One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

59. The Deterrence from Norton

Dalton was escorted by two Ivanki warriors across the White Pearl's wide deck. The ropes binding him were made of specially crafted sea monster sinew, which even with his beast-like strength, he could hardly break free.

On both sides of the deck, pirates cast various glances—curiosity, scrutiny, mockery, but mostly a cold indifference, as if looking at spoils of war.

The ship swayed gently with the waves, and the outline of the Drum Kingdom's coastline became clearer and clearer in the thin mist.

Dalton was led to the front of the ship's forecourt.

Norton stood with his back to him, gazing at the towering winter island in the distance, his silver hair fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. Nami and Funing stood slightly behind him.

"King, the man has been brought here," an Avenki warrior said in broken Common.

Norton turned around, his gaze landing on Dalton. There was no arrogance of a victor, nor any deliberate intimidation; it was more like he was assessing the quality of an object. This calmness, however, made Dalton feel even more pressured.

"What's your name?" Norton asked.

"Dalton."

"So it was you..." Norton smiled. "How was it? My men weren't weak, were they?"

He had just been watching the battle between Sanosuke and Dalton aboard the White Pearl, a fight between the Buffalo Man and the Crow Man, a scene rarely seen in movies from his previous life.

As a Devil Fruit user, Dalton was considered by Norton to be worth recruiting.

After all, Devil Fruit users are rare on this ocean, let alone a warrior with an upright character like Dalton.

Once they surrender, they will be utterly loyal.

"Don't get too cocky, pirate! No matter how strong you are, I will never yield! I am the warrior who will protect this land!" Dalton shouted.

"How dare you speak to King like that!" The pirate next to him was furious.

El was slightly moved and began to admire this island warrior he was meeting for the first time.

Norton grinned, waved his hand, and signaled the pirates to retreat. The pirates looked at each other, but did not disobey Norton's order.

"Dalton, don't worry, I'm not here to kill anyone... I need a doctor!"

Norton casually tore off the ropes binding Dalton.

"My fleet numbers nearly four thousand, traversing the Grand Line with its unpredictable weather; battle and disease are commonplace. Therefore, we need doctors! A professional, sufficiently large medical team!"

"The Kingdom of Drums was once world-renowned for its medical expertise. I need half of your nation's best doctors, along with their knowledge and equipment, to come aboard my ship. In exchange—"

Norton pointed towards the Drum Kingdom.

"I will leave this country immediately, without looting your towns or harming civilians. This deal should be very worthwhile for the Drum Kingdom right now."

Dalton's lips twitched slightly. He hadn't expected that this notorious pirate, who was rumored to have murdered kings and sacked cities, would propose conditions that sounded almost "fair"?

"You're too late. The half of the excellent doctors you need... this country no longer has them."

Norton's eyes narrowed slightly: "What do you mean?"

"King Walpo," Dalton said through gritted teeth, "a year ago, he issued a 'Special Medical Decree,' declaring that the quality of doctors in the country varied greatly, and that quacks were harming the nation. And then…"

He took a deep breath. "He expelled almost all the good and independent doctors in the country and confiscated their clinics and property. Now, in the entire Drum Kingdom, only the Royal Academy in the castle retains twenty doctors who are completely loyal to him and serve him personally. And two others escaped."

"Moreover, one of the fugitives who escaped the net died not long ago, leaving only one."

The deck fell silent for a moment, with only the sounds of the sea breeze and the waves.

Nami gasped. "Expel all doctors? Has he gone mad? How does this country maintain its healthcare system?"

"He wants to monopolize healthcare," Fu Ning analyzed calmly, but her eyes were also filled with shock. "By controlling all medical resources, he can completely control the life and death of his people. Sick nobles and rich people who want to live will have to offer him everything."

Norton paused for a moment, then looked at Dalton: "So, this once great nation of medicine has been castrated by its own king?"

Unexpectedly, he arrived a step too late.

"...Yes." Dalton closed his eyes, acknowledging that the fact pained him.

"Then I'm taking these twenty doctors with me." Norton's tone left no room for negotiation.

"They are kept under tight control deep within the castle, heavily guarded, and obey only Wahlbod." Dalton shook his head. "Moreover, given Wahlbod's character, he would rather destroy them than hand them over to you."

Norton stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought. A few seconds later, he looked at Dalton again and asked a question that caught the other off guard.

"Dalton, if I kill Walpo, will you serve me?"

Dalton snapped his eyes open, his pupils contracting as he stared intently at Norton, as if trying to discern a hint of mockery or probing in Norton's expression. But all Dalton saw was a deep, calm, and serious demeanor.

"you……"

"Answer me," Norton interrupted him. "I know you're loyal to this country, but you don't have to be loyal to the tyrant who's destroying it. I need people with principles and abilities. Your fruit-like abilities, your leadership, your loyalty—these are very useful to me."

"If I eliminate Wapol and free the Drum Kingdom from tyranny, would you be willing to leave this place and use your power to secure a position on my ship?"

This is a blatant recruitment, and also a choice made openly.

Dalton's heart pounded. He loathed Wapol and had been heartbroken countless times by the state of the country, but he had never considered betraying it, much less following a pirate.

He didn't answer immediately; instead, his face tightened, and he fell silent again.

Norton didn't seem to be in a hurry for him to make an immediate statement. He waved his hand and instructed Kro beside him, "Take him down, treat his wounds, and arrange a cabin for him to rest. Keep an eye on him, but don't make things difficult for him."

...

...

Meanwhile, at the highest point of the Drum Kingdom, inside the snow-covered Drum Castle, a scene of utter chaos and panic unfolded.

"Your Majesty! It's true! More than twenty pirate ships! The Silver Skull Flag! Captain Dalton and his men... they're probably in grave danger!"

Haske, the soldier who had escaped, knelt on the cold floor of the throne room with four terrified companions, and reported at the top of his lungs.

On the throne, King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom's fat face had lost its usual greedy red glow, now only a deathly pale color, and his fat was trembling uncontrollably.

"Silver hair...Norton..." he murmured, repeating the name, the golden scepter he always gnawed on falling to the ground with a clatter.

Staff Officer Jess and the corrupt official Cromarimon were also pale.

They understood better than Wapol what those newspaper reports about Norton meant—a monster that even the naval hero Garp had been defeated by!

"Hurry! Hurry!"

Wapol suddenly sprang up from his throne as if pricked by a needle, his movements comical and awkward due to his great weight.

"Pack your things! Take the treasure from the vault, my snacks, and those twenty doctors from the research institute... immediately! Take the secret passage to the port and leave on my private speedboat!"

"Your Majesty?!" Haske and the few soldiers who had escaped were stunned, hardly believing their ears. "We...we're not going to organize a defense? What about the people? Captain Dalton, he..."

"Defense? Defense my ass!"

Wapol shrieked, spitting as he shouted, "That's Norton! The great pirate whose head is worth a billion Berries! The one who might become the Pirate Emperor in the future! Do you want me to go and die?"

"Citizens? Who cares about the lives of those lowly people! As long as I, Lord Wapol, live, that's all that matters! Hurry! Jess! Cromarimon! Are you dead? Move!"

Jess and Cromarimon suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly urged their servants and guards to move the treasure.

When the soldiers and servants in the castle heard the news that the king was going to flee, their already low morale collapsed instantly. Many began to sneak away, and some even tried to steal some valuable items in the chaos.

The entire castle was in complete chaos.

Haske and his four soldiers stood frozen in place, watching their sworn king and his ministers make a fool of themselves. A chilling coldness seeped into their hearts, more biting than the snowstorm outside the castle.

The alarms they risked their lives to send back were not met with national mobilization, but with the rulers' blatant abandonment.

"But...but Your Majesty, if we leave, this country..." Haske was still making a last-ditch effort, his voice hoarse.

Wapol had already jumped off the throne and, with the help of a servant, was frantically stuffing jewels into his ornate but bulky fur coat. Hearing this, he impatiently roared, "Those pirates will leave once they've looted enough! I'll be back then! I'll still be the king! Enough talk, or I'll throw you all down to feed the pirates!"

Just then—

"boom!!!"

On one side of the throne room, the thick, solid stone wall suddenly burst open without warning!

Gravel mixed with ice and snow sprayed in like cannonballs, and a biting wind instantly filled the warm hall, extinguishing the fireplace fire and swirling up blankets and papers on the floor.

Wapol was hit on the forehead by a flying piece of gravel, howled in pain, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Amidst the billowing smoke and snow, a tall and imposing figure slowly stepped over the remaining walls and entered.

The hem of the black cashmere coat fluttered in the cold wind, and the silver hair was particularly striking even in the dim light. The boots made a clear crunching sound as they stepped on the gravel.

Behind that figure, the howling wind and snow outside the castle could be vaguely seen, and further away, the dense, clearly visible silhouettes of ships could be seen in the direction of the port.

Norton brushed the snowflakes off his shoulders, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic, stunned hall before finally settling on Walpo, who sat on the floor, clutching his forehead, his face filled with terror.

Jess and Cromarimon froze, making gurgling sounds in their throats, before finally managing to squeeze out a distorted scream: "No...no, Nodon!!! It's Silver Norton!!!"

As Walpole looked at Norton's face, cold sweat poured down his fat face like a waterfall, gathering at his chin before being frozen by the wind and snow.

Norton glanced around casually and asked nonchalantly, "Who is Walpo? I need to see the doctor. Tell him to get to me."

Wapol was trying to sneak away, but he was stopped by the people in the hall, and Norton's gaze fell on Wapol.

Wapol could only turn around awkwardly: "Lord Norton, what are your orders?"

Rebellion is impossible; it's impossible for me to rebel in this lifetime.

Wapol grew up listening to the legend of the hero Garp, a legendary marine who could chase the Pirate King all over the world. Even a legendary figure like that could be defeated, so this country simply couldn't possibly be capable of fighting against such a person.

King Killer, Silver Hair, King of Sin, Boss of the East Sea...

These titles all speak volumes about how terrifying the man before them is!

"Hand over the doctor's twenties, and all the treasure!" Norton smirked. "You're no good king, are you? Unfortunately, I hate people like you! What's the point of living if you can't even be a good king?"

Wapol was sweating profusely and trembling: "What you're saying is...."

After saying that, Wapol quickly looked at the servant.

"What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear Lord Norton? Call Doctor Twenty over! Move all the treasure and everything else onto Lord Norton's ship!"

Then, Walpole fawned over Norton.

"Lord Norton...please take a seat! I'll prepare tea right away!"

Norton didn't move, only glancing at Wapol indifferently. That single glance was enough to completely soak Wapol's back.

Wapol dared not forget this man's rise to power—he was first put on a bounty for the crime of murdering the king!

Unfortunately, Wapol was also a king... Wapol wasn't sure if this guy had a particular fondness for killing kings for fun!

Norton watched quietly as Wapol's face grew paler and paler until he could barely stand, only then realizing how evil his reputation had become.

Soon, twenty doctors of varying builds, wearing masks and completely shrouded in pink surgical gowns, appeared before Norton.

Norton then nodded slightly.

Walpo was granted a general amnesty.

"My men will land on the island today, rest in the nearest village, and send someone to bring these twenty doctors," Norton said calmly.

"Yes! I'll send someone to do it right away!" Walpo nodded vigorously.

"Send someone to do it?" Norton glanced at Walpo.

"No, no, no, I'll do it myself! I'll do it myself!" Walpo quickly changed his mind.

Norton grinned, revealing a smile that, in Wapol's eyes, was as terrifying as a demon's, and said, "You'd better do as I say and don't try anything clever. If I find out you've disobeyed my will, this country... no, at least, your castle will vanish from the world!"

Wahlbo took a deep breath and watched Norton's figure suddenly disappear into the snowstorm.

How did it disappear?

It's completely indistinguishable to the naked eye!