Rosen glanced at the wound on his right hand. He had just fought Charles and sustained considerable injuries, and now he was nearly having his arm severed by this mysterious woman, which was starting to irritate him. Moreover, this woman seemed intent on continuing her assault.
Was she an outsider? Did she want to make a name for herself by taking his head? Otherwise, why would she highlight his Warlord identity? Or was she a local? Regardless, it was impossible for Rosen to just sit back and wait. The swirling yellow sand on the ground appeared wild and restless, mirroring his current emotions.
The woman wielded her sword with an air of aloof dominance, resembling a machine devoid of emotions. Her entire being was enveloped in a powerful aura, predominantly black, yet tinged with a hint of blood-red, making her look exceptionally dangerous. Rosen extended his hand, causing the yellow sand to wildly coalesce into a sword, wrapped in golden bronze, its momentum surging as the Conqueror's Haki surged forth in tandem with its master's emotions.
The woman displayed a moment of surprise in her eyes, but it quickly vanished. Her own aura began to rise, her fighting spirit brewing, releasing a similar Conqueror's Haki. The two forces of Conqueror's Haki clashed like hurricanes; the woman's was primarily black and red, while Rosen's was golden yellow. In that moment, a halo spread out as if visible to the naked eye, indicating a clash of momentum.
The battle was on the verge of breaking out...
"Your Majesty!" Just as Rosen drew his sword to strike, voices began to emerge nearby. Lisa and the city lord rushed over quickly. They had seen the queen and Rosen, who were supposed to be temporary allies, confronting each other after Charles' retreat, even engaging in tentative attacks, and it looked like a battle was about to erupt.
This situation made Lisa and Hodeman on the city wall anxious. Once a conflict broke out, it wouldn't be easy to mediate. So, even from a distance, Hodeman and Lisa shouted for the queen. The effect was evident; the queen heard them and slightly paused her actions.
"Your Majesty?!" Rosen was taken aback. The seemingly fierce young woman was Queen of Lantis?! However, as ordinary people approached the area where the two Conqueror's Haki were clashing, many warriors suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. If it weren't for some being protected, they might have been torn apart by some stray zombies.
Alice also approached with the support of two warriors from the direction of the city wall. With Charles' retreat, there was a defensive trench, and most of the horned demons had been eliminated by Rosen and the others. The remaining zombie forces seemed to have begun to scatter after Charles' withdrawal. After all, Bright City was engulfed in flames, and after a significant number had died, it appeared that the other zombies also realized that was a path to death and began to disperse.
Now the Lantis warriors were sweeping through the city to eliminate the scattered zombies and would soon clear the area, bringing this crisis to a close. The only issue was whether there was a conflict between Rosen and their queen.
"What a strong aura." Alice stepped into the area of the two opposing Conqueror's Haki, and the combined strength was more than just twofold. Even with Alice' exceptional strength, she felt an immense pressure at that moment.
At the same time, a group of formidable warriors jumped down from the original passageway into Ming City. After landing, they quickly rushed towards the queen to protect her. They had set out with the queen for rescue but were not as fast as her.
With Alice being such a strong presence in Ming City, sending out a distress signal indicated that the situation was dire. Among the Lantis people, Alice was among the top three in strength, so only two individuals could provide real assistance: one was the queen and the other was the commander of the Vanguard Corps, Morard.
"Take him down!" the queen commanded as she looked at Rosen. Rosen grinned. If he were truly surrounded by such a group of strong individuals, all rushing at him, he felt his chances of escape were slim.
Just the so-called queen seemed to be no weaker than himself, and among her entourage, there was one who was not weaker than Alice, plus over a dozen at Lisa's level, with Hodeman and Lisa's attitudes unclear. In such a precarious situation, one misstep could lead to Rosen's death, even if he was a Logia-type ability user with formidable combat power. If Hodeman and Lisa were truly ungrateful, then before dying, Rosen would take down a large group with him. Fortunately, they were not.
Hodeman hurried over and quickly spoke, "Wait, we greet Your Majesty. This person is our ally from Ming City; please show mercy, Your Majesty."
"Ally?!" Queen Hathaway frowned. Since when did Ming City have alliances with other outsiders apart from herself, especially with a dog of the Marines? Did that mean Ming City had betrayed her?
"Do you know who he is?" Hathaway expression was indifferent, revealing no emotions as she looked at Rosen. She was waiting for an answer to determine the next course of action.
Hodeman, Lisa, and Alice were momentarily stunned. Indeed, Rosen had arrived in Ming City not long ago. Although they had reached an agreement, it seemed they hadn't even asked for his name, which was certainly an oversight. However, there had been so many recent events in Ming City.
Moreover, one reason was that this detail did not seem important to them; not long ago, they hadn't thought much of Rosen. After all, he was just a temporarily assembled fragile ally, and since Rosen hadn't actively mentioned his name, they hadn't delved deeper. They were merely entangled in interests, not a close alliance; as long as they could achieve their respective goals, that was sufficient.
Why was the queen bringing this up now? Hathaway observed their expressions.
"You haven't even grasped the enemy's background and recklessly established an alliance, yet you didn't report this to the Ninth Garden. Given the current situation, are you planning to betray? He is Shichibukai Crocodile, a pirate recruited by the World Government known for doing dirty work." Hathaway's imposing aura radiated as her words fell, her gaze like a blade upon Hodeman and Alice.
From her tone, she even began to suspect whether Hodeman had made a deal with the Marines. If it were before, she certainly wouldn't have thought this way, but today the conditions offered by the Marines were too tempting, even she found them appealing.
"But I don't trust the Marines, nor do I trust any measures related to the World Government. I'd rather rely on myself than gamble on this."
"Shichibukai?!" Alice and the others were instantly shocked. They were somewhat unfamiliar with this but had occasionally heard some rumors. Although Lantis Island had been sealed off, news still occasionally trickled in, and before the disaster, they knew what this title meant.
The Shichibukai, as they understood it, was the vanguard of the Marines or the government, specifically engaged in dirty dealings. This person was actually one of the legendary Shichibukai; no wonder he was so powerful.
Suddenly, Alice and Hodeman were at a loss for what to do. If he were an ordinary outsider, they could accept cooperation, but if he was a Shichibukai, then things were not that simple.
"It seems things have become complicated and troublesome." Seeing Alice and Hodeman's expressions, Rosen instantly had a bad premonition, but he had no regrets; all his actions stemmed from himself.
Rosen pulled out a cigar but couldn't find a lighter. Just then, a small hand offered him one. Rosen looked down and saw it was Natalie. He smiled lightly, took the lighter, and lit the cigar.
Then he grinned at everyone and said, "Have we come to an agreement? Who wants to be the first to step up and die? Your Majesty, I've never killed a queen in my life."
Arrogant, brazen, dismissive, and even reckless, Rosen was unafraid of death and could understand their judgment under the circumstances. The only difference was their positions, but that didn't mean Rosen would surrender. If he fought back, perhaps he could break out; who could predict what would happen in battle?
Provoking their king might ignite their fury and drive them to battle, perhaps increasing his chances. Rosen had indeed not anticipated that his identity as a Shichibukai would become the target of many.
"Presumptuous!"
"Arrogant!"
"You deserve to die a thousand deaths!" As soon as Rosen spoke, he immediately provoked the fury of the strong individuals around the queen.
"Is he that Shichibukai? Natalie didn't understand, but Uncle had just saved us. If it weren't for him, our city would have certainly been destroyed under that monster! Moreover, before that monster, there was the Mist Beast that was also going to destroy Ming City, and all of this was done by Uncle! You can't lay a hand on him..." Natalie pulled out a small round shield and dagger, standing beside Rosen, speaking out bravely to everyone.
(End of Chapter)