Unwilling to believe that there could be room for compromise between different species, where conflicts typically ended in life-or-death struggles, the ruler's earlier rage had been a final struggle before death.
However, Law had given him a choice, one that included the option to survive.
Should he choose to live or die gloriously?
Having struggled to reach his current position, the ruler was unwilling to pass up the chance to survive.
His anger gradually subsided, finally showing signs of yielding, though the arrogance born from racial superiority remained unyielding.
Even with his life in the hands of an outsider, he maintained a condescending attitude.
Law couldn't understand where this attitude came from, 'Was it because of our vast difference in size?'
"How can I trust you?" The ruler's hoarse, deep voice echoed in Law's consciousness.
"You have no choice." Law said lightly.
The ruler said nothing more. The only thing he could still cling to was his attitude.
If given another chance, he would never end up in such a situation again, even if it meant sacrificing all his kin.
He bitterly resented this human's bizarre ability to control his life. No matter how many schemes he had, there was no way to execute them.
After a long silence, the ruler agreed. He truly had no choice.
Later, upon learning that Law wanted to leave, the ruler felt somewhat relieved.
Though he deeply resented his earlier carelessness, the ruler acknowledged the potential threat posed by this tiny human.
Thus, if two tigers could not share one mountain, eliminating Law would be ideal. If not, letting him leave was acceptable.
"The Rock Island Crab has several drainage outlets. You can leave through there." The ruler said indifferently.
When the Rock Island Crab fed, it swallowed vast amounts of seawater, which circulated within its body. Food was retained, while seawater was expelled.
Therefore, the Rock Island Crab's body structure included multiple drainage outlets specifically for expelling seawater. Moreover, the crab did not excrete, more precisely, it had no excretory organs.
Under Law's detailed questioning, the ruler cooperatively provided answers.
With the method of departure secured, the next step was to wait for the Rock Island Crab to land in Dark Continent.
The ruler, humiliated, became a hostage, crawling forward to guide Law and the others.
"How did you learn to use Nen?" Law asked halfway through their journey.
"You humans call it Nen?" The ruler countered.
Law paused before replying calmly, "Yes."
"Nen, Nen." The ruler muttered to himself without further explanation.
It seemed he had not known the power he wielded was called Nen.
Seeing the ruler's reaction, Law raised an eyebrow.
At that moment, the ruler's thoughts grew complex. He connected the name [Nen] to the power he controlled and the bizarre abilities Law had used.
'So this power was called Nen, and it could manifest special abilities.'
The ruler felt a surge of excitement, as if a new path to advancement had opened before him.
"You haven't answered my question yet." Law said coldly.
The ruler snapped back to attention, "I didn't know this power was called Nen. One day, I felt many holes appearing in my body, leaking my life force. It took me several days to learn how to seal them."
Law's eyes flickered. It was a clumsy explanation but also vivid.
'For humans, the Aura Nodes are fine and dense, but to the ruler, they were described as holes. No wonder the Aura he emitted was so overwhelming.
'This was the upper limit of magical beasts far surpassing humans. However, magical beasts on the Six Continents had no Aura Nodes, while those here did. But among the countless parasites, only the ruler could use Nen.'
'Perhaps it was highly likely that many magical beasts on the Dark Continent could use Nen.'
Delving deeper into this thought sent a chill down Law's spine.
"I've observed that your kin cannot use Nen." Law suppressed the chill in his heart.
The ruler glanced sideways at Law and sneered, "In a world where strength reigns supreme, if you were me, would you give away your trump card?"
Suddenly, Law felt he had underestimated the 'humanity' and wisdom possessed by the ruler.
At the very least, in the ruler, he saw the human weapon called 'selfishness'.
"You want to leave, and I will remain here. We are not in conflict, so I will help you depart. After that, we will have no further dealings."
The ruler's eyes flickered. Even now, he had not lowered his pride to beg for mercy, not even once.
"This is a deal, I'll keep my word." Law said indifferently.
As he spoke, he leaped onto the ruler's body, motioning for Biscuit and Tonpa to join him.
This act humiliated the ruler, but he dared not react.
Law stopped engaging with the ruler, silently processing the information he had obtained.
'Magical beasts could also learn Nen on their own, groping their way until they could wield it.'
'Fortunately, they lacked systematic knowledge, only knowing how to attach Aura to their bodies for conventional Enhancement-Type applications. Even so, it was terrifying.'
Jumping onto the ruler and using him like a horse… Law had done it deliberately.
But he intended to keep his promise: if the ruler led them out, he would return the heart.
After about five days of travel, they finally reached the vicinity of the drainage outlet and settled there to wait for the Rock Island Crab to land on Dark Continent.
During this time, the Rock Island Crab fed multiple times, and the group gathered food locally.
Though the ruler was mobility-impaired, he still had the energy to eat. Sometimes, when starving, he even resorted to consuming his own kin.
No one knew how long it would take for the Rock Island Crab to land. They had to rely on Bruna's alerts.
A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye. After nearly a month, the Rock Island Crab finally landed on Dark Continent.
The group arrived at a cave-like passage. Walking to its end would lead them to a cold pool, from which they could directly exit.
During the weeks of waiting, Law had sent Kuro to scout the path, confirming the ruler had not lied.
Before entering the cave, Law summoned his book, extracted the heart, and returned it to the ruler's body.
Only at this moment did the ruler truly relieved, 'This human had indeed kept his word.'
He watched as Law and the others entered the cave, his expression slightly complex.
Suddenly, he saw the human glance back, offering a meaningful smile.
The ruler was stunned. As the group's light disappeared into the depths, some movement around him made him sharply turn his gaze. All around, pairs of eyes belonging to his kin were fixed on him.
"Huh?"
Before the ruler could ponder further, his kin, who had always obeyed his commands, swarmed toward him.
It was... cold killing intent. They saw him as prey to devour.
"You! Do you want to die?!"
The ruler roared, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the countless parasites.
Until his death, he could not understand why his kin had turned on him. As life faded, he thought of that human.
'Was it that human? Was it that human...?'
Elsewhere, Law cut open a passage and stepped out of the Rock Island Crab's body.