Chapter 325: Kidnapping Someone
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Axel looked at Dalton with mild curiosity.
"Or do you actually think you can stop me?"
Cold sweat ran down Dalton's face.
His hands tightened around his weapon.
He had personally witnessed Axel's battle with Garp.
Confidence?
Of course he had none.
At least, not the kind of confidence that came from believing he could win.
"I'm afraid."
Dalton answered honestly.
"But sometimes, there are things a person is willing to risk their life for."
His gaze remained steady.
"I can't forget the kindness the previous king showed me just because of a few words from you."
Axel sighed.
"What a strange thing to cling to."
He glanced toward Wapol.
"That man was already preparing to abandon all of you."
"And you're still standing here for him."
Axel shook his head.
"You really are foolish."
Dalton did not argue.
His body had already given his answer.
Weapon raised.
Feet planted.
He would not move.
Judging from Wapol's behavior, Dalton suspected that most of what Axel had said was probably true.
Wapol very likely had intended to flee.
But he had not left yet.
As Captain of the Royal Guard, Dalton could not simply stand aside while someone forcibly took the king away.
Axel studied him for several seconds.
Then sighed again.
He could not bring himself to dislike someone this stubborn.
"You can't stop me."
Dalton nodded.
"I know."
"I'm taking Wapol with me."
Axel pointed toward the castle.
"And I already gave this place to Kureha as payment for treating me."
"The castle doesn't matter."
Dalton interrupted immediately.
"I only want you to leave King Wapol here."
Axel raised an eyebrow.
"You still think there's hope for him?"
"No."
Dalton's answer came without hesitation.
"I gave up hoping King Wapol would change a long time ago."
Wapol's face twitched.
Dalton continued.
"But I still remember the old king."
"And I don't believe letting a wanted criminal take Wapol away for some unknown purpose is the right thing to do."
That was the real problem.
Axel was impossible to understand.
Dalton's impression of him could be reduced to two things.
Absurd strength.
And equally absurd behavior.
One moment he seemed reasonable.
The next, he was threatening to overturn an entire island.
There was no way to tell what he truly wanted.
Dalton narrowed his eyes.
"There's something else."
Axel waited.
"You were waiting for me, weren't you?"
Dalton knew his own limits.
His speed was nowhere near Axel's.
If Axel had genuinely wanted to grab Wapol and leave, he could have disappeared long before Dalton reached Drum Peak.
Axel nodded.
"Yes."
"I was waiting for you."
Dalton's confusion deepened.
"What exactly are you planning?"
He had asked himself that question far too many times today.
The youth standing in front of him had the temperament of someone whose thoughts followed rules no one else understood.
And worse, he possessed enough power to turn those strange ideas into reality.
Like a lunatic holding a weapon capable of destroying an entire city.
That uncertainty was one reason Dalton refused to step aside.
The other was Drum Island itself.
The island had stopped tilting further, but it was still sitting at an unnatural angle.
Panic had already spread through the kingdom.
Dalton did not understand how Axel had done it.
But there was no doubt in his mind who was responsible.
That was another reason he had followed him here.
Axel rested the wooden sword against his shoulder.
"Do you know what's interesting about the World Government?"
Dalton frowned.
"They care a great deal about appearances."
Axel continued.
"Procedure."
"Legitimacy."
"The right signatures on the right papers."
He pointed toward Wapol.
"If Wapol formally gives you the throne, then you become the legitimate king."
"And once that happens, taking him away becomes much less troublesome for me."
Dalton stared at him.
Then looked around at the bloodstained snow.
"If avoiding trouble is your goal, you could have simply taken him away without anyone knowing."
Axel smiled.
"That would be easier."
"Then why create all of this?"
Dalton gestured toward the bodies, the scattered weapons, and the abandoned treasure.
"This doesn't look like the work of someone trying to avoid attention."
"That's because a king can't simply disappear without an explanation."
Axel looked toward the path where the guards had fled.
"Fortunately, those people will provide one."
Dalton's expression hardened.
"You think the World Government won't discover the truth?"
"Of course they will."
Axel answered without concern.
"They have Cipher Pol."
"The World Government probably has the most extensive intelligence network in the world."
"If they truly investigate, finding out what happened here won't be difficult."
"Then your plan makes no sense."
"Doesn't it?"
Axel tilted his head.
"How many people actually care about the truth?"
Dalton fell silent.
Axel pointed toward Wapol.
"Once he loses his throne, the people of Drum Island are freed from his absurd rule."
"Meanwhile, the World Government gets a replacement ruler who can keep the country functioning."
He pointed toward himself.
"And I get to take Wapol away without killing the recognized king of an allied nation."
His hand dropped.
"Everyone gets what they need."
Wapol's mouth fell open slightly.
Everyone?
He certainly did not feel included.
He had gone from king of an entire country to Axel's prisoner in less than a day.
No matter how he looked at it, this arrangement was terrible for him.
Dalton ignored Wapol.
"I don't care about your political games."
His voice became firm.
"I only want you to restore Drum Island to normal and leave."
Axel smiled.
Relaxed.
Almost pleasant.
Because no matter what Dalton wanted, the decision did not belong to him.
That was the privilege of strength in this sea.
Those with enough power got to dictate the terms.
"I think you've misunderstood something."
Dalton's grip tightened.
"I'm not explaining this because I need your permission."
Axel raised one hand.
Palm facing downward.
He held it flat in front of Dalton.
"This is Drum Island."
Dalton stared.
The back of Axel's hand formed a slight rise, like the island's mountain peaks.
Then Axel slowly tilted his hand.
Thirty degrees.
Almost exactly matching the island's current angle.
Dalton's expression changed.
He had already guessed.
Now Axel was confirming it.
Axel continued rotating his hand.
Ninety degrees.
Then farther.
Until his palm faced upward.
One hundred and eighty degrees.
"This is what happens if the process continues."
Dalton's jaw tightened.
The meaning was obvious.
The island would turn completely over.
Every town.
Every home.
Every person.
All of them would be thrown into the freezing sea.
Dalton had already imagined the consequences during the earlier crisis.
Now he knew the danger had not truly passed.
His silence lasted several seconds.
Then he lowered his weapon slightly.
"What do you want me to do?"
Axel's smile widened.
"That's better."
Dalton's expression remained grim.
"What is your order?"
"Become king."
Dalton blinked.
"Give this castle to Kureha."
Axel lowered his hand.
"And that's it."
Dalton stared at him.
"That's... all?"
"That's all."
Once Dalton formally became king, the rest would happen naturally.
The World Government would send people to investigate.
They would confirm the change in leadership.
They would deal with the political aftermath.
Axel would barely need to interfere.
Dalton remained silent.
He still could not understand what Axel gained from making him king.
As far as he could tell, nothing.
But his own confusion mattered less than the safety of Drum Island.
If accepting the throne would protect the people and restore the island, then refusing solely because he distrusted Axel would be irresponsible.
After several moments, Dalton finally spoke.
"...I understand."
Wapol stared at him.
His eyes widened.
Dalton?
The rigid, stubborn Dalton?
He had actually agreed?
Wapol cursed him repeatedly in his head.
Traitor.
Fake loyalist.
Unreliable bastard.
Outwardly, however, he remained obediently beside Axel, wearing the same ridiculous, ingratiating expression he had adopted earlier.
Axel ignored him.
Instead, he looked back at Dalton.
"There's one more thing."
Dalton immediately became wary again.
"What?"
"After I finish it, I'm leaving Drum Island."
Dalton frowned.
"What exactly are you planning now?"
Axel's expression changed.
For once, the distant boredom in his crimson eyes disappeared.
A mischievous smile appeared instead.
The kind of smile a child might wear just before doing something troublesome.
"Nothing complicated."
Dalton waited.
Axel casually rested the wooden sword against his shoulder.
"I just want to kidnap someone."
Dalton stared at him.
"...What?"
....
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