Chapter 538: The Legend of the First King!
Once everything was settled on that side, Ryuunosuke and the others reached the designated sea area.
"I felt it," Ban said, eyes bright with excitement.
"That powerful, evil aura."
He looked up at the sky, like a beast catching the scent of prey.
"Captain, are we waiting here?"
Ban sounded eager, almost impatient. In his mind, whoever charged first could snatch the strongest opponent. And when it came to fighting, he trusted nobody.
Not even the captain.
After all, the captain had a bad habit of suddenly appearing, stealing the spotlight, and leaving everyone else chewing on leftovers.
So the rule had carved itself deep into Ban's bones.
Strike first.
"Those who can fly, go up and assist Enel," Ryuunosuke began. "He's not in good shape right now…"
"Hey, is that really necessary?" he added, but it was already too late.
Before he could finish the sentence, more than half the crew vanished.
Those who could fly shot straight into the sky without hesitation.
Those who could not fly did something even more ridiculous.
They forced themselves into Moonwalk on the spot, relying purely on absurd physical strength to kick off the air and climb upward like it was nothing.
In the blink of an eye, the ship felt empty.
The ones left behind were Nojiko, Akame, Kuina, Kobayashi, and her dragon maid.
They could technically join too, but neither Kobayashi nor Kanna had any interest, so they stayed.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," Shanks walked over, frowning in confusion. "Why aren't you going?"
"Me?" Ryuunosuke pointed at himself like he had been insulted.
"I can't possibly handle a battle like this all by myself."
He smiled, then tapped his own chest.
"I'm the captain. If their leader hasn't made a move yet, I'm not about to blow all my cards early."
"That's just asking to get countered."
He spoke lightly, but the truth was simpler.
Chrollo, Najenda, and Yahiko had come to him the moment they arrived and basically demanded that he stay back.
They had all said the same thing.
He was the captain.
Why did he always have to do everything himself?
Ryuunosuke had no choice but to agree and sit back for once.
"A trump card…" Shanks muttered, then asked again, "Captain, what kind of enemy are we facing?"
"You already know," he added, pressing the question.
"Enemy?" Ryuunosuke said calmly.
"No. Not an enemy."
"An obstacle."
He looked toward the sky again, expression steady.
"There's no direct conflict between us."
"But they might become obstacles on the road my Dragon Hunter Pirates walk."
"So we clean them up."
Shanks' face twisted into a strange expression.
It looked like he had swallowed something unpleasant and was trying not to show it.
"Shanks," Roy walked over at that moment, voice firm. "If you know something, say it clearly."
He had rested a little and looked far better now.
At least he no longer needed to lie down every few minutes just to breathe.
Shanks exhaled, then spoke directly.
"The message left by the captain said to bring us to the center of the world."
"He said there are things left behind by the First King here."
He paused, gaze sharpening.
"But I've investigated for years, even after becoming one of the Four Emperors."
"And I found that the legacy left behind by the First King should be in the East Sea."
Ryuunosuke froze.
The East Sea?
He had always felt the East Sea was special, maybe because of the Infinity Stones he carried.
But hearing Shanks say the First King's legacy was tied to the East Sea…
His mind immediately latched onto a name.
A figure too slippery, too hard to pin down.
The original Joy Boy.
The title of King.
Uranus, Poseidon, Hades.
Three names that could converge into a single throne.
The First King.
Ryuunosuke's eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked together.
"Does the 'First King' have any special meaning?" he asked.
Shanks nodded.
"The captain said the First King holds the most crucial secret of this world."
"It's even the key to giving this world a new life."
"That's why…" Shanks said, voice quieting, "…I've been wandering through the East Sea all this time."
After he finished, Shanks looked at Ryuunosuke with an eager, almost hungry gaze.
Ryuunosuke leaned back instantly.
"Hey. I like women."
"And both of my women are right here, so don't look at me like that."
The moment he said it, Akame and Kuina shot Shanks a fierce glare.
A man trying to steal their man?
That was not just insulting.
That was an invitation to die.
Shanks did not back down.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," he asked, voice sharp with urgency, "are you the First King?"
Roy's eyes also shifted toward Ryuunosuke.
Ryuunosuke spread his hands.
"Me? The First King?"
"You're joking."
"How could I be that kind of guy?"
He shrugged again.
"I don't know anything about that."
Shanks' brows knitted tighter.
"That shouldn't be possible."
"According to the captain's information, the First King is someone who can lead the world to rebirth."
"The East Sea produced many geniuses, but none of them compare to you."
The praise came out fast, almost desperate, like Shanks was trying to force an answer into existence.
"No," Ryuunosuke said, cutting it cleanly.
"Still…"
He sighed, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Based on what you've said, I might know who the First King is."
"But that guy is hard to find."
He remembered the First Generation he had encountered on Laugh Tale.
That person was cunning.
The moment he sensed danger, he slipped away like smoke.
Finding him again would be a headache.
Shanks' eyes widened.
"Know?"
"So the First King has already appeared?"
His breathing quickened.
"Then that means what comes next…"
Before anyone could stop him, Shanks turned and ran, bolting away at full speed.
The few people left behind stared at each other, completely baffled.
I said, Mr. Roy," Ryuunosuke said, shamelessly pushing the problem onto someone else. "You have some connection with Shanks, right?"
"Aren't you going to do something about that?"
Roy did not even blink.
"I can't control it."
Then he changed the topic without hesitation.
"By the way, Captain Ryuunosuke."
"When are we going to Morbig?"
That was what mattered to him.
"Morbig?" Ryuunosuke replied slowly.
"We don't need to go there yet. The giants will probably come looking for trouble soon."
He calculated in his head.
"Morgans said I had three days."
"Almost two have already passed."
"By timing, they should arrive tomorrow, or the day after at the latest."
Roy's eyes narrowed.
"You mean Charlotte Linlin?"
"It seems that bite she took out of Adam had a massive impact on the giants of Morbig."
Ryuunosuke did not answer.
Because someone was already coming.
And it was not the giants.
The first to arrive were Charlotte Linlin's pirates.
The Big Mom Pirates.
The ones who had taken a bite out of Adam.
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