Chapter 26: Beating Up the King

"Are you planning to throw all the rules set by the World Government out the window?"

"Do you even care about the rules of this world? Do you care about the World Government? Do you care about me, your king?"

Bekori stood by the window, growing more and more agitated as he spoke. The more he talked, the more he felt he was standing on the moral high ground, while Renji was the one obstructing his dreams.

"I've always kept those things in mind," Renji said, patting his chest (except for that damn World Government and you, the king).

"But I also have a question for you, Your Majesty."

Bekori couldn't hide his excitement. "Ask away. I'm feeling very patient right now."

"Do you have the people of this kingdom in your heart?" Renji stared directly into the king's eyes.

Bekori didn't hesitate. "Of course I do. Without them, how could I collect the 'Celestial Tribute' and live the life I have now?"

Still the same self-serving, calculating man. Renji shook his head. There was nothing wrong with self-interest, but doing nothing while pretending to be virtuous was going too far.

"Your Majesty, if you can't do it, just stop pretending. You might end up fooling yourself."

"Life is about knowing when to play dumb, Renji..." Bekori sighed. "We've been dealing with each other for so many years. Sometimes it's better for everyone if we both take a step back."

Bekori continued slowly, "Do you remember what you said to me when we first met?"

"You said that as long as you were on this island, no pirate would ever set foot on it."

Renji nodded. "I've kept every one of those promises."

"Pirates haven't dared to come near Sorbert Kingdom for a long time now. You've also become the South Blue Governor. Isn't it time for you to go protect people elsewhere?" Bekori made his demand outright.

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. You people really have no conscience."

When their lives were threatened, they clung to him desperately, afraid he'd leave. Now that the threat was gone, they wanted to kick him aside.

Renji smirked. "You people who play power games are all so dirty. You've really thought this through."

"Thank you for the compliment. If I weren't dirty, I wouldn't be sitting in this position," Bekori said, taking pride in it.

"Enough talk. Since you don't want to leave, I'll make sure you do!"

Bekori turned, his eyes still sharp, glaring at Renji. "Escort this captain out of my palace."

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed through the palace.

Bekori clutched his face in disbelief. "You dare hit me?"

Renji looked around, left and right. "Ah, what a shame. Such a magnificent palace. I wanted to explore more, but since the king has ordered it, I guess I'll have to leave."

He shook his head and walked out, completely ignoring everyone in the room.

"Stop!" Bekori shouted, his words slurred.

"Guards! Arrest this traitor! I want him to suffer!"

Renji didn't resist, allowing the guards to tie him up tightly. The ropes were nothing to him; he could break free easily.

"Did any of you see me do anything?" Renji asked.

The people in the palace were confused but shook their heads honestly.

They hadn't seen anything. They were just following the king's orders.

Renji asked again, "If you didn't see anything, why are you tying me up?"

"You bastard! Out of everyone here, only you have the motive. How can you deny it?"

"The mark on my face is proof that you did this, you scoundrel!" Bekori couldn't contain his anger and roared.

Renji clicked his tongue. "When you want to accuse someone, any excuse will do."

Slap!

Another slap rang out.

"Ah!"

This time, Bekori was sent flying, landing on his throne, unconscious.

"See? I told you it wasn't me," Renji said casually, still tied up, to the guards holding him.

The guards looked as if they'd seen a ghost, frozen in place.

The captain of the guard, responsible for maintaining order, panicked. "Call the doctor, now!"

Seeing the king barely breathing, their faces turned pale. If something happened to the king, they would all be executed.

Snap!

With a slight effort, the ropes binding Renji fell to the ground.

"Since you can't prove anything, I'll leave you to it. I'm out of here."

Without waiting for a response, Renji walked away, dusting off his hands.

"I'll have my revenge!" Bekori muttered with venom in his eyes before passing out.

Renji laughed. Enemies always said things like that, calling him despicable, wishing him a horrible death. He didn't care. He loved seeing them seething with hatred but powerless to do anything.

In the world of pirates, weakness was the original sin.

...

When Renji returned to the training ground, as expected, only Bear was still training.

Ginny and Shanks were already sitting on chairs, resting. The breakfast on the table was down to one serving.

Training was a process of enduring repeated suffering. To grow stronger, one had to constantly push past their limits, which meant the suffering would only increase.

"Big brother, why did it take you so long at the palace?" Shanks asked, swatting away the hand on his head.

Renji reluctantly withdrew his hand. "The king was causing trouble, so I was held up."

"You all need to keep an eye on that old king. I'm afraid he might try something against you."

"When he realizes he can't win head-on, he'll resort to underhanded tactics," Renji warned.

Shanks waved his fist. "Then let's strike first and lock him up somewhere no one can find him."

"That's not a good idea. Go home and copy the family rules once," Renji said, knocking Shanks on the head.

"I think Shanks' idea is the most straightforward solution," Ginny agreed, sharing Shanks' view that solving the problem at its root was the simplest way.

Renji shook his head. "That guy is still the king of a World Government-affiliated country. Killing him outright would do us no good."

"Besides, killing him would throw the country into chaos. There are several factions eyeing this place like a piece of fat."

Ginny scratched her pink hair in frustration. "Then what do we do? We can't keep guarding against him forever."

"That's why you need to train harder. Being strong yourself is the most important thing."

That's right. Shanks and the others had been living too comfortably, with no sense of urgency. If this continued, it would take them who knows how long to gain the strength to protect themselves.

It was better to create a sense of danger to keep them focused.

The coming age of pirates would be far more dangerous than now, and he couldn't always be there to protect them.

To forge iron, you need to be strong yourself.

...