Chapter 24 - 24: A Disrupted Holiday, a Girl in Need

Words : 1377 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

"Kuzan, the Navy must pay really well, huh?" "You didn't even blink buying all that food." "This kind of money must be just a drop in the bucket for you." On a bustling food street, Yoriichi strolled with a drink in one hand and a large food box in the other, chewing on a local specialty—soft, chewy candy—while speaking indistinctly to the tall man beside him, Kuzan. At the moment, Kuzan looked no different, though instead of a drink, he carried a bottle of red wine in one hand. Word had it that this particular wine was a specialty of the Kingdom of Neil, made from grapes unique to the region. The New World's climate was bizarre and unpredictable, yet the Kingdom of Neil enjoyed abundant sunshine, resulting in strange and exotic produce. Even something as common as grapes, when grown here, took on a unique flavor. Naturally, the wine made from them had a character all its own. Kuzan wasn't much of a drinker, but when idle, he didn't mind indulging. He rather enjoyed that lightly tipsy feeling. "Come on, no way!" "Buying all this hurt my wallet too, alright?" "But hey, if it's for you, I'll get my payback one day. Just wait, ha!" It was a rare moment of leisure, and Kuzan was in high spirits, joking casually with Yoriichi. "Get your payback from me? You might be waiting a while." "Zephyr-sensei says I shouldn't join the Navy until I'm an adult. So, Kuzan, you'll have to hold out till then." Yoriichi grinned as he replied, but just then, a commotion erupted up ahead. People all around turned to look toward the end of the street, where a large crowd had already gathered. Amid the noise, Yoriichi thought he heard someone crying for help. "Hey, Kuzan, something's going on up ahead." "I think I heard someone calling for help. Should we check it out?" Kuzan nodded. "Yeah, I heard it too. Let's go." Their pace quickened. "Excuse us! Please make way!" Kuzan called as he parted the crowd, pushing toward the center. Yoriichi followed close behind, and soon the two of them reached the front, finally able to see what had drawn such a crowd. At the center was a young girl, no older than her teens. Her lavish clothing had been torn to shreds, barely clinging to her body, offering little concealment. The scene was shocking. Her eyes were blank with terror. A kind-hearted older woman quickly took off her apron and draped it over the girl's shoulders, then knelt beside her, asking urgently: "Child, what happened?!" "What's going on? Why are you like this?!" The girl only managed a faint whisper—"Help me..."—and refused to say anything more. Yoriichi and Kuzan exchanged dark glances, their expressions grim. Kuzan stepped forward, gently pushing aside the bystanders, and knelt before the girl. The older woman flinched, pulling the girl protectively into her arms and eyeing Kuzan warily. Kuzan backed off slightly, then softened his tone. "Miss, can you tell me what happened?" "You don't need to be afraid. I'm with the Navy—we're here to help you." As he spoke, he gestured to the Navy insignia on his chest to earn her trust. Sure enough, at the word Navy, the girl's eyes sparked with faint hope. She looked up, and tears spilled down her cheeks. "The Navy… Are you really the Navy?!" "Please help me! Help my family!" "Pirates… Pirates attacked the royal palace! My father… they killed him!" Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even Kuzan's expression shifted in shock. "The palace? Pirates?!" Kuzan knew the Kingdom of Neil well. He didn't care much for their politics, but he respected the king's cunning. The monarch had ruled for over a decade without incident, and the kingdom even had a strong military—not easily overwhelmed by run-of-the-mill pirates. And this happened in broad daylight? Who in their right mind would attack a World Government affiliate during the day—and a kingdom under Whitebeard's protection—right on its own soil? That was suicidal! Kuzan couldn't have known that Nuke's ambition and arrogance had grown to the point of madness—he no longer feared the Navy or even Whitebeard. Still, Kuzan didn't doubt the girl's story. Something like this could be verified easily—lying served no purpose. "What do you think, Kuzan?" Yoriichi asked calmly from behind. He'd heard everything. And to him, the path was clear—if they knew where the pirates were and had a witness, there was only one thing to do: take them down. But in matters of pirate suppression, Kuzan—soon to be a rear admiral—had more say. Yoriichi was willing to defer to his judgment. "Do you really have to ask?" "Miss, where's the royal palace? I'll go right now!" The girl's face lit up as if seeing a savior, but she quickly sobered, voice anxious: "The palace is surrounded." "There are a lot of pirates. Too many." "They're powerful. They wiped out the royal guard. I escaped through a secret tunnel. You're just one person—you should bring allies!" Yoriichi stepped beside Kuzan, scratching his head. "Well, he's not exactly alone, right? I may not be that strong yet, but I am his companion." "We'll go together. If the enemy's truly that powerful, we'll call for reinforcements." "So, Miss, no more stalling. Where's the palace?" This time, before the girl could respond, the helpful older woman pointed north and said quickly: "Just follow this road—you'll reach a broad boulevard paved with blue stone." "That's the Royal Avenue. Once you reach it, the palace will be in sight." As her words ended, Kuzan and Yoriichi shared a glance and immediately took off in the direction she indicated. Soon, they found the blue-stone-paved Royal Avenue. But instead of a palace, what caught their eyes was a massive earthen fortress—tens of meters tall and hundreds wide—looming in the distance. Locals were already staring at the structure in stunned disbelief. "That's gotta be it..." "Looks like a Devil Fruit power—probably a Logia type," Kuzan said grimly, eyes fixed on the fortress. He had originally thought they were dealing with small-time thugs. But this? This changed everything. Logia Devil Fruits were exceedingly rare. And every Logia user was immensely powerful. That much Kuzan knew well. "Yoriichi, go to the branch and alert Vice Admiral Garp and Rear Admiral Roka. I'll check it out first." Kuzan knew the situation was serious and wanted Yoriichi out of harm's way. But Yoriichi shook his head. "With all this noise, someone must've already reported it." "Me going or not won't change anything." "Let's go together. I can tell—that's a Logia user, right?" "I can't promise I'll be much help, but I won't hold you back." As he spoke, Yoriichi drew the long blade at his waist. Kuzan saw the unwavering resolve in his eyes and said no more, sprinting toward the earthen fortress. They reached it quickly. Kuzan scanned the surface—there was no visible door. Just as he was about to use his powers to open a path, Yoriichi moved. Breath of the Sun First Form: Dance! With a sharp swing, a ferocious flying slash burst from Yoriichi's blade. The invisible wave of force slammed into the fortress, sending mud flying and carving a long, narrow gash from bottom to top—clean through. In a flash, Kuzan and Yoriichi vanished into the opening. Moments later, the surrounding mud began to shift, slowly filling in the gap. Within seconds, the fortress had returned to its original form—sealing the royal palace inside once more. ********* Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 250 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch! For advance chapters, please do visit and consider joining me on Patreon, it really helps me out and I'd love to have you along for the journey! p(a)treon.com/Lnee *remove () to open it

Chapter 24 - 24: A Disrupted Holiday, a Girl in Need

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