Receiving the order, Shiryu didn't question why Luo Xing wanted Drake killed. A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes as he replied:
"Please wait here, my lord. I'll be back shortly."
Shiryu quickly made his way to the shores of the Sabaody Archipelago.
When Drake saw that it was Shiryu who had come to receive him—and not the Fifth Emperor Luo Xing himself—he felt a trace of dissatisfaction.
He had originally assumed Luo Xing would come personally. After all, he was the first Supernova to approach the Beasts Pirates.
Moreover, he was a user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan. By all logic, the Beasts Pirates should value him highly.
Of course, Drake didn't let any of this show on his face.
Instead, he forced a faint smile and said to Shiryu:
"Chief Warden Shiryu, when I was still in the Marines, I believe we crossed paths once."
"Who would've thought that after all these years, we'd end up on the same side?"
Shiryu took a drag from his cigar and sneered coldly.
"The same side? Drake, you think too highly of yourself. Do you really believe just any stray dog can become one of Lord Luo Xing's subordinates?"
Drake's expression shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected this.
Not only had Luo Xing shown no enthusiasm toward recruiting him—even the man sent to meet him looked down on him completely.
How arrogant.
A surge of anger rose in Drake's chest. He had never been treated with such contempt before.
Fortunately, as an undercover Marine, his patience ran deep.
Keeping his smile unchanged, he said:
"Chief Warden Shiryu, I understand that joining the Beasts Pirates usually requires a token of loyalty."
"I happen to have information about Blackbeard. I wonder if Lord Luo Xing might be interested?"
Just as Shiryu was about to draw his blade and strike, he paused.
"Oh? You know where that black bastard is?"
Drake proceeded to tell him about the Blackbeard Pirates' location—on an island near the entrance to the New World.
He knew the Beasts Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates were far from friendly.
Otherwise, during the Paramount War, Luo Xing's subordinate Gecko Moria wouldn't have interfered with Blackbeard's plans.
By offering this information, Drake intended to achieve two things.
First, to gain the Beasts Pirates' trust as a gesture of loyalty.
Second, to incite conflict between the two pirate crews. If they fought each other, regardless of the outcome, it would benefit the Marines and the World Government.
Shiryu didn't know—or care—about Drake's calculations.
It didn't stop him from killing.
Drawing his famous blade, Raiu, Shiryu smiled cruelly.
"Thanks for the information. It might be useful to Lord Luo Xing."
"As a reward… I'll take your head as a token of gratitude."
Buzz!
The moment his words fell, Shiryu swung his blade straight toward Drake's neck.
Caught completely off guard, Drake's eyes widened in shock.
Why was Shiryu suddenly trying to kill him?
No—why had Luo Xing sent someone to kill him without even meeting him once?
Had his identity as an undercover agent been exposed?
Impossible!
Within the Marines, only a handful of high-ranking officials like Sengoku knew the truth. There was no way outsiders could know!
Confusion filled Drake's mind.
But he had no time to think.
Death was already upon him.
His skin flushed red as he mobilized all the blood and energy in his body in an instant.
At the very last moment—just as the blade was about to slice his neck—he narrowly dodged.
Rolling away, he gasped for breath, fear evident in his voice:
"Why… why are you trying to kill me?"
Shiryu advanced with his blade, shrugging indifferently.
"Do you need a reason to kill someone?"
Buzz!
Another vertical slash came down.
Drake's face turned deathly pale.
He hastily drew his weapon to block—
Only for it to be shattered in a single strike.
Despair flooded his expression.
Shiryu's strength had grown far beyond what he remembered.
Which made sense.
After consuming a Dragon-level monster cell, Shiryu—already at commander-level strength—had risen to a level comparable to the Admirals.
How could someone like Drake, merely at a Rear Admiral level, stand against him?
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Shiryu's relentless attacks left Drake overwhelmed.
In no time, deep wounds covered his body.
Confusion, fear, panic, and rage all surged within Drake at once.
Finally, he went all out.
Transforming into a massive dinosaur, he roared as his presence exploded outward.
An ancient predator—
The Allosaurus.
A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in Shiryu's eyes.
"So you finally transformed. I've been waiting for this."
With his strength, Shiryu could have killed Drake instantly.
But he had deliberately dragged out the fight—
Just to force Drake into his dinosaur form, so he could slaughter him again.
Shiryu of the Rain was a complete and utter psychopath.
His greatest pleasure was tormenting and killing his enemies.
In his Allosaurus form, Drake only suffered more.
His massive body was carved up again and again.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Wounds piled upon wounds.
Shiryu, meanwhile, grew more and more exhilarated.
The thrill of cruelty—it was intoxicating.
Still, he couldn't afford to drag things out too long.
Making Lord Luo Xing wait was not an option.
His expression turned serious.
With a single, decisive slash—
Drake's head was severed.
Just like that, X Drake—the elite undercover agent upon whom Sengoku and Kong had placed their hopes—was killed in utter confusion.
He never even got to meet Luo Xing.
Shiryu returned to the hall, carrying Drake's head.
Luo Xing merely glanced at it indifferently.
At his current level, someone like Drake wasn't even worth his attention.
Shiryu then relayed the information Drake had provided about Blackbeard.
Luo Xing let out a soft sound of interest, his gaze shifting slightly.
Blackbeard… on an island near the entrance to the New World?
If his memory served him correctly, Blackbeard should have captured Jewelry Bonney and was planning to exchange her with the Marines for a warship.
Compared to Blackbeard—who, without the Gura Gura no Mi, wasn't yet much of a threat—
Luo Xing was far more interested in Bonney.
Her Devil Fruit ability was quite peculiar.
She could manipulate age—making people younger or older.
It was likely a superior version of Ain's Return-Return Fruit.
Luo Xing couldn't help but imagine—
If Bonney used her power on his women, turning them from little girls into young maidens, then into mature women, even further into full adulthood—
Being able to switch between different stages at will…
Wouldn't that be… fascinating?
Aside from that,
He was also curious about Bonney's true identity.
With that in mind, Luo Xing decided to make a trip to that island.
There was no need to slowly sail there by warship.
Drake had already possessed a Log Pose pointing to that location.
All Luo Xing had to do was input the coordinates into the Anywhere Door—
And he could arrive instantly.
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