At that moment, a man who appeared to be the captain of the Kingdom soldiers stepped forward.
His expression was cold and his gaze sharp as he stared at the pirates.
"By order of His Majesty the King!"
"From this moment onward, all pirates entering the territory of the Kingdom of Zephir must register at the port authority, pay the entry tax, and surrender all weapons."
"Furthermore, pirates are forbidden from disrupting the daily lives of our citizens."
"You have already violated these laws by entering illegally."
"You will come with us immediately."
"If you resist arrest—"
"We will not hesitate to use force."
"Captain!"
All the pirates immediately turned toward their leader.
Their captain, a bald and burly man, tightened his grip on his saber.
He glanced at the hundred-plus Kingdom soldiers before him.
Then he gritted his teeth.
"Don't listen to them!"
"These Kingdom soldiers are just bluffing. They'd never dare attack us!"
The soldier captain raised his hand calmly.
"Move in."
"Capture them all."
"Anyone who resists—kill them."
The Kingdom soldiers surged forward like a tide.
The Wave Pirates immediately fell into chaos.
The bald pirate captain panicked, glancing around desperately for an escape route.
Suddenly—
His eyes landed on Bata's family.
His face lit up with malicious joy.
He swung his blade and pointed it toward them.
"Don't come any closer!"
"Or I'll kill them!"
The Kingdom soldiers continued advancing.
Their footsteps were steady and unwavering.
"Y-you don't care about your own citizens' lives?!"
The pirate captain shouted in panic.
Bata's family froze, completely helpless.
Yet the soldiers did not stop.
"Damn it! You forced my hand!"
Seeing the soldiers closing in and his men falling apart in panic, the bald pirate suddenly lunged toward Bata's family.
Bata's face turned pale.
Little Xiao Yu screamed and shut her eyes.
At that critical moment—
BOOM!
A foot slammed down.
The bald pirate captain was crushed into the floor.
The tremendous force shattered the wooden boards beneath him, splinters flying everywhere.
The pirate screamed once—
Then immediately passed out.
"Captain!!!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
All the pirates stared in horror at the mysterious masked figure who had appeared out of nowhere.
An ANBU operative.
The masked man glanced at them coldly.
Then he kicked the unconscious pirate captain toward the Kingdom soldiers.
"Thank you for your assistance, sir."
The soldier captain quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
The ANBU operative said nothing.
His figure flickered—
And he vanished instantly.
All the Kingdom soldiers, including their captain, looked on with admiration.
Everyone now knew—
These masked warriors were the secret elite forces personally cultivated by His Majesty.
Each of them was far beyond ordinary fighters.
True monsters.
Soon, the Kingdom soldiers regained their focus.
With a single command, they rushed forward and quickly subdued every pirate.
The entire crew was arrested and dragged away.
Inside the restaurant, only Bata's family remained.
They stood frozen in shock.
At the same time, the other two pirate crews in town were also ambushed by Kingdom soldiers.
With ANBU operatives secretly assisting from the shadows—
The Kingdom Army captured every pirate without losing a single soldier.
News that King Arthur had ordered a nationwide pirate purge spread rapidly.
The entire Kingdom of Zephir erupted in celebration.
The people's admiration for their new king grew even stronger.
Meanwhile, deep within the royal palace.
Inside Arthur's bedroom.
He sat at his desk while Elia gently massaged his shoulders.
On the desk lay a large map of the surrounding seas and stacks of intelligence reports on nearby kingdoms.
His fingers tapped lightly on the map as he studied the documents.
Finally—
Tap.
His finger stopped at a specific location.
The Kingdom of Luss.
"...You will be my first conquest."
Arthur murmured quietly.
The Kingdom of Luss lay northwest of Zephir, about twenty nautical miles away.
Its land and population were more than three times larger than Zephir's.
Its standing army numbered 50,000 soldiers.
Its naval strength was unknown, but its military power was clearly far superior.
Its current ruler, King Steve Gall, was well known across the West Blue.
He had once personally infiltrated enemy territory and killed the king of the Brown Kingdom, earning his reputation.
Arthur traced the kingdom's position on the map while reviewing the intelligence gathered by the ANBU.
The ANBU truly lived up to their reputation.
In just a few days they had gathered an enormous amount of information.
And Arthur knew well—
On the battlefield, information often determined victory or defeat.
Even with such a powerful force as the ANBU, he would never underestimate an opponent.
After all, the ANBU were still human.
They could grow tired.
They could be injured.
They could die under gunfire and artillery.
Carelessness that led to unnecessary sacrifices was something Arthur would never accept.
"Our army currently numbers just over 5,000."
"Luss has 50,000 soldiers."
"The gap is too large."
"Even with ANBU support, a direct confrontation would be foolish."
"If tens of thousands of rifles fired at once…"
"Even White Fang couldn't withstand that."
Arthur fell into thought.
Then a sly smile appeared on his face.
"The world's underestimation of Zephir…"
"May actually be my greatest opportunity."
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"Elia, step outside for a moment."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Elia immediately understood he had important matters to discuss.
She quietly left the room.
"White Fang."
Arthur called calmly while staring at the map.
"Your Majesty."
White Fang appeared beside him like a phantom.
"Send orders."
"Tell Stanley to begin recruiting soldiers and expand the Kingdom Army."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"And announce this to the outside world—"
"In three days, the Kingdom of Zephir will launch a full-scale attack on the Kingdom of Luss."
"Demand their immediate surrender."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
White Fang vanished instantly.
Arthur rose and walked toward the window.
Below him, the city bustled with life.
At that moment, his system panel quietly appeared in his mind.
"The next legion…"
"We'll be meeting soon."
He murmured softly, a hint of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
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