Chapter 375: Storming the Royal Palace
Gibetta stood firmly in front of his older brothers and sisters, bullets constantly slamming into his body with loud thud thud sounds—yet none of them could penetrate his defense.
Under his ability, a large obsidian shield formed in his hands.
Gibetta braved the enemy fire, shielding those behind him with unwavering determination.
"Brothers! We can't let Gibetta take all the heat! Time for us to strike!"
Robert, seeing the growing pressure on Gibetta, gave the order.
While the bullets weren't fatal to him, sustained fire would eventually wear him down.
"Got it!"
Everyone behind Gibetta quickly began launching attacks from cover.
Aside from Robert, Deidara, Sif, and Phillip—most of them were still flesh and blood and couldn't ignore bullets. So they stayed behind Gibetta's armored form.
"Scythe Blades!"
Julie struck first.
Ranked just under Deidara in destructive power, Julie had an advantage Deidara didn't—ranged attacks.
Her dual blades spun and danced, releasing wind blades two to three meters long that surged toward the city wall.
In an instant, enemy firepower was suppressed.
Gibetta's burden lightened considerably.
"Nice one, Julie!"
Robert's eyes lit up at the opportunity.
His body floated upward, preparing to take advantage of the opening to strike the city wall directly.
If he made it up there, those soldiers were as good as dead.
Without hesitation, Robert moved.
In just a few strides, he approached the wall and began floating midair.
Amidst the soldiers' panic, he surged into the crowd.
Thick clouds of gas poured out from Robert's body.
"Ugh!"
Soldiers nearby clutched their throats as a choking sensation overwhelmed them. In mere seconds, they collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Robert's Gas Fruit proved to be even more terrifying in a large-scale battle than he'd imagined.
If he reached adulthood and awakened his Devil Fruit, he could likely wipe out an entire city—or even an island—without much effort.
"Damn it!"
The general's eyes reddened with fury as he saw his men fall in droves. His heart bled.
"You old bastard! You think you can stop me?!"
Robert sneered and charged, landing a punch on the general.
He didn't even last a second before being sent flying from the wall—his fate uncertain.
With the wall cleared and toxic gas still billowing, Robert opened a path for the others.
Down below, Deidara and the rest rushed through the gate, now unopposed.
It was as if no one dared stop them.
Soon, they arrived at the inner palace.
"Who are you people?!"
A palace guard arrived, stunned by the trail of corpses and the group of young children walking calmly through the carnage.
"Hmph! We're from the Rockefeller Pirates. Hand over your prince already!"
Trunks stepped up, smugly puffing his chest.
Smack!
"Watch your mouth! Be civil!"
Sif promptly smacked Trunks on the head, interrupting his swagger.
Trunks looked aggrieved but backed down.
"We're with the Rockefeller Pirates," Sif clarified. "Tell that so-called Prince Waldo to come out. We've got a score to settle."
"Pirates?! Oh no, we're under pirate attack!"
The guards' expressions changed instantly.
In this world, pirates carried terrifying reputations. Ordinary people panicked at the mere mention of the word.
The guard ran immediately—though to his credit, he ran toward the main hall to report, not away.
The palace grounds descended into chaos. Even though Sif and the others hadn't killed many people yet, the guards were panicking on their own.
"Heh heh…"
Trunks grinned, clearly pleased with the terrified reactions.
This was how pirates should be treated.
He strutted behind the group with his hands in his pockets.
By now, they'd entered the palace proper.
"Robert!"
Upon seeing Robert return, a few of the kids called out in greeting.
"Yeah. I've cleaned up most of the guards. The rest ran away."
Robert replied casually.
No one was stupid enough to run headfirst into his poisonous gas.
"Come on, let's find this country's king and demand an explanation. They'd better compensate us, or else!"
Robert's eyes gleamed.
Pillaging a nation? That sounded fun.
The rest followed excitedly.
These chances didn't come often.
Soon, they arrived at a massive castle building.
"What?! Your king ran away?!"
Robert grabbed a guard by the collar and shouted.
The guard trembled in terror, snot and tears streaming down his face.
"T-the king! His Majesty was escorted away as soon as we heard pirates had arrived!"
Robert was speechless.
He ran? Just like that? You're the king! This is your country!
Though he was disappointed in the king's cowardice, there wasn't much he could do now. He couldn't chase him across the sea.
"Where's your kingdom's treasury?"
Robert's eyes glinted.
He hadn't forgotten what his father said about this place.
A kingdom built on medicine couldn't possibly be poor.
"Uh… uh…"
The guard stammered, too scared to speak.
"If you don't talk, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Robert growled menacingly.
His young face made it hard to take seriously—but the guard had seen how Robert killed.
To him, the kid was a devil.
"Y-yes! Yes! It's that way!"
As a palace guard, he obviously knew where the treasury was.
He pointed nervously to the left wing of the palace.
"Get up. Lead the way."
Robert glanced in the direction but saw multiple buildings. He had no idea which was which.
He threw the guard to the ground.
The man scrambled to his feet and began walking with his head down, too scared to disobey.
The group followed behind.
Suddenly, a black shadow loomed overhead.
"Robert! What's going on here?!"
A thunderous roar came from the sky.
A giant dragon's head emerged from the clouds, glaring at Robert.
Robert looked up at the massive head.
"Caesar! Come down here! We're going treasure hunting!"
Rather than fear, Robert looked thrilled.
"Treasure hunting?"
The majestic dragon's expression instantly softened, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
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