Raiver Sky gazed at the mountain of treasure shimmering with golden light before him and couldn't help but sigh softly:
"Even more abundant than that batch of Celestial Tribute."
He released his Observation Haki, carefully scanning each and every item.
All were priceless gold, silver, pearls, jade, antiques, artworks, and rare treasures.
But there were no Devil Fruits, no Famous Swords, no special weapons.
Raiver Sky raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread.
"All Creation of Attraction."
Hum—
An invisible gravitational field enveloped the entire treasure pool like a giant hand.
In the next instant, the gold, silver, and treasures in the pool rose into the air as if summoned!
All the treasures, manipulated by Raiver Sky's gravitational force, were precisely tossed onto the intact ice nearby.
Crash—!!!
In the blink of an eye, a golden mountain dozens of meters high was piled up!
"Load it all onto the ship," Raiver Sky ordered calmly.
"As expected of Officer Raiver Sky!"
"Saves us the trouble of going down there to haul it up!"
"What are you all standing around for?! Didn't you hear the order? Move it!"
Under the captain's shouts, over a hundred crew members swarmed toward the treasure mountain.
Faced with the mountain of riches, everyone was elated and full of vigor.
Across the ice field, the bustling sounds of moving and hauling filled the air.
But just then—
Boom! Boom! Boom—!!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!!
In the distance, the roar of cannons suddenly erupted!
The pirates looked up at the sound and saw countless cannonballs streaking through the sky like a black meteor shower, dense and numerous enough to blot out the sun!
The shrieks of cannonballs tearing through the air merged into one continuous roar!
"Cannon fire! It's cannon fire—!!"
"Could it be the Marines?!"
The crew members panicked instantly, a mix of shock and anger.
Though they were all elites, against this kind of saturation bombardment, there was nothing they could do except jump into the ice holes for cover.
Raiver Sky looked up at the barrage of incoming cannonballs, a flash of crimson light in his eyes.
Hum—!
Conqueror's Haki, release!
In the next moment, all the cannonballs fired into the sky simultaneously exploded mid-air, still three hundred meters away from the pirate ship!
Boom boom boom boom boom—!!!
A chain of explosions blossomed in the sky like fireworks, the flames dyeing the entire sky red.
"Keep loading."
Raiver Sky's calm voice came through:
"I'll handle this."
Before his words faded, his figure had already teleported a hundred meters into the air.
He stood upon the void as if on solid ground.
He looked in the direction from which the cannonballs had come.
One kilometer away, on the ice field, a densely packed army stood in formation.
By sight, no less than one hundred thousand strong!
Infantry, cavalry, archers, musket teams... all military branches were present, their formations strict and orderly.
Behind the army formation, nearly a hundred heavy cannons were arrayed menacingly, their muzzles still smoking.
This was clearly not a hastily assembled force, but the true elite of Kano Country—the Royal Guard!
At the forefront of the great army, standing on a magnificent war chariot pulled by eight white steeds, was a man.
It was the King of the Flower Country!
At this moment, he had completely shed the timidity and wretchedness he displayed earlier in the palace. Clad in golden armor, a treasured sword at his waist, and a crown upon his head, his expression was arrogant, his eyes burning with flames of vengeance and a glint of greed.
The hundred thousand elite troops gave him absolute confidence.
Raiver Sky teleported to a spot a hundred meters ahead of the army formation, standing firmly in the void as he coldly stared at the king.
"Do you have a death wish? I can grant it!"
His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Arrogant pirate!"
The king shouted sharply:
"The Glacier Treasure belongs to our Kano Country! Do you pirates think this king would fear you?!"
He gripped the hilt of his sword, pointing it at Raiver Sky:
"Raiver Sky! No matter how renowned your name is, you're still just one man."
"Here, there are a hundred thousand elite soldiers and a hundred heavy cannons. I refuse to believe you can withstand—"
A flash of madness crossed the king's eyes:
"If you don't want to die, leave behind all the treasures! This king might... spare your life!"
Even he didn't believe his own final words.
But he needed to give himself and his soldiers a "righteous" reason.
Deep hatred flickered in the king's gaze as he looked at Raiver Sky.
As the ruler of Kano Country, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Being stepped on, dragged around like a dead dog, in full view of everyone in the palace...
This was the shame of a lifetime!
And when his eyes fell upon the countless treasures being transported in the distance, the hatred in his gaze instantly transformed into greed.
Previously, he had only held back out of fear of the Happo Navy and Chinjao's strength, not daring to act recklessly.
But now, with Chinjao severely injured and unconscious, wasn't this the perfect opportunity he had been waiting for?!
How could he allow these pirates to take it all away!
"Fire—blast him to death!!"
At the king's command, a hundred cannon muzzles simultaneously turned, once again aiming at Raiver Sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom——!!
The second round of cannon fire was even more intense and frenzied than the first!
Cannonballs poured down like a torrential rain, completely covering the area where Raiver Sky stood.
However—
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Raiver Sky's lips, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Void Reflection!
Manipulating space, he formed an arc-shaped, mirror-like reflective force field in front of him.
In an instant, all the incoming cannonballs, upon touching the invisible force field, abruptly reversed their trajectories!
Like light encountering a mirror, they precisely rebounded along their original paths!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——!!!
The cannonballs rained back into the army formation.
The artillerymen widened their eyes, unable to react in time as they watched the cannonballs they had fired fly back at them.
"No——!!!"
"Run——!!!"
Screams of terror were drowned out by the explosions.
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!!
Chain explosions erupted within the army ranks!
Cannons were destroyed, soldiers were torn apart, warhorses panicked and bolted—the entire formation descended into chaos.
The king's chariot was overturned by the Shockwave. He crawled out in disarray, his crown askew, his face filled with disbelief and terror.
"This... how is this possible..."
He muttered to himself, his worldview completely shattered in that moment.
How could a single person accomplish such a thing?
This was no longer something that could be described as "strong."
This was... the power of gods and demons!
"All troops, charge——!!"
The king roared hoarsely, his voice sharp with fear:
"Whoever kills Raiver Sky will be rewarded with one billion Belly and granted the title of Count! Hereditary and perpetual!!"
Where there are great rewards, there will be brave men.
As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers, who had been thrown into chaos by the cannon fire, once again ignited with flames of greed in their eyes.
One billion Belly! A Count!
Enough to drive anyone mad!
"Kill—!!!"
"For wealth! For titles!!"
A hundred thousand soldiers surged toward Raiver Sky like bloodthirsty wolves, roaring as they charged!
The thunderous footsteps shook the heavens and earth, the icy plain trembling violently under the trampling of a hundred thousand men.
Cavalry charged at the forefront, infantry followed closely behind, archers drew their bows taut, and musketeers loaded their weapons...
The dark, overwhelming tide surged toward that solitary figure like a tsunami.
Facing this torrent capable of drowning everything, Raiver Sky merely sneered coldly.
He raised his arms and violently punched the space on either side!
Not striking the air, but striking "space" itself!
Crack! Crack—!!!
Space shattered and wailed like a mirror!
Countless spiderweb-like white fissures spread wildly from Raiver Sky's fists, extending across the entire region!
The next instant—
Heaven and earth shook violently, the icy plain shattered!
Thick layers of ice instantly split open with countless bottomless crevices!
The fissures spread like a spiderweb, the widest exceeding ten meters!
The charging soldiers had no time to stop, falling one after another into the icy chasms.
Screams echoed from beneath the ground, soon drowned out by the roar of collapsing ice.
More soldiers struggled to survive on floating ice, but the ice floes continued to crack and sink.
The hundred-thousand-strong army was torn apart like toys before this cataclysmic attack.