Chapter 6: Go to Sea!!!
The Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken hadn't been completely ineffective; it just hadn't been fully executed. This guy's Haki had protected his vital points, but other areas hadn't been protected. Most of his pressure points had been hit. The bleeding was just the surface; internally, he must have suffered serious injuries.
Seriously injured, he was even less likely to be his opponent!
"Rankyaku!"
Ennio kicked out a Rankyaku at Sag's head. The horizontal slash came straight at him. Sag leaned back, also raising his leg and stabbing it forward like a sword, directly piercing Ennio's bulging belly.
*Bang!*
This kick directly embedded itself in his belly, and Haki hadn't protected him in time.
"Hokuto Jūha Zan!"
Sag didn't hold back, his leg turning into a blur, kicking directly at various parts of Ennio's body.
Ennio was kicked so hard that his whole body trembled, and he retreated several steps. Bright red blood seeped out of his jewel-encrusted clothes along with the rain. His body swayed again, and he wanted to raise his fist, but he couldn't lift his hand at all.
"Is it ruined..." Ennio looked at his right arm with indifference. As he spoke, blood began to overflow from the corner of his mouth.
Like the Hyakuretsu Ken, this move not only had the power to hit pressure points, but also had great destructive force. Once hit, the body's tissues would be destroyed.
This guy's right arm looked intact on the surface, but the inside was probably mush...
Sag flexed his five fingers, crouched slightly, and said coldly, "My moves aren't that easy to withstand."
Ennio coughed up a mouthful of blood, looked at Lily, who was still lying on the ground, then at the bandits who were as docile as rabbits, and the citizens being chased by the soldiers...
"Do you think that defeating me will make this country better? It won't!"
He shouted loudly: "The Celestial Tribute has already become a fixed fact. Even without me, you still have to pay. Changing kings won't change that! If we don't pay, we won't be a World Government member nation, and we won't be protected. On the contrary, we will be punished and live even worse than now!"
"At that time, you'll be lucky to even become bandits. You will encounter all the misfortunes this world can offer! If you run away now, you will lose everything! I won't let you go to sea. Captain Rat, seize them! Otherwise, the Celestial Tribute will run away!"
Ennio looked at Sag ferociously. "Especially you, pirate. You want them to go to sea? Not unless you step over my dead body!"
"?"
Sag was stunned. He was planning to become a pirate if he couldn't be a bounty hunter, but not now...
But soon, he seemed to realize something, and his expression became strange.
*No way?*
At this time, Captain Rat behind him directly took out his pistol, and with the remaining marines, chased after the citizens.
The fight had indeed frightened him, but he hadn't forgotten his original mission.
He was here to temporarily escort the Celestial Tribute!
If he failed, he would really lose his life!
"Suppress the riot!" Captain Rat shouted.
Marines, soldiers, all mixed together, frantically driving the citizens. One citizen fell to the ground and happened to trip the approaching Captain Rat.
The already panicked and furious Captain Rat was even angrier now, and he pointed his pistol at him.
"No, don't!" the citizen cried out in panic, but in this chaos, no one could hear his words.
Like master, like servant.
Captain Rat of the 16th Branch was a greedy and corrupt scoundrel, so his subordinates naturally weren't good people. The marines were only focused on completing their orders, and even if they saw the captain killing someone, they wouldn't say anything.
"Die!" Captain Rat was about to pull the trigger, but just then, a *whoosh* sounded from behind, and a cold gleam pierced through his chest.
"You..."
He turned his head in astonishment, seeing the resolute face beneath the big, wavy blonde hair.
Lily pulled out the rapier, letting Captain Rat fall. The rain washed over the blade, washing away the blood, and also washing that dirty face...
"Go to sea!"
Her shout made the citizens and bandits freeze.
*Swish!*
Lily moved like a swimming dragon, the sword gleaming under the curtain of rain. With a sweep, she knocked back a group of people, blocking the pursuing soldiers.
Ennio's words had made her completely determined.
It was true, the Celestial Tribute still had to be paid. Even if she became king, there was no way to avoid it. There was no precedent for exemption from the Celestial Tribute since ancient times.
The citizens could no longer afford the taxes of the Celestial Tribute, so it was better...
"Go to sea! Run to the harbor! Going to sea means you don't have to pay taxes anymore. Everyone will have a new life, so... let's go to sea together!" Lily shouted with all her might.
The originally bewildered bandits and the chaotic citizens heard these words. Their first reaction was not to run to the harbor, but to look at Ennio.
The king, who should have been showing tyranny and cruelty, now had his right arm hanging limply, his body covered in blood, completely lacking his previous demeanor.
He was injured...
The strong soldiers and marines had also been defeated by that girl who seemed to be a princess. No one could stop them.
Go to sea...
Going to sea meant not having to pay such high taxes. Going to sea meant they could survive. Going to sea... would things really be different?
In the eyes of the people of the Oykot Kingdom, even becoming a marine would be criticized, because they had experienced the war between the marines and pirates in this land, let alone going to sea on their own...
But if they didn't go to sea, they would have to pay even more taxes in the Oykot Kingdom, and sooner or later they would end up in the mountains with the bandits.
Becoming bandits was becoming something, going to sea... they didn't necessarily have to be thieves!
It couldn't be worse than now!
Among the bandits, someone took the first step, running towards the harbor. Like igniting a fuse, with the first person taking action, the rest no longer acted like headless flies, but uniformly moved towards the harbor.
Some citizens didn't even know what was happening, but seeing so many people running to the harbor, they also followed. More and more people joined the ranks heading for the harbor.
Seeing this scene, Ennio smiled, then his expression became serious again. His round body, like a heavy cannonball, slammed towards Sag.
Sag set his stance, his body leaning slightly. When this guy approached, he quickly moved to the side, one hand stabbing like a snake towards his temple.
"Hokuto Gekizui Shi (North Star Crushing Finger)!"
*Pa!*
Ennio directly twisted his broken right arm, blocking Sag's pressure point strike. Sag's finger directly pierced into his arm.
"Hah!"
Ennio's eyes widened, his left hand reached out, grabbed Sag's wrist, and quickly flung him upwards.
*Boom!*
As soon as Sag's finger left his arm, his right arm exploded, flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
Ennio didn't even frown. He stomped his feet, using Geppo to quickly jump into the air, and at the same time, kicked his legs in a flurry. "Rankyaku: Ran!"
*Chih chih chih!*
Numerous slashes fell from the sky, smashing into the soldiers and marines, cutting down most of the marines and soldiers who were still chasing the citizens.
The remaining marines and soldiers looked up at the sky in a state of shock. But from their perspective, they just thought it was the white-haired kid who did it.
Ennio's desperate attack gave Sag an opening. He didn't hold back, his fists turning into hundreds of afterimages, rapidly striking Ennio's body.
"Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken!"
This time, there was no Haki protection!
Countless fists smashed into Ennio's body, instantly creating several dents. But at this moment, he gritted his teeth, endured the bombardment of fists, and headbutted Sag in the chest, taking him down rapidly.
*Bang!!*
The bodies of the two in the air fell to the ground. Ennio smashed a large crater in the ground, while Sag spun several times in the air and landed steadily.
This time, Ennio didn't get up.
His body looked like it had been hit by a truck, twisted beyond recognition. Only the rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive.
Sag looked at Ennio in the crater and said, "The price for making me take the blame is very high."
"Cough, cough!"
Ennio coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. He took a few deep breaths and grinned: "I don't know what you're talking about. I just wanted to catch you and sell you."
"You think I'm a fool?"
Sag pointed to the people robbing ships at the harbor. "You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?"
There were many ships in the harbor, only a few belonged to merchants. When he came, he saw these docked ships. Some of them were covered in dust.
Haki, ships, and this 'king's' strange words and deliberate killing of marines and soldiers...
Sag wasn't a fool, so he could naturally see through it.
It was unclear if it was blood or something else, but that obese, ugly face didn't look so hateful now. Ennio slowly stopped grinning, his cloudy eyeballs moving, looking at Sag.
"Are you angry? That I framed you as a pirate..." he suddenly said.
Sag sighed. "The Arlong Pirates are gone, that's a fact. I'm unlucky, I can't find other wandering pirates. This profession is obviously not working out. Even if you hadn't done this, my next step would have been to become a pirate."
"Oh? Didn't you think about becoming a marine? If a man like you were in the marines, you would surely accomplish great things."
"Forget it, my personality isn't suitable. I can't stand being restricted. I heard that the marines have no freedom at all. They have to wait for orders from their superiors to fight a pirate. Besides..."
Sag hesitated. "Anyway, I'm not suitable."
With that, he turned and walked away.
"Hey, aren't you going to kill me?" Ennio called out.
Sag didn't turn his head, and said faintly, "You're already dead."
Ennio smiled, looked up at the sky, letting the increasingly heavy raindrops fall on his face. The cloudiness in his eyes covered another layer, and his breath began to weaken...
*Boom!!*
A thunderclap roared, whipping up a violent storm, and cannonballs, exploding on the water in front of the harbor.
Cannonballs?
Sag looked towards the harbor and saw the outline of a huge ship appearing on the distant water, getting closer and closer.
"A marine warship! It's a marine warship!!"
Someone at the harbor shouted, causing the people preparing to steal ships to panic again and stop.
"Cough cough cough!"
Ennio coughed violently, supporting his body with his left arm, and slowly got up.
"Don't go to sea!" Ennio shouted.
...
"Ennio, they all say that the Golden Lion broke in here and started the war between the marines and the pirates, causing the country to decline, but I know that's not true. The taxes for the Celestial Tribute have always been heavy. The citizens can't bear it anymore. I want to change this country. Will you help me!"
The man with hair as bright as the sun reached out to Ennio...
...
He looked at the people at the harbor, his voice growing stronger from weak, his neck veins bulging as he roared:
"Don't go to sea! Don't steal my ships to go to sea! What will I do if you don't pay taxes!"
That voice made more people look this way, discovering their king's increasingly miserable appearance... After a brief pause, they quickly recovered from their panic, hoisted the sails, turned the rudder, and accelerated out of the harbor.
The king who had no deterrent power, the soldiers who had suffered heavy losses, instead strengthened their determination to go to sea.
"No, you can't..." Ennio's pupils contracted, and he tried to straighten his body, taking a step.
...
"Ennio, please, protect Lily..."
This time, lying on the bed, was a woman's weak plea...
Then came even heavier taxes, and those nonsensical nobles...
No matter how he tried to change, the Celestial Tribute could not be reduced.
No matter how tyrannical he was, those nobles were just leeches sucking the blood of the kingdom.
Even if Lily became king, she would only end up like her parents, either dead or removed from her position.
And being removed...
Although it was no longer thirty years ago, Ennio knew very well the horror of those guys. They didn't care about member nations, let alone non-member nations.
This country was already beyond saving!
But the people could still be saved!
The person who wanted to save this country, who wanted to protect Lily, the only thing he could do was to let her, let them...
...
His steps were slow, but at this moment, he showed extraordinary determination, staggering towards the harbor, still muttering:
"Don't go to sea! I said don't..."
The ships going to sea were getting faster and faster. Ennio's body suddenly swayed, his eyes becoming dim and blurry. Only that face full of resentment gradually curved up, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Go to sea!!!"
*Bang.*
Ennio fell to the ground. His eyes, from cloudy to dim, his life force completely stopped, but the smile on his face was also completely frozen.
Sag, who was walking towards the harbor, heard the sound, shrugged his shoulders, and muttered, "He should have exploded... The physical fitness of strong people is really extraordinary."
Taking the blame was fine. He couldn't be a bounty hunter anymore. Besides becoming a pirate, there was nothing else he could do.
It's just that...
"I haven't even boarded a ship yet. Hey, I haven't boarded a ship!!"
Sag looked at the empty harbor, a little dumbfounded.
There were so many ships, and now there wasn't a single one left?
Oh, there was still one...
That large warship was gradually approaching.
"Sag, get on board! The marines are coming!"
A voice reached his ears. He turned his head and saw Lily hanging on the sail with one hand on the water, riding a small boat, quickly approaching. The wind and rain whipped her hair wildly.
"What are you doing?" Sag asked.
"Going to sea!"