Chapter 4 : Wilhelm's Conqueror's

Whoosh!

A flower appeared in front of Wilhelm's eyes.

In an instant, Viola suddenly stood before him.

Before he could react, he felt her arms around his waist. In a flash, she had pulled him with her.

The two landed on the back of a majestic, giant eagle.

"Hold on tight!" Viola called out. Wilhelm, caught off guard, almost lost his balance. Instinctively, he grabbed onto her, holding her warm and steady embrace.

Her big, watery eyes met Wilhelm's sharp gaze—his cold expression was as piercing as a blade.

Viola's cheeks turned bright red.

She quickly looked away, nervously gripping the edge of his shirt with her small hands, her head lowered in embarrassment.

"Zoan · Tori Tori no Mi · Model: Mythical Unicorn Phoenix?"

Wilhelm paid no attention to her flustered state. At some point, he had picked up a black, oval-shaped Devil Fruit and was inspecting it.

From the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia he'd memorized, he identified it with ease.

He shrugged indifferently. "Better than nothing, I guess."

Then he looked at Viola and asked calmly, "Which direction?"

Snapping out of her daze, Viola's face turned even redder. She quickly pointed toward the port. "That way! Their pirate ship hasn't left yet!"

Skreee!

The massive vulture-like mastiff, Finley, let out a piercing cry.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the eagle created a fierce gust of wind that almost knocked Viola off balance.

Wilhelm grabbed her arm just in time, steadying her.

Whoosh! The enormous snow-white eagle soared through the air, heading straight toward the port of Dressrosa.

Surrounded by massive boulders and natural defenses, the port served as a stronghold.

Jee ha ha!

A raucous laugh echoed across the area.

"What a beautiful raid!"

"Captain Barossa, long live! Who would've thought the royal guards would be so weak!"

"Alright, boys, let's move out! In three days, we'll come back to collect the ransom!"

"No doubt about it—it's them! Those pirates... my sister is on that ship!"

Viola formed an "OK" gesture with her fingers and activated the ability of the Paramecia-type Glare-Glare Fruit.

Through her ability, she quickly spotted her sister, Scarlet. Scarlet's face was pale, and she was tightly tied up on the pirate ship with thick ropes.

Roar!

The massive raptor, Finley, flapped its powerful wings.

With an imposing presence, it dove straight toward the pirate ship like a predator targeting its prey.

"What's that? Something's coming…"

The captain of the One-Eyed Pirates, "One-Eyed" Basara, stood on the raised platform at the ship's bow. He was daydreaming about the fortune he'd make by trading the hostages for a billion-berry ransom from the royal family of Dressrosa.

But his smug expression quickly shifted to one of shock when he noticed the massive white eagle descending upon his ship.

Gripping his sword tightly, Basara readied himself, his eyes filled with wariness.

Skreeee!

In the blink of an eye, the majestic white eagle flew directly over the pirate ship, circling once before landing gracefully on the deck.

Whoosh!

From atop Finley's back, Wilhelm surveyed the ship with a calm and unbothered expression. His gaze landed on a young woman with long pink hair, dressed in an elegant princess gown, who was tied to the mast with thick ropes.

Wilhelm moved his right hand slightly.

Swish!

In an instant, the ropes that had bound Scarlet vanished.

In her place, only the loosened ropes remained, falling to the floor.

Scarlet, now freed, appeared atop the giant eagle, cradled securely in Wilhelm's arms.

Her eyes filled with tears, and fear had left her dazed. Her mind was blank, and she couldn't even form words.

Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but no sound came out.

The pirates were left dumbfounded, frozen in shock.

Before they could react, Wilhelm's sharp gaze turned cold.

A vivid scarlet light flashed briefly in his eyes, then disappeared.

Om—

An invisible wave of energy rippled through the air.

Thud, thud, thud!

One by one, the pirates collapsed without warning, falling unconscious where they stood.

A murderous pirate, sword in hand, staggered before his eyes rolled back.

One by one, the pirates collapsed onto the deck, unconscious.

The massive eagle landed smoothly on the deck, and two figures leaped down.

"Why did all these pirates suddenly faint…" Viola whispered, clutching the corner of Wilhelm's clothes tightly. She had witnessed the entire scene, her wide eyes fixed on the fallen pirates.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Damn it… it's Conqueror's Haki!"

The staggering "One-Eyed" Basara struggled to stay upright, his face pale as he looked at the silver-haired boy. Wilhelm, young but exuding a noble and intimidating aura, stood with a cold expression.

Basara, a pirate with a bounty of 55 million berries and years of experience in the New World, was no stranger to tales of power. Though he was a small fry in a sea of stronger figures, he had heard of Conqueror's Haki.

"You… who are you?" he stammered, his voice filled with disbelief and fear.

Wilhelm glanced at him indifferently. "Oh? Still able to stand?"

With a flick of his right hand, Wilhelm sent a razor-sharp nail flying through the air.

Whoosh!

The blood-red slash, no larger than a fingernail, shot forward like a bullet.

Thwack!

It pierced Basara's chest instantly, sending a spray of blood into the air.

"Ahhh!" Basara let out a shrill scream as his tall frame collapsed into a pool of blood.

Life drained rapidly from his body.

He looked up at Wilhelm with horror, his eyes filled with shock and despair. The silver-haired boy's cold, majestic presence was utterly overwhelming and untouchable.

Basara's wide eyes slowly dimmed, disbelief and regret written on his face as the last spark of life faded away.