One Piece: New Order-Chapter 118: Ace Dies

A surge of Conqueror’s Haki burst forth with murderous intent, blasting into the crowd ahead. The shockwave echoed throughout the entire island.

The front rows of people collapsed like wheat being cut down, but more citizens behind them poured forward without hesitation.

Still, Rayleigh’s advanced Conqueror’s Haki was not something they could endure. None of them could step past the line carved by the sword slash.

All they could do was glare with hatred at the woman behind him—and the pirate standing in their way.

* * *

In the distance, Bullet stood cloaked in a material that blocked Observation Haki and turned toward Sakazuki.

The vice admiral, also wearing a cloak, commanded in a cold voice.

"Go. The moment he unleashed killing intent, his crime was already unforgivable."

Bullet nodded and was about to take off his cloak and charge forward when someone stepped out from the crowd.

A man wearing a crown walked to the front of the people.

The two paused, surprised, and decided to wait.

* * *

The King of the Darrons Kingdom stopped before the crowd and spoke.

"Sir, you are the one known as the Dark King, Rayleigh, correct?"

Seeing someone who could finally speak, Rayleigh replied, "And you are?"

"I am the king of the Darrons Kingdom," the man said. "It doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of it. But perhaps you remember the island of Kergashi... and the over five thousand soldiers who were slaughtered by the pirate Roger."

At those words, Rayleigh and Rouge fell silent.

After a long pause, the former finally responded, "I’m truly sorry. What Roger did back then was wrong. However... I cannot let you pass."

The king murmured aloud, "So the bloodline of that monster isn’t so easy to kill after all. But since I’ve come here... I never planned to return alive."

He took a deep breath.

"For years, I haven’t slept a single night in peace. Every time I close my eyes, I see the souls of those five thousand dead soldiers circling me.

"I failed my people.

"I used to wonder if I had been wrong. If, after your crew killed on our island, I had turned a blind eye and not sent soldiers... maybe so many of them wouldn’t have died. Maybe so many families wouldn’t have been destroyed.

"But standing here now, I know I wasn’t wrong.

"You speak of apology, yet I see no remorse in your eyes. Maybe, to people like you, the lives of five thousand soldiers are no more than ants on the roadside. You step on them, say sorry, and go on like nothing ever happened."

He turned to look at his people behind him.

"People of the Darrons Kingdom! When I die, I ask all of you to retreat immediately. Do not throw your lives away in vain!"

The crowd stared blankly at the figure in front of them.

"Your Majesty..."

Then he turned to Rayleigh once more.

"I knew from the start that killing that child wouldn’t be easy. Before coming here, I already prepared for the worst."

He started walking forward.

"If I fail to take revenge... I will end my life in atonement, and the Darrons Kingdom will declare itself a nation destroyed by the Roger Pirates.

"A nation allied with the government was wiped out by a pirate crew. This will shake the world. The World Government and the Marines can’t just sit back and ignore it. Otherwise, they’ll become a global laughingstock.

"And if we want today’s incident to end here... someone must die. Let that person be me. This is my duty as a king... and the guilt I owe to my people.

"Do it, pirate."

With those words, the King of Darrons stepped over the deep sword mark and directly met Rayleigh’s gaze.

The pirate gripped his sword tightly, closed his eyes, then abruptly snapped them open.

Boom!

A burst of Conqueror’s Haki swept across the crowd as the King of Darrons was the first to fall unconscious.

Wave after wave of citizens followed.

Boom!

Another blast of Conqueror’s Haki erupted in response.

Bullet, in his Demon Mode, moved like a blue afterimage, charging straight for Rayleigh.

The pirate’s pupils shrank, dodging in a flash.

But missing with the first attack, Bullet spun midair and slammed into Rayleigh, dragging him far away in an instant.

The few citizens still conscious froze for a second, then turned their eyes back toward Rouge.

Clutching whatever iron weapons they had, they charged at her like madmen.

* * *

Elsewhere, hundreds of meters away.

Boom!

As the two men crashed to the ground, Rayleigh’s killing intent erupted.

His longsword, swirling with Conqueror’s Haki, slashed toward Bullet, who grinned and swung his fist to meet it.

Boom!

The explosion shook the land.

Rayleigh frowned. That strike didn’t work.

Not wanting to waste time on Bullet, he split into several afterimages and dashed for Rouge’s direction.

But Bullet’s own afterimages collided with his, stopping him in his tracks.

Clang!

The sword and fist clashing, the two separated.

Rayleigh shouted, "Move aside, Marine!"

Bullet smirked. "Why would a Marine soldier like me follow the orders of a pirate?"

While speaking, black and purple lightning crackled where their Haki met.

Rayleigh continued, "The baby is innocent."

Bullet let out a low chuckle. "What does the baby’s innocence have to do with me? I’m a soldier. Not a saint. My orders are to stop and... kill you!"

With a stomp, the ground beneath him cracked apart and chunks of rock burst upward.

He reached out and grabbed a handful. Covering them with Armament Haki, he hurled them toward Rayleigh.

Sharp whooshing sounds filled the air as the stones shot toward the pirate like a deadly barrage.

Rayleigh narrowed his eyes and flicked his longsword. A sizzling sound rang out.

Conqueror’s Haki surging, he unleashed several hundred-meter-long slashes that soared toward the crazed crowd.

At the same time, he bolted off in a different direction.

Bullet’s expression darkened, but he didn’t flinch. He rushed to block Rayleigh’s path and knocked him backwards with a punch.

"Why don’t you say the word ’innocent’ now? Weren’t they innocent too, huh? Today, you have to die."

He charged at Rayleigh again.

The pirate’s sword pulsed with Haki as he slashed forward in return.

Bullet didn’t evade, taking the blow head-on.

A long, deep gash split across his chest, bone visible beneath the torn flesh. But he only sneered, completely unfazed, and caught Rayleigh’s sword-wielding wrist.

Boom!

The ground cracked open beneath them, leaving fissures stretching dozens of meters.

Using all his strength, Bullet dragged Rayleigh toward a barren mountain.

Explosions sounded in rapid succession, mushroom clouds rising from multiple spots on the mountain.

Crack!

Suddenly, the entire mountain was sliced in half and slid apart diagonally...

* * *

On the other side, just as the sword energy was about to hit the crowd, Sakazuki appeared from the side.

"Hellhound!"

A stream of magma, extended infinitely and covered in Haki, blasted out. It pierced through the slashes, breaking them apart. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

By the time the shockwave reached the people, it had weakened into nothing more than a gust of wind.

In the next instant, Sakazuki vanished, rushing toward the edge of the island.

He had sensed Garp’s presence...

Meanwhile, the people had finally caught Rouge.

Their hatred swelled uncontrollably and a blade came down hard.

"Die!!!"

"I’ve avenged you! Aaaaaaahhh!!!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Hahahahaha!!!"

"Treya, did you see?! Daddy has avenged you! Aaaaaaaahhh!!!"

"Sob... sob..."

Countless elders, children, and women swarmed forward. They cried as they raised whatever weapons they could.

The consequences of Roger’s massacre from years ago had finally exploded.

Over five thousand of the kingdom’s soldiers had died. That meant five thousand families had lost their main pillar of support.

That was why today, so many of those who came here were the elderly, the young, and the helpless...

More people kept arriving, clawing and tearing at the mangled remains...

Portgas D. Rouge died filled with sorrow and regret.

The bloodline of the Pirate King... ended here.

**

**

**

Thank you for reading! If you’d like access to extra Chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:

P@treon/SilverShark769

Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!

Your support means a lot, thank you!

Visit freewe𝑏n(o)v𝒆l.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience