Chapter 85: Standing Alone Against a Million [Second Update]

[Souls that should never have intertwined, with a single turn, meet and thus render the rest of their lives absurd. My love, I adore you.]

"This guy..." Kosa gritted his teeth, looking at His Majesty the King as he shouted, "Since the royal army has surrendered, it means you've abandoned your throne. Do you not feel the slightest regret?"

"I am ashamed of the mistakes I made during my reign. For three whole years, I was kept in the dark by a cunning man like Crocodile. If he hadn't recently revealed his ruthless claws, I would never have discovered the truth. Someone like me is simply unworthy of being king any longer!"

He looked down at the million-strong rebel army below, raised his arm, and declared, "All royal soldiers, obey my command—"

Bang!

A sudden gunshot stunned everyone present. The air itself seemed to freeze in that instant. Kosa, hit by the bullet, tumbled from his horse and crashed to the ground. He stared at King Cobra, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Bastard! Who told you to fire? Arrest him, now!" King Cobra roared at the soldier.

"Charge! The surrender is a lie! It’s all a plot by the royal army! Avenge Captain Kosa!"

Chaos erupted in the square. The entire rebel force suddenly rioted, launching their fiercest assault upon the palace.

"It's over..." Cobra’s face was ashen. With Kosa shot and the rebel army leaderless, there was nothing he could say to turn the tide now.

Vivi covered her mouth, trembling all over. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out.

"Please, stop fighting! Please, stop fighting! Please, stop fighting! Please, stop fighting! Please, stop fighting..."

"What hatred could possibly run so deep between you? Are we not slaughtering the very people we love most, our own brethren?"

"This is Alabasta! It is you, bleeding and wounded citizens, who make up the kingdom of Alabasta!"

"I beg you, all of you, please stop fighting!"

"Enough people have died already. I cannot bear to see any more of our people die because of this senseless war! None of this has any meaning or value!"

Vivi wept and screamed until her voice was hoarse. She swayed, then managed a tragic smile. "If my death could bring peace to this nation, then let me ignite one last spark for Alabasta."

She spread her arms, closed her eyes, and let herself fall from the high wall...

"Vivi!"

"Princess Vivi!"

It all happened so suddenly that no one could react. They could only watch, helpless, as Princess Vivi tumbled from the city wall, her life snuffed out like a fragrant blossom.

The wall was a hundred meters high. To fall from such a height—there was no hope of survival.

But just then, as Vivi was about to hit the ground, a figure sprinted from afar. With a few lightning-fast movements, he appeared below the wall, and in the nick of time, caught her in his arms.

Though Vivi had resolved to die, in the instant death drew near, fear still gripped her heart—an instinct buried in the deepest part of every soul.

"Farewell, Father. Farewell, Alabasta. And... Lord Shu Mingyuan."

She shut her eyes tight, tears trailing down her cheeks to welcome death. Yet suddenly, she felt herself enveloped in a strong, warm embrace, and that familiar mocking voice sounded in her ear.

"Foolish woman. To use your life as a bargaining chip is the most idiotic negotiation of all."

Vivi’s eyes flew open in shock. Staring at the man who had saved her countless times, disbelief filled her gaze. "Shu... Lord Shu Mingyuan, weren't you fighting Crocodile..."

"Already taken care of," Shu Mingyuan replied calmly, glancing at her and muttering "idiot" under his breath. But the usual detachment in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a trace of genuine emotion. For a girl as strong as she to be driven to leap from the walls in hopes of bringing peace to her nation—he could well imagine the crushing weight she bore.

"Next time, don’t do something so foolish. Otherwise, there may not be someone like me around to catch you in time."

Vivi blushed, a sliver of lingering fear stirring in her heart. Only by surviving a brush with death does one truly understand the value of life.

After all, who does not wish to live well?

Shu Mingyuan set her gently to the side and spoke slowly, "This kingdom is not so bad. I quite like it. So, leave everything from here on to me. This war, which should never have happened, ends now."

Vivi was stunned. Did he mean to face a million-strong army alone?

What a joke!

She wanted to protest, but remembering the miracles he had repeatedly achieved along the way—miracles she still found unbelievable—her words died on her lips.

Perhaps... he really could do it?

A bare-chested young man suddenly appeared on the front lines. He dismissed all the royal soldiers and stood there, arms folded behind his back, facing a million rebels with haughty arrogance.

The rebels swarmed in from all directions, surrounding him layer upon layer. Countless gun barrels, blades, cannons, and spears were trained on Shu Mingyuan, as if, in the next instant, all that violence would descend upon him, tearing him to pieces, blasting him to dust.

And yet, even in such a situation...

Shu Mingyuan's face remained utterly composed. There was no trace of emotion in his deep, unfathomable eyes. Even his habitual calm or mockery had vanished. If one word could describe the aura he now exuded, it would be: commanding.

He looked down upon them all with the imperiousness of a sovereign, gazing down upon a million-strong army!

These people... were far too weak.

So weak that he could not summon the slightest interest in fighting. No need for ninja arts, no need for martial arts. It seemed... that with a single thought, he could crush the million soldiers before him.

This feeling... as though the lofty sky, the vast earth, the endless ocean, and the million-strong army before him could all be held in the palm of his hand with a single thought.

To turn his hand to clouds, and with a flick, bring down rain.

This must be what it feels like to be a god!

Buzz!!

In that very instant, an unprecedented light flashed in Shu Mingyuan’s still eyes. A force from deep within him, hidden in the abyss of his soul, suddenly erupted outward. Using him as the center, it surged in all directions, rippling out in a wave that swept across everything.

This aura was so powerful it was almost tangible: visible waves pulsed through the air, as if the infinite universe itself must bow before him.

Silently, this overwhelming force swept through everyone in an instant.

All the royal soldiers, the million rebels—everyone who had weapons trained on him, in that moment, seemed to freeze in time.

The thunderous cries of battle ceased at once.

Every face was frozen.

Every movement, every action, everything became eternal in that moment.

Thud! Thud!

In the blink of an eye—or perhaps an eternity—the people closest to Shu Mingyuan collapsed soundlessly to the ground, one after another.

Then the second, the third...

Do you know dominoes? When the first tile falls, it triggers a chain reaction until all the tiles collapse.

But unlike dominoes, here in the capital of Alubarna, everyone under the sweep of that aura—no matter who—fell in swathes, radiating from Shu Mingyuan as the center. The sound of bodies hitting the ground continued endlessly. The million rebels and the entire royal army, not a single one was left standing.

The turmoil of Alabasta ended here!

The news that Shu Mingyuan alone had halted a million-strong army shocked the world!