The Battle for Hope broke out.
On the sea, dozens of ships sailed toward Crescent Island, opening fire.
At the port, cannons were pushed out and also opened fire.
Boom boom boom...
As soon as the two sides clashed, a white-hot war began!
As one of the Kings of the Dark World, Umit's weapons were extremely sophisticated.
On the other hand, Ulunya had also been preparing for a long time and naturally showed no weakness!
After several rounds of artillery bombardment, both sides suffered losses.
The ships landed, and hand-to-hand combat began.
A melee of thousands erupted.
However, it quickly became obvious that Umit's troops held the advantage!
The sounds of gunfire, cannons, screams, and roars blended into chaos.
"Ulunya, you idiot! The Boss treated you well, but you still betrayed him. How disappointing!"
First Mate Neil charged into the fray with two scimitar-like blades. With every strike, an enemy fell dead, blood flowing across the battlefield.
Ulunya laughed heartily as he watched Neil cutting through his men. "Neil! Stop following that coward Umit. He doesn't deserve the title of King of the Dark World! Come to my side, and together we'll take full control of the Deep Currents!"
Neil casually cut down another man, blood splattering across his body in a gruesome display. He looked at Ulunya with mockery in his tone. "Fool. You have no idea how terrifying the Boss truly is! Every one of your actions has been under his watch! Did you think with just this pitiful force you could provoke him into a full-scale war? How foolish! If it weren't for something Charlotte Linlin values here, the Boss wouldn't even waste his time on you!"
"Hah! What's the point of saying that? Do you take me for a three-year-old?" Ulunya snorted, refusing to believe him.
In his mind, his rebellion had already threatened Umit's position, forcing that coward to risk everything just to come here and kill him. With success or failure hanging on this single battle, how could he turn back now?
"How foolish!" Neil's heart sank, and he fell silent. As his dual blades continued their arc, countless lives were cut short.
"Kill him! Umit is unfit to be king! How can a coward who only bows his head control the Deep Currents?" Ulunya roared, charging into battle himself!
With a bounty of 400 million berries, his strength was undeniable. Each punch sent dozens of men flying.
The weaker ones were killed instantly!
Ulunya closed the distance, his fists coated in Armament Haki, and unleashed a ferocious straight punch!
Neil crossed his two swords before him, also hardened with Armament Haki, and managed to block the blow.
Even so, the force sent him staggering several steps back.
"Neil, you're no match for me! And what about Umit? Is he too afraid to face me himself?" Ulunya pressed forward, swinging again.
This time, Neil couldn't dodge. The punch smashed into his chest.
He spat out blood as his body was hurled backward, crashing into a dozen men before skidding to a halt.
Neil stood again, wiping blood from his mouth, his expression calm. "Wait until the Boss arrives... then you'll understand true despair. When that happens, this battle will be over in an instant."
"Hmph! That old man hasn't moved in ages. Has he forgotten how to fight?" Ulunya scoffed.
He remembered clearly—since Umit became King of the Underworld, he had fought less and less. In recent years, he hadn't fought at all!
It had been Ulunya himself who charged into battle against the Donquixote Family.
But he had never imagined that clash would end the way it did—
Umit hadn't even fought, and had even yielded to them!
How could such an outcome ever satisfy Ulunya?
He longed for battle, to grind down his enemies step by step, strengthening himself through every clash.
But his ambition reached even further: to dethrone one of those so-called invincible pirates!
To become the true king!
And Umit was the first obstacle standing in his way!
"Kill!"
Ulunya roared, leaping high into the air before crashing down into the crowded harbor.
His fist came smashing from the sky, slamming into the ground with explosive force—
A violent gust of wind tore across the harbor!
Enemies within dozens of meters were hurled away like rag dolls!
The battle instantly ignited into a fierce struggle!
Meanwhile, in a distant square…
Countless soldiers in worn, faded uniforms had gathered.
At first glance, there were no fewer than a thousand.
Most were older men; the younger faces were few.
Some were even frail and elderly, yet their eyes gleamed with unyielding spirit.
The old man from before stood upon a high platform, gazing down at the crowd.
Loneliness, sorrow, excitement, and relief flickered in his eyes—
but in the end, all merged into one thing: determination.
He spoke slowly:
"It has been many years… so long I nearly forgot that we were soldiers—
soldiers who once defended our country."
"I once thought hope was gone forever. That time would erase us completely."
"But when I looked at the newborn children… when I saw that they could no longer even name their homeland… my heart broke."
"Yes, we failed once—
and we failed miserably.
There was no resistance left. Our entire kingdom was buried under the enemy's cannons…"
His voice trembled.
"But even now… whenever I close my eyes, those scenes of the past come flooding back."
The old man lowered his head and muttered:
"I know. I am the sinner of this country.
It was I who ordered the surrender.
It was I who made you lay down your arms.
It was I who forced you to endure disgrace…"
"Many of you hate me. And you should. I should have died long ago."
"For years, I wished only for death. To leave this world carrying the guilt of our nation's fall…"
The square fell silent. Many shed tears.
But then the old man raised his voice, resolute:
"Yet I realized—if I die, who will you hate?
Without me, your anger would fade, leaving nothing but emptiness.
So I lived on. I could not die!"
"Yes, I was selfish!
Selfish enough to use surrender to preserve your lives!
Selfish enough to let your hatred of me keep you burning inside!"
"And because of that—because of me—you have not become hollow shells!
You still burn! And so do I!"
"Now look! Look before your very eyes!
Those villains, those pirates, they are fighting each other!"
"This is our moment! Our only chance!"
"We may be old… but we are still soldiers! We are still the army of the Kingdom of Wenlat!"
"As long as we draw breath, our kingdom has not fallen! Wenlat still lives!"
His voice thundered as he declared:
"Let us burn with one last blaze!
Let those pirates and criminals witness the final radiance of our kingdom!
Let every child know—our homeland endures!
Their country is still the Kingdom of Wenlat!"
The crowd's eyes turned blood-red with fury and resolve!
They were the last army of Wenlat—
And their general, the legendary Elion, still stood unbroken!
Not even their past defeat had crushed his will.
They still had hope.
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