Chapter 456: Encountering Jin and Feng Yue!
Feng Yue could only sigh helplessly as he looked at Jin's exaggerated expression.
For someone who looked every bit the stoic warrior, Jin's way of talking could drive anyone mad.
"But seriously," he said, his tone suddenly serious, "what's our next move?"
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates," Feng Yue replied, covering his face with a gloved hand. "They must be dealt with. If they've fallen into his scheme, things will spiral out of control."
His voice was calm, but there was a weariness beneath it. Jin should've been the one to take these matters seriously—they were, after all, the Evictors, the ones meant to keep balance by driving away those who threatened the natural order.
Yet lately, none of them seemed to care.
Jin, his only semi-reliable companion, was a strange one himself—half warrior, half lunatic.
"Dragon Hunter Pirates?" he repeated. "You mean that upstart crew making waves across the seas? I heard their captain's pretty new to the Grand Line."
"He's definitely a newcomer," Feng Yue said softly. "Hasn't been at sea long at all, and yet in that short time, he's become a force that even the old powers can't ignore."
He looked at the horizon. "If someone like that gets caught in his conspiracy, we'll all be in trouble. Which is why…"
His voice trailed off, eyes darkening with thought. "I have other motives this time."
Jin tilted his head. "A man like that wouldn't side with those puppets, would he? They're even duller than we are." Then a grin stretched across his face. "Still, I'm curious. I want to see for myself what kind of crew they really are."
Feng Yue's eyes narrowed. "You mean you want to fight them."
He shrugged, grinning wider. "Of course. If they're really that strong, I want to test their mettle. You'll let me have a shot, right?"
"Fine," he replied. "You can fight them—but be careful. These people aren't ordinary pirates. Each one of them is a monster."
Jin's grin turned feral. "A monster, huh? Perfect! That's exactly the kind of opponent I've been waiting for."
Feng Yue just shook his head. "Whatever. Just don't die."
Then his eyes widened. "Wait… what is that?"
He pointed toward the waves ahead. A colossal shadow rippled beneath the sea. The water churned, and a massive form rose from the depths.
His eyes narrowed as he recognized the figure standing atop the creature's back. "A Sea King… with people riding it?"
When he focused, his heart skipped. "Ryuunosuke… and Keshia?"
The revelation stunned him. He had been planning to locate Ryuunosuke discreetly, not expecting to run right into him. And Keshia—why was she with him?
Ryuunosuke had been moving in secret for days, avoiding all surveillance. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't random.
"Ryuunosuke!?" Jin repeated the name, his eyes lighting up. "So that's him, huh?" He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the sea, his voice booming. "Hey! Ryuunosuke! Come fight me!"
"Idiot!" Feng Yue hissed. "You'll blow our cover!"
But it was too late.
…
Ryuunosuke had already noticed their presence. The moment Jin bellow cut through the wind, he sighed. Of course. The one shouting has to be Jin.
"Jin! Feng Yue!" Keshia turned sharply toward the sound, her face paling. Seeing the golden ship closing in, her body stiffened.
It wasn't just the recognition—it was the realization of what it meant.
Those two weren't simple Guardians. They were Evictors, agents who existed to remove or destroy threats to the balance. And her relationship with them was… complicated, to say the least.
"Maybe they're here for you," Ryuunosuke said, glancing at her. "Any bad blood between you?"
Keshia hesitated. "The Evictors and the Guardians don't exactly… get along. If they're coming here, it's not for a friendly chat."
Her tone hardened. She knew full well that alone, she wouldn't stand a chance against either of them. If they decided she was expendable, it would be over before she could blink.
Ryuunosuke could tell from her face that she hadn't heard Jin'searlier challenge. With a faint smile, he stretched his wings—the radiant, ethereal appendages unfurling behind him like twin halos of light.
"I'll handle Feng Yue," he said simply. "You take Jin."
Before Keshia could protest, he shot forward, vanishing into a flash of gold and white.
Feng Yue's eyes widened as the air around his distorted from the pressure of his arrival.
"Ah-la-la…" Jin laughed, watching the light descend from the sky. "He attacked first. I like that!"
A golden energy flared from his body, his aura mixing with violet sparks of Conqueror's Haki. But threaded through that aura were golden lines, pulsing rhythmically like veins of light.
The sight made Ryuunosuke pause briefly midair. His own Conqueror's Haki shimmered gold as well, though without the same geometric symmetry. Whatever power flowed through Jin's aura wasn't ordinary Haki—it was something refined, disciplined, and ancient.
But Ryuunosuke had no interest in Jin.
He angled sharply, darting past him in a streak of light straight toward Feng Yue.
"Hey, wait!" Jin shouted. "He's mine!"
Too late.
Steel clashed against steel as Ryuunosuke's sword met Feng Yue's twin blades. The impact split the sky, sending waves crashing outward in all directions.
"You never change," Feng Yue said, voice calm but sharp as his blades. "Always charging in without thinking."
"Thinking's overrated," Ryuunosuke replied, smirking. "Besides, we never finished our last match."
The force of their next collision shattered the air around them, the sea below forming a vast whirlpool as their battle spilled over the water.
Meanwhile, Jin was left behind, fuming.
"Hey! This isn't fair! That's my fight!"
"Boom!"
An energy blast struck the sea beside him, sending waves high into the air. Floating above the rippling water, Keshia glared down, her staff glowing with energy.
"Your opponent," she said coldly, "is me."
Jin turned toward her, grinning like a child given a new toy. "Oh? So you're going to fight me instead? That's fine too!"
Golden energy rippled from his body as he leapt into the air, his presence swelling with overwhelming power.
Keshia's eyes narrowed. Ryuunosuke had already created an opening by drawing Feng Yue away. If she didn't make the most of it, she'd be nothing but dead weight.
She raised her hand, summoning a barrier of shimmering light. "Come, Jin! Let's see which of us falls first!"
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]