Chapter 43: Cleaning House
"That kid... his physical power is that strong?!"
Chermo's heart was filled with shock and fear. He had Armament Haki too, but his wasn't very strong. If he had taken that punch head-on, he would have been finished. And if he was knocked out, even touching Satoru wouldn't matter.
"Boss Dralion!"
The slave traders who had come with the giant man watched in horror as their leader was sent flying with one punch. Their faces were full of worry, and now, fear of Satoru.
Dralion was the strongest fighter their family had sent to guard this area. And this 'strongest' hadn't even lasted one round against a Navy brat.
At that moment, Dralion's heart wanted to retreat. That one punch had shown him the gap between them. Judging someone's strength by their age was the stupidest thing you could do.
"Even if you want to run, I won't let you go," Satoru said, as if reading his mind. "I don't let people who want me dead just walk away and live another day."
Seeing the flicker in Dralion's eyes, Satoru had already guessed his thoughts. His words shattered any thought of escape.
"Then it looks like I have to fight you to the death today," Dralion growled, pushing himself up and walking back toward Satoru. This time, every muscle in his huge body was tense and ready.
"You're Chermo, right?" Dralion said, looking at the pirate captain beside him.
"You've seen his strength. Fighting alone, neither of us is his match. Only if we work together do we have a sliver of a chance."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Chermo agreed quickly. He did not want to die here.
"No matter how many ants team up," Satoru said, a bored look on his face, "they're still just ants."
Infinity was always active around him. No person, no attack, could touch his body. So even if these two teamed up, without Conqueror's Haki or its advanced infusion, they had no way to win this fight.
"But, I'll use you two to test something. It's not a bad idea to see how big my range can be."
As Satoru spoke, he brought his hands together, fingers interlaced in a strange seal.
A small, perfect blue sphere of light flickered into existence above the battlefield, between the trees.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
The moment the words left his mouth, a terrifying, violent suction erupted from the blue sphere.
"AAAAH!"
"HELP!"
The weaker pirates and slave traders were instantly ripped off their feet. They screamed as they were pulled into the air, vanishing into the brilliant blue light of the sphere.
The power of Blue was like a localized black hole. Satoru wasn't strong enough to create a real one yet, but for dealing with people like this, it was more than enough.
Even Chermo and Dralion struggled. They dug their heels in, but the ground beneath them cracked and gave way. Their bodies lifted into the air, fighting against the impossible pull.
"Damn it! If this goes on, we'll be sucked in!" Dralion snarled, his face twisted with effort. He never thought his arrival would be what ended the whole battle.
"Is there nothing you can do?!" Chermo yelled, desperation in his voice. His Devil Fruit power was useless here. It was clear Satoru hadn't even been serious before, and now it was ending like this. He couldn't accept it.
"When you chose to be evil," Satoru's voice cut through the roaring wind of the technique, calm and clear, "you should have thought this might be the outcome."
Satoru poured more Cursed Energy into the technique. Instantly, everything in the area—people, broken weapons, mangrove roots, and chunks of earth—was ripped from the ground and pulled into the collapsing center of Blue. A massive crater was torn into the grove soil.
Finally, Satoru released the technique. The blue sphere winked out of existence.
"Whew... That's actually pretty tiring."
Satoru let out a long breath and sat down on the edge of the newly-made crater. The mana—Cursed Energy—cost wasn't high for him. With the Six Eyes and his innate talent, his energy was near limitless; it would never run out.
But it did take a toll on his mind. His head throbbed a little.
Hearing the silence return, Chris and the others, who had pulled back, cautiously returned to the area.
They froze, stunned by the scene before them. The landscape had changed dramatically from when they left. They couldn't imagine what had happened here in those few minutes.
"Satoru! Are you okay?!"
Chris spotted a figure sitting on the ground. Using his speed, he flashed over to Satoru's side.
"I'm fine," Satoru said, waving a hand weakly. "But I could really go for something sweet right now."
Eating something sweet helped his brain recover after big mental exertions.
"Looks like you're okay," Chris sighed in relief, hearing the familiar, joking tone.
"But alas, I'm a guy who never carries sweets. So, no dice."
"I... I have a piece of candy. Do you want it?"
A gruff, hesitant voice spoke up. It was Herac. The big, muscular cadet was standing there, holding out a single wrapped piece of candy, looking incredibly awkward.
"Huh?"
This surprised everyone who saw it, including Satoru.
Herac was known for hating sweets. He said they were for girls and little kids. A real man wouldn't eat them, he always claimed.
But now, he had pulled a candy from his pocket. It was hard not to find it funny.
"This... a guy gave it to me yesterday," Herac mumbled quickly, his face turning red under their stares. He tried to explain.
"Ohhh!"
"Ooooh!"
The group of cadets erupted into teasing noises.
"This 'guy' wouldn't happen to be a girl, would it?" one of them called out.
Herac didn't answer. His face just got redder.
Seeing his reaction, how could they not understand?
"Damn it! How did Herac get a girl's attention first?!" one cadet wailed in fake despair.
"Yeah! I'm so much more handsome! No one ever gives me candy! The world is so unfair!" another joined in, playing along.
Amidst the joking and the relieved laughter, Satoru took the candy from Herac's large hand, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. The sweetness spread, and he felt a little better. They had won. But as he looked at the giant crater and the quiet grove, he knew their mission was far from over. Sabaody's shadows were long, and they had just made a very loud noise.
(End of Chapter)
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