novelhk 15. Fate is nothing but a fragile thing.
15. Fate is nothing but a fragile thing.
The palace guards felt as if they were facing an abyss when Norton, with his silver hair dancing wildly, appeared before them.
Especially when the king's body was found dismembered in the ruins.
"This man murdered His Majesty!"
The palace guards glared angrily at Norton, accusing him of murdering the king without any explanation.
Rather, it seemed reasonable for the palace guards to believe that Norton was the murderer of the king.
Who wouldn't suspect someone who broke into the palace and wreaked havoc?
Under such circumstances, unless the scene of Mongol killing the king is repeated, Norton will be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River.
At this moment, the Celestial Dragon Ari, covered in dust and dirt, crawled out from behind the throne, pointed at Norton, and said:
"That's right! That's the guy who killed the king! Arrest him!"
"You, and you all! Protect me!" Celestial Dragon Ari shouted at the palace guards and CP agents.
The CP agents immediately surrounded the Celestial Dragon Ari, while the palace guards looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.
"Fools! This is the noble Celestial Dragon, Aristotle! He's far more important than your king!" one of the CP agents roared. "Aren't you going to protect Aristotle?!"
"Celestial Dragons? What are Celestial Dragons doing in the palace?"
"Why bother with all this? If it's fake, that's fine, but if it's real, nobody can bear the responsibility!"
After a brief hesitation, the palace guards stood in front of the Celestial Dragon, Ari.
"I almost forgot about you, you piece of trash." Norton's gaze swept through the crowd and landed on the Celestial Dragon, Ari.
Seeing so many people gathered around, the Celestial Dragon Ari's confidence increased.
He glared at Norton with a cold smile: "Just you wait! Silver-haired brat! When I return to the Holy Land, the first thing I'll do is tell the Knight of God about your offense!"
"You think you'll make it back alive?" Norton said calmly. "You don't think I can defeat you just because there are more of you, do you?"
"What do you mean?" Celestial Dragon Ari was stunned. He was clearly standing in the middle of a human wall, but a chill ran through him.
"Don't you understand? If I want to kill you, no amount of people can protect your dog's life!" Norton's smile instantly turned sinister!
"Oh no! Protect Ari!" Among the CP agents, someone seemed to realize something.
However, it was too late!
The moment he finished speaking, Norton vanished from the spot as if he had never been there.
"It's gone!"
CP agents and palace guards looked around but couldn't find Norton anywhere.
"Never mind that! Protect Ari's safety first!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the back.
But then I witnessed an astonishing scene!
A silver-haired young man stood in a pool of blood, carrying a hideous human head, with a corpse lying at his feet, its neck severed and blood gushing out...
Norton had somehow slipped through the human wall and, without anyone noticing, removed the Celestial Dragon's head!
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the dance." Norton grinned.
Everyone instinctively took a half step back.
"Quickly call for backup! Send a distress signal to Naval Headquarters! Notify the nearest naval branch and have them send their men over!"
"This man is simply beyond our capabilities to fight!"
...
...
Nami stood dumbfounded by the street, facing a deep tunnel that stretched like a dragon across half the island.
Not long ago, she witnessed the birth of this passage, as if an invisible behemoth was speeding across the street!
Besides that, Nami couldn't see anything clearly. Looking along the beginning of the pit, she could see the palace walls that had been breached.
It was as if something shot out from the depths of the palace, annihilating everything in its path!
"What exactly happened in the palace?" Nami murmured.
Fu Ning and the Duke stared in silence at the deep pit before them, completely stunned.
Just then, the light suddenly dimmed, as if a huge dark cloud had covered the sky overhead.
"Oh! So you guys are here."
Suddenly someone spoke from above.
Nami, Funing, and the Duke looked up at the sound and saw a silver-haired man crouching on the roof, holding up a hundred-meter-long ship with one hand.
"Hey! That's way too much! That's a ship even bigger than a warship!" Nami exclaimed, her jaw dropping in astonishment.
How could it be held so easily in your hand?
"Mr...Mr. Norton!" Funing was almost crying with excitement, "You brought the 'White Pearl' out!"
"Of course, this ship can only be mine!" Norton grinned. "I've gone to a lot of trouble to get you here, so get ready to set sail!"
"Wait! Tell us what's going on!"
Nami pointed to the magnificent, deep pit leading to the sea, "Could it be that some kind of laser cannon or something was fired from the palace? I didn't see any lasers at all!"
"Oh, I did it. It made a bit too much noise, but it's okay. I've already taken down all the enemies," Norton said with a smile.
"You did this?!" Nami gasped. Could a human really do something like this?
"What's going on in the palace? Where's that Celestial Dragon?" the Duke asked, swallowing hard.
"Didn't I say? They've all been defeated—the Celestial Dragons, CP0, the palace guards, and the World Government agents—it's all the same," Norton replied.
Upon hearing this, the Duke slumped to the ground in despair: "It's all over! It's all over! Everything is over!"
With the death of a Celestial Dragon, it will inevitably attract the attention of important figures, and everything related to it will be thoroughly investigated. The matter cannot be hidden any longer!
The wrath of the world's nobles will destroy everyone involved!
Norton glanced at the Duke indifferently: "Cheer up, things aren't that bad yet. I killed the Celestial Dragons, and the King is dead..."
"That CP0 agent will probably have a hard time surviving."
"Even if the world government wanted to investigate this matter, they wouldn't be able to find anyone who knows the truth."
"All you need to do is leave this country, and you'll all be fine. Those agents and guards only saw my face."
The Duke's expression brightened. "If that's the case, then that's good. Let's return to the castle! And then set sail immediately!"
The group returned to the castle and immediately began arranging their itinerary.
"Sanosuke, go and take the rest of the pirates with you. We must leave before the Marines and World Government arrive," Norton instructed Sanosuke.
Although Norton is not afraid of being hunted by the Navy and the World Government, it is better to avoid trouble if possible.
"What happened?" Sanosuke was still a little confused. Why was he leaving all of a sudden? It was too hasty.
"It's a bit complicated to explain, but in short, I killed a Celestial Dragon," Norton said.
"What!?" Sanosuke was stunned.
"Are you ready? Let's get on board!" Nami finished packing her treasures and luggage and boarded the White Pearl.
The chefs and shipwrights who had gone down to the island to purchase supplies had returned to the castle and were beginning to load supplies onto the White Pearl.
On another ship next to the White Pearl, the Duke was also arranging for his relatives and children to board. Servants were carrying treasures and gold onto the deck in a steady stream, leaving Nami speechless.
With such a major incident, the Duke also planned to go to sea to avoid the storm and return in a year or two.
"Funny! Hurry up and get on the ship! What are you still looking at?" the Duke called to Funny, who was standing at the port.
Unusually, Fu Ning did not respond to the Duke, but stared intently as the "White Pearl" was pushed into the sea.
"The launching ceremony is complete, the 'White Pearl' is about to set sail..." Fu Ning murmured.
The Duke paused for a moment, followed Fu Ning's gaze to the "White Pearl," stroked his beard, hesitated for a second, and then came to Fu Ning's side.
"Would you like to board that ship? Funing, the White Pearl you built," the Duke asked.
"Huh? Dad? Is it okay?" Fu Ning was stunned for a moment, and a feeling of surprise welled up in the depths of her eyes.
"Your eyes are practically overflowing with reluctance, you silly daughter..." The Duke patted Funing's head.
"Of course! Mr. Norton is very capable. To be honest, even I don't know if I can get through these extraordinary times safely, but with Mr. Norton by my side, I certainly can!"
"I trust Mr. Norton to protect my Funing."
If a Celestial Dragon dies in this country, the World Government will surely investigate thoroughly.
The Duke knew that although he had chosen to go to sea early to avoid the investigation, he was not necessarily safe. The World Government had eyes and ears all over the world, and his whereabouts could be discovered at any time.
But if you're near Norton, you don't have to worry about being discovered; nothing can withstand that man's fists!
At least that's what the Duke thought.
Although reluctant to let Funing leave his side, the Duke was willing to let her go for Funing's safety.
"Go, Funing. Didn't you say you wanted to take a round-the-world trip with your own ship? Now the chance to realize your dream is right in front of you!" The Duke ruffled Funing's long white hair.
Fu Ning bit her lip, glanced at the Duke's ship, and then at the White Pearl.
Finally, she seemed to have made up her mind and hugged the Duke tightly.
"Dad! Be careful! I'll come back to you after I've fulfilled my dream!"
The Duke chuckled, "Let's talk about it then. Maybe I'll come looking for you before then, Funing."
Fu Ning chuckled, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned to look at Norton, who was squatting on the bow of the White Pearl, gazing into the distance.
"Mr. Norton! Can I join you? I want to go to sea with the White Pearl!!" Funing shouted at Norton, her hands cupped into a megaphone shape, her skirt fluttering in the wind.
Norton looked down at Funing and smiled, "Of course, Miss Funing, my ship is in need of an excellent shipwright."
"Besides, no one knows the White Pearl better than you, does he?"
Although the White Pearl already had a shipwright team, the shipwrights were not all the same; Funing's skills were superior to the entire shipwright team combined. She was perfect to be the leader of the shipwright team.
The White Pearl is large enough, a hundred meters long, with a very spacious interior. Even if Funing were to board, there would still be plenty of spare rooms.
"Let's get on the ship quickly!" Nami said with a smile, urging Funing onwards.
The White Pearl was all men, and she was the only woman on board. If Fu Ning boarded, she would have someone to keep her company.
As Fu Ning lifted her skirt and climbed the gangway, clouds suddenly gathered above the White Pearl, and then the sky darkened rapidly.
Nami looked up, her expression changing: "Oh no! It's going to thunder!"
Fu Ning looked up, her face filled with worry. "It's lightning! My second child was destroyed by lightning! Quick, set sail! Get away from that area covered by clouds!"
Fu Ning remembered clearly that the second ship she built was struck by lightning on the day it was completed, and even the keel was shattered by the lightning.
"It's fate! Fate is indeed unavoidable!" Amidst the gasps of astonishment, the Duke looked up, his gaze turning grave. "This is a ship cursed by the heavens!"
On the White Pearl, the remaining pirates of the Redbeard Pirates glanced at Sanosuke with barely perceptible eyes.
Sanosuke's eye twitched, and he couldn't help but wonder if his bad luck had struck again.
No... everyone else has said it's a problem with the ship!
Nami wiped her sweat. With an unlucky person (Sasuke) and an unlucky ship (the White Pearl), is it really okay to set sail like this?
"They've been talking about fate and destiny nonstop since the very beginning..."
Deep within the black clouds, thunder roared like drums, and intense flashes of lightning illuminated the scene.
"BOOM!!"
A bolt of lightning, hundreds of meters thick, descended from the sky!
"Didn't I tell you?" Norton leaped into the air, his laughter wild. "So-called fate is nothing but a fragile thing before me!!"
Facing the terrifying might of the heavens, Norton threw a serious punch!
The force of the punch was like an invisible continent rising from below, crashing into the black clouds that shrouded the White Pearl!
A bolt of lightning, hundreds of meters thick, was blasted open from the middle and vanished silently. The sky suddenly cleared up because Norton had punched through the black clouds!
With a single punch, the heavenly lightning dissipated!
At that moment, everyone was so shocked that they were speechless.
"Raise the sails, set sail!" Norton landed on the bow of the White Pearl, opening his arms as if to embrace the sea.
......
Just as Norton and the Duke were preparing for their voyage, inside the palace, a group of sailors overturned a broken boulder and squeezed into the main hall through the crack.
The horrifying scene and the overwhelming stench of blood almost made the marines vomit!
In the ruins of the main hall, corpses lay strewn about, and blood flowed like a river!
"All inexperienced recruits, go outside!" The leading naval officer's face was grim.
"Colonel, judging from the wounds, these men were all killed with a single blow! Not a single skeleton was intact!" the adjutant beside him said, frowning.
"Who on earth attacked the palace? How could they commit such a tragedy... Unforgivable! Justice will surely punish them!" the naval officer roared angrily.
"Colonel! This body... appears to belong to the King!"
"We've found it here too! It's a Celestial Dragon's corpse! There's no mistake about the clothing!"
"What?! Even a Celestial Dragon has been killed?!"
When the naval officer went closer, he indeed saw two decapitated corpses, dressed in luxurious clothes, whose identities could be easily discerned.
"Their deaths were exactly the same; they must have been killed by the same person! Who on earth would dare to do such a thing?" the naval officer pondered.
"Such an evil criminal has emerged from the East Blue! He even dares to harm world nobles and kings! No... we must notify headquarters; we cannot let him get away with it!"
"Understood!" The adjutant took out a Den Den Mushi, thought for a moment, and asked, "I heard Mr. Garp recently went back to the East Blue for vacation. Should we contact him?"
The naval officer nodded. "Alright! Even if we don't say anything, Vice Admiral Garp won't stand idly by when something like this happens!"