At the Tower of Healers atop Drum Mountain, Sammy and his officers were having exactly as much trouble recruiting doctors as they had expected.
“Boss, this isn’t working.”
Aldo helplessly wiped his face after an elderly scholar had practically sprayed him with spit while shouting at him.
“The second these doctors hear the word ‘pirate,’ they look at us like we’re carrying the plague.
They won’t even talk to us, let alone agree to sail with us.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised.”
Sammy sighed as he watched scholars and doctors hurry through the halls.
“To people like them, the laboratories and libraries here are probably far more attractive than the sea.”
He turned toward Cajero.
“What if we just throw money at them?
Think we’d have better luck?”
“I already tried that, Boss.”
Cajero straightened his slightly disheveled collar and lowered his voice.
“The doctors here live extremely comfortable lives and enjoy tremendous social status.
That’s especially true for the best physicians.”
He shook his head.
“Money simply isn’t enough to tempt people like that.
There’s no reason for them to abandon a safe, respected life here just to risk dying at sea with us.”
Cajero paused, then added in a quieter voice,
“If you ask me, we might as well trick a few of them onto the ship.
Once we’re out at sea, it’ll be too late for them to change their minds.”
Sammy immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Cajero looked at him.
“Someone forced into joining us won’t make a good crewmate.
Tricking them aboard would be even worse.”
Sammy folded his arms.
“Forget the possibility that they’d deliberately slack off or sabotage us at a critical moment.
Even simple resentment would make it impossible to trust them completely.”
His expression became serious.
“Out at sea, the people treating our injuries and illnesses are the ones we’re putting our lives in the hands of.”
“We need companions we can trust with those lives.”
The officers fell quiet.
Sammy glanced around the tower once more.
“If we really can’t recruit anyone, then we’ll use the backup plan.”
He tapped his fingers against his arm.
“We’ll pay whatever it takes to buy a collection of medical books—basic medicine, wound treatment, common illnesses, pharmacology, anything useful.”
“Then we’ll have the guys aboard study them.”
Sammy shrugged.
“Even if they don’t become real doctors overnight, they’ll have to improve eventually.”
Before anyone could respond…
A squad of guards marched directly toward them with grim expressions.
“STOP RIGHT THERE!”
Sammy’s eyes shifted toward them.
“You people are acting suspiciously, and your identities are questionable!”
The captain of the guards pointed at them.
“We’ve received reports that you’re PIRATES who have been harassing doctors and scholars inside the Tower of Healers!”
His hand moved toward his weapon.
“Surrender immediately and come with us for an identity investigation!”
Sammy slowly raised both hands.
He forced the most harmless smile he could manage onto his face.
“Easy, officer.”
“We don’t mean any harm.”
Sammy gestured vaguely around them.
“We’re just merchants who got a little lost.
We wanted to recruit a few doctors for our ship, that’s all.”
He smiled.
“If nobody wants to come, fine.
Surely buying a couple of medical books isn’t a crime?”
“We’re not looking for trouble.”
“Merchants who got lost?”
The guard captain sneered.
Then…
He yanked several wrinkled wanted posters from inside his coat.
Sammy’s smile froze.
Printed across those posters were unmistakable portraits of Sammy and several of his officers.
“‘PREDATOR’ RIBERA SAMMY!”
The captain’s voice exploded through the hall.
“And these are your officers!”
His eyes blazed with fury.
“You’ve got some nerve disguising yourselves and infiltrating the Tower of Healers!”
He thrust one hand forward.
“SEIZE THEM!”
His expression turned murderous.
“DEAD OR ALIVE!”
The instant the order left his mouth, the soldiers behind him drew their swords and spears.
Several others immediately raised their rifles.
“PROTECT THE KING!”
“DESTROY THE PIRATES!”
The guard captain’s furious roar carried unmistakable killing intent.
Sammy’s expression instantly darkened.
“Tch…”
His raised hands slowly lowered.
“So much for being reasonable.”
They hadn’t simply exposed his identity.
They had immediately issued an order to kill them.
No negotiation.
No room for explanation.
At this point, refusing to fight meant dying.
So…
The battle erupted.
The Tower of Healers was heavily guarded, and its soldiers were exceptionally well equipped.
Unfortunately for them, Sammy and his officers had spent an entire year on Little Garden fighting dinosaurs and testing their strength against giants.
Their bodies, reflexes, and instincts had long since been tempered beyond anything ordinary soldiers could match.
Even unarmed, they were monsters compared to these elite guards.
“HAHAHAHA!”
Aldo laughed wildly as a spear stabbed straight toward him.
He didn’t dodge.
Instead, one enormous hand shot forward and grabbed the shaft.
CRACK!
His fingers tightened.
Under the terrifying force of his grip, the solid wooden spear shaft bent visibly in his hand.
The soldier’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“What—?!”
Aldo grinned.
Then he violently swung the spear sideways.
“AAAAAH!”
The guard was ripped off his feet and hurled through the air like a sack of grain.
CRASH!
He smashed through a cluster of tables and chairs.
At the same time, Isaac stepped directly into the soldiers charging from the front.
His fists erupted like a violent storm.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Fist shadows blurred through the air.
Several fully armored guards were blasted backward one after another, armor and all.
They crashed into bookshelves with enough force to topple them.
Precious medical texts scattered across the floor.
But the Tower of Healers was one of the most important places in the entire kingdom.
Its defenses responded with frightening speed.
WEE-OOO!
WEE-OOO!
Shrill alarms rang throughout the castle.
More soldiers poured in from every direction.
The fighting quickly spread out of the tower and into the castle plaza.
Sammy’s brows tightened.
His gaze swept across the terrified scholars, doctors, students, and patients scrambling to escape.
Several valuable books and medical instruments had already been knocked over and damaged in the chaos.
Sammy clicked his tongue.
This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid.
“DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN!”
His voice cut through the battlefield.
“STICK WITH ME!”
Sammy pointed toward the exit.
“WE’RE BREAKING OUT!”
Sammy and Isaac took the lead, smashing a path through the soldiers blocking their escape.
Aldo and Rory covered the rear.
Once they reached the plaza, they regrouped with Marcus, who had been waiting outside with Ran’o.
Then the entire group began fighting its way toward the cable car station.
The kingdom’s soldiers couldn’t truly threaten them.
But there were so many of them.
Wave after wave blocked the roads, slowing Sammy’s group down through sheer numbers.
Then…
“WHO DARES CAUSE TROUBLE AT THE TOWER OF HEALERS?!”
A thunderous roar exploded from high above the castle.
The sound was so powerful that it made everyone’s eardrums ache.
Sammy looked up.
A gigantic figure leaped from one of the castle’s high terraces.
He dropped like a cannonball.
BOOOOOOM!
The massive man slammed into the stone plaza. This story is hosted at g.com.
Snow and dust exploded outward.
Cracks spread across the stone beneath his feet.
The newcomer slowly straightened.
It was none other than the current ruler of the Drum Kingdom—
Potimuros Gabo.
The Iron Wall King.
He appeared to be in his fifties.
Tall.
Broad.
Powerfully built.
His stern face was framed by wild hair and a thick beard, while a heavy fur cloak hung across his enormous shoulders.
He didn’t need to say anything.
Just standing there, he radiated an oppressive presence as heavy as a mountain.
Sammy’s expression changed slightly.
He could feel it.
The pressure coming from this man was completely different from the ordinary soldiers surrounding them.
This guy…
He’s strong.
A guard captain hurried over and handed Gabo several wanted posters while rapidly whispering an explanation into his ear.
The king took the posters.
His eyes swept across the faces printed on them.
Then his gaze locked firmly onto Sammy.
“Hmph!”
Gabo crushed one corner of the wanted poster in his fist.
“A little pirate with a bounty of sixty-nine million Berries…”
His voice rumbled across the plaza.
“…and you dare come to MY Drum Kingdom and cause trouble?!”
His eyes sharpened.
“You truly don’t know your place!”
Sammy spread his hands.
“Iron Wall King, we didn’t come here looking for a fight.”
Gabo glared at him.
“We only wanted to recruit a few doctors.”
Sammy continued quickly.
“Nobody wanted to come, so fine.
We were going to buy some medical books and leave.”
He gestured toward the soldiers surrounding them.
“From beginning to end, we had no intention of causing trouble.
Your guards were the ones who—”
“A PIRATE THINKS HE HAS THE RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE WITH ME?!”
Gabo didn’t even allow him to finish.
In the king’s eyes, anything a pirate said was nothing more than an excuse.
“TAKE THIS!”
Gabo moved.
BOOM!
The stone beneath his feet shattered.
Despite his enormous body, he exploded forward with shocking speed.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Sammy.
His huge fist tore through the air, carrying a vicious gust of wind as it shot straight toward Sammy’s face.
Sammy’s eyes flashed.
“Perfect!”
Instead of retreating, excitement surged through him.
He had spent more than a year training on Little Garden.
Now he finally had the chance to see exactly how much stronger he’d become.
Sammy planted his feet.
Power surged from his waist and abdomen.
He twisted his body—
And threw a punch of his own.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Their fists collided head-on.
No tricks.
No weapons.
Just raw strength against raw strength.
A deep, thunderous impact shook the plaza.
An invisible shockwave burst outward from the point where their fists met.
Snow and dust exploded in every direction.
For a moment, pirate and king stood locked against one another—
Neither giving an inch.
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