Yato's voice echoed through the forest, half mockery, half reflection.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had already returned to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Familiar voices immediately reached his ears.
"Captain, we looked into that 'Dream Phantom Pirates' crew, but there's no trace of them anywhere. Could that Shadow Wraith guy have scammed us?"
"Exactly! We pissed off the mighty Battleaxe Pirates, he probably didn't even dare reveal his real name. That whole 'Shadow Wraith' thing? Probably fake too!"
"Damn it! That bastard played us!"
Inside a modest inn, the Battleaxe Pirates had gathered to vent their frustration.
The bald captain snorted coldly, still rubbing the wound on his left foot from days earlier. "That bastard... If I ever see him again, I swear i'll- "
Before the word "kill" even left his lips, a wisp of black smoke floated in front of him… and took human form.
"What exactly will you do?" Yato asked playfully.
His sudden appearance sent the whole room of pirates into a stunned panic.
Everyone stumbled backward, faces pale, fear and fury warring in their eyes.
The bald captain's face turned ashen. His hand trembled so hard he almost spilled his drink.
Then, in an instant, his expression did a complete 180.
He put on the widest, most sycophantic grin, nodding like a bobblehead.
"Boss Wraith! W-What an honor! Had I known you were coming, I'd have prepared a feast!"
Yato arched a brow. "You were just saying you'd kill me?"
"N-No! Who the hell would dare say that?!" the captain snapped, eyes darting to his men.
"Was it you? Or you?"
"N-No way!" several crew members waved their hands frantically, sweating bullets.
"Boss Wraith is our idol! Anyone who lays a finger on him is an enemy of the Battleaxe Pirates!"
Yato chuckled and waved them off. "Relax. I'm not here to pick a fight. I just have a few questions."
"O-Of course, boss! Ask away! I'll answer everything, I swear!" the captain said, forcing a smile while internally wiping away cold sweat.
Yato nodded approvingly. "Have any Celestial Dragons visited Sabaody recently?"
"You mean the World Nobles?" The captain furrowed his brow. "I heard one came by about a week ago, but they've already returned to the Holy Land."
"No Celestial Dragons on the island right now?" Yato pressed.
"No... I don't think so." The captain didn't dare give a definitive answer. "If they were here, it'd be hard to miss. The whole island would be in chaos. But right now? Everything's quiet."
"I see. Good. Do me a favor, keep your ear to the ground. If you do well, you'll be rewarded."
Yato smirked. "As for tracking down Dream Phantom? Don't waste your time. You guys aren't anywhere near that level."
With that final jab, he waved his hand and began to dissipate.
Gone as quickly as he came.
Once the smoke vanished, the bald captain finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. It felt like he'd just crawled back from the brink of death.
"He's even scarier than last time..." one of the pirates whispered.
"Huh!?" The captain glared at him, then glanced around to make sure Yato was really gone.
He cleared his throat.
"You call him what?"
"Boss Wraith! Boss Wraith!"
"Damn right! From now on, you call him Boss Wraith! Got that?!"
He stopped, then added, "We couldn't find anything on Dream Phantom because we're just not good enough. But this time, Boss Wraith gave us a task. We'll do it right!"
...Of course, that didn't mean he believed every word. He still feared that Yato might just slash him down one day.
With abilities like that, coming and going like a ghost, what assassination target could possibly escape?
Even if someone could survive… the bald captain knew he certainly wasn't one of them.
"A real man knows when to bend or bow…" he told himself.
"Not in Sabaody…"
Yato opened his eyes, now back on Amazon Lily. He frowned slightly.
"I was hoping to find a Celestial Dragon here and interrogate them... Guess I'll have to head straight to the Holy Land."
Mary Geoise, the center of the World Government, sat atop the Red Line. There were only two ways to enter.
First, infiltrate through the Navy's port via military ships.
Second, disguise oneself as a representative from a World Government member nation.
But for Yato, neither was necessary.
He didn't need smuggling or disguises.
He only needed a "coordinate."
Once someone became a coordinate, like the bald captain, they could serve as a target for teleportation, allowing Yato to freely jump between Sabaody and Amazon Lily.
"Still, this is gonna be a grind…"
He sighed.
"Not difficult, just exhausting. I have no idea how many tries it'll take…"
Determined, he closed his eyes and entered the starfield once again.
An endless expanse of glittering points, some dim, some bright.
Over the past few days, Yato had discovered a rough system.
These stars weren't random, they mapped positions.
For example, stars to his north represented people north of Amazon Lily.
With that understanding, finding someone in Mary Geoise wasn't impossible.
So he began the process.
And what a process it was.
He tried and tried, tirelessly working through the night.
Finally, as the sun began to rise,
He broke through.
With a flash, Yato appeared in a kitchen.
A busy kitchen. Chefs bustled about, preparing breakfast.
Yato's target?
A young servant, maybe seventeen or eighteen, sweeping the floor in silence.
Once the boy finished and took out the trash, Yato followed quietly.
"Don't speak. Scream and you die. Nod if you understand."
A sinister voice echoed out of nowhere.
The boy froze in terror. Legs trembling, heart pounding.
He nodded frantically, not daring to breathe.
"Good," Yato said with a faint smile. "I'll ask a few questions. If your answers are good, you'll walk away just fine."
"Where are we?"
"M-Mary Geoise…"
"Whose estate is this?"
"Saint Roswald's… one of the Celestial Dragons."
"Oh?" Yato raised an eyebrow. "Lucky. I landed right in a Celestial Dragon's house. Shame it's not the target."
The servant mustered up a sliver of courage.
"W-What are you going to do…?"
"What do you think?" Yato rolled his eyes. "You know who Nirudik is?"
"I-I do! He's another Celestial Dragon. A friend of Saint Roswald's. They meet often."
Yato's eyes gleamed. "Where does he live?"
"Out the front gate… walk straight for 500 meters… turn right at the chapel… the biggest estate there, that's Saint Nirudik's home!"
The boy's heartbeat was deafening. He sensed something catastrophic was about to happen.
And he? Might be complicit.
"You've been helpful. Forget this ever happened. If I find out you told anyone… I'll be back."
"Y-Yes, sir! I'm just a lowly servant! I wouldn't dare!"
He waited in silence.
But no voice came.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Ten minutes passed before the boy finally dared to move, collapsing in a heap.
Meanwhile, Yato had already found his mark.
He now stood at the foot of a grand bed…
Gazing coldly at the bloated pig of a man snoring atop it.
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters