Chapter 83: Threat
The old man did not take Issho's words seriously at all.
After all, in his eyes, what he had said was not wrong. This was not legitimate business in the proper sense, but so what? Morality had never mattered in a place like this. Words alone could not touch him.
He clicked his tongue and looked at Issho with open disdain.
"This blind man really doesn't know his place," he said. "Interrupting at a time like this? Looks like he needs a proper lesson before he's sold."
Then he narrowed his eyes and added with malicious amusement, "Though come to think of it, would anyone even buy a blind man? Ah, right. There are always sadists. They love that kind of thing. Watching a helpless person die in front of them, hearing the panic in their voice while they can't even see it coming. A blind man can stir pity and pleasure at the same time. That's worth something."
When he finished, he deliberately stared at Issho's face, hoping to see fear.
But Issho remained calm, almost placid.
That lack of reaction disappointed him.
The old man's words sounded casual, but the contempt for human life behind them was so thick it was almost tangible. Issho's expression did not change, yet the fingers gripping his cane sword slowly tightened. Cracks began to spread across the wood under the pressure of his hand.
Axel caught it immediately.
If he let Issho's anger boil over here, this entire place would be flattened in an instant.
So he spoke first.
"Is everyone here?"
The sudden question made the old man blink.
"What?"
Axel tilted his head slightly. "I mean the people sold through this place. Are they all here? It must get pretty lonely being locked up alone."
He said it lightly, almost idly, like a child making idle conversation.
The old man snorted.
"So that's what you're asking? Thinking about companions before you've even been sold off? Don't worry. Goods of your quality won't stay here long. You'll be sent somewhere else."
His grin widened, cold and ugly.
Axel let out a quiet sigh.
"So they're not here."
He lifted his eyes to the old man.
"Then tell me where they are."
This time, even the old man sensed something was off.
His expression darkened.
"Brat, know your place. Goods only need to keep quiet."
Axel spread his hands helplessly.
"But I don't want to be a good product."
The room fell silent for a beat.
Then the old man barked, "What did you just say?"
He flicked his fingers, signaling the black clothed men around the room.
"Teach the brat a lesson. As for the blind man, do whatever you want with him."
The black clothed thugs, who had been standing off to the side like shadows, began closing in on Axel and Issho. Nearby, Stoby and his pirate crew merely watched. They had not gotten their money yet, and there was no harm in enjoying a free show first.
Axel, on the other hand, quietly stepped back and slipped behind Issho.
He had no intention of getting in the way.
Issho needed an outlet, and Axel knew very well that a man like him would never let a child dirty his hands first.
The thugs advanced until they were only inches away.
Then one of them threw a punch.
Issho did not dodge.
Instead, an invisible force burst outward.
The man who had attacked froze for a split second. Then his body slammed to the floor as if an entire mountain had dropped onto his back.
Boom.
The change came so suddenly that nobody understood what had happened.
Before the old man could even shout, the same crushing force spread across the room.
One after another, every single person present except Axel was driven violently to the ground.
Stoby.
The pirates.
The black clothed guards.
The people who had poked their heads in from the tavern after hearing the noise.
All of them were pinned flat, their bodies trembling under a pressure that felt dozens of times heavier than their own weight. The weaker ones could not even raise their heads. Some were already foaming at the mouth, their limbs twitching helplessly.
Even breathing became difficult.
Only Axel remained standing in the middle of it all, untouched.
The old man was stronger than most, but only barely. He could move his eyes and little else. His whole body shook as he forced his gaze toward Stoby.
The message in that stare was clear.
You brought them here. Explain this.
But Stoby was probably the most bewildered person in the room.
He awkwardly met the old man's gaze, but had no answer to give.
How was he supposed to know?
Who could have guessed that the two lambs he brought back to sell would turn out to be monsters wearing sheep's skin? If they had this kind of power, why the hell had they let themselves get captured in the first place?
He wanted to scream that question out loud, but under the crushing gravity, even thinking felt hard.
At that moment, some of the tavern staff pushed open the door from outside, trying to see what the commotion was about.
The instant they stepped in, they too were slammed to the floor by the same overwhelming force.
The old man's last shred of hope vanished.
At last, he clenched his teeth and forced out a few shaking words.
"Do... you know... who... stands behind me?"
Issho did not care.
To him, a threat was just a threat.
But Axel found the question almost funny.
So he answered.
"Who?"
The old man's face twisted with fear far deeper than the terror caused by the gravity pressing him down.
"The emperor of the Underworld... Joker!"
The name alone seemed to carry weight.
Joker.
Doflamingo again.
Axel almost wanted to laugh.
Their connection really was something special.
He had already offended that lunatic once. What difference did it make if he stepped on his toes a second time? Besides, with Issho here, even if Doflamingo showed up in person, Axel had nothing to fear right now.
"Joker?" Axel repeated casually. "So what?"
He crouched slightly, smiling as he looked at the old man.
"You're the one under my feet right now."
The pressure around the old man eased a little, just enough to let him breathe and speak properly.
Axel continued, "Now answer me. Where are the people you've trafficked being held? Tell me, and maybe I let you live."
The old man sucked in air greedily and stared at Axel in disbelief.
This brat... did he not understand what Joker meant?
Thinking Axel was ignorant, he tried to force out another explanation.
"That is Joker..."
"I know," Axel cut in flatly.
His smile disappeared.
"I'll ask one more time. Where are they?"
The old man trembled.
"I can't say it. If I talk, Joker won't spare me."
Axel studied him for a moment, then changed tactics without the slightest hesitation.
"Fine."
He straightened and asked almost conversationally, "What's your name?"
The old man hesitated, then answered, "Adelaide."
"Adelaide." Axel rolled the name over his tongue. "You've lived to this age doing this kind of business. That means you've probably worked hard to survive."
Adelaide's eyes flickered. Despite the situation, he nodded on instinct.
That much was true.
In a business like this, reaching old age was no easy thing.
Axel's tone remained calm.
"Then let me put it simply. Right now, your only choices are to tell me where they're being held or die here."
He tilted his head.
"That means you're choosing between dying sooner and dying later. You're old. You've seen enough to know which option makes more sense."
Adelaide gritted his teeth.
"I'd rather die than betray Joker."
Axel sighed.
"You say that now, but dying isn't really the part people fear most."
He crouched in front of Adelaide and spoke in an almost lazy tone, as if discussing the weather.
"What people fear is how they die."
Adelaide's pupils shrank.
Axel went on.
"We could start simple. Slice open your wounds a little at a time. Drip honey into them. Leave you where the ants can find you."
His voice never rose.
It did not need to.
"Or nail your fingers down one by one and peel the skin back slowly. Or break every joint in order and make sure each one heals wrong before moving to the next. Or keep you awake for days until you start begging your own memories to stop talking to you."
The room grew colder with each sentence.
None of what he described sounded exaggerated.
That was what made it terrifying.
The pirates' faces turned white.
The black clothed guards began shaking harder than before.
Even Stoby, who had spent years in filth and blood, felt his scalp go numb.
As for Adelaide, the color had already drained from his face entirely.
For the first time in decades, he felt true fear.
Not fear of death.
Fear of suffering.
Axel kept going, calmly describing one cruel method after another in enough detail to let everyone imagine it clearly. His voice stayed even and unhurried, which somehow made it all worse.
Nobody in the room doubted him.
Nobody thought he was bluffing.
By the end, Adelaide's lips were trembling.
His spirit was already breaking.
The last thing he saw was Axel smiling.
It was not a wide smile.
Not a cheerful one.
Just a small, quiet smile that made everyone in the room feel like a demon had opened its eyes and stepped into the light.
Then Axel rose to his feet and said softly,
"Alright."
"Let's begin."
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]