At the same time.
Inside the castle.
The young boy Las blinked and found himself in a hall. The hall was brightly lit, with the flames of the candelabras resembling a sea of fire, illuminating the surroundings.
Each candelabra was crafted from gold.
A long red carpet stretched from beneath Las's feet all the way to the top. As Las looked up, the sudden appearance of golden light caused his eyes a moment of pain.
It was a throne made of gold.
Seated on the throne was a handsome man, looking down at him with interest.
"K-King!"
Las swallowed, raised the gold ore in his hand, and shouted, "I found gold! My father is not a criminal, nor a liar, and certainly not a thief! Gold is real..."
"I know."
Before Las could finish, the man on the golden throne interrupted softly, "The Golden Country most certainly exists."
Las was stunned, showing a look of confusion.
"But it only exists for me, the King."
The man on the golden throne extended his hand and said, "It exists for me, King of Gold, Granny. No one else is qualified to know, including you..."
The extended hand suddenly clenched, and the ground around Las surged up, forming spikes that pierced towards him.
Just as the spikes were about to impale Las, the hall doors suddenly burst open. A figure with long, wavy blonde hair rushed in and, seizing the opportunity, tossed the person in their hand forward.
Bang.
The person collided with Las, and the rising spikes pierced through, turning them into a bloody mess.
"H-Hawkins!"
Las had just gotten up from the ground when he turned to see Hawkins striding in.
Granny was slightly taken aback, glanced at the person impaled by the spikes, and shook his head, "I'm so disappointed, not even able to handle a Pirate."
"He has the face of death today..."
Hawkins walked up to Las, gave him a sideways glance to confirm he was fine, then stared at Granny, "Are you the King of Anu Country?"
Hawkins was transported here as well, but he did not encounter any formidable figures. He came across someone claiming to be a palace steward, who without a word stabbed him with a sword, and then...
Hawkins responded by stabbing his sword into the person's heart, killing them.
He wouldn't get lost in any castle, using divination to find the optimal route. He walked straight to the royal hall, just in time to see Las in danger, and casually tossed the corpse over.
This child was specifically requested by Sage. If he could be saved, of course, he would be.
Granny looked at Hawkins with interest and nodded, "I know you, 'Magician' Basil Hawkins, a Pirate with a very high bounty. It seems that you people of the Grand Line look down on those living on the islands, but not only Pirates are powerful in this world..."
Whoosh!
Several spikes rose from the ground and pierced through Hawkins's body.
Granny's lips gradually curved, "I am very powerful too."
"Lord Hawkins!" Las shouted.
Yet, despite being pierced by stone spikes, Hawkins acted as if nothing was wrong. He walked out from the spikes, completely ignoring how they tore at his flesh. As he moved, his body seemed like a phantom, disregarding the spikes entirely.
There were just two Straw Dolls emerging from his arm, one body pierced with several holes, the other sliced open, emitting smoke as it fell.
Meanwhile, at the gates of the Royal City, two fainted soldiers had similar conditions: one body had holes, the other was sliced with several gashes, gushing blood.
"An Ability User?"
Granny glanced at the fallen scarecrows, nodding approvingly, "Quite impressive indeed."
His demeanor suggested he didn't even need to get up from the throne, as if he were merely critiquing a junior of his own.
Without a care, Hawkins took out his Tarot Cards for divination. After placing a few cards, he said, "There's a 99% chance of death. Today, you also have the face of death. Like this Royal Palace, you are about to fall into ruin."
"I will be destroyed?"
Granny laughed heartily, and with a flick of his finger, the ground beneath Hawkins rose again, forming spikes that pierced into Hawkins's body, leaving him no time to react.
"You'd make a fitting bard, you made me laugh, but your abilities are interesting. I offer you a way out: pledge your loyalty to me. With my status as a King allied with the World Government, I can protect you. From now on, this can be your haven, and the Navy won't trouble you."
Granny sat up straight, baring his teeth, "Every year, the Navy costs me a fortune."
Hawkins ignored Granny's words and once again moved his body aside, from which emerged two damaged Straw Dolls. He drew his sword and regarded Granny, "My chance of defeat is 95%, which means I can't beat you. If I don't engage you, my survival rate approaches 100%, but if I fight you, it's only 10%. You are strong, but..."
The result of the divination is never wrong; this Royal Palace is destined for ruin, with less than a 1% chance of survival.
Hawkins could already guess; the key lies with Sage, who will undoubtedly appear to take down this King.
According to the divination, he only needs to wait quietly, and he won't even have a chance of getting hurt.
Initially, he intended to watch events unfold quietly, but now this guy named Granny is actually trying to recruit him, which insults his self-respect.
This was the second time.
The first time, he chose to join Sage's Pirates because the divination suggested he do so, and at that moment, he gave up his self-respect once.