The Chief Justice glared at Zian, his face darkening. He hadn't expected the intruder to find his private room.
Worse, his hidden treasures of gold and jewels had been discovered. How had Zian managed it?
Perhaps sensing the Chief Justice's suspicion, Zian explained casually, "I came for you, that's all. I just happened to find your room along the way."
For a ninja, retrieving items from a room was no challenge.
Upon discovering the treasure, Zian wasted no time and sealed it into a scroll. There was no reason to be polite with an enemy.
"Damn it! That's loot we took from pirates!" the right head shouted. "How dare you touch it?!"
"Loot, and you hide it in your own room?" Zian asked.
"As a Chief Justice of Justice, what's wrong with confiscating pirate loot?"
The Chief Justice felt no guilt. After all, the money had been stolen by pirates, and it was common practice for them to set aside a portion for themselves.
"Reasonable," Zian nodded. "So taking your loot isn't wrong either. After all, we're enemies."
At these words, the Chief Justice's expression darkened further.
Yes, technically Zian wasn't wrong he was, after all, the "evil pirate."
"No, this guy must be tricking us," the left head said. "Didn't you notice he's carrying nothing?"
If he had taken the treasure, he would need at least a large bag. Instead, Zian only held a small weapon. Something was off.
"Take it as you will," Zian said, shaking his head before straightening his expression. "Now, I'll give you a chance. Tell me where Nicole Robin and Franky are, and I might let you live."
"We'll give you a chance too. Kneel and admit your mistakes, and we'll make it quick!" the right head said.
"You better lie down first," Zian replied.
In a flash, he appeared before the Chief Justice, driving a fierce punch straight to his abdomen.
The Chief Justice's eyes widened. He instinctively tried to block, but Zian was faster.
"Take this!"
"Smash!"
The sheer force made the Chief Justice's eyes bulge. He was sent flying, crashing into the stairs with a thunderous impact.
"Guh…"
Blood spurted from his mouth. His pale face revealed just how shocked he was he hadn't expected someone so slight to hit with such terrifying power. One blow almost knocked him unconscious.
"Hey, are you alright?" the left head asked.
"I'm fine…" the Chief Justice stammered.
"Evil pirate, I "
The right head didn't finish his sentence before Zian interrupted. "No need for words like that."
Perched on the stair railing, Zian's eyes glowed as he looked at the Chief Justice. "Tell me, where are Nicole Robin and Franky?"
The left and right heads froze the moment they saw Zian's eyes, their expressions lifeless like puppets.
"You think I'll tell you "
"Nicole Robin is in the building at the back. You…"
The Chief Justice's eyes went wide.
He couldn't believe his companions would betray their information. They had been greedy, yes, but never disloyal on matters of principle.
What were they thinking selling information to save their own skins?
"Damn it!"
He didn't give Zian a chance to speak further. With a surge, he leapt forward, snatched the right head's blade, and swung it at the left head.
"Guh!"
The left head collapsed, grievously wounded, losing consciousness.
Without letting the right head react, the Chief Justice struck again.
"Guh!"
Watching the Chief Justice cut them down one by one, Zian twitched. Wasn't this a little too ruthless? To just kill them to prevent leaks?
Glancing at the two lying motionless and then back at the Chief Justice, Zian realized something odd. This wasn't some three-headed freak it was three people hiding inside one outfit. What was the point of this?
Breathing heavily, the Chief Justice stood over them with his blade and said, "Though… I don't know how you did it, you… you won't get any intelligence from me…"
"No need," Zian said calmly.
"I admit, I have my faults and sometimes allow those two to indulge in small gains," the Chief Justice said. "But… kid, don't underestimate the justice I've upheld for decades!"
In a sudden burst of anger, the Chief Justice swung his blade at Zian's head.
This time he didn't hold back. He knew he couldn't strike a second blow, so this one had to be decisive.
"Clang!"
"Smash!"
"What…?!"
Zian had struck the blade in midair, shattering it. The Chief Justice's eyes were filled with shock.
This was the strength of the pirate invading Judicial Island? No wonder the Marines had said it was impossible to subdue them quickly.
If these were the intruders' abilities, only CP9 could hope to defeat them. Any ordinary soldier would be nothing but cannon fodder.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Fragments of the shattered blade cut into the Chief Justice, weakening him further. Blood flowed down the stairs, staining the red carpet even more vividly.
Slowly, his body slid down along the trail of blood.
"Perhaps the weight of decades of justice has been heavy on your shoulders, but… I too have reasons for what I must do," Zian said. "Rest well."
Having obtained the critical information, Zian ignored the fading Chief Justice and turned to leave.
The Chief Justice's eyes flickered back to life, like the last gleam before darkness. He struggled to turn his head toward Zian's retreating figure.
"You brat!"
Zian stopped briefly, still without looking back. "What, still holding on?"
"Heh, you won't succeed," the Chief Justice sneered. "Do you really think defeating me will save Nicole Robin?"
"Do you think Judicial Island has stood for eight hundred years without reason?!"
"Don't worry. Soon someone will come to deal with you, and when that time comes, you'll face your doom!"
"You mean CP9," Zian said. "Don't worry. Their fate won't be much better than yours."
With that, Zian vanished.
The Chief Justice never heard him his consciousness was already slipping away.
In the final seconds, he recalled his life a grand, turbulent life.
"Sensei… my justice… has never faded…"