"Who the hell is that?!"
Everyone stared, completely dumbfounded.
"Kaien?!"
Lucy asked cautiously. She could hardly believe it—he looked like a completely different person.
"Yeah, it's me."
"It's about time someone cleaned up you disgusting scumbags."
Kaien was about to make a move when a hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.
"Kaien… ughhh~~~!"
"Give me a sec. Three seconds, tops, and I'll deal with these guys. Also—stay back. Don't puke on me."
"No! These bastards… they impersonated Fairy Tail! I want to punch them myself! …ugh…"
Kaien paused at Natsu's words. Come to think of it, this guy had every reason to take them down. After all, someone had impersonated him. Might as well let him handle it.
"Alright, fine!"
FWOOOSH—!
Flames erupted from Kaien's feet, melting through the deck below and shooting him down into the lower cabin. Then the flames blasted through the back of the ship, forming a rocket-like burst that propelled the entire vessel.
"Hold on tight!"
Kaien called back to Lucy.
"???"
Lucy was confused—until she wasn't.
BOOM—!
An intense thrust surged through the ship, knocking everyone backward.
"KYAAAAH—!"
Then the entire ship veered hard, throwing everyone in the opposite direction.
"WAAAH—!"
Finally, the ship accelerated straight toward Hargeon Port, sending bodies tumbling everywhere.
In moments, the ship crashed bow-first into the sandy shore and ran aground.
"Wh-What the hell?!"
"The ship just crashed into the port!!"
People at the docks ran out, startled by the scene.
The drugged girls on board had woken up and were now screaming and scattering in every direction.
"Finally… it's not spinning anymore…"
Natsu slowly got to his feet.
"This is bad… Salamander-sama, we're back at the port! And the girls all escaped!"
"What?!"
Lucy beamed. "That's great! Once the army gets here, you guys are done for!"
"You brat… Look what you've done!!"
Salamander—no, Bora—glared at Kaien, furious. His ship was trashed, his business ruined, and now the Magic Council might come after him.
Kaien just smiled, unconcerned. "Eh~ don't mention it. I've always been a sucker for doing the right thing."
"I'm not praising you!!"
Natsu stood up and pulled off his jacket, locking eyes with Bora. "Are you really a Fairy Tail mage?"
"Huh? What does it matter now? I am, or I'm not—so what?"
"Come here and let me see! I'm Natsu from Fairy Tail! And I've never seen you in my life!!"
"What?!"
Lucy was stunned. "Fairy Tail?! Natsu's a Fairy Tail mage?! Then that means Kaien…"
She suddenly remembered what Kaien had said earlier. No wonder he was so sure Salamander was a fake—he was a member himself. Of course he'd know.
"Look at that guild mark!"
"Mister Bora, that's the real deal!!"
"Y-You idiot!! Don't call me by my real name!!"
Bora's face paled. If his name got out, his identity would be exposed.
"Bora… Prominence Bora. Kicked out of the 'Titan Nose' Guild years ago."
Happy, who kept up with magic world news, remembered the name.
"I've heard of him too. Got expelled for using magic to steal from people. Now he's stooped to human trafficking."
Lucy was even more informed, having followed all the major stories in Magic Weekly back home.
Natsu's eyes narrowed. A vein bulged on his forehead. "I don't care if you're a good guy or a bad guy. If you impersonate Fairy Tail, I'm not letting you off!"
Compared to Kaien, who had only been with the guild for half a year, Natsu had grown up in Fairy Tail. His attachment ran deep. Seeing someone use the guild's name for something as disgusting as human trafficking—it was unforgivable.
"Shut the hell up!!"
"Prominence Typhoon!!"
Bora raised his hand and launched a violent blast of fire at Natsu, wrapping his body in flames.
"Natsu!"
Lucy tried to rush forward, but Happy stopped her.
"Hmph! There's no way you survived that, brat."
"…Tastes awful."
Natsu's voice came from inside the fire. Bora froze.
Then, everyone saw something that left them speechless.
"What is this?! Are you really a fire mage?! That's the worst-tasting fire I've ever eaten. Compared to Kaien's fire, yours is garbage."
Natsu grabbed fistfuls of the flames and stuffed them into his mouth, devouring them.
"What?!!"
"H-He's eating the fire?!"
"W-Wha… Is this guy even human?!"
Even Bora was trembling now. His flames hadn't worked on Kaien—but now someone was eating them? That was beyond insane.
Happy smirked. "Fire can't hurt Natsu."
Lucy was drenched in cold sweat. "I've never seen magic like this!!"
"Now that I've eaten… I'm powered up! Time to return the favor!!"
Natsu inhaled deeply, gathering magic in his lungs.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!"
A massive wave of flames burst from Natsu's mouth.
BOOOOM—!
The entire ship exploded in a fiery blast.
"ARGHHHH—!!"
The traffickers screamed as they were sent flying.
One of them recognized Natsu and began to tremble. "That guy… Bora-sama!! I've seen him before!!"
"Pink hair and a scarf like dragon scales—it's him!! That guy is… the real…"
"Salamander…"
Lucy realized it too. So Natsu was the real Salamander all along.
"Remember this!! This is what a true Fairy Tail mage looks like!!"
Natsu's fists ignited as he charged at the traffickers.
"ARGHHHHH!!"
"NOOOOO!!"
The screams filled the port.
Seeing how things were turning out, Bora tried to escape. Whether it was the bulletproof freak or the fire-eating lunatic, these guys were monsters.
It was just him against two of them. No shame in running.
Purple flames flared beneath his feet as he launched into the sky.
But Lucy spotted him immediately. "No! He's trying to escape!!"
Kaien raised an eyebrow. "Escape? You think you can run after crossing Fairy Tail? This world doesn't work like that."
He raised his right arm, gathering flame.
"Fire Fist!!!"