"Heh! So full of spirit!"
Nick Mark looked at the soldiers on the city walls, their morale high, and licked his lips, his eyes filled with coldness.
He didn't see the soldiers as humans, but as a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
After learning that Kokoludo had been removed from the World Government's records, they had been waiting for this day.
They would first send in ordinary pirates to test if the World Government and the Marines had truly abandoned Kokoludo.
Months passed without a single Marine warship appearing in Kokoludo, which completely put their guard down.
This led them to decide to attack Kokoludo together today.
The wealth of this city was enough for their three pirate crews to squander for half a lifetime.
Therefore, no matter how high the morale of these soldiers, it could not shake their resolve to plunder this place.
Before they came, they had already regarded this place as their future stronghold.
With the money from here, they could recruit more men, try to venture deeper into the New World, instead of lurking in this remote corner.
They wanted more money, more people, more islands.
They also wanted to become emperors that everyone in the New World aspired to be.
"Big brother, let's make our move!"
Nick Mark withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look at Ghost Hand Kodes, who stood in the center.
The three of them were Supernovas from a few years ago, originally fearless and lawless guys.
However, not long after entering the New World, they were taught a lesson by the seniors of this sea.
He still remembered a pleasant afternoon one year. Several Supernova pirate crews formed an alliance and were resting on a deserted island.
But a creature with horns, as tall as a giant, descended from the sky and crashed onto their allied island.
With the ground shaking, the creature acted like a ferocious beast, one kick, one blow, crushing everything like autumn leaves sweeping away fallen leaves, and in a few moments, it destroyed their alliance.
If he hadn't been a Fish-Man and could escape through the sea, none of them would have survived.
The psychological shadow cast by that creature still made them feel oppressed whenever they thought about it.
Strong, too strong. Their alliance's total bounties at the time exceeded 10 billion!
But in the end, only the three of them escaped.
As for the others, they never heard from them again.
This was also why they had come to this remote place to be kings and overlords.
Now, as long as they took Kokoludo's wealth, they could make a comeback.
Let alone seeking revenge on that creature, to dominate a sea should be achievable in their minds.
Ghost Hand, true to his name, had a human body but his hands were like the black claws of an evil spirit.
He was an ability user who had eaten the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Oni.
Ever since eating the fruit, he had maintained his hands in an animalized state.
And his favorite thing was to use his sharp claws to rip out the enemy's heart, hence the nickname Ghost Hand.
Ghost Hand glanced at the excited Nick Mark, nodded, took a step forward, and forcefully stomped his feet.
His bounty was not the highest among the Supernovas that year, but he was the only one with the bearing of a king.
That's why after the three of them escaped, the other two recognized him as their elder brother.
Buzz—!
The space vibrated, as if the sky was collapsing.
An overwhelming aura fiercely radiated towards the city walls ahead.
Although Ghost Hand's Conqueror's Haki was directed forward, the pirates behind him still felt the pressure.
However, they showed no fear, instead staring at Ghost Hand's back with eyes full of admiration.
Even though it wasn't the first time they had seen Ghost Hand use Conqueror's Haki, it still stirred their hearts and made them excited.
This was their big brother, a powerhouse destined to rule the seas.
As the Conqueror's Haki swept over, it was as if time stood still. The morale and roars on the city walls abruptly ceased.
Then, the sound of countless people falling to the ground echoed.
The soldiers, lined up, all had their eyes rolled back, their weapons dropped, and their bodies falling backward.
No matter how high their morale, they were, after all, ordinary people.
In this world where individual strength could override everything, even if they gave their all, they couldn't withstand a single glare.
This was not fantasy, but reality.
"As expected, it's no use?"
Charles didn't need to look back to know what was happening behind him.
On the city walls now, besides him and his eldest son, there were only a dozen or so generals behind him, and on the distant city walls, a sparse few dozen determined soldiers.
The soldiers, spread out along the long city walls, stood out as lonely figures amidst countless fallen soldiers.
Of course, there was also boundless sadness.
Their eyes were bloodshot, their trembling hands tightly gripped their weapons, which were planted on the ground to prevent them from falling.
Then, they all turned their heads to look at the middle-aged figure on the city gate, and with all their might, they roared.
"Kill—"
Although the sound was weak, it was enough to reverberate throughout the battlefield.
"Your Majesty..."
Behind Charles, a general's lips trembled as he looked at the pirates below, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
He was not afraid, but he despaired for what was about to happen.
Charles raised his sword and roared loudly, "Soldiers, follow me to fight the enemy! Even if there are only a few dozen of us, we cannot let them enter the city so easily, unless they step over my corpse."
Charles suppressed the surge of sadness in his heart, his eyes fixed on Ghost Hand, and he bent down and leaped off the city wall.
He knew that this leap was not towards the ground, but towards hell.
But who told him he was the King of Kokoludo!
If he were to die, he would die first.
"Heh! Don't know how to hide, yet you come down to seek death."
Ghost Hand withdrew his Conqueror's Haki, his eyes coldly staring at Charles and the others charging towards them, and he grinned coldly, "A mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Saying that, he raised his hand and waved forward, "Brothers, kill these guys for me, and everything in this city will be ours."
"Ah~"
"Long live our boss."
The pirates' eyes flashed with extreme greedy red light, their weapons tightly gripped, and they roared as they charged towards Charles and the others.
Bang—!
The two sides collided instantly.
Sword light flew, fists and feet collided, blood splattered.
Although Charles and the others couldn't compare to the three of Ghost Hand and the executives behind him, they were still powerful against ordinary pirates.
So, at the start of the battle, even facing pirates several times their number, they had the upper hand.
But as the executives behind Ghost Hand joined the fray, their slight advantage instantly turned into a disadvantage.
Even if they gave their all, it was useless.
As time passed, they were surrounded by countless pirates, and their bodies gradually accumulated many wounds.
"Heh! They're quite tenacious!"
Nick Mark looked at Charles, who was dodging and weaving through the crowd, and licked his lips, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
He drew a long spear from his back, weighed it in his hand, then leaned his body back, stared at Charles, took a step forward, and forcefully threw the spear.
As the spear left his hand, it flew like a large bullet, cutting across the battlefield, fiercely thrusting towards Charles.
Charles, who was fighting several executives, seemed to sense danger.
He abruptly raised his head, his pupils rapidly constricting, and as he looked at the rapidly approaching spear, he wanted to dodge, but his body couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
At this moment, time around him seemed to slow down. Not far from him, Donald looked at the spear, cut open the weapon in front of him with a single strike, and wanted to rush forward, but it was useless. He could only watch as the spear slowly fell towards Charles.
The pirates' rampant laughter, and the despair of Charles and the others, combined at this moment into a tragic comedy of human life.
Without a hero appearing, Charles would surely not escape this impending death.
Would a hero appear?