The guards were busy with their own tasks, and the current Tru Kingdom looked more like a pirate crew than an actual nation.
As for Nero, after leaving the execution platform in the central square, he began touring the entirety of Loguetown.
The place was indeed prosperous.
Compared to his own kingdom, even the royal capital couldn’t match it.
The advantages were obvious, but so were the drawbacks.
The town was simply too small, and there wasn’t much worth seeing.
Still, the thought suddenly crossed Nero’s mind that the future protagonist was currently somewhere in the East Blue.
Since he was already here, would it hurt to pay a visit?
It wouldn’t take much effort.
Unfortunately, things rarely went so smoothly.
They had only been away from the kingdom for seven days.
Just as Nero was considering whether to seek out the protagonist, a familiar sound rang out from inside his clothes.
Purururu… Purururu…
He pulled out a small snail wearing a crown.
It was his personal Den Den Mushi.
As a creature specially bred for communication, a Den Den Mushi could maintain contact over vast distances, functioning much like a telephone.
Nero pressed a small protrusion on its shell.
The snail let out a strange hiccup-like sound before a voice emerged from the other side.
“Your Majesty?
Is that really His Majesty the King?
This is Junhe, Captain of the Royal Guard.”
Junhe’s voice sounded anxious, and the Den Den Mushi faithfully mimicked his expression.
“It’s me.”
Nero frowned slightly.
“What happened, Junhe?”
“Your Majesty, I have an urgent report.”
“Calm down.”
Nero’s expression darkened.
“You’re the captain of the Royal Guard.
Why are you panicking like this?”
At that moment, he already knew something serious had happened.
He simply didn’t know what.
Junhe took a deep breath.
The Den Den Mushi copied the action.
“Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Roya has launched an invasion of the Tru Kingdom.
They’ve hired pirates to assist them.
Our forces are struggling to hold them back.”
Nero’s eyes narrowed.
“Have you determined the reason for the attack?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Junhe replied quickly.
“Our kingdom has developed rapidly over the past two years.
Roya has become hostile because of it.”
“In addition, many of the pirates they’ve hired are Devil Fruit users.”
“They’ve already begun attacking civilians throughout the kingdom.”
“What is the current situation?”
“Our army is still holding the border, so Roya’s advance has been slowed.”
Junhe’s voice became even more anxious.
“But the pirates are causing chaos everywhere.
Since yesterday, we’ve already suffered heavy losses.”
Nero fell silent for a moment.
Then he forced himself to remain calm.
“Hold them off for a few more days.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The call ended.
Nero lowered the Den Den Mushi.
The moment the connection was cut, his eyes turned bloodshot.
A terrifying fury surged through him.
Without hesitation, he picked up another Den Den Mushi.
As soon as the connection was established, he spoke in an icy voice.
“Get everyone aboard immediately.”
“We’re leaving now.”
Then he hung up.
Turning around, he headed straight for the harbor.
At that moment, the guards were escorting captured pirates toward the Marine base.
The instant they received the order, they realized something serious had happened.
They didn’t even bother collecting the bounties anymore.
The prisoners were simply tied up and left behind.
When Nero arrived at the harbor, a large crowd was still gathered there.
Pirates and townspeople alike had come to watch the spectacle.
Without slowing down, Nero boarded the National.
The purchasing teams, including Gogoya, rushed back to the ship as quickly as possible.
Although nobody knew what had happened, the urgency alone told them it wasn’t good news.
Gogoya asked nervously.
“The Tru Kingdom is under attack.”
Nero’s voice was ice-cold.
“It started while I was away.”
The railing beneath his hand shattered instantly.
The seriousness of the situation hit Gogoya immediately.
She turned and shouted toward the bow.
“Barro!
Set sail immediately!”
Everyone else remained confused.
They didn’t know whether powerful pirates had appeared or some other disaster had occurred.
All they could do was obey.
They hadn’t even had time to properly explore Loguetown.
Now they were leaving in such a hurry.
As the sails unfurled, the National slowly pulled away from the harbor.
Under countless confused gazes, it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Meanwhile, none of the pirates captured earlier managed to escape.
All of them were eventually handed over to the Marine base.
Thus ended their brief visit to Loguetown.
Nero no longer cared about anything else.
His only order was speed.
They had to return through Reverse Mountain as quickly as possible.
The trip from Reverse Mountain to Loguetown had taken two days.
Now, pushing at full speed, they could return in less than one.
Loguetown was, after all, the closest stop to Reverse Mountain.
Yet when they arrived, they discovered something unexpected.
Camoron’s Demon Pirates were still there.
They hadn’t left.
Instead, several pirate ships appeared to be towing something massive beneath the sea.
The object was enormous.
The surrounding ships remained on high alert, clearly protecting it.
Nero had no interest in dealing with them.
Unfortunately, whether he wanted conflict or not was no longer the issue.
The question was whether they would let him pass.
Before the National even drew close, the Demon Pirates opened fire.
Cannons roared.
Shells rained toward the ship.
The guards immediately moved into action.
They leaped into the air, intercepting the incoming bombardment.
Some kicked shells away before they could explode.
Others knocked them aside entirely.
As the distance closed, Nero spotted Camoron standing aboard one of the pirate ships.
A sinister aura seemed to surround him.
In a cold voice, Nero shouted,
“Camoron!”
“I’m not in the mood to play games today.”
“I don’t care what you’re doing.”
“But I need to cross Reverse Mountain immediately.”
“If you dare stop us again, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
“Huluhuluhuluhu…”
Camoron laughed mockingly.
“So you’ve come back.”
“Now that we’ve obtained what we wanted, do you really think—”
Before he could finish speaking, Nero drew Muramasa.
An overwhelming evil aura swept across the sea.
Camoron’s expression changed instantly.
He had already witnessed Muramasa’s power once.
For a boy barely sixteen years old to wield such strength was already shocking.
“That’s quite a sword you’ve got there.”
Camoron grinned.
“You must be a swordsman.”
“Perhaps it would be better if I kept it instead.”
The Demon Pirates erupted into mocking laughter.
Many stared at the National with undisguised greed.
Nero had no interest in talking.
This time, he intended to use his full strength.
Armament Haki erupted from his hands and spread across his entire body.
In an instant, he looked as though he were forged from black steel.
Camoron’s face finally changed.
Ordinary pirates might not understand Haki.
Camoron did.
And that was exactly why he was frightened.
Without another word, Nero leaped directly onto Camoron’s ship.
Several pirates rushed toward him.
Nero merely glanced at them. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
A terrifying pressure exploded outward.
One after another, the pirates collapsed unconscious.
“Conqueror’s Haki?!”
Camoron’s eyes widened in horror.
If he could go back two minutes, he would never have chosen to stop Nero.
Someone capable of wielding Conqueror’s Haki at that level was anything but ordinary.
Regret flooded his heart.
Unfortunately, there was no turning back now.
Among the countless members of the Demon Pirates, only a dozen or so remained standing.
Even they were no match for the guards advancing from the National.
“Camoron.”
Nero’s voice was cold.
“The last time we fought, I was careless.”
“You managed to wound me.”
He tightened his grip on Muramasa.
“Now I’d like to see what else you’re capable of.”
A chill ran down Camoron’s spine.
“Don’t get cocky just because you can use Haki.”
He forced himself to sneer.
“In the end, strength is what matters.”
“Then let’s see for ourselves.”
Nero’s eyes burned red.
At that moment, he looked like a demon.
Back aboard the National, Gogoya suddenly shouted,
“What are you all standing around for?”
“Bring every piece of fruit from the storage room!”
The crew stared blankly.
Nobody understood why fruit was suddenly important.
Was this some kind of ritual?
Gogoya offered no explanation.
Since the order had been given, they obeyed.
Nero showed no mercy.
His Observation Haki remained active, tracking every movement Camoron made.
Camoron attempted to repeat the same strategy as before.
Using his sword as a distraction, he intended to conceal his Devil Fruit powers and finish the battle with a surprise attack.
This time, however, Nero was prepared.
Holding Muramasa across his chest, he whispered,
“Draw Sword Style…”
The moment the words left his lips, a horizontal slash tore across the battlefield.
Even Camoron barely avoided it.
The edge of his hat was sliced clean off.
“Thorn-Thorn Fruit: Thousand Pine Needles!”
Countless silver spikes burst from Camoron’s hand.
Thousands of razor-sharp needles shot forward.
Each possessed enough force to pierce straight through a ship’s hull.
The attack came in relentless waves.
Yet under the guidance of Observation Haki, Nero dodged every single one.
“We don’t need to watch anymore.”
The captain of the Royal Guard shouted toward the others.
“His Majesty’s strength is beyond anything we can imagine.”
“That Camoron is powerful, but His Majesty can handle him.”
He pointed toward the surrounding ships.
“Search everything.”
“The Demon Pirates have been here for days.
They must have found something valuable.”
“Move everything useful onto the National.”
“His Majesty wants this finished quickly so we can return home.”
The guards immediately got to work.
Nearly every pirate aboard the surrounding ships had already lost consciousness.
There was no reason to stand around watching.
Several teams spread out and began searching the vessels.
There were more than a dozen pirate ships in total.
It would take time to inspect them all.
Soon, a shout erupted from one of the ships.
“Captain Zhiye!”
“We found something incredible!”
The voice was filled with excitement.
Zhiye rushed below deck with several others.
The moment they entered the cabin, they froze.
Piles of gold, silver, jewels, and treasure filled the room.
Their eyes lit up instantly.
The contents were worth at least a billion Baileys.
The guards immediately began packing everything they could carry.