Under the shroud of night, the Haritch XIX warship sailed quietly across the vast sea.
Inside the captain's quarters, a warm glow spilled from the oil lamp. Cross, swathed in bandages like a mummy, sat calmly at his desk. He opened a blank journal, dipped a quill in ink, and prepared to record his recent experiences.
After all, he'd barely set sail before obtaining a Devil Fruit. No sooner had he hit open waters than he secured a famed sword, took down a small-time boss, it was certainly worth writing down.
But just as Cross began scribbling the date, a sudden thought struck him. He muttered to himself, "Damn it, what kind of sane person even keeps a diary?"
Knock knock knock—knock knock knock—
Suddenly, a hurried knock came at the door.
"What's going on?"
Cross raised a brow in puzzlement, calmly set down the quill, and closed the journal.
A second later, General Humil's panicked voice rang out from outside: "Count Cross! Are you awake, Count Cross?! Something terrible has happened, please wake up!"
Creak—
Cross frowned, quickly stood from his chair, and strode to the door, pulling it open.
The moment the door swung wide, General Humil burst in, grabbing Cross by both arms, panic etched across his face. "It's a disaster! The kingdom's port was ambushed by pirates! The Royal Army sent to suppress them was utterly crushed, hundreds dead or wounded, and 500 soldiers taken hostage!"
"What?!"
Cross's eyes widened in shock. "General Humil, is this some kind of joke?!"
"How could I possibly joke at a time like this?!" Humil was nearly frantic. Still, he forced himself to explain, "The firepower those pirates brought was overwhelming! Not only was the Royal Army defeated, but even the two warships docked at the port were destroyed by their ship! The entire harbor is under their control now. His Majesty and Minister Sarin have gathered the palace guard and the remaining Royal Army, and they've barricaded themselves in the royal castle!"
"But the pirates have made their demands. They want His Majesty to abdicate, using the lives of the 500 captured soldiers as leverage!"
"Five hundred hostages from the Royal Army... this storyline feels weirdly familiar…" Cross murmured, brow furrowing in confusion as a vague memory tickled the edge of his mind.
He studied General Humil more carefully, dusky skin, a scarred face, a black forehead band beneath a white headscarf...
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Humil looked bewildered. In such an urgent moment, he couldn't understand why Cross was scrutinizing him so intently.
Cross blinked, saying nothing. In his mind, he recalled the face of Minister Timor Sarin. Then, like dust shaken loose from a shelf, a fragment of memory from his past life surfaced, an episode from One Piece flickered into clarity, accompanied by a familiar name.
"…Rob Lucci?!"
"Huh?" Humil didn't catch what Cross had said, but too preoccupied to ask, he urgently pressed on. "Count Cross, can we increase speed? Can we make it back to the kingdom within a day?"
"A day, huh... I'm not sure. But we can try." Cross turned his gaze toward the wooden wall of the captain's quarters and said slowly, "After all, this ship has been Enlivened. It controls the wind and current far more precisely than any human could."
"Then hoist every sail, full speed ahead!"
...
The following night.
Royal Castle, Tobias Kingdom
"Your Majesty! Those vile pirates are threatening your abdication by holding hostages! It's utterly despicable!"
In the spacious royal hall, Minister Sarin, usually the picture of calm detachment, now seethed with fury. "They've even given us a 24-hour deadline. Outrageous!"
"We spent all day calming the panicked citizens. Now, we're down to a single night... Have we contacted the World Government yet?" King Haritch XIX sat slumped on the throne, hand to his forehead, his face contorted with anguish.
"We contacted them this morning. They said they would dispatch the nearest CP agent and told us to wait patiently. But there's still been no word," Sarin replied.
"Damn it!" King Haritch cursed under his breath, his voice filled with regret. "Had I known this would happen, I never would've let Count Cross set sail. This would've never happened if he were here!"
"Your Majesty, none of us foresaw this," Sarin said, attempting to console him. "And we certainly didn't expect the pirates to be this powerful. They attacked under cover of night, destroyed both our warships at sea, then crushed the Royal Army on land with mortars. The enemy's strength is overwhelming!"
"Ahh…" Haritch sighed and asked, "What about General Humil? Have we been able to reach him? When can they return?"
"I contacted him right after the attack," Sarin said with a shake of his head, "but the Lvneel Kingdom is three days away by sea. There's no way he can make it in time."
The king buried his face in his hands and murmured, "If that's the case... then we might have no choice but to—"
"Your Majesty!" Sarin cut in firmly, face solemn. "For the sake of the people, you must reject these pirates' despicable demands!"
"With the palace guard and what remains of the Royal Army, we are not without options!"
"But those captured soldiers... those are my people too!" the king cried in agony. "They risked their lives for the kingdom. I can't just stand by and watch them die!"
"Still…" Sarin's resolve wavered for a moment.
Haritch looked up, a faint smile breaking through his despair. "Even if I lose this throne, I can always fight to take it back. But human lives... once lost, they can't be reclaimed."
"Your Majesty…" Sarin clenched his jaw and said darkly, "Even if we agree to their terms, I doubt they'll release the hostages."
BANG—
Suddenly, the grand doors of the royal hall burst open. A royal attendant rushed in, breathless and shouting, "Your Majesty! An envoy from the World Government has just arrived!"
Sarin whipped around, surprise and hope lighting up his face.
"Really? From the World Government?" King Haritch's eyes shone with renewed hope. "Let them in at once!"
"At once!"
The attendant snapped to attention, and a shadowy figure stepped into the hall.
"A kid?!"
King Haritch stared at the newcomer in stunned silence.
"You've got to be kidding!" Sarin snarled. "Is the World Government mocking us?!"
The figure was a lean, black-haired boy in a fitted black suit. His expression was emotionless, detached. His youthful face looked even younger than Cross's.
"Where's the target?" the black-haired boy asked coldly.
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