"Heh heh heh heh~ Boys, that little king thinks he can stiff us on our reward? Then we'll just take it ourselves! Move out!" Rimm shouted, raising his weapon high.
"WAAARGH!!" The crew roared back. They'd been itching for this moment—an entire royal treasury lay before them! How much treasure could be inside? Without hesitation, they followed their captain in a frenzied charge toward the palace.
"Uncle, why do you think this country is at war?" Ann asked curiously.
"Who knows," Karl said with a shrug. "Probably infighting among nobles. The commoners don't have the power to rebel. You saw them when we entered the city—thin and weak. They couldn't fight even if they wanted to."
"Mhm~" Ann tapped her chin thoughtfully.
Then Karl's eyes shifted toward the palace, a faint frown appearing. The war should be over. So why are there still people fighting?
"What's wrong, Uncle?" Ann asked when she noticed him looking that way.
"Looks like something interesting's going on at the palace. Come on—let's have a look."
He summoned a flame cloud, lifting the two of them into the air and gliding toward the palace.
The war had only just ended, so the palace's defenses were in shambles. The Behemoth Pirates broke through easily, reaching the hall where the newly crowned prince—now king—was hiding, trembling in fear.
"C-Captain Rimm… what are you doing?" the young monarch stammered. He had known dealing with pirates was like dancing with the devil, but he thought if he could just stall for two days, the Navy would arrive to help.
He'd sent a messenger saying he "forgot" where the Devil Fruits were hidden, thinking Rimm would hesitate until he got them. But before the messenger could even return, Rimm was already here.
"Heh heh heh~ Little king, do you take me for a fool? 'Forgot where you hid them,' eh? Maybe this will help jog your memory!"
Rimm swung a heavy backhand across the king's face, knocking him to the ground, then stomped down hard—crack!—snapping the man's leg.
The king's screams filled the hall. Around him, the nobles who'd gathered for the victory banquet turned pale with terror. Some clutched their heads and wailed, which only made the pirates impatient. A few loud ones were immediately cut down where they stood.
"C-Captain Rimm! I remember! I remember now!" the king cried desperately.
"Then hurry up and bring it out!" Rimm bellowed.
Supported by trembling attendants, the king limped into his chambers, opened a hidden compartment, and took out two Devil Fruits—one shaped like a pineapple, the other like a snow pear.
High above, Karl and Ann stood unseen on the palace roof, watching the scene unfold.
"Heh heh heh~ See? Wouldn't it have been easier to hand them over earlier? Maybe then I'd have spared your life."
The king paled even further. "I—I gave you the Devil Fruits! You can't kill me! I'm the ruler of a World Government member nation! The Navy won't let you get away with this—they're already on their way!"
He tried to use the Navy as a threat, but Rimm only grinned coldly—and in one swift motion, his blade flashed. The king's head rolled across the marble floor.
"Men! Move out! Empty the royal treasury!" Rimm roared.
His crew cheered and stormed through the palace, slaughtering the remaining nobles before rushing toward the vault.
Rimm gazed at the two fruits in his hands, intoxicated. His two younger brothers, however, couldn't hide their impatience.
"Big brother, are those Devil Fruits for us?"
Rimm frowned inwardly. If not for the rule that one could only eat a single Devil Fruit, he wouldn't have given either of these fools a chance.
"My dear brothers," he said with a forced smile, "these fruits are for you. Eat them well and grow strong! Help me expand our crew's power! Who knows—someday, we might even earn a spot among the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Hahahaha!"
The brothers' eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought.
"Forget the Warlords," a calm voice said from behind. "Why don't you hand those fruits over to me instead? I might even let you live."
In a blur, Karl appeared right behind Rimm.
Rimm froze, sweat instantly covering his back. He spun around, shoving the fruits into a box and glaring at the intruder. "Who are you!?"
"Uncle! Why didn't you tell me you were jumping down first!" Ann landed lightly beside him.
The pirates immediately surrounded them, weapons raised.
"You'll never get them! These are gifts from our brother!" Rimm's two brothers snarled and lunged at Karl.
Karl was about to draw Xinting Marquis, but Ann moved first. The two men had only recently learned Armament Haki and barely knew how to use it. With fluid precision, Ann used the Six Powers techniques to cut them down, her blade slicing shallow wounds laced with frost. Both collapsed, shivering, unable to stand.
Seeing his brothers defeated so easily, Rimm panicked.
"You'll never take my Devil Fruits! I'm the captain of the Behemoth Pirates—Behemoth Rimm!" he roared, his body morphing into that of a massive southern dragon beast before lunging at Karl with jaws wide open.
The stench of his breath made Karl wrinkle his nose. "Ugh, disgusting." He leapt up, landed on Rimm's skull, and channeled Haki into his foot—then stomped down hard.
Boom! The dragon's head caved in, leaving a deep crater in its skull. Rimm reverted to human form, blood spilling from his mouth before collapsing unconscious.
"Captain Rimm!!" The crew screamed in disbelief. Their invincible leader had been crushed in a single blow. Fear overtook them, and one by one they dropped their weapons and fled in terror.
"Uncle, what should we do now?" Ann asked, wiping the blood from her blade Cold Moon before sheathing it.
"What else? We take the Devil Fruits and go." Karl picked up the box, stored it in his storage bracelet, and stomped once—crushing Rimm's skull completely.
Then he and Ann rose into the air, leaving the palace behind.
As for what powers the two Devil Fruits held… that would have to wait until they got back.
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