Suddenly, Garrido dropped his head and tucked his body into a tight crouch as a blade swept past him, narrowly avoiding the second attack.
At that very moment…
'Click.'
Wyper had already raised his Impact Dial, a cold smile spreading across his face. "Die."
Garrido's pupils contracted as fear flashed through his heart.
'He couldn't dodge this one.'
The two high-speed evasions had already drained his stamina and concentration; escaping a third attack was impossible. And even if he somehow avoided Wyper's Impact Dial, Kamakiri was still waiting behind him. The four-man assault had cornered him in a single exchange.
Just then, a figure appeared in front of him.
'Clang!'
The sound of metal colliding rang out as the newcomer lowered his head and crossed both arms before him. The powerful impact wave slammed into him... and shattered.
He had blocked it head-on, standing firmly between Wyper and Garrido.
"People of the Blue Sea..." Wyper's expression darkened.
"Step back." Daz Bonez flicked his transformed blade-arms, his face as cold as ever.
His imposing physique alone was intimidating, but the sight of his arms turning into razor-sharp steel made the expressions of Wyper and his men grow even more serious.
"Thank you," Garrido said gratefully, finally coming to his senses.
"It's the captain's order. You don't need to thank me," Daz Bonez answered flatly.
At the same time, Wyper's men finished driving back Garrido's remaining guards and regrouped behind their leader.
Footsteps approached, followed by a calm, gentle voice.
"Mr. Garrido has taken good care of us. I hope you'll stop here."
Rojen walked forward with the rest of the Nether Soul Pirates.
"Mr. Rojen..." Garrido hurriedly said, "you don't need to involve yourselves."
This was a conflict between the Skypieans and the Shandians; it had nothing to do with Rojen's crew. That was why, even while cornered, Garrido had never once looked toward them for help. In his eyes, they were merely visitors. Protecting their safety was his duty, but asking them to risk their lives for his own problems would violate everything he believed in.
Garrido truly was an honorable man, living by a strict code of chivalry.
"Now that we've seen it, we can't just pretend it didn't happen," Rojen said with a smile, gently cutting Garrido off before turning to face Wyper.
The Dragon-Elephant Six stepped forward with relaxed smiles, positioning themselves around Garrido and completely blocking the Shandians' path.
"People of the Blue Sea." Wyper's expression grew even colder. "Are you really going to protect him?"
He had expected these outsiders to interfere, a possibility that had worried him from the beginning. Now that it was actually happening, his mood only worsened.
"Mr. Garrido has looked after us throughout our journey," Rojen smiled calmly. "So naturally, we'll make sure he comes to no harm. I hope you'll withdraw."
Without anyone realizing it, the Nether Soul Pirates had already formed a defensive circle around Garrido. Any chance of striking him directly had completely disappeared.
"Anyone who stands in our way is our enemy," Wyper said coldly. "I'll give you one last chance. Choose."
His voice was icy, and combined with his towering frame, it carried overwhelming pressure.
"How ridiculous."
His arrogant tone immediately irritated the Nether Soul Pirates.
Jason let out a cold laugh, stepping forward and pointing straight at Wyper. "Who gave you the nerve to talk to the Nether Soul Pirates like that? The Captain's being polite, and you take that as a sign we're easy to bully?"
He glanced back at Rojen. "Captain... can we kill them?"
The crew's three biggest battle fanatics spoke up one after another, killing intent flashing in their eyes. As their hostility surfaced, the atmosphere around the Nether Soul Pirates changed completely. An overwhelming, terrifying aura swept across the battlefield and crashed into Wyper and his men.
For a moment, they could barely breathe. The friendly "cats" standing before them had transformed into savage tigers, staring at them as if they were prey.
"No need to be so bloodthirsty," Rojen smiled and waved a hand. "We didn't come here looking for a fight."
He didn't seem bothered in the slightest by Wyper's rude attitude.
"Boss..." Kamakiri stepped closer to Wyper and lowered his voice. "These people... they're strange."
Wyper's eyes flickered as he carefully swept his gaze across every member of the crew. Normally, he wouldn't have sensed it so clearly, but now they weren't hiding their presence. It felt as if every single one of them possessed an aura powerful enough to crush him.
The pressure weighed heavily on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
Even so, backing down now would be humiliating, and opportunities to kill Garrido were incredibly rare. As Gan Fall's right-hand man, Garrido's importance was obvious. If there was a chance to eliminate him, they couldn't afford to let it slip away.
"So..." Wyper slowly raised his weapon. "You're determined to protect him."
Behind him, one of the Shandians spoke anxiously, "Wyper..."
But Wyper ignored him completely. Once he made a decision, he rarely changed his mind.
"You're far too arrogant," Trens finally lost his patience. "If it's a fight you want... we're not afraid."
Even the normally calm Trens reached behind his back toward the long black bundle he carried, while the others' expressions had already turned icy.
"Then we'll fight." The smile disappeared from Rojen's face.
He hadn't wanted to interfere in this conflict. The Shandians had every reason to reclaim the land that had once belonged to them, but Garrido had treated them with nothing but kindness during their stay. The Nether Soul Pirates were not the kind of people who forgot a favor. Besides, if Garrido and his squad hadn't spent the entire night standing guard for them, they wouldn't have fallen into such a disadvantage so quickly.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.
"Captain," Daz Bonez stepped forward with a cold smile. "There's no need to make such a fuss. I alone am enough for this bunch."
His body shifted, sharp blades protruding from every part of him, gleaming with murderous intent.
"A rookie like you isn't stealing all the glory." The Dragon-Elephant Six also stepped forward, splitting into two groups of three to stand before the others. Not a trace of fear could be seen in their eyes.
"Be careful," Garrido warned in a low voice. "They're all very strong."
The next second, the battle began.
Wyper was the first to move, but the instant he charged, Daz Bonez took a single powerful step forward. Blades spun from every part of his body, drawing dazzling arcs of steel through the air.
"Who..." Daz Bonez's cold voice echoed across the battlefield, "...gave you the courage to provoke the Nether Soul Pirates?"
'Clang! Clang! Clang!'
A rapid series of metallic collisions rang out, and Wyper's expression changed dramatically as he was forced to retreat at high speed.
(End Of This Chapter)
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