One Piece Gunslinger

After saying that, the king led everyone to the palace.

Charlie, still a child, was completely stunned by what he saw. He could never have imagined that a king of a country could be so humble.

But this very situation presented itself before him. Even if the other person was a king, kings should be equals. Was there truly someone in this world who was above a king?

However, Charlie didn't know that this was just an appetizer; much more mind-blowing things were yet to come.

Charlie followed his father to the royal treasury. The treasury was filled with gold, treasure, and pewter.

"These are the celestial treasures of this year."

"Okay, move them all out."

Charlie couldn't say a word and could only watch helplessly as the naval soldiers slowly carried the contents of the vault away and moved them onto the warship.

After Charlie and the other sailors finished moving the goods and set sail, they found their father. He questioned him, "The storm a while ago destroyed some buildings in the south. Didn't you say there wasn't enough money for repairs? Then what about the vast wealth in these vaults? And why did you let the navy take our treasure?"

The elderly king patiently explained, "We really have no money left. That money was the Heavenly Gold given to the Celestial Dragons. The navy's trip here is to escort the Heavenly Gold into the hands of the Celestial Dragons."

"Celestial Dragons? Celestial Gold?"

After the old king explained the role of the Celestial Dragons and the Celestial Tribute to Charlie, Charlie exclaimed in surprise, "So, if we don't pay the Celestial Tribute, not only will the Navy not come to our aid when we are attacked by pirates, but we will also be suppressed by the World Government?"

"The world is so cruel, my child. On this vast ocean, no one can stand against the powerful World Government and Navy. Even the Pirate King Roger was chased around by the Navy. And we, the small Kingdom of Stone, can only obediently pay our dues," the old king said helplessly.

After hearing this, Charlie could only helplessly accept this cruel reality. He never had any intention of vying for power, and now that he knew what was going on, he was even less inclined to deal with these troublesome issues.

Regardless of which of his brothers ascended the throne, he remained the carefree and happy little prince.

Hearing this, Kella asked, "That didn't turn him into a bad person. And he clearly has two older brothers, so why was he the one who ascended the throne in the end? What happened to his two brothers?"

Haku echoed, "Yes, yes. Every country is like this. Which prince or princess doesn't come into contact with the Celestial Dragons little by little? At first, they all think that their royal family is the most powerful. But after they learn that there are actually Celestial Dragons who are high and mighty in the world, they all have the same reaction as Charlie."

Li Ang picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "Don't be in a hurry, let me explain slowly."

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Struggle for the Throne

That incident in his childhood was the first time Charlie had heard of the Celestial Dragons. After that, the lofty Celestial Dragons greatly intrigued Charlie.

Charlie spent two years conducting a detailed investigation into the Celestial Dragons, including who they were, why they were in those positions, what they did, where they lived, what they looked like, and so on.

However, the more Charlie learned, the more horrified he became. This group of incompetent people had done not a single good deed and had brought disaster to the world.

But this very group of people is able to sit comfortably in the Holy Land of Mary Joan Adam, the world's nobles, receiving support and tribute from all over the world, and having the world government and navy serve them.

No one could answer these questions for Charlie; all the answers were buried in that blank century of history.

Unable to find an answer, Charlie simply gave up and went straight to the beach, lying down on the sand. "I have absolutely no desire to serve those idiots. Let my brothers handle this. I'm sure you don't want to either, Andrew?"

“That’s natural. Andrew serves only His Highness Charles.”

At that moment, a guard ran up from a distance: "So you're here, Your Highness Charles."

Charlie sat up and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is advanced in years and still works tirelessly day and night. Just now, while discussing matters with his ministers, His Majesty suddenly fainted. You should go back and check on him quickly."

"What? Father's sick?" Charlie was shocked, wondering why his usually healthy father had suddenly fallen ill. "That shouldn't be the case. I saw Father yesterday, and he was perfectly fine."

“Let’s go, Andrew, I’m going back to check.”

When Charles returned to the palace and arrived at his father's bedchamber, the doctors were anxiously feeding the king his medicine, and two vials hung beside the bed. His two elder brothers were already standing by.

Charlie quickly pulled his second brother aside and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with Father?"

The second brother didn't say anything, just sighed.

By this time, the king had regained some consciousness and said in a weak voice, "Charlie, is that Charlie back?"

Charlie quickly stepped forward and said in a soft voice, "Yes, Father, I'm back."

“You were originally my smartest child, but I know you have no intention of inheriting the throne, and I did not force you. I just hope that you can live out your life as you wish, instead of ending up like me.”

After saying this, the old king fell silent, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The doctors also spoke up, saying, "His Majesty needs to rest now. Your Highnesses, please return to your quarters."

Charlie didn't have any better ideas, so he could only go back to his room to rest for the time being.

To Charlie's surprise, the old king passed away in his sleep the very next morning.

On one hand, they needed to bury the old king, and on the other hand, they needed to elect a new king. Fortunately, according to the old king's will, the eldest brother was chosen to assume the throne.

Thus, the eldest brother naturally ascended to the throne. Even though the second brother remained resentful, he had no choice but to accept the reality presented by the old king's will. He could only attribute it to his own inadequacy, which was why the old king hadn't chosen him as his successor.

And so, Charlie remained a prince for another two years.

On this day, Charlie's second brother led his troops and stormed directly into the palace.

It turned out that after the eldest brother ascended the throne, the second brother felt that something was amiss. First of all, the old king, who was usually in good health, suddenly fell ill, even though many people had seen him the day before, full of energy and walking briskly.

Secondly, the old king had already taken his medicine and was resting, and it seemed the medicine was working. However, the next day brought devastating news, which was quite unbelievable.

Finally, he naturally produced a will, specifying that the eldest brother would be the new king.

After returning home, the second brother became increasingly suspicious and began to investigate, which lasted for two years.

It turns out that everything was secretly planned by the eldest brother, and even the doctor who treated the king was bribed by the eldest brother.

Enraged, the second brother immediately gathered his troops and led his men to attack the palace.

At the time, Charlie was fishing with Andrew by the sea. Upon hearing this, he immediately threw down his fishing rod and ran with Andrew into the palace.

However, the second brother was no match for the eldest brother. When Charlie arrived, he saw the eldest brother pierce the second brother's body with a sword.

When the older brother saw that Charlie had also arrived, he realized that what happened two years ago was probably no secret. He decided to go all the way and deal with Charlie as well.

He then ordered the remaining guards to kill Andrew and Charlie.

The result surprised the eldest brother. He never expected that the man Charlie had rescued, who usually kept a low profile and dressed like a servant following behind the guards, was actually a swordsman from Wano Country. These ordinary guards were no match for him; they were dealt with in no time.

Finally, Charlie looked at his older brother with disappointment and let Andrew cut off his head.

Charlie looked back into the palace, where the ground was littered with the bodies of those who had been injured or killed in the earlier conflict. Among them were his two older brothers.

He had no intention of vying for the throne, but was ultimately forced by fate to take that position.

After the story was finished, Haku asked in confusion, "So this terrible conflict was the turning point for Charlie's change? Family members killing each other, killing their father and brothers for the throne—if it were me, I would probably change my personality drastically as well."

But Kella was still a little confused: "That would indeed affect people's minds, but it doesn't make sense. The things Charlie said when he was fighting his master are inexplicable."

Li Ang downed the tea in his cup in one gulp and sighed, "So, that's the difference between you and Charlie."

"If an ordinary person were to experience all of this, they would only see the surface. The eldest brother killed the father and the second brother for the throne, and even tried to kill 'me'. In order to avoid being killed, 'I' had no choice but to kill the eldest brother and then sit on the throne that I never wanted to sit on. All of this was caused by the throne. People would do anything to fight for power and profit, and then they would lament the cruelty of being in an imperial family."

"Isn't that how it is?" Haku asked doubtfully, while Kerla waited quietly for Leon to continue.

"Hmph, of course not."

Li Ang then sighed deeply, his face filled with sorrow, and said, "I said, Charlie is just too clever. When he was in that scene, he saw a deeper and darker abyss that others could not see."

"They are not fighting for the throne of Shi Ying, but rather..."

"Or rather?"

Li Ang smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground, his face contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth and slowly squeezed out the words: "It's not about fighting for the right to be a slave to the Celestial Dragons!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: Slaves

After Li Ang finished speaking, Haku and Kerla wore expressions of disbelief. They remained speechless for a long time, seemingly digesting Li Ang's astonishing words.

"Alas, what a pity." Before the two could recover, Li Ang continued to sigh, "It's a pity that although Charlie was excessively intelligent, he didn't have the mental fortitude to match it, which led to his unfortunate end."

"When I was on the ship, I discovered that he was actually very intelligent, and I began to have some doubts. Later, when he said 'To hell with fate,' I realized that he was not a tyrant, but a person whose mind had been corrupted."

"Later, I kept trying to persuade him, to try to help him out of the shadows, out of the fear that shrouded him in the abyss. I even had the idea of ​​getting him to turn over a new leaf and join the revolutionary army," Li Ang continued to explain. "But when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Charlie was constantly being gazed into the abyss, and he did too many heinous things."

Haku then realized what was happening and said, "So, that's why he ended up..."

"That's right. Although he eventually regained a sliver of his senses, the crimes he had committed and the dignity he had cultivated over the past five years no longer allowed him to surrender. At least in his heart, he had to die in order to give an explanation to the people who had been harmed."

As Li Ang finished speaking, he looked at Kela, who was still lost in thought, and slapped her on the back. "Alright, Kela. I know this is a little hard to accept. But this is reality, and isn't breaking this reality the job of our revolutionary army?"

However, Koala, who is usually quite clever, covered her ears and shook her head, shouting, "No, no, I won't listen! How can the king be a slave of the Celestial Dragons? That's not true!"

Li Ang knew that these words touched the most vulnerable part of Koala's heart. Koala had experienced being captured and enslaved by the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, which made her overly sensitive to the topic of slavery.

Actually, this hurdle had to be overcome sooner or later. If you can't overcome it today, you'll have to overcome it tomorrow. It's just a matter of time, and it's better to overcome it sooner rather than later.

Li Ang squatted down, tightly grasped her small hands with his large ones, and stared into her eyes as he said, "Listen carefully, Koala. The so-called king is nothing more than a higher-ranking slave. The old king works diligently every day, but what does he do every day? He's actually collecting celestial funds for the Celestial Dragons. Apart from the necessary national expenses, everything else goes into the Celestial Dragons' pockets."

"And what about the people? They are still slaves. To make a living, whether they are farmers, fishermen, artisans or any other profession, they have to pay huge amounts of taxes. Where do all these taxes end up? They all go to the Celestial Dragons."

"Under the heavens, everyone is a slave to the Celestial Dragons, and everyone is creating wealth for the Celestial Dragons. These people are either temporarily settled into their slavery, or they want to be slaves but cannot."

Li Ang talked a lot, peeling back the layers of the cruel reality of the world for Kela to see.

“But, Koala,” Leon said, then changed the subject and gently comforted her, “you are lucky because you do not belong to, and will never belong to, the Celestial Dragons as a slave.”

"If there's anyone on this high seas who isn't a slave of the Celestial Dragons, it can only be pirates and our Revolutionary Army. Go Koala! Only by overthrowing the Celestial Dragons can we fundamentally eliminate this fact."

These words troubled not only Kella, but even Haku, who was standing nearby, was conflicted, and one can only imagine the complex emotions he felt at that moment.

After hearing this, Kera burst into tears and threw herself into Li Ang's arms.

Li Ang was immediately flustered and spent a long time comforting her before he could stop Kela's crying.

Koala broke free from Leon's embrace and sobbed, "Master, don't worry, Koala is all better now. I will study hard by your side in the future and then overthrow the World Government." After saying that, she quickly ran out of the captain's cabin and returned to her own room.

Haku sighed, "Sigh, such a cruel truth is too heavy for a little girl. Hopefully, she can recover."

"Don't worry, she's my prized student. People I choose won't let me down."

"Tch, you're still not worried? I wonder who was it that looked so anxious and frantically trying to comfort you for so long."

"Hmph! Those are all strategies, strategies to help my precious disciple get out of the shadows. Do you even understand strategies?"

“Yes, yes, strategy,” Haku said impatiently. “I’m going out too; I need to find someone to record what you just said.”

"What? You want to record what I say?" Li Ang asked, puzzled. "Why do you want to record what I say?"

"This is a task assigned to me by Dragon. I'm required to write down any insightful or reasonable remarks I hear you make during the mission, so that other Revolutionary Army soldiers can learn from them," Haku explained.

"Oh, by the way, just a side note. We've already written down a lot of what Long said when we first met him and at the first meeting. Long told me that these words could inspire the revolutionary army soldiers and even motivate some people to join something. So they're very useful, which is why he asked me to make sure to keep a record of them."