The grand hall was deathly silent.
Kalifa stood quietly in a corner, her gaze constantly flicking between the two people on the platform. She thought to herself,
Boss really went and blew the whole sky open this time. I'd better get ready to make a run for it with him later.
Shalria was staring blankly at Kaito up on the platform. For some reason, even though she'd just been slapped by him, she couldn't help but feel... a strange sort of lingering sensation. The feeling left her confused and at a loss, unable to understand what was happening to her.
Kaito had no idea what Shalria was thinking. Seeing her still frozen in place, he frowned slightly, then turned and sat down in the chair she had just vacated.
He looked down at her and said,
"You. Crawl up here."
"What did you say!?"
Shalria couldn't believe her ears. She never expected Uchiha Kaito to make such a demand.
Is he even from this world? Does he really have no idea what it means to lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon?
Well, she'd never guess that she had accidentally stumbled upon the correct answer.
Seeing Shalria still standing there dumbfounded, Kaito's patience wore thin. He raised his voice.
"I told you to crawl up here. Are you deaf? Or do you have a death wish?"
Shalria trembled at the tone of his voice. To her own surprise, she actually dropped to the ground and began crawling slowly toward the platform.
Humiliation boiled inside her as she crawled, yet she was also deeply confused.
Why am I obeying him? Why do I suddenly feel this overpowering urge to follow his orders just because he said something?
After what felt like forever, Shalria finally reached Kaito's feet. She raised her head, face full of humiliation, and stared at the audacious man before her.
Kaito hadn't expected her to be so obedient either. He had only meant to provoke her. In his mind, there was no way a pampered Celestial Dragon would actually go through with something like this.
He had even planned that if she dared to refuse, he'd just take the opportunity to deal with her then and there. But now... her reaction left him genuinely unsure of how to respond.
Still, since she was being so compliant, Kaito put away his killing intent for now. He extended a finger and hooked it under her chin.
"What's this? Even a high-and-mighty Celestial Dragon would crawl on the floor like this?"
Shalria didn't respond. She let him lift her chin without resistance, her eyes darting away, not daring to meet his gaze.
Seeing her like this, Kaito was at a bit of a loss.
What the hell? Did you forget you're a Celestial Dragon? Come on, act arrogant already, damn it!
But in the end, this still needed to be resolved somehow. Kaito stood up and raised a hand toward the kneeling Shalria.
Just then, she suddenly spoke.
"Are you going to kill me?"
Kaito paused for a moment, then nodded and said coldly,
"Whether I kill you or not makes no difference anymore. You know full well that everything I did tonight is already unforgivable in your eyes."
"If I say... I won't pursue any of it... will you let me go?"
"Hm?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. If she was telling the truth, then sparing her was definitely an option.
After all, his original plan was to climb the ranks within the Marines before making his next moves. Going rogue now would definitely disrupt things.
But... could he really trust her? With how rotten Celestial Dragons are, that kind of character just isn't convincing.
Should I use Genjutsu? She already seemed a bit dim. If she got caught in a Genjutsu, she might turn into a complete idiot. The Gorosei would definitely notice.
Thinking that, Kaito shook his head. A transparent energy began to gather in his hand.
Seeing this, Shalria quickly cried out,
"I'm telling the truth! As long as... as long as you promise to protect me whenever I visit Sabaody, I'll pretend nothing happened tonight! I swear!"
As she finished, her face even turned a little red. She snuck a glance at Kaito.
What the hell is going on...? Kaito stared at her. Her expression actually looked serious.
After a moment of thought, he decided it was better to be safe.
He reached out and grabbed her throat, lifting her off the ground.
Shalria looked at him in terror.
I already showed enough sincerity... Why is he still treating me like this?! How can he be so heartless?!
Tears welled up in her eyes from the sheer sense of injustice, and soon she was crying.
Annoyed by the crying mess in his hand, Kaito shouted,
"Quiet! Look into my eyes!"
"Ah? Oh..."
Startled by the sudden outburst, Shalria instantly stopped crying and looked into his eyes obediently, mumbling,
"One, two, three..."
Kaito frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Shalria quickly stopped counting and murmured,
"Your eyes are so pretty... I wanted to count how many rings are in them..."
"..."
Kaito had no idea how many times he'd been rendered speechless tonight. He activated his ability without another word.
"Hell Path: King of Hell's Judgment!"
A terrifying face burst forth from the purple-flamed void behind him. Upon seeing the horrific apparition, Shalria's eyes widened, and her legs began kicking wildly.
"Hold still!"
"O-okay... but that thing behind you is really scary!"
"Shut up and answer my questions. If you lie, that thing will rip out your tongue and eat it!"
"Okay, I got it..."
"Were you telling the truth just now? Will you really pretend none of this happened?"
"Yes! I swear I will!"
Shalria practically screamed the words, then lowered her head, hesitating for a moment before adding in a tiny voice,
"But... you have to agree to be my bodyguard whenever I come to Sabaody..."
Kaito ignored her. Seeing that the King of Hell hadn't reacted, he knew she was telling the truth and released his ability.
In Shalria's eyes, the terrifying face gradually faded and disappeared. She couldn't help but whisper,
"Your powers are amazing... Is that a Devil Fruit?"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't."
Sensing his growing impatience, Shalria finally shut her mouth.
Kaito jumped down from the platform with a sullen look, walked over to Kalifa, and said one word:
"Let's go."
He turned to leave.
On the platform, Shalria called out again,
"You're just leaving like that?"
Kaito didn't even look back.
"What, you think I'm gonna stay the night at your place?"
"That wouldn't be so bad... I mean, if you wanted to..."
"..."
Kaito was completely done with this woman's bizarre behavior. Grabbing Kalifa, he vanished with a Flying Thunder God.
Shalria stared blankly at the spot where Kaito had disappeared. After a long while, the gurgling sound of a Den Den Mushi came from her robes.
Snapped back to reality, she hurriedly fumbled out the Den Den Mushi and picked up. A weathered voice came through.
"Shalria, has Uchiha Kaito been there? How was his attitude?"
Hearing the voice, Shalria adjusted her clothes and stood up. Her tone was calm.
"He did very well. I'm quite satisfied."
"Hm? Didn't he kill your men? Did he threaten you?"
"No. It was just a few disobedient minions. Kaito not only expressed his apologies, but also agreed to serve as my escort next time I come to Sabaody."
"Oh? He really is quite the gentleman, then. Good. Understood."
The Den Den Mushi clicked off.
Shalria patted her chest with a sigh of relief.
Well, that's settled... though, why does it all still feel so weird...?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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