Bass Island.
Spring Island, the Central Royal Palace.
The place was now nothing like a king's palace should be.
The palace was overflowing with pirates.
These pirates were lying down, sitting, or shouting loudly.
In short, it was a scene of utter chaos.
Meanwhile, in another palace, the sight was completely different. The people inside were all grim-faced, drinking wine in silence.
Their eyes scanned everything and everyone around them with vigilance.
From the aura they exuded, they were clearly not pirates.
This was the current state of the Bass Kingdom.
Looking further out, besides the two remaining relatively intact palaces near the Central Royal Palace, the entire kingdom was covered in ruins.
The villages surrounding the royal palace were full of ruins.
And amidst some of these ruins, one could still see numb, despairing faces.
There weren't many people, and they weren't strong. They were mostly the elderly and children, with even women being scarce.
These people were hiding cautiously, searching for something, as if afraid of being discovered.
All of this served as a stark reminder to anyone who arrived here: this was no longer the prosperous, joyful, and happy Bass Kingdom of the past.
The island remained the same.
But the Bass Kingdom that once stood upon it was nowhere to be found.
Only some of the old, weak, sick, and disabled remained.
The former kingdom and its docks had completely become a paradise for pirates and bounty hunters.
Why could pirates and bounty hunters coexist peacefully on this small island?
It was likely, much like Whiskey Peak, that they were all incapable individuals waiting to hunt down unsuspecting newcomers entering the Grand Line!
The pirates here could transform into bounty hunters at any moment, and bounty hunters could become pirates just as easily.
They not only robbed pirates but also preyed on passing merchant ships.
And some of them could even instantly turn into human traffickers.
This was because the most sought-after commodity in the Grand Line was all sorts of slaves.
Bass Island.
In the giant harbor between the two islands.
The harbor was shaped like a river, deep but not wide.
It was clearly an artificial construction.
The left bank was lush with green trees, while the right bank was covered in snow, a vast expanse of white.
Just then, the Going Merry, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, slowly sailed in.
Both banks were as silent as the dead of night, devoid of any light.
However, on the river channel of Spring Island's harbor, the water was teeming with people.
"Look at the flag, another rookie!"
"Hahaha..."
"We, the Hachida Bounty Group, will take the heads of these pirates."
Although Kotaro was famous, their flag wasn't particularly well-known.
After all, his bounty had only been issued a few days ago.
On the river channel to the left, a subordinate lying around Hachida heard his boss's voice and quickly fired at the Going Merry.
Bang—!
The gunshot was like a fuse.
Immediately, countless gunshots erupted from all around.
These bullets were not aimed at the people on the ship but at the ship itself.
Their intention was to first wreck the ship and then deal with the pirates who fell into the sea.
Once they were in the water, what could they do against them?
"You bastards, I told you, these pirates belong to our team!"
As countless gunshots rang out, Hachida was the first to charge forward.
He wanted to secure a favorable position and wait for these pirates to fall into the water.
Then he could catch them one by one.
"Huh!"
Just then, as Hachida, who had just jumped into the river channel and was charging forward, suddenly froze. He then became stiff as a statue.
"What's wrong? Boss."
One of the dozens of subordinates who had rushed out behind him quickly asked.
Seeing that his boss didn't reply, he didn't dare to ask further, only following Hachida's gaze towards the Going Merry.
"Uh!" He read it here.
With just one glance, he too froze, his pupils dilating rapidly as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
At this moment, everyone in the harbor, whether they had shown themselves or not, stopped in unison.
They stared at the bow of the Going Merry, their hearts lurching.
"How did this guy make it to the Grand Line so quickly!" WAp.kanshu伍.net
Although they knew that with his bounty, he was bound to come to the Grand Line, this was just too fast!
They had only seen his bounty poster two days ago!
And to think he'd show up right where they were!
Most importantly, he arrived in such a small boat. This boat clearly didn't befit the status of a new generation legendary pirate!
If the Going Merry hadn't been so inconspicuous, they wouldn't have opened fire so hastily, and they wouldn't be this terrified right now.
Some of the pirates who had just revealed themselves quickly ducked to the ground, wishing they could dig a hole and bury themselves. They didn't dare to breathe, for fear of being discovered by Kotaro.
Staring from afar at Hachida and his crew, who were frozen in place.
They couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Fortunately, they hadn't been the first to charge out.
"Well! Could this be a special welcome ceremony held on Bass Island?"
Kotaro unleashed his spatial domain, blocking all the bullets fired from all directions.
"Didn't the old man say this place was very prosperous?"
"It is indeed very prosperous!"
Indigo let out a "pfft" sound and stepped forward, looking at the dock, which showed no signs of light.
And at the royal palace in the distance, with only two relatively intact palaces remaining on the mountainside, he was taken aback.
"Impossible! Judging by the extent of the abandonment, this place has been like this for at least a year!"
"The Bass Kingdom is a member nation of the World Government, it couldn't have been so easily destroyed."
"And without much news about it."
He shook his head, then seemed to recall something.
"If a nation were to be destroyed, there could only be one reason."
"What reason?"
Kotaro asked Indigo, puzzled.
"That is, this nation couldn't pay the Celestial Gold, and was therefore removed from the World Government's roster of member nations."
"As a result, this nation would be quickly annihilated by endless warfare."
"This would also explain why there hasn't been much news reported."
"Because the World Government simply doesn't allow extensive reporting of news from this place."
As he spoke, Indigo's expression gradually turned grim, as if recalling the past, a flicker of memory flashed in his eyes.
"There are many such nations in the New World."
"These nations are constantly engulfed in war, and their royal families ceaselessly extort all wealth and engage in external conflicts, all for that slim chance of joining the World Government."
"Oh!"
Kotaro turned his head and looked at the royal palace on the mountainside, asking with confusion, "Even if they are removed from the roster, they wouldn't be annihilated so quickly!"
As he spoke, he retracted his spatial domain. The bullets from outside, like rain, fell onto the surface of the water, creating ripples.
These ripples were like Kotaro's current mood.
He had just been looking forward to this place bringing him fine wine!
Who knew that what awaited him were pirates and bounty hunters filling the entire dock.
He looked at the dilapidated royal palace in the distance, and his eyes flashed red. His Kenbunshoku Haki instantly swept across the entire dock.
He detected no civilians.
Even if the country was destroyed, there shouldn't be no one left, nor should they all have become pirates and bounty hunters.
His Haki then expanded, gradually enveloping the entire Spring Island.
With his immensely powerful spirit, his current Kenbunshoku Haki could easily cover a small island.
Of course, it wouldn't reach Enel's level.
That guy's Devil Fruit combined with his Kenbunshoku Haki, forming his unique "Mantra," was probably the widest-reaching Kenbunshoku Haki in the entire One Piece world!
"Hmm!"
Kotaro suddenly froze.
In his perception, on this island, besides these pirates and bounty hunters, there were only the old, weak, sick, and disabled.
Not a single able-bodied adult was to be found.
Even the children were like mice, scurrying and hiding.
Their auras were fearful and weak.
Long-term starvation.
He then scanned Winter Island, detecting no aura whatsoever; it was eerily silent.