"It seems very few people can decipher these things, right? Legend has it that only certain unique families possess the methods to interpret them."
"You can read them too?" King asked, his curiosity piqued. He glanced at Robin before quickly averting his gaze.
"Where was it again?"
Closing his eyes, King began to recall. Normally, he wouldn't care about Poneglyphs, but he certainly wouldn't pass up an opportunity to uncover secrets.
Modoray claimed this young girl could decipher Poneglyphs. While King doubted it, he couldn't explain why the World Government would place an 80 million beli bounty on a girl of her age.
Silence fell over the Great Hall as King curled up, his body swaying from side to side like a serpent as he delved into his memories.
Five minutes passed.
"Ah, I remember now!" King's eyes snapped open, a terrifying smile spreading across his face.
"Several generations of Barut Kings did obtain a rubbing of a Poneglyph."
His figure flickered, and a wisp of black smoke swirled past, bringing him face-to-face with Robin.
"Little girl," he rasped, "help me decipher this Poneglyph, and I won't skin you alive to display as a trophy. What do you say?"
This was no negotiation, but a blatant threat.
The icy words sent shivers down Robin's and Lordling's spines. Staring at the gaunt, flesh-covered bones of the king, they felt as if they had been plunged into hell itself.
Suddenly, a squad of armored warriors burst into the hall.
"Your Majesty, terrible news! Asi, the former king's bodyguard, has breached King's Island's defenses and reached the overhead!"
They knelt on one knee, delivering their report in urgent tones.
"Asi? That fireworks enthusiast?" the king sneered. "Can't you handle him yourselves? Why bother reporting this to me?"
"No, Your Majesty, there's something more critical!" A warrior took a deep breath.
"Speak!"
"The Barut Ring, one of them is wearing the Barut Ring!"
The moment the words left his mouth, King's figure dissolved into black smoke, reappearing before the warrior in the blink of an eye.
"What did you say?"
"One of them claims to be the True King and bears the Barut Ring," the warrior repeated.
"The Barut Ring!"
King's eyes deepened with intensity, then he burst into laughter.
"How amusing! That fool became a pirate and was captured by the Marines long ago. Yet the Barut Ring has somehow resurfaced. Truly miraculous!"
"W-what should we do?" the warrior stammered hesitantly.
Though King had ruled the Barut Kingdom for fifty years, the nation's deep-rooted traditions and the weight of its history made them hesitate when faced with the Barut Ring.
It was the symbol of the True King, after all. No one born in this land could remain calm in its presence.
"What should we do?"
King chuckled.
Looking down from his vantage point, his cold, serpentine eyes narrowed into vertical slits.
"Kill them," he said. "Then you'll naturally know what to do!"
King's Island.
The island's front end featured an immense plaza paved with white stone. Massive stone pillars lined a wide avenue, which rose in steps to a towering ancient castle deep within the island. Anyone seeking entry to King's Great Hall had to ascend these steps.
At that moment, figures were hurrying toward the plaza, their footsteps echoing across the stone. In the blink of an eye, a large number of guards had gathered at the entrance.
"Clear the way! You fools! Bow before His Majesty the King!" Asi roared, blocking Rojen's path, his voice sharp and furious.
The guards exchanged hesitant glances, unsure how to react.
The sudden turn of events had left them bewildered and disoriented.
Is His Majesty Abdon a false king? Could this young man standing before them truly be the True King?
"The Barut Ring is on His Majesty's finger! How dare you defy his orders? Do you have a death wish?" Asi roared furiously.
His aggressive stance made the guards waver even more.
Suddenly, another whirlwind swept in from the distance. Three breaths later, a group of white-robed figures materialized.
"I am Torons! Everyone, clear the way! His Majesty approaches! How dare you obstruct him? Are you courting death?" The elderly woman leading the group bellowed as soon as they appeared.
"It's Kingdom Potionist Torons!"
Recognizing the newcomer, the guards trembled even harder.
Some couldn't bear the pressure any longer and began to retreat discreetly.
With Asi and Torons present, two of the Kingdom's strongest wizards had already arrived.
Rojen and his two clones stood impassively in the crowd, coldly observing the scene unfold before them.
He saw the situation clearly. On one side, Asi and Torons were exerting overwhelming pressure, and the opposing side was already on the verge of collapsing.
Yet the Empress Dowager, still intimidated by Abdon's authority, refused to yield the exit.
Thirty seconds later, a group of gray-robed figures led by a griffon arrived.
"Guards, clear the path within five seconds!"
"Or face annihilation!"
The griffon-led group spoke with ruthless authority, their opening words a direct threat.
Simultaneously, the guards recognized the newcomers, their eyes widening with fear.
"Salowizard!"
"The Kingdom's strongest wizard! By the heavens, he's here too!"
"Could that young man really be the New King?"
A wave of shock swept through the guards.
Three of the Kingdom's five great wizards had now gathered, all rallying behind this so-called New King!
(End Of This Chapter)
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