vncnus Chapter 162 The Earl's Whisper, The Golden Lion's End
Chapter 162 The Earl's Whisper, The Golden Lion's End
Chapter 162 The Earl's Whisper, The Golden Lion's End
Devil Town, this dilapidated town suspended beneath the clouds, is currently shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of tension. A damp, cold mist permeates the rusted metal buildings and creaking wooden piers, carrying a chilling murderous intent and unease even colder than the mist itself.
A large number of pirate ships crowded the not-so-wide Yunhai Harbor, with all sorts of flags, most of which exuded a fierce aura.
These pirates are no ordinary people; many of them are formidable figures who have made a name for themselves in the New World.
They gathered here because of one piece of news.
Thanks to Blackbeard's deliberate spreading of the word, almost the entire ocean knows that the Blackbeard Pirates, who have two Straw Hat crew members and possess a mysterious heroic spirit, are heading this way!
In order to rescue their crewmates, Luffy the Straw Hat and Gol D. Roger the Pirate King will definitely pass through this place!
It is a huge temptation, but also a deadly trap.
Inside a temporarily occupied tavern in the town center.
Blackbeard Teach sat in the head seat, with rum and cherry pie in front of him, looking quite pleased with himself.
"The war is over? Hahaha! No problem! I never expected to achieve anything with some insignificant cup anyway!"
He gulped down the wine, his tone relaxed.
"Although we didn't get the Holy Grail, we managed to preserve the Heroic Spirits and even gained two distinguished guests—a truly unexpected bonus! It went much more smoothly than my original plan!"
His gaze turned warily to the corner. There, navigator Nami and doctor Chopper were tightly bound by seastone chains.
Nami's face was filled with anger and humiliation, while Chopper trembled slightly with fear and weakness.
Doc Q lay listlessly on the horse's back, toying with a syringe filled with a strange pink liquid in his hand.
He was keen on testing the limits of this amusing reindeer with all sorts of strange drugs.
Blackbeard looked at Nami, a hint of undisguised admiration and greed flashing in his eyes.
"—Nami, why suffer with that naive brat, Straw Hat Luffy?"
"With your seafaring skills, follow me, and the entire world's oceans will be ours to command in the future!"
"Wealth, power, and status—I can give you all of that! How about it? Think about it, how about becoming my woman?"
His tone was provocative and confident, as if victory was already assured.
"Pah! Dream on!" Nami spat, her eyes defiant.
"Luffy and his crew will definitely come to save us! They'll beat you to a pulp then!"
"Hahaha! You've got guts! I like you even more now!" The black-bearded man laughed instead of getting angry, and then his eyes became deep.
"However—times have changed."
He stroked his right arm, where, hidden beneath his sleeve, a complex and mysterious pattern, resembling a circuit board, radiated a light that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.
That was the reward given to him by the system after he completed the mission to eliminate the Lava Demon God.
That's right, it's a complete Magic Circuit!
With the Earl's explanation, Blackbeard understood what this meant—
Once he learns the magic of another world, he will no longer be completely dependent on Dilt's rules, and he will be qualified to attempt to summon Heroic Spirits on his own!
"Devil Fruits? Zhehahaha is no longer the sole criterion for top-tier combat power!"
Blackbeard pondered, and a crazy and terrifying plan gradually took shape in his mind.
"This is the age of Heroic Spirits! If I could command three, or even more, Heroic Spirits—plus the possibility of them summoning themselves—"
"At that time, all those sea emperors, world governments, and even that world king hiding behind the scenes will be trampled under my feet!"
His gaze swept over the restless pirates outside the window, and a cruel smile spread across his lips.
"And these guys are the first sacrifices and cornerstones of my grand plan!"
He looked at the shadows to the side.
"Count, are you ready? Tonight, let's turn this devil's town into their eternal nightmare!"
The count, hidden in the shadows, bowed gracefully, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"As you wish, contractor, the time you have been waiting for has come—hatred is thirsting for more."
A glint of malice, far more ferocious than his title of count, flashed in his eyes.
As night fell, an ominous silence enveloped Devil Town.
The man with the black beard deliberately lowered his guard, as if he were completely unprepared.
Soon, the first group of pirates, blinded by greed, launched an attack!
"Blackbeard is a real idiot, swaggering around here throwing a banquet!"
"Men! Slaughter the Blackbeard Pirates and take their heroic spirits!"
However, when they stormed into the town square, they triggered a trap that the count had already set up!
An eerie gray mist rose from the ground as if it were alive, and quickly spread out!
It was as if countless vengeful spirits were whispering mournfully in the mist, invading the minds of the attackers and amplifying their inner fear, greed, and anger!
"Ouch! My head!"
"Kill! Kill them! The treasure is mine!"
"Don't come any closer! Monster!"
The pirates instantly descended into chaos, either turning on each other or falling into a state of frenzied illusion!
This is precisely what makes the Earl so terrifying—the nature of an avenger. It can twist wills and create internal strife.
The passive skill alone can completely break half of the people and turn them into mental slaves, while the other half of the stubborn ones will be completely devoured and assimilated by the vengeful spirits, turning them into fighting puppets without self-awareness!
The plan proceeded smoothly. Blackbeard stood on high ground, looking down at the hellish scene below, and let out a triumphant laugh.
His pirate crew's power is about to surge, and in this chaotic era, Blackbeard will become a true rising star!
However, just when the situation was almost one-sided, with more and more pirates either kneeling in fear and surrendering or becoming puppets with empty eyes.
A wild, unrestrained laugh, seemingly capable of tearing the sky apart, came from outside the town like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out all the shouts of killing and the whispers of vengeful spirits!
"Hahahaha!!! This is so noisy! A bunch of lowlifes dare to act wildly in our territory?!"
The laughter contained an incredibly powerful Conqueror's Haki, and a shockwave, as tangible as a physical object, swept across!
The pervasive gray mist of vengeful spirits was actually dispersed quite a bit by this domineering kingly aura.
Many of the frenzied pirates were as if doused with cold water, briefly regaining their senses. They looked in horror at the source of the voice. The smile on Blackbeard's face froze, and for the first time, shock appeared in his eyes!
The count raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes, hidden in the shadows, sharply looking toward the town entrance.
A figure slowly entered the square under the moonlight. The person had long hair like the mane of a golden lion. Although time had left its mark on his face, the arrogance and ambition in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
He did not walk, but hovered half a foot above the ground, thanks to the power of his Float-Float Fruit.
His legs were replaced by two famous swords, Kumoki and Sakura, and a ship's cabin was comically stuck on his forehead, but this did not affect his imposing aura in the slightest!
It is none other than the Flying Pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion!
"Golden Lion?!" The members of the Blackbeard Pirates, including Laffitte and Burgess, all showed expressions of horror.
This is a legendary pirate on par with Roger, Whitebeard, and Dalt; didn't he disappear long ago?!
The Golden Lion ignored the henchmen; his gaze swept across the chaotic square before finally settling on the black-bearded man high above.
His tone was full of impatience: "I thought it was that bastard Roger coming. But instead, I got this scrawny black rat!"
"What a spoilsport! Get the hell out of my way while I'm waiting for Roger, or I'll kill you!"
Cold sweat beaded on the black-bearded man's forehead, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.
He forced a smile: "Hahaha—so it's the legendary Golden Lion! My apologies! I, Teach, have long admired your name!"
As he offered compliments, his mind raced.
"Lord Golden Lion, times have changed! This is the age of Heroic Spirits! I am unworthy, but I have been fortunate enough to gain the loyalty of a powerful Heroic Spirit."
He pointed to the count beside him.
"You've seen his power! If you're willing to cooperate with us, joining forces and combining our strengths with the power of heroic spirits, the entire world will be ours."
"Cooperation? Hahahaha!!!" The Golden Lion seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain.
"What a joke! I am Shiki the Golden Lion! The man who will rule the entire world! Even if that old monster Dilt comes in person, he won't make me bow down and submit!"
"And who do you think you are? A little brat with a bit of luck, you think you're worthy of having me as your subordinate?!"
His Conqueror's Haki erupted once more, sweeping towards Blackbeard like a whirlwind!
Blackbeard grunted, darkness surging around him. The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit activated on its own, barely managing to withstand the terrifying pressure, but his face had already turned extremely ugly.
There's no turning back now!
"Since that's the case, then I'll have to offend you! Dark Acupoint!" Blackbeard roared, launching the first attack!
Endless darkness spread out from beneath his feet, swallowing the light and drawing everything around him in!
"A mere trick!" Shiki laughed wildly, activating the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
The entire plaza floor, along with the building debris above it, was instantly stripped away, floated into the air, and crashed down on Blackbeard like a giant meteorite!
"Lion: Thousand Cut Valley!"
At the same time, he swung the famous swords on his feet, unleashing countless huge golden sword energies that tore through the air and descended from the sky!
Blackbeard roared, absorbing the attack with dark water while simultaneously retaliating with his fists covered in Armament Haki.
The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle!
Darkness and the power of levitation collided fiercely, exuding an overwhelming aura, and the shockwave leveled everything around them.
It must be admitted that after experiencing the baptism of the God Era Rainforest and fighting against many powerful figures, Blackbeard's strength is now completely different from before. He has become more skilled in using the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and his Haki has become even more powerful.
However, when facing a legendary pirate like Shiki, who had honed his Devil Fruit abilities and Haki to the extreme, he still fell into a disadvantageous position!
The Golden Lion's fighting style is ferocious and grand, as if he has turned the entire sky and sea into his weapons.
The floating islands kept crashing down, and sword energy crisscrossed wildly!
Although Blackbeard could absorb damage, the burden of his two Devil Fruits and the relentless onslaught from Lion King left him exhausted and in grave danger.
"Hahaha. As expected of the Golden Lion!" Blackbeard gritted his teeth and endured, his body now bearing several wounds.
"But—times have changed, Earl!!"
The count, who had been observing from the sidelines, finally made his move.
He sighed softly, as if he were just going to a boring ball, and his figure floated into the room like a ghost.
"Hmm?" The Golden Lion noticed this strange-looking fellow and casually slashed out with a sharp sword aura.
"Get out of here, you charlatan!"
However, the sword energy that was powerful enough to cleave a warship disappeared silently as it approached the count!
Golden Lion's pupils contracted slightly: "Interesting—this is what they call Heroic Spirits? All flash and no substance!"
He didn't take it too seriously. In his mind, the most powerful being in this war was none other than his resurrected old rival Roger. How much stronger could the other visitors from other worlds be?
He drew both swords simultaneously, unleashing an even more ferocious attack that poured down on the Earl and Blackbeard like a storm!
The count's figure moved gracefully through the rain of swords, as if dancing a waltz of death.
His speed wasn't extremely fast, yet he always managed to evade fatal attacks by the slightest margin, as if he could foresee the future.
His fingertips would occasionally flick out, seemingly casually, yet always precisely interrupting the Golden Lion's rhythm of power, or striking the weak points of his domineering defense, bringing waves of stinging and numbness!
"How is this possible?!" The Golden Lion was increasingly shocked as he fought!
This heroic spirit's fighting style—this grasp of timing, rhythm, and weaknesses—this oppressive feeling of seemingly knowing and controlling everything is all too familiar!
A profound sense of familiarity, so deeply ingrained that it had haunted his nightmares for decades, washed over him like a bucket of ice water!
He stared intently at the Earl's eyes hidden behind his glasses, at the coldness, majesty, and the sense of looking down upon everything as mere pawns in those eyes. "You—who are you?!" the Golden Lion roared, his attack involuntarily slowing for a moment.
It's this very moment!
The count appeared in front of the golden lion as if he had teleported, almost touching his face!
Those cold eyes peered at him through the shadows, devoid of any emotion.
The golden lion's hair stood on end, and he tried to retreat, but found that his body seemed to be frozen by an invisible force.
The count slowly raised his hand, and a dagger exuding an ominous aura appeared in his hand.
"Shiki—" A deep voice, as if traversing decades, carried a hint of disappointment.
That voice?! The golden lion's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief and horror!
The way she addressed me and the tone of her voice...
"You've gotten old."
The count uttered his last words in a calm voice.
The next second, the magnificent rapier transformed into a cold, sharp light, slicing across the golden lion's neck with unparalleled precision and speed beyond visual perception!
All of the Golden Lion's questions were frozen on his face.
His body, suspended in mid-air, stiffened for a moment before his gaze quickly dimmed.
puff.
The golden head, a symbol of a legend from the Great Pirate Era, fell onto the cold, rubble-covered ground.
He rolled a few times before finally stopping, his face still bearing extreme shock and a lingering sense of realization.
The headless corpse swayed before finally collapsing heavily to the ground.
The Flying Pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion, has fallen here.
The entire Devil Town fell into a deathly silence.
All the surviving pirates, whether they were Blackbeard's henchmen or outsiders, watched in horror as the count slowly sheathed his sword.
It was as if I were watching a demon god who had walked out of hell.
Blackbeard also breathed a long sigh of relief, looking at the golden lion's corpse, his lingering fear replaced by immense excitement.
He succeeded; the Earl had truly killed a legendary great pirate!
After wiping his rapier, the count glanced indifferently at the golden lion's head, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
He turned and looked at the black-bearded man.
"The obstacle has been removed, Contractor. This is a good opportunity. Why not try the summoning spell I taught you?"
Blackbeard chuckled softly, stepped forward, lifted the golden lion's head, and whispered something into it.
"I'm sorry, Golden Lion-senpai, you were unwilling to pledge allegiance in your lifetime, so I can only send you here as a Heroic Spirit—"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"