#145 - Chapter 145 Kobra is on the road
"Rumble!!!"
The roar echoed across the boundless desert, like a tightly paced war drum.
The sound of people's footsteps intertwined with the clatter of horses' hooves, creating an extremely magnificent scene.
Yellow sand swirled underfoot and in the air, each step kicking up waves of sand, a unique sight in the desert, both desolate and wildly untamed.
Nefertari D. Cobra, cloaked in dust, hurried across this desolate land with his loyal guards.
Suddenly, a guard took a small roll of urgent news from his hawk and reported to Nefertari with a nervous and urgent expression:
"Your Majesty, the pirates have split into two groups."
His voice was particularly clear amidst the whistling of the desert, each word filled with seriousness and urgency.
"Their main force is heading towards an oasis."
The guard continued to report, his brow furrowed, clearly this news matched their expectations.
"And Crocodile and that Marine are heading into the interior of the desert."
He finally handed the note in his hand to Cobra, with a hint of imperceptible worry in his voice.
Nefertari D. Cobra took the note and glanced at it, then his eyes became deep.
His gaze seemed to penetrate the sky full of wind and sand, trying to glimpse the coming storm.
After a moment of silence, the corner of his mouth curled into a stern smile, the resoluteness and composure of a king facing a challenge.
"Adjust direction, we go straight to the interior of the desert."
"There should be a big move between the two of them."
He ordered, his voice unquestionable, each word full of power.
This was a rare opportunity for them to know what kind of strength Crocodile actually possessed.
"Understood!"
The guards responded immediately.
Although they knew what this meant—they were about to witness a head-on confrontation between pirates and Marines—no one retreated, no one questioned.
They loyally followed Cobra, ready to face any unknown danger.
"......"
In the sand-clouded desert, the bustling ranks suddenly fell into chaos.
The neighing of warhorses pierced the silence of the sand sea, like a sudden clap of thunder.
Those steeds, usually as docile as sheep, suddenly became frantic and uneasy, their strong hooves kicking hard against the hot sand, their manes dancing wildly in the wind, their eyes flashing with fear.
"Not good, the horses are startled!"
A guard shouted urgently and heavily, his brow furrowed as he quickly directed the other guards to close ranks.
"Quick, protect His Majesty the King!"
Another guard directed the surrounding people to quickly form a protective circle.
Cobra's figure appeared exceptionally stable on the restless horseback, his arms tightly gripping the reins, his shoulders swaying slightly with the horse's movements.
Even in this sudden situation, his face showed calmness and composure, a composure derived from the years he had spent on horseback since childhood, honing his experience in dealing with such situations.
He calmly lowered his body, gently comforting the horse, while carefully observing the surrounding environment, looking for the cause of his mount's nervousness.
"Strange, there shouldn't be any enemies nearby that could frighten the warhorses..."
Cobra knew that only by finding the root cause and eliminating it could he calm the panicked warhorses.
"I'm fine."
As the horse gradually calmed down, he waved to the guards, signaling them not to be too nervous, and continued to guide the team forward.
"You guys calm the horses first, it's best not to ride them."
"I'm not sure if these horses will be startled again."
"......"
Under his decisive command, the team regained order, but everyone's eyes unconsciously fell on the king, and they were even more convinced of the king's decisiveness and composure.
Buzzing!!!
A piercing sound suddenly erupted in the air.
The sound tore through the dome like a gale, making eardrums ache and hearts beat faster involuntarily.
"Get out of the way!"
Nefertari D. Cobra's reaction was instinctive, his tense muscles showing his battlefield keenness at this critical moment.
His voice broke through the air amidst the wind and sand, strong and loud, echoing in the ears of every guard.
The guards, however, seemed at a loss because of the sudden change, and before they could react, they felt a strange sense of oppression rapidly condensing in the air.
"Rumble!!!"
A huge sword mark streaked across the ground not far in front of Cobra.
An astonishing sword aura cut through the sand in front of Cobra and the others, raising the scorching sand and dust into the sky, forming a spectacular dust belt.
The next moment.
Everyone's eyes focused on where the sword mark had struck.
A crack rapidly widened until a deep gully appeared before their eyes, as if the earth itself had torn open an insurmountable wound.
The soldiers were blown away by the sand and dust, struggling to get up from the sand, covered in dirt.
The dust had not settled, and people were still panicking.
Cobra had already recovered, staring blankly at the huge knife mark like a rift valley.
His gaze penetrated the dust and sand, steadily examining the new situation in front of him, while his brain quickly analyzed the situation and formulated new plans.
The guards quickly recovered and followed closely, setting up a solid defense around the king.
"Rumble!!!"
The white clouds floating on the horizon were disturbed by a series of noises, like the angry roar of the gods, shaking the dull calm.
The explosions in the soldiers' ears were continuous, numbing their senses, both physically and mentally exhausted, as if struck by an invisible hammer.
Squinting their eyes and piercing through the thick sand and dust, they could clearly see the waves emanating from the aerial vibrations, rapidly spreading through the air like ripples of water, circles of distortion visible to the naked eye, shaking the entire battlefield atmosphere.
Almost at the same time, an even more wanton air wave rushed towards them, like a beast roaring down from the sky, with the momentum to destroy everything.
The soldiers instinctively covered their heads and lowered their bodies, those reflexive curls providing them with a meager sense of security.
The air wave was almost tangible, sweeping every inch of land, stirring up dust and sand in the air, grabbing grains of sand and drawing trajectories in the air.
The impact of this force made it difficult to stand firm, and everyone felt their own insignificance and vulnerability, and even battle-hardened warriors felt unprecedented oppression and fear.
The soldiers closed their eyes tightly and clenched their teeth.
"Who is fighting!"
"Protect the King, we can die, but His Majesty the King must not be harmed!"
Cobra finally saw the figures fighting in the sky.
"It's okay."
"We'll just stay here."
If it was a battle between pirates, he would never stay in this place.
But among those fighting, he saw the Marine's coat.
He believed that the Marine who set the battlefield in such a desolate place would not deliberately drag them into the conflict.
...
