Chapter 165: Kingdom of Hasmu
"Hahaha, come at me again!" Ashura Doji, wielding his Earth Destroying Sword, charged forward once more. He was determined to defeat his opponent, disregarding the impact waves.
"Double Impact!" Howard, unafraid, unleashed another powerful wave of impact energy.
Howard had consumed the Paramecia-type Impact Fruit, enabling him to generate powerful shockwaves.
In this renewed clash, both Ashura Doji and Howard were once again blown away by each other's attacks.
However, Ashura Doji possessed greater defense and vitality, so if the battle continued, he would surely win.
Seeing this, Li Yuan, standing nearby, chose not to intervene. He believed that Ashura Doji could handle the fight on his own.
The Infinity Pirates had grown enough that Li Yuan didn't need to handle everything personally; his subordinates could take care of matters themselves.
"I'll head to the palace and take it down," Li Yuan decided. While he wasn't going to interfere in his subordinate's battle, he wouldn't stand idly by in the overall war.
"Your Majesty, we've gathered the treasures. Let's go quickly!" Ministers and guards were hurriedly loading boxes in the palace's back garden, trying to escape through a secret passage with King Richard.
"Damn Infinity Pirates!!" King Richard took one last look at his palace, gritting his teeth as he followed his ministers into the tunnel.
"Boom!!!!"
However, before they could enter the tunnel, a powerful, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki swept through the palace.
Blood-red lightning spread like a thunderstorm, reaching every corner of the palace.
Everyone within a kilometer of the palace, including those outside its walls, collapsed under the sheer force of the Conqueror's Haki.
"Oh? Trying to run?" Li Yuan quickly found King Richard at the tunnel entrance, thanks to his informants.
"Splish splash!!"
Li Yuan ordered a bucket of cold water to be poured over King Richard's head, waking him instantly.
"Ah!!! Who dares..." King Richard screamed, but his voice halted abruptly when he saw Li Yuan towering over him.
"Lord Li Yuan, I have treasures! All the treasures of the Kingdom of Hasmu will be yours. Please spare my life!" King Richard pleaded, fearing Li Yuan's sword.
"Where are all your kingdom's treasures?" Li Yuan asked directly, cutting to the chase.
"Our royal treasures are in the palace treasury..." King Richard quickly revealed the location without hesitation.
"Slash!!!"
But just as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his throat. Instinctively, he tried to cover it, but found himself unable to move.
He wanted to speak, but his vocal cords were severed, rendering him mute.
He never expected such an end, killed right after revealing the treasure's location!
"You lied. There was another treasure location you didn't mention," Li Yuan said coldly as King Richard's head fell to the ground.
He then proceeded to the mentioned treasure site, taking all the Devil Fruits. The remaining ordinary treasures were left for his subordinates to transport.
Marine Headquarters:
"These filthy pirates are targeting the member nations again!" Sengoku fumed after receiving intelligence from the Five Elders.
The Marines had practically lost control over the New World and couldn't intervene with the member nations' issues.
Yet the Five Elders insisted on sending support to the member nations. If not for the promise of assistance, Sengoku wouldn't have bothered responding to their pleas for help.
"Admiral!" ×3
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr soon arrived in Sengoku's office.
"The New World pirates, including Li Yuan, the Golden Lion, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, Branton, and Wald, are attacking seven member nations."
"Our objective is to support the Kingdom of Hynes, which is under attack by Branton, the Violent King."
"This operation must be discreet. Ideally, capture Branton before other pirates come to his aid," Sengoku instructed.
"What if other pirates also come to support Branton?" Sengoku asked worriedly.
They had been ambushed before, nearly resulting in disaster.
"Don't worry. As you leave, World Government support will shadow you, ready to assist if other pirates join Branton," Sengoku assured. This was why he felt confident sending Sengoku's team to support.
After the previous ambush, Sengoku was cautious. Losing Sengoku's team in the New World would be a crippling blow to the Navy.
While lower and middle-ranked forces could be replenished, losing top-tier officers like Sengoku's team would set the Navy back decades.
"Yes, Admiral!" Sengoku felt relieved after Sengoku's explanation.
The New World pirates were strong and numerous. In single combat, even an admiral might struggle against a major pirate and could even lose. The situation was truly challenging.
Kingdom of Hynes:
"Captain, Captain, news just came in. The Navy is heading towards the Kingdom of Hynes," reported Jaynes, the strategist for Branton's Violent Pirates.
Aware of potential threats, Jaynes had advised the Violent Pirates to raid the Kingdom of Hynes early in the morning.
By now, they had nearly completed the raid, with only the treasure left to be transported.
Jaynes, though not strong, was good at gathering intelligence and had spent a fortune to buy information on the Navy's movements.
If the Navy made a move in the New World, they would be informed.
Unbeknownst to Jaynes, the information he purchased was sold by Shakky of the Infinity Pirates. Otherwise, information on a Marine admiral wouldn't be so easily obtainable.
"Hahaha, Jaynes, you're smart. Notify the crew to hurry and move the treasure. We can leave the small items behind."
"Contact Shiki for support. We'll rendezvous at Sando Island!" Branton laughed heartily.
He possessed the Muscle Fruit, which made him all brawn, but he understood the importance of intelligence, so he hired a strategist to compensate for his shortcomings.
It turned out to be a wise decision.
"Got it!" Jaynes nodded.
Following their first successful collaboration with Li Yuan, things had gone smoothly.
They shared strategies, such as gathering intelligence, planning escape routes, and preparing for the Navy.
Kingdom of Hasmu:
"Hahaha, it looks like you can't go on!" Ashura Doji, covered in bruises, unleashed a 50-meter-long Blood Moon Slash.
"Explosive Impact Fist!!" Howard gritted his teeth, enduring immense pain as he concentrated his impact power into his fist to counter the incoming slash.
"Boom!!!"
Dust and debris flew as Howard shattered the Blood Moon Slash, but he fell to the ground.
He lost, unable to match Ashura Doji's relentless vitality.
"Your name is Howard, right? You're strong. Our captain wants to recruit you into the Infinity Pirates."
"Your daughter has been taken in by the Infinity Pirates. If you join us, we will cure her illness within three days."
"These are the words our captain asked me to convey," Ashura Doji said to the fallen Howard.
"Kobe, Kaya!!!!"
Hearing Ashura Doji's words, Howard found renewed strength, struggling to stand.
He had no real loyalty to the kingdom; he only fought for his daughter's sake.
Now that his daughter was in the Infinity Pirates' care, he would not oppose Ashura Doji.
"Where is my child?" Howard asked weakly.
"Follow me!" Ashura Doji replied with a smile.
"Li Yuan, news from Branton indicates the Navy is heading his way," Shakky relayed the information.
"I see. The Kingdom of Hasmu has been conquered. Have Lazuli send people to take over the kingdom."
"Guide me to the mirror on Sando Island, and as per my plan, make preparations there," Li Yuan instructed.
"Absolutely," Shakky said confidently.
Upon receiving Branton's message, the Golden Lion and others also got the news.
Following their plan, they handed over matters to their subordinates and headed to Sando Island.
Li Yuan had already arrived at Sando Island and made preliminary preparations before receiving Branton's message.
"I hope my preparations will be useful."
Once everything was set, Li Yuan had his men leave Sando Island, staying behind alone to await the others' arrival.
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