Night fell over Hargeon, and the port was unusually lively. Most of those gathering for the party tonight were young women who had been deceived by the fake Fire Dragon.
Noel had originally planned to handle this matter alone, but the plan had leaked, resulting in Natsu, Happy, and Lucy tagging along as well.
Lucy on her own would have been manageable; after all, the destructive power of Celestial Spirit Magic could not compare to Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic.
Natsu was impulsive and had a habit of destroying buildings during missions, which often resulted in completed jobs yielding no payment since all rewards would be seized to cover the damages.
"Everything will proceed according to plan. Lucy will go in first to lure him out, I will stay by her side to protect her, and Natsu will strike from above," Noel instructed, laying out the strategy skillfully.
Everyone nodded, and they split up, taking up their positions as planned.
"Oh, right, Lucy, be careful. Even though I'll be right next to you, I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you instantly," Noel warned in advance.
Lucy stood straighter, feeling reassured that someone would be there to protect her, leaving her to focus solely on her task.
"Understood," Lucy replied, glancing back at Noel—only to see him seamlessly blending into the surroundings, disappearing from view.
"Wait, where did Mr. Noel go?" Lucy blinked in confusion. Just a moment ago, he had been right there—now, he had vanished.
"Don't worry, it's invisibility magic," Noel explained quickly.
Realizing this, Lucy turned and walked toward the departing ship.
Meanwhile, Natsu, carried by Happy, hovered in the air above, ready to strike from above.
"When do I get to move in?" Natsu grumbled impatiently, itching to charge in.
"Noel said to wait until the ship is out at sea before we move. You're too impatient, Natsu," Happy reminded him.
"But I can't take it anymore—I can't wait to punch that scumbag!" Natsu clenched his fists, which were already wrapped in flames, fully ready to launch an attack.
"Sigh... If you mess around out here and Erza finds out, she'll beat you senseless," Happy replied. Just the mention of Erza was enough to calm Natsu down; he definitely didn't want to get pounded by her.
From the skylight on top of the ship, Natsu peered down. Lucy sat calmly on the sofa, directly across from the fake Fire Dragon, while Noel stood invisibly at her side.
"So your name's Lucy, huh? That's a lovely name," the fake Fire Dragon said, shamelessly flattering her.
"Thank you," Lucy replied politely.
"Now, open your mouth," he said, causing the juice in his cup to rise into small floating orbs.
Noel immediately noticed something suspicious. This wasn't just juice—this was a concealed hypnotic spell. Very subtle, too.
"Careful, it's hypnotic magic," Noel whispered in Lucy's ear.
Lucy's guard shot up instantly. She had already sensed it, but with Noel's warning, she became certain.
"This is hypnosis magic," Lucy said firmly, confronting the fake Fire Dragon.
"I really wanted to join Fairy Tail, but I never thought the wizards of Fairy Tail would turn out to be like this," Lucy added, sounding shocked.
Her acting was impeccable—far better than most theater performers. If she ever wanted to perform opera, she would win awards, Noel thought.
"You leave me no choice," the fake Fire Dragon sighed theatrically before signaling to his underlings, who emerged, each carrying unconscious women on their shoulders.
Clearly, they had knocked them out not long ago. Noel felt a surge of anger—he couldn't believe these things were happening in this port city.
"Welcome aboard my ship," one of the thugs sneered.
"From now on, you're all my merchandise," the fake Fire Dragon declared, revealing his true intentions.
"You really are something, Fire Dragon. We scored big this time," the thugs said excitedly.
"Wind Blade: Instant."
In a blur, Noel moved, knocking out all the surrounding thugs and leaving them unconscious.
What the...? The fake Fire Dragon stared in disbelief as all his men collapsed. This shouldn't be possible. Was it this girl's doing? There was a rumored magic called "Stand" that only Stand Users could see.
But the fake Fire Dragon had weathered many storms, and this small setback wasn't enough to scare him.
"Looks like you're a Stand User," he said heavily.
"Take a guess," Lucy blinked in confusion. Stand User? Was that supposed to be her? She decided not to bother figuring it out.
Lucy pulled a key from her belt, ready to summon a Celestial Spirit.
"So, you're not only a Stand User but also a Celestial Spirit Wizard. Quite the talented girl," the fake Fire Dragon said.
"But sorry, you won't be able to defeat me," he declared, as his aura intensified, oppressive energy rolling off him.
"Red Carpet."
Fire elements gathered around him, launching him through the skylight.
"So he ran away," Lucy said in disappointment. People like him deserved punishment, and it irked her to see him trying to flee.
"Don't worry, there's someone waiting for him up there," Noel reassured her, a faint smile on his lips. "Though he's usually unreliable, at times like this, he's the most dependable friend you can have."
Of course, he meant Natsu.
"I've been waiting for you. Eat this—Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Flames wrapped around Natsu's fist as Happy swooped in, positioning him for a clean strike. Natsu's flaming punch landed squarely on the fake Fire Dragon's face.
"Kid, don't you know you're not supposed to hit people in the face?" the fake Fire Dragon protested weakly as he pulled out a mirror to check his "handsome" face. "This face is how I make a living. What if you mess it up?"
"Red Cyclone."
The fake Fire Dragon unleashed a massive firestorm, engulfing the deck in a sea of flames, but amidst the blaze, a figure stood unbothered, the flames quickly being devoured.
The fake Fire Dragon's eyes widened in disbelief. Who was this kid, able to eat his flames?
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
Blazing fire gathered and compressed in Natsu's mouth.
Watching the intense flames, the fake Fire Dragon could only watch in awe. The sheer magical power, the overwhelming heat—there was no escape.
"Red Cyclone!" he roared, gathering all his remaining magic into one last attack, hoping to clash with Natsu's flame.
The two torrents of fire clashed, devouring each other. Natsu's flames quickly gained the upper hand.
The resulting explosion tore through the entire tanker, flames and heat waves engulfing everyone aboard.
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