Wars between nations may still follow certain rules, but pirates have no such concept.
Wherever they went, they burned, killed, and looted without restraint.
The damage inflicted upon the Tru Kingdom’s economy was severe, and no one knew how many innocent people had already died at the hands of the pirates.
Junhe led the remaining members of the King’s Guard in an effort to repel the pirate invasions one by one, but with only a few hundred men, there was only so much they could do.
According to their reports, nearly forty pirate crews had invaded the Tru Kingdom, bringing a force of seven to eight thousand pirates.
The pressure they faced was immense.
Throughout Nero’s five-day return voyage, reports arrived from the royal capital almost every two hours.
Every update was enough to fill him with rage.
Junhe had begun organizing the population’s retreat toward the royal capital while simultaneously coordinating defenses against both the pirates and the Kingdom of Roya.
The burden on his shoulders was almost unimaginable.
The Kingdom of Roya had launched its invasion at the exact time Nero arrived in Loguetown.
Although the return journey only required five days, that was more than enough time for the enemy to carry out their plans.
Fortunately, by the time the Kingdom of Roya reached the heart of the nation, the National had already returned to the waters of the Tru Kingdom.
When the ship entered Nanniwa Port, nobody came to welcome them.
Through the Den Den Mushi, they had already learned that more than thirty pirate crews were still active throughout the kingdom.
Their exact locations remained uncertain, but one thing was clear.
Their ultimate target was the royal palace.
“Purururu…”
Nero picked up the Den Den Mushi and immediately contacted Junhe.
As soon as the call connected, he asked coldly,
“What stage has Roya’s invasion reached?”
“Your Majesty!”
The voice that answered wasn’t Junhe’s.
The line was filled with noise and shouting.
The Den Den Mushi copied the frantic expression perfectly.
“Your Majesty, we’re currently defending the royal capital!”
“The pirates have gathered nearly three thousand men outside the city.
They’re preparing to attack at any moment.”
“Captain Junhe is currently leading forces against Roya’s army.”
Nero’s expression immediately darkened.
Everything he had feared during the voyage had become reality.
The pirates had already reached the royal capital.
That meant most of the kingdom had already fallen.
The country had only been under his rule for less than three years.
To allow things to reach this point was a failure he found difficult to accept.
His expression became colder and colder.
For the first time, he felt his patience completely vanish.
He had always chosen restraint.
Even when dealing with enemies, he rarely pushed matters to the extreme.
Yet his caution had led to disaster.
After ending the call, Nero stepped off the ship and immediately headed for the royal capital.
The guards followed close behind.
As for Gogoya, she remained aboard the National.
The treasure currently stored on the ship was worth nearly two billion Baileys.
Someone had to remain behind to protect it.
At Nero’s current speed, the journey from Nanniwa Port to the royal capital required less than ten minutes.
His anger was no longer something he could suppress.
This time, he had no intention of letting anyone responsible walk away alive.
The moment he reached the outskirts of the capital, he saw artillery fire being exchanged from both sides.
Explosions echoed continuously.
Thousands of pirates gathered beneath the city walls, their faces full of confidence.
Among them were several Devil Fruit users.
None appeared particularly powerful, but they were more than capable of causing serious problems for the King’s Guard.
Only three days had passed since the war began, yet the kingdom had already been reduced to this state.
Nero found it difficult to accept.
The guards had undergone extensive training.
Their strength wasn’t lacking.
What they lacked was real combat experience.
They were like ordinary men carrying powerful weapons without knowing how best to use them.
As Nero stared at the pirates, his expression grew darker.
Muramasa seemed to sense his emotions.
The blade trembled continuously at his waist.
A crimson glow leaked from the sheath.
The bloodthirsty aura was almost tangible.
Step by step, Nero entered the battlefield. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
The people atop the city walls immediately noticed him.
Cheers erupted instantly.
Excitement spread throughout the city.
No matter what happened, Nero was the kingdom’s spiritual pillar.
Standing before the pirate army, he faced thousands alone.
Yet not a single bit of their momentum could suppress him.
“You bastards…”
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
“You dared invade my kingdom.”
“I, Nero, King of the Tru Kingdom, hereby sentence all of you…”
“To death.”
The moment the words “to death” left his mouth, the entire city erupted.
The city walls stood nearly five meters high.
Guards and civilians alike crowded atop them, watching.
Some were excited.
Others were worried.
Hundreds of King’s Guards immediately leapt down from the walls, prepared to fight alongside him.
Before they could advance, Nero shouted coldly,
“Fall back!”
“Protect the citizens.”
“Leave these bastards to me.”
His eyes remained fixed on the pirates.
To him, they already looked like corpses.
Muramasa trembled violently.
The sword could barely contain its bloodlust.
Nero placed one hand upon the hilt.
Then he vanished.
The next instant, pirates began collapsing one after another.
Before anyone could even react, bodies were torn apart.
The battlefield before the capital instantly transformed into a sea of blood.
The pirates who witnessed the scene turned pale with terror.
The confidence they had displayed moments earlier vanished completely.
They wanted nothing more than to flee.
The citizens atop the walls watched in disbelief.
This was the first time they had seen their king fight without restraint.
He moved freely through thousands of enemies as if they were nothing.
The scene was gruesome.
Yet for those watching, it was impossible to look away.
By the time the guards from the National arrived, they were ready to join the battle as well.
Nero gave them the same order.
Protect the city.
Leave the pirates to him.
In less than five minutes, nearly eight hundred pirates had been slaughtered.
Only then did the survivors begin adapting.
Fortunately for the kingdom, these pirates did not belong to a single crew.
Conflicts and grudges existed among them.
They could not cooperate effectively.
Even though they still held a numerical advantage, many weaker pirates had already begun retreating.
For them, profit was always the priority.
But no treasure was worth dying for.
Nero suddenly stopped moving.
He stood silently among the pirates.
Not a single drop of blood stained his clothing.
He looked exactly as he had when he first arrived.
Only his eyes had changed.
They had become a deep crimson.
Muramasa had absorbed enormous amounts of blood.
The blade now radiated an eerie red glow.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Faced with such overwhelming strength, the pirates finally broke.
The remaining two thousand pirates abandoned all thoughts of fighting.
Nero made no attempt to chase them immediately.
There was no need.
He looked around at the battlefield.
Not a single intact corpse remained.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere.
The sheer carnage made him frown.
This was the first large-scale massacre he had ever participated in.
Then he turned toward his guards.
“Capture every one of them.”
“They destroyed our kingdom.”
“In the future, they’ll repay that debt with their lives.”
“They’ll rebuild everything they ruined.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Hundreds of voices answered simultaneously.
They had been waiting for this opportunity.
Previously, they had been forced to fight cautiously due to the civilians.
Now there was nothing holding them back.
As for the Kingdom of Roya, once news of the pirates’ defeat reached them, retreat would likely follow soon enough.
But this matter wasn’t over.
It was only beginning.
Nero had never intended to invade other nations.
Protecting his own kingdom had always been enough.
Unfortunately, others seemed determined to create trouble for him.
That was something he found impossible to tolerate.
Roughly three thousand citizens had begun training in the Six Powers.
Yet only four to five hundred had successfully mastered one technique or more.
Now he could clearly see the kingdom’s weaknesses.
Management.
Military structure.
Combat readiness.
All of those problems had been exposed by this war.
In the long run, that might prove valuable.
The area around the royal capital was finally secure.
The pirate alliance had completely collapsed.
The King’s Guard was already pursuing and capturing the fleeing remnants.
For the citizens inside the city, the danger had finally passed.
As the city gates opened, countless people flooded outside.
Some cheered.
Others cried.
Many voluntarily began clearing away the corpses littering the battlefield.
The sight before the capital was simply too horrific.
Nero watched them quietly.
What pleased him most wasn’t the victory.
It was the people themselves.
Three years ago, their expressions had been empty.
They had no hope.
No dreams.
No expectations for the future.
Now things were different.
The smiles on their faces were genuine.
As living standards improved, Nero’s popularity within the Tru Kingdom had reached an unprecedented height.
Although he was only fifteen years old, most people had already forgotten the old king who had ruled for decades.
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
The cheers rose like waves.
Men, women, and children shouted together.
The children in particular looked at Nero with pure admiration.
In most parts of the world, women had few opportunities to earn money.
The Tru Kingdom was different.
Two massive industries supported the nation’s growth.
The perfume factories relied primarily on male labor due to the physical demands of production.
The textile factories, however, employed large numbers of women.
The kingdom had become wealthy.
And now that wealth would be used for a new goal.
Strengthening the entire nation.