Aeridar sat expressionless in his seat, though behind him, the liquor shelf was a wreck—bottles shattered, alcohol spilling everywhere, its rich aroma thick in the air.
He spoke in a low, cold voice.
"You've pissed off... now die."
The mont the words left his lips, he vanished.
"Where did he—?!" Vic, still loading his bullets, suddenly realized the man in front of him was gone.
Then, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, and a voice whispered from right behind him:
"Didn't you say you had in your sights?"
Vic froze. Cold sweat soaked through his back in an instant. That voice—there was no mistake. It belonged to his target. But how? The man had appeared behind him like a ghost. He hadn't even caught a blur of movent. No one with that kind of speed... no, there was no way he could fight soone like this.
"Soone who can't even see his own enemy clearly has lived far too long. Better you die now."
Aeridar, now standing behind him, placed his left hand on Vic's shoulder. His right hand rose, fingers pressed tightly together like a blade, ready to drive a palm strike into Vic's spine.
Smack.
Aeridar's wrist was caught mid-strike—gripped by another hand, large and calloused. He looked up, frowning. A man stood before him, clad in a dark green coat, hood drawn low to obscure his face.
"Who are you?" Aeridar asked coldly.
The man lifted his head slightly, revealing a red square tattoo on the left side of his face.
"A revolutionary," he replied.
In that instant, Aeridar's pupils shrank to pinpricks. His breath caught in his throat.
"...It's you."
"Oh?" the man chuckled, seeing the shock in Aeridar's eyes. "Looks like you recognize . Mind doing a favor and letting this guy go?"
Aeridar inhaled slowly, trying to steady the storm inside him. With forced calm, he said mockingly, "What a rare honor, eting soone like you in a place like this. Of course—I'll give you that favor. Though... this idiot. He one of yours?"
"He's not," the man replied, glancing casually at the trembling Vic. "I just don't want any trouble breaking out these next few days."
Truthfully, he didn't want to save this idiot. But he had to. Not because of any connection—just because of what would happen if he didn't. Here in this city, fights—even deaths—weren't uncommon. As long as it wasn't public, the military usually looked the other way. But if soone was killed in broad daylight, in a crowded public setting, the army had to investigate, even if only to maintain appearances.
If Vic had died here, right in front of so many people, the army would intervene without a doubt. And once they started investigating, it wouldn't take long to uncover Aeridar's identity.
A pirate with a 40 million Beri bounty? That wasn't sothing that could be swept under the rug.
That level of threat would force the kingdom's military to notify the Navy. And once the Navy found out that the highest bounty in the East Blue had surfaced, they'd launch a full-blown operation.
The Kingdom of Sasardo might even allow Marines to deploy troops into the city. And even if they didn't, they'd still conduct a thorough investigation. And that—that could expose his presence.
Compared to that risk, so small-ti pirate wasn't worth the trouble.
"So that's what this is about. Just these next couple days, huh..."
Aeridar now understood. A revolutionary, here for revolutionary purposes. According to the reports, this man had already toppled several kingdoms.
More importantly, his ideology was a direct threat to the World Governnt—so much so that they labeled him the "World's Most Dangerous Criminal."
Even though he hadn't appeared much in the original reports, and his abilities were still a mystery, the few actions he had taken proved one thing clearly:
This man was incredibly powerful—at least on par with a Marine Admiral.
Aeridar knew he was no match for him. More than that, this man was far too dangerous.
He'd dedicated himself to fighting the World Governnt, while Aeridar's goals were the exact opposite.
Without another word, Aeridar let go of Vic's shoulder. The man with the tattoo also released his grip on Aeridar's wrist. Vic collapsed to the floor, soaked in cold sweat.
"Let's go," Aeridar ordered.
He swept a cold glance across the remaining patrons of the bar, then motioned to Arlan and Dimitri, who had been standing nearby on high alert. Together, they quickly exited.
"Heh... interesting guy," the hooded man murmured, watching Aeridar's retreating figure. His eyes narrowed slightly, then he too turned and left.
Aeridar and his crew said nothing as they walked. Heads down, they moved quickly through the streets. Only when they'd left that block did Arlan finally break the silence.
"Captain," he asked, puzzled, "who was that man? You looked... wary of him."
"I could feel an insane amount of pressure just being near him," Dimitri muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"A revolutionary," Aeridar finally exhaled, his voice grave. "A man the World Governnt calls the World's Most Dangerous Criminal."
"What?!"
Arlan and Dimitri both gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.
"It was him?"
"Yes... the man shrouded in mystery. The one who stands at the very top of the World Governnt's most-wanted list." Aeridar's face darkened as he spoke the na.
"Monkey D. Dragon."
"What do we do now?" Dimitri asked, his voice low, uncertain.
"We head back. Gather everyone. We leave by sundown—no later."
"Sundown? You an tonight? That soon?" Arlan asked, stunned. "Can't we just steer clear of him? Why the rush?"
Aeridar stared hard at Dimitri, then said softly,
"Because this country... is about to be overthrown."
"What?!"
Arlan could hardly believe his ears. "But... this is one of the largest nations in the East Blue! It houses the biggest Marine base in the region! There's no way—!"
"You underestimate him," Aeridar snapped. "You think the man branded Enemy of the World by the World Governnt can't topple a single East Blue nation?"
He let out a cold laugh.
"If he wanted to destroy this place—this entire Marine stronghold—he could do it. Alone."
"Alone?! What is he, a monster?!" Arlan and Dimitri were both shaken.
An East Blue kingdom with over 200,000 soldiers. A military force strong enough to crush any rival nation in the region. What kind of person could single-handedly bring all of that down?
"A monster, yes," Aeridar murmured, voice hollow.
And that kind of power... was exactly what he dread of.
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