Chapter 662: Taking Action: The Brutal Dragon Hunter Pirates!
Seeing Luffy slammed into the deck, Connor, Thor, and Elma quietly withdrew their pressure.
Kobayashi did not bother arguing with that troublemaker. There were more important things here.
"Rushing to your death can wait," she muttered, then turned her head slightly.
"Gaino, is the area already fortified?"
Ryuunosuke had placed the Heart of Eternity he obtained inside the Eternal Ark.
Before he set off, he had glanced at Kobayashi, and that glance carried a clear message.
Protect the Ark.
Even if Kobayashi did not fully understand what she was guarding, she understood the weight behind that order. In a situation like this, one mistake could end everything.
Then she looked at Nami.
"Oh, right, Miss Nami."
"This guy is the easiest one to watch."
"He likes charging out to die."
"If he insists on going out, I will break his arms and legs and tie him up the moment I find out."
"Anyway, the captain has life essence. He can heal injuries like that easily."
Kobayashi said it with the same calm tone she used for everything.
Nami's expression stiffened.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Kobayashi."
It came out awkward, like she had swallowed a nail.
Because Luffy's impulsiveness right now was truly ridiculous.
And to make it worse, she had just been indirectly scolded because of it.
Her irritation turned into anger, and her anger found its target.
Bang bang bang!
Luffy was beaten a second time before he could even sit up properly.
…
At the same moment, Ryuunosuke and his people had already made contact with the incoming Guardian team.
"Captain Ryuunosuke?"
A girl stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you. I am Lumina, a member of the Guardians."
"What happened before was a misunderstanding."
"If Captain Ryuunosuke is willing to accept compensation, we still hope we can settle this without fighting."
She looked cheerful, almost harmless.
On the surface.
In truth, the Guardians were all ancient in their own way. That smile did not fool anyone here.
"Compensation?" Ryuunosuke's tone was mild, but his eyes were cold.
"Are you planning to dig up your parents' graves as an apology?"
"Or are you planning to dig your own and bury yourselves?"
Lumina froze.
Even the Guardians could not casually say something like that out loud, much less answer it.
She forced herself to breathe, then spoke again.
"However, we were not the ones who carried it out."
"Those things were done by your brother's father, Roger, all by himself."
"So, Captain Ryuunosuke… does that have anything to do with us?"
"No impact?" Ryuunosuke nodded once, as if he had just heard something reasonable.
"Okay."
"I can remove the marks inside your bodies."
"That way, you will no longer be under Lilith's control."
"How about it?"
"These terms are pretty fair, aren't they?"
Lumina's eyes widened.
Strip the mark?
That mark was made by Lady Lilith herself.
How could it possibly be taken away?
But Ryuunosuke was someone who broke common sense as easily as breathing.
If they truly agreed, the mark might actually be removed right here, right now.
They did not know what would happen after losing it.
What would they become without that control?
…
Ryuunosuke's expression did not change.
"I already know your answer."
"When people stand on different ground, there is no point talking about grudges or morals."
"Let's begin."
He raised his hand.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Yahiko appeared beside him, sensing the shift in Ryuunosuke's aura, and did the same without hesitation.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
In an instant, a terrifying attraction erupted.
The leading Guardians were yanked forward before they could even adjust their stance.
No time to react.
No time to coordinate.
"Hahaha! Come on, my little darlings!"
Ban swung his three section staff as he charged in.
"Let your great lord give you a proper welcome!"
"Ban, you're slow."
Meliodas shot past him like a blade.
"Did you eat too much earlier?"
"You've put on weight."
He met one of the Guardians head on and threw a punch.
Bang!
The impact snapped the Guardian's arm instantly.
The force did not stop there. It smashed through his body and launched him away.
"What… what kind of monster is this… wagh…"
The Guardian did not even finish forming the thought before he was sent flying across the sea.
He did not die, but he was badly wounded.
The others did not look as hopeless as the one Meliodas hit.
But the Dragon Hunter Pirates still held an absolute advantage.
Yahiko's massive summoned beasts surged forward fearlessly, chakra roaring through them as if it would never run out.
The members of the four squads moved with brutal efficiency.
If you could secure a solo kill, you took it.
If you could not, you pulled partners in and crushed the target together.
Either way, everyone fought in the safest way possible for themselves while keeping the killing pressure constant.
Ryuunosuke stood alone above the sea, watching the battlefield.
"Circle."
The moment he spoke, his perception spread outward like a gigantic sphere, swallowing the surroundings completely.
Hmm?
His frown deepened.
In a situation like this, more Guardians should have appeared by now.
Or rather, Lilith's projection should have appeared.
But whether it was the surface of the sea, the sky above, or the depths below, he sensed nothing abnormal.
Even ordinary fish and sea beasts were moving freely in the deep water, as if nothing was happening.
That was what made it feel wrong.
The more normal it looked, the more certain Ryuunosuke became that something was hidden underneath.
Lilith did not send these Guardians here just to die.
If it was not suicide, then there was another purpose.
So what was it?
"Captain, we caught one."
Escanor walked up, an enormous axe in one hand and a Guardian clutched in the other like dead weight.
"Let me go! Do you even know what you're doing?! I am…"
Smack!
Escanor slapped him across the face so hard the sound cracked.
"It is not your turn to speak yet."
Then Escanor turned back to Ryuunosuke.
"Captain, should we extract his soul directly and search his memories?"
"Or do we ask him first?"
"Extract the soul," Ryuunosuke said calmly.
"It's simpler."
"No, wait!"
The Guardian's composure shattered instantly.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you what you want to know!"
It was not that his willpower was weak.
In front of soul extraction, willpower was meaningless.
If they pulled his soul out, he would still die, and they would still take the information.
At least if he spoke first, he might be able to twist a few words, plant confusion, and create trouble for Ryuunosuke's side.
Maybe, just maybe, that would keep him from being killed outright.
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]