The entire scene was dead silent.
Ace, Luffy, and Sabo. The three brats, all of whom had been lost in their own emotions just moments ago, now had identical expressions. Their mouths were "O" shaped, wide enough to fit an egg. Their eyes were wide. Their brains, at this moment, had collectively shut down!
What just happened?
That guard captain... that ferocious-looking guy who looked so tough...
He just...
Flew?
One finger?
With just one finger?!
Ace's grip on Blake's back froze. He painfully turned his head, looking at Blake's still-expressionless profile, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed.
He knew this man was strong. But he f*cking didn't expect him to be this strong!
Luffy's grip on Blake's thigh tightened. He tilted his little face up, and countless glittering stars were sparkling in his bean-like eyes.
So... so cool!
Cooler than Shanks!
Sabo was also completely stunned. The tears on his face hadn't even dried, but his red-rimmed eyes no longer held despair and pain. All that remained was a profound, indescribable shock!
"Trash!"
A hysterical roar broke the eerie silence!
Outlook III's face was completely twisted with extreme rage. He no longer had a shred of noble elegance. He pointed at the guards, who were too terrified to move, and cursed.
"A bunch of trash!"
"What do I feed you for! A guard captain, sent flying by a low-class peasant?!"
"You morons have completely shamed the kingdom!"
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the white-haired young man, who was still leaning against the tree and hadn't even changed his posture. His gaze looked like he wanted to swallow Blake whole!
"What are you standing there for!"
"Get him!"
"Everyone! All at once!"
"Chop him into meat paste!"
Under his roar, the remaining dozen guards, though terrified, didn't dare disobey. They exchanged glances, seeing the fear in each other's eyes, but also a hint of ruthlessness.
"Kill!"
A dozen men roared to bolster their own courage. They swung their longswords from all directions, charging at Blake! The crisscrossing net of swords sealed all escape routes!
"Big Brother Blake! Watch out!" Ace yelled in terror.
However, faced with this siege that could instantly dismember a person, Blake just yawned. He rubbed his eyes, looking lazy as if he hadn't woken up.
"Sigh..."
He sighed, his tone full of undisguised boredom with this farce.
"I'm done playing with you."
He said it lightly.
"It's too boring."
The moment his voice fell.
Boom!
Behind him, without warning, eight huge, black, living shadows erupted!
What was that?!
Was that...
Octopus tentacles?!
Thick, ferocious, black tentacles covered in suckers, like demonic claws reaching from hell, danced wildly behind him!
The air froze at this moment!
The guards, who were halfway through their charge, their expressions turned instantly from ferocious to extreme terror!
They wanted to stop! They wanted to retreat!
But it was too late!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The eight tentacles shot out like lightning, at a speed the naked eye couldn't possibly follow!
They precisely wrapped around every guard's body, neck, and limbs!
One tentacle even bypassed everyone, striking like lightning to wrap around Outlook III, who was standing at the back, his face a mask of horror!
"Urgh!"
"Ghhk..."
All the ear-piercing shrieks and gasps turned into suppressed, pained grunts the moment they were caught.
A dozen men, along with that high-and-mighty noble, were all swept into the air at this moment by those ferocious tentacles!
The tentacles tightened!
Krak! Krak!
It was the sickening sound of armor being crushed and deformed!
Those battle-hardened guards were as fragile as babies before these tentacles! They struggled desperately but couldn't budge them an inch! They could only watch as their bodies were squeezed tighter and tighter, their faces turning a dark purple, their eyes nearly bulging from their sockets!
Blake just stood there quietly.
The eight tentacles that extended from his body, symbolizing absolute power and destruction, danced wildly in the air, toying with the so-called kingdom elite.
He was like a god, judging a group of ants who didn't know their place.
"Waaaah!"
Countless glittering stars burst from Luffy's bean-like eyes!
He hugged Blake's leg with even more force, his whole body hanging off him. He tilted his dirty little face up, shouting in pure worship with all his might.
"Blake! You're so cool!"
"So awesome!"
This heartfelt praise pulled Ace and Sabo, who were still petrified, back to reality.
Ace slid stiffly off Blake's back. He looked at the guards, who were struggling uselessly in the air, and at the noble, who had been so arrogant just moments ago but was now pale as death.
He swallowed hard.
This man...
This man named Blake...
He was so strong, he was barely human!
Blake seemed completely indifferent to Luffy's flattery. He lazily turned his head, his indifferent eyes landing on Ace's face.
"Hey."
He gestured with his chin at the "trophies" trussed up in the air.
"How about it?"
"Customer."
A playful arc hooked Blake's lips.
"Do you need my help... to clean up all this trash?"
Kill them?
This light question, asked as casually as "Want to add an egg?", made the three brats tremble!
The shock and excitement on Ace's face instantly vanished, replaced by a deathly pale!
Luffy's sparkling eyes also returned to normal. He tilted his head, his rubber brain feeling the chilling weight behind those words for the first time.
Kill...
What does that mean?
Does it mean... you can't see them again?
Sabo's reaction was the strongest.
He snapped his head up. All the color drained from his tear-streaked face!
He looked at his father, who was dangling in mid-air, his face purple from the grip of the black tentacle, his feet kicking weakly.
Even though he was a bastard.
Even though he hated that man.
He was still... his father!
"No... Don't!"
Sabo didn't even think. He rushed in front of Blake purely on instinct, his red eyes filled with pleading and begging.
"Please... don't kill him!"
His words were broken by fear, his voice thick with tears.
"I'm begging you!"