Chapter 108 The faint king and the sycophant
Smoker and Sanai exchanged a glance and followed the sound.
A group of people had gathered around a house, pointing.
Smoker and Sanai squeezed through the crowd and saw a bearded man with an afro, leading soldiers as they ransacked the house.
The soldiers roughly threw the bearded doctor into a snowdrift and began collecting his belongings.
Money, jewelry, and pocket watches were tossed into bags, even the murals on the walls weren't spared...
Only books and notes were carelessly thrown on the ground, trampled under muddy boots.
"My notes, my medical records, stop!!"
Ignoring the pain, the bearded doctor cried out and rushed to protect his medical books and notes.
But the soldiers showed no mercy, trampling him beneath their feet.
The people around them could hardly bear to watch, but they dared not speak out. They could only whisper among themselves.
"That's too much. Why are you treating Dr. Cannis like this?!"
"Humph, there was a newborn with a high fever that wouldn't go away for two days. If the fever continued, the child would definitely die. Dr. Cannis, being soft-hearted, secretly treated him. But the guards found out and sentenced him to confiscation of his house!!"
"What?! He obviously meant well..."
"Humph, it's not just that... Dr. Cannis often reduces medical fees for the poor. This time, he's also been convicted of market interference and is likely to be expelled from the country!!"
"That idiot Wapol..."
"Shh... shut up! You don't want to get yourself killed!!"
"Dr. Cannis is so pitiful... Alas, I miss the old king, for the umpteenth time..."
Smoker understood the whole story and was left speechless.
Though he knew that Wapol was a coward, a tyrant, a despot, and utterly mediocre, he hadn't expected such nonsense...
At that moment, a soldier saw that Dr. Cannis was in the way and raised his rifle, preparing to strike him with the butt.
Smoker frowned, preparing to intervene.
But just as he was about to act, he suddenly stopped.
Two seconds later.
A powerful roar rang out: "Stop it! You idiots!!"
The guards froze for a moment, then halted and turned to look.
A strong man wearing green armor rushed forward.
Seeing the miserable scene in front of him, he couldn't help but roar in anger.
"Who told you to do this?! Look at the mess you've caused!"
"The responsibility of the Kingdom Guard is to protect the people, not to harm a kind doctor!"
The crowd, seeing the strong man, murmured in surprise.
"Great, it's Captain Dalton..."
"Mr. Dalton is here. Even if Dr. Cannis's property can't be saved, at least he won't be arrested or deported!"
"Yes, with everyone's help, we can help Dr. Cannis through this!"
Smoker also looked over, curiosity piqued.
[Oh? This guy is Dalton!]
Information about him suddenly appeared in Smoker's mind.
Dalton, a man with the ability of the Animal-type Niu Niu Fruit, was the captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard team. A loyal servant, full of love and courage, he dedicated his life to his country and its people.
However, in the natural course of events, he would eventually be unable to tolerate Wapol's tyranny and would join the revolution against the king.
Despite his resolve, Dalton lacked the strength to oppose Wapol, and he was defeated by Wapol and his men several times.
It wasn't until Luffy and his crew arrived that they successfully overthrew Wapol's rule.
Afterward, the Drum Kingdom was renamed the Sakura Kingdom, and Dalton, as expected, became the new king.
[Though he's a good man, he can't change the fact that he's weak.]
[Justice without power is worthless…]
Impressed by Dalton's reputation, the Kingdom Guards halted their movements.
They exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do next.
A man with an afro and a beard stepped forward.
"Dalton, the medical holiday system is the will of King Wapol, and it is the law. Do you intend to disobey the king's orders?"
Dalton didn't flinch at the threat.
"The law is meant to protect the people. Laws that harm the country and its people are worthless!!"
"Chromamon, take your men and leave immediately!"
Chromamon furrowed his brow at first, then sneered.
"Dalton, I hope you know what you're doing. Let's go!"
With that, he turned and led the soldiers away.
Dr. Cannis, ignoring the loss of his money, shakily stood up. With tears in his eyes, he bent down to pick up the torn medical books and notes scattered on the ground.
Dalton sighed and moved to help him.
The onlookers, snapping out of their dazed stupor, stepped forward to offer their assistance.
Smoker did not show up, but took advantage of the chaos and quietly left.
...
The Drum Kingdom wasn't large, and it didn't take long for Smoker and the others to arrive in another town.
In a bar, Smoker sat by the window, staring at the heavy snow outside, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the door to the bar was knocked open.
Sanai rushed in, wrapped in the cold wind, panting as she sat down across from Smoker.
Smoker poured her a glass of wine. "Warm yourself up."
Sanai picked up the glass and drank it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied moan.
"I've gathered all the information," she said, setting the glass down.
"Although the old king wasn't particularly powerful, he was diligent and genuinely cared for the people. He lived a simple life. Most of the taxes collected every year were used to pay the heavenly gold, leaving only a small amount for national development. Dalton helped him, and as a result, the country thrived."
"Since King Wapol took over, everything has changed."
"This guy is the complete opposite of the old king. He's ambitious, greedy for pleasure, violent, arrogant... And to make matters worse, he's surrounded himself with two treacherous ministers who've only made everything worse. He's ruined a once-thriving country beyond recognition!"
Smoker was taken aback. "Recruiting? So those two weren't left by the old king?!"
Sanai nodded. "Exactly. With the old king's personality, he would never have tolerated them!"
"One of those two is named Jess, and the other is Cromarimon. They either flatter Wapol or stir up trouble. These two are at least partly responsible for Wapol's stupidity!"
"Especially Cromarimon. He convinced Wapol that the richer the people, the harder they would be to control. He pushed for high taxes, which not only drained wealth but also made the poor more dependent on the king. And Wapol, that idiot, actually believed him..."
Smoker nodded thoughtfully.
No wonder the Drum Kingdom had seemed so impoverished when the Straw Hat Pirates arrived.
Who could withstand the plundering of such a cowardly king and his sycophants?
Through the bar window, he gazed at the castle, still brightly lit atop the mountain in the distance, his eyes darkening.
[Greed, stupidity, heavenly gold... Very interesting.]
[Wapol, I hope you like my plan.]
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