Thunderous footsteps merged into a surging crowd, all drawing near here. No doubt about it, they've been discovered.
Just like those captured earlier, soldiers in similar attire gathered outside the city, led by a soldier holding several wanted orders, shouting as they approached:
"'Catastrophe' Norton Sage, you are under arrest!"
"Recognize me, huh... Since when do soldiers have Navy duties?" Sage chuckled.
Although these soldiers hadn't fully assembled yet, they definitely outnumbered the five hundred Pirates brought by Sage.
But this didn't intimidate the Pirates.
After all, they were following 'Catastrophe' Sage, not to mention the addition of 'Magician' Hawkins.
Does it matter if they have the numbers?
As for Hawkins, seeing the confidence in these Pirates' expressions, he frowned slightly.
Including those officers, none seemed to care, none worried about the numbers.
But in a normal battle, this number would be hard to deal with even with their high capabilities.
After all, they are flesh and blood; when hit, they'll be injured, even though Sage has Haki. It's not unlimited.
If they really fight, even if they win, few would be left standing here.
Their main goal is robbery; fewer numbers make victory pointless.
This is why Pirates don't invade Kingdoms; even without considering the Navy, just the Kingdom's soldiers are tough for normal Pirates to handle.
He took out Tarot Cards to divine the result of this battle, revealing an astonished look.
The probability of victory for this battle is 99%, and the survival rate for his men... is infinitely close to 100%.
Not a single one will die?
Why?
Even Sage couldn't ensure the protection of every person in a fight, right?
Just as he thought about this, Sage stepped forward, heading straight ahead.
To defeat these people, Sage certainly had the confidence to remain unscathed. His Haki couldn't be broken by these weaklings; even in a normal fight, he could beat them all to death.
But...
That would be too slow.
"Kill them!" The leading soldier raised his Long Sword, leading the soldiers to charge at the Pirates.
A message had come from above, saying they encountered Pirates, and not just any Pirates, but a Great Pirate!
The bounty for these people alone was high. Once defeated, it could be exchanged for money as well as promotion by the King.
As for losing...
The defense forces within the Royal City were mostly here, how could they lose!
Buzz!
Just as they moved their feet, suddenly everything around went quiet. The soldiers making running motions all went limp, eyes rolled white, mouths agape, falling unconscious.
Only the leader, body trembling, half-kneeling on the ground, stared aghast at the white-haired man walking ahead, before he too collapsed.
"This is..."
Hawkins' pupils shrank, looking incredulously at Sage's back, "Supreme King? A man with potential?"
Though he joined, Sage never revealed his Supreme King Haki...
This guy, is a man with the potential of a King.
Thinking this, his inner imbalance eased somewhat.
"Oh!!"
The Pirates shouted, wielding weapons and charging into the Royal City, fighting the remaining soldiers heading their way.
These soldiers didn't know whether they were lucky or unlucky; lucky not to be affected by Supreme King Haki, unlucky for facing impending real death.
Being knocked unconscious is better than being killed.
The massive Royal City, with stone-built houses, caused civilians to look fearfully at the fierce Pirates approaching, screaming and fleeing, soon realizing those men weren't targeting them, completely ignoring the stone houses, racing towards the mountain base.
According to past rules, the closer to the Royal Palace, the wealthier the residents.
From the houses, it was apparent those were two or three-story stone houses, but near the mountain were large estates, with more exquisite stone buildings than regular houses, some hung with vines from nowhere, wooden structures, even digging the ground and planting on it...
In this Stone Country, using such architecture meant wealth!
Sage stunned nearly a thousand soldiers with Supreme King; the remaining soldiers, he couldn't be bothered with, leaving them to his men.
Though still outnumbered by incoming soldiers, the quality on their side was quite high.
Bellamy squatted, legs transforming into springs, rocketing forth, punching a soldier's face, sending him flying backward with several others.
Bam!
After one punch, Bellamy didn't pause, shattering the ground as he sprang onto nearby buildings, his force carving a corner from the house, then continued assaulting.
In continuous bouncing, speed was like a shadow, the impact growing under this speed and force, each punch grounding several soldiers.
Bellamy's bouncing power wasn't so potent in open space; with obstacles, he could fully utilize the spring effect.