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Feeling a little unnerved by the cold gaze, Danitz wisely shut his mouth and led Klein through the excited pirates, gradually arriving at the dark palace deep within the island.
Before they could get closer, a middle-aged man with deep-set features emerged from the shadows where the morning light couldn't reach. He wore an Intis-style shirt with intricate patterns on the collar and a dark red captain's coat.
Even though he just stood there, Klein's spiritual intuition sensed a vast amount of madness and chaos lurking around the middle-aged man, making it impossible for him to lock onto him. There was no need for Danitz to introduce him; a thought naturally surfaced in Klein's mind:
"The Black Emperor's First Mate, 'Viscount of Fear' Byrd Mustang, wanted for 14,000 pounds!"
Just as Klein was stopped by Byrd Mustang outside the black palace, the palace itself was eerily silent. Candlesticks hung upside down from above, with an unequal number on either side.
At their ends, black platforms rose, surrounding iron-black chairs.
"King of the Five Seas" Nast sat leaning on the innermost chair. His current physique was relatively normal, just over 1.9 meters tall, unlike on the Black Emperor where he resembled a giant more than a human.
He still wore a scaled-down spire crown and a black robe with silver trim. His facial features were sharp, his forehead slightly wrinkled, and he had a short black beard on his chin. Dark red light flowed in his deep black eyes, making one instinctively want to lower their head.
As the distorted order permeating the entire palace reached its peak, Nast finally stood up slowly, his majestic and indifferent voice echoing for a long time:
"The time for consideration has ended. Who agrees? Who opposes?"
Admiral of Hell Ludwell, sitting at the edge of the black palace, had his face covered by a silver-white mask, showing no change in expression. He had once been Nast's subordinate, only later gaining independence with the help of the Numinous Episcopate.
Therefore, he was also very clear that Nast's talk of establishing a so-called pirate kingdom was not empty words, but rather a long-planned scheme.
His hollow eyes behind the mask couldn't help but look at the "King of Dawn" who sat not far from Nast. He truly hadn't expected this pirate king, whose strength was equally unfathomable, to choose to acquiesce in this matter.
Without this person taking the lead in opposing, if he, a mere Pirate Admiral, dared to speak out against it, he probably wouldn't even make it out of this palace.
Unlike the conflicted Ludwell, Cattleya was quite calm. She had received a letter from Queen Mystic before attending this grand event, knowing what the King of the Five Seas was about to do. Deep in her eyes, a hint of anticipation even flickered.
Nast's figure gradually grew taller. Looking at the silent palace, the light flickering in his deep black eyes became even more scarlet. The distorted majesty and order were no longer confined within the palace; they instantly enveloped the entire island, carrying his will.
This pirate gathering, intentionally pushed by him, almost covered all the famous pirates of the Five Seas. And most of the existing pirates at the very top were followers of the "Lord of Order." At this moment, his will truly permeated the Five Seas!
Klein, who was stopped outside the palace, only felt an indescribable terrifying pressure coming at him, making his bones crackle as if he had returned to facing the Evil God's offspring in Tingen City. Danitz, on the other hand, was even more direct, falling to his knees with a thud, forced down by the immense pressure.
Klein gritted his teeth, about to activate "Creeping Hunger" at the risk of exposure, when he suddenly felt his whole body lighten, and a refreshing fragrance filled his nostrils.
The tall black palace in front of him instantly vanished, replaced by a peach forest with lush plants and blooming flowers. Klein's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously caught a peach blossom that floated down in front of him. At the same time, a very familiar voice sounded in his ears:
"No need to be nervous, this is just my fairy tale magic...."
The bloody light in Nast's deep black eyes flickered. He glanced at where Klein had disappeared, and once again chanted the honorific name of the Lord of Order in his heart.
The Beyonder characteristic of the Duke of Entropy, which he had been searching for so diligently, was no longer an obstacle. He was only one step away from becoming a complete mythical creature!
And at this moment, the deep ocean to the northwest of the island, where whirlpools constantly appeared, suddenly rippled. A colossal warship, shimmering with metallic light and no smaller than the Black Emperor, broke through the mist.
This ironclad ship, embodying the pinnacle of Loen's industry, was so magnificent that the pirate admirals' flagships anchored around the island seemed like newborn dwarfs gazing up at a giant.
On the giant ship's sole remaining watchtower was engraved an emblem of a "Sword of Judgement" pointing vertically downwards, with a ruby crown as its hilt. It shone brightly under the morning light. This was the symbol of the Augustus family, a legacy tracing back to the previous epoch.
The Pritz! The first ironclad ship commissioned by the Loen royal family!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by the exaggerated hum of the high-fuel steam engines, two exaggerated main cannons, engraved with various patterns, unleashed their firepower on the island without hesitation.
The giant ship suddenly sank, and a hurricane swept outwards, raising waves.
And at some point, a man appeared on the giant ship. His rather long, rectangular face exuded an intimidating aura without anger, and he had two upward-curving mustaches at the corners of his mouth, with extremely thick eyebrows.
He wore a formal suit, a cloak, and extremely long-toed shoes, dressed in a style out of step with the times. He was none other than Prince Grove, the demigod who supported George III.
And on top of this Sequence 3 Chaos Hunter's head, he wore a crown woven from thorns, from which pure light continuously gathered into the crown's interior, interweaving into "ocean."
The Sealed Artifact "0-36" wielded by the Loen royal family!
Looking at the island, which seemed to be crumbling under the gunfire but was actually unharmed, a cold light flashed in Grove's eyes, and his deep, majestic voice echoed, as if pronouncing judgment:
"Those who presumptuously claim kingship shall be executed!"
Unsafe elements that posed a danger to Loen's territorial waters had gathered together. Such a rare opportunity, even if they couldn't severely wound the pirate who presumptuously claimed kingship today, they had to let them know that the old era was over.
Even if they relied on ghost or cursed ships, calling themselves generals or even presumptuously claiming kingship, only ironclads could dominate the seas!
The crown woven from thorns on his head suddenly erupted with brilliant light, but it did not attack or destroy the distorted order covering the island to prevent artillery attacks. Instead, it surged behind Grove.
The space there was torn apart, and an ancient-style spear, burning with clusters of blood-red dark light from its tip to its hilt, pierced towards the back of Grove's head, disregarding the distance.
And at this moment, a slightly deep light instantly flew out from "0-36," reassembling into a slightly arrogant old man with a lot of silver strands in his black hair and no beard on his face.
It was none other than the former Duke of Southville, Dlink Augustus, the Sequence 2 Balancer of the Arbiter Pathway!
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