Chapter 120 - 120: The Second Step, Complete

Just then, Edward's spirituality stirred. He quickly dodged a staff thrown from the darkness, and before he could make sense of it, a man clad in black armour charged out at him. He fired several shots in quick succession, then leapt into the air, raising a fist to smash it down on Edward's head. Edward immediately cast several Obstruction Hexes layered with Stun and Petrification Spells, but they barely had any effect. My spells have been weakened? The realisation hit him—That staff he threw at me earlier, was that a form of "Bribery"? Understanding that, Edward grabbed Danitz by the arm, and their figures twisted, reappearing over ten meters away. He then swung his wand violently, causing trash bins, broken branches, leaves, garbage—everything on both sides of the street—to fly toward the man in black armour. "Flavitus." The moment the debris struck him, it transformed into chains, which quickly wrapped around the armoured man. "Distort." The enemy tried to warp the chains' trajectory and objective, hoping to escape. But Edward had already flung cast several [Theft] in succession. First, he stole the man's current thoughts—then directly snatched away his [Distortion] ability. Within seconds, the black-armored man was completely bound by the chains. Watching this unfold, 'Steel' Maveti and his two subordinates turned pale. The one Edward just defeated was 'Burier' Tesla, a notorious pirate with a bounty close to 10,000 pounds. And yet, in barely over a minute, he'd been neutralised completely. In other words, if Edward wanted to take them down too, it would be just as easy. "Damn it! If you're this strong, why did you let us chase you all over the city?!" Maveti fumed, humiliated. He immediately turned to flee—but the moment he moved, his mind went blank for several seconds. When he regained clarity, he was already wrapped in chains and lying on the ground. "Y-You..." Danitz stood dumbstruck. Sure, he had been captured twice already, but in his mind, Edward's strength had always been only slightly above his own—just a bit too tricky with those bizarre abilities to guard against. But now…how is he suddenly this powerful? Even his own captain would find it difficult to subdue 'Burier' Tesla and 'Steel' Maveti this quickly, right? So…he really is capable of taking a Pirate Admiral's place? Wait a minute. If you're this powerful, why did you let yourself get chased around all night like a dog? What was the point? Before Danitz could think further, the pirates who had been pursuing them from all directions arrived one after another. They surged into the plaza, surrounding Edward and Danitz. "Bastard!!" One of the leading pirates panted heavily, pointing a gun at Edward. "You could run, huh?! Then keep running! Tonight, if you don't cough up the location of the ancient treasure on Sonia Island, I swear I'll make you wish you were dead!" Poke, poke. Just then, one of his underlings poked him. "What? Can't you see I'm talking?" "B-Boss…the ones lying on the ground…they look an awful lot like 'Burier' Tesla and 'Steel' Maveti" "???" The pirate froze, then met Edward's gentle smile. His foot subtly began to inch backwards. And he wasn't the only one—everyone who recognised the two infamous pirates realised what had just happened and immediately began preparing to flee. Only a few inexperienced ones, clueless about the identities of Tesla and Maveti, continued advancing with guns raised—this involved an ancient treasure, after all. If they could claim it, they'd live comfortably for the rest of their lives! "Flavitus." Suddenly, the guns in those approaching pirates' hands transformed into brightly colored vipers, which slithered up their arms. "AHH!!!" Terrified, they flung the snakes away and took off running. "No one leaves." With a single Bang, everyone trying to escape froze in place. Edward spread his arms, beaming brightly— "Welcome, everyone." "..." "Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. Tonight will surely go down in the history of Bayam as a night of great significance. And you…as participants in this historic event, will definitely be remembered by all." Danitz blinked in confusion. We just ran around Bayam a few times…it's that important? Wait—was he planning, like that night before, to rob every pirate on the scene again? "Well then, let me wish you all the best on this journey—may your future shine bright, and may your names be passed down through the ages!" With that, Edward abruptly waved his wand and dispelled the chains from Tesla, Maveti, and the others. As they stared at him in shock, he pointed his wand to the ground and uttered: "Portus." With a flash of light— In the next instant, every pirate in the plaza vanished as their forms twisted and disappeared. Danitz was dumbfounded. "Wha…Where did they go?" "Oh, off to do something big." "???" Edward exhaled a long breath. With a twirl of his wand, the shimmering surface of the plaza retracted and shrank until it transformed into a carpet—one that had come from the Governor's office. "Let's go. It's not over yet." ——— [Bayam's Governor's Mansion] Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt had just finished processing the recent mountain of reports and affairs. Even for a demigod-level powerhouse like him, it was hard not to feel a bit fatigued. Part of the exhaustion stemmed from the endless governmental mess, but more so from his younger brother, Aston Rieveldt. Sigh...I just hope he doesn't get too deeply involved in that matter again. He had already been briefed about the commotion in Bayam tonight. This kind of thing wasn't all that rare—some pirate who got lucky stumbled upon an ancient ruin, couldn't keep their mouth shut after returning to Bayam, and immediately attracted the attention of every other pirate like sharks smelling blood. What followed was usually a bloody conflict, with dozens of pirates ending up dead. Honestly, if he had his way, Amyrius would wish for this kind of event to happen daily—best case, all the pirates would wipe each other out! As long as it didn't interfere with the military's interests or hinder the Kingdom's profits, he couldn't care less. With a sigh, Amyrius rose, planning to return to his quarters and spend some time with his mistress, Miss Cynthia. But just as he took a step, his spirituality surged violently—as if he was about to face some dreadful catastrophe. Even when facing fellow demigods in battle, he'd never experienced such a visceral warning. The next second— Amidst panicked cries, dozens—no, hundreds—of pirates suddenly appeared out of nowhere, crammed into his office. Filthy, ragged, reeking of sweat and rot, wielding mismatched weapons, they spilt in like a tidal wave. The room overflowed. Pirates toppled out the windows and doors, yet more kept appearing, pushing inward faster than they could escape. Boom! The lavishly decorated office was crushed under the sheer mass of bodies. Even though Amyrius acted instantly—banning, exiling, and executing the pirates closest to him with his powers—he was soon overwhelmed. "Kill!! Loot the Governor's Mansion!!" Several pirates suddenly roared, weapons in hand, then scattered through the halls, setting fires and shooting wildly. Amyrius, struggling free from the mountain of stinking, sweaty men, caught sight of this scene—and his face darkened to the colour of deep red. He executed a few more pirates around him, then roared in fury: "I want all of you dead! I want every pirate in Bayam dead!!!" ——— Meanwhile. At Bayam's naval base, several men were sprinting toward the harbour. "Pirates have stormed the Governor's Mansion! Requesting reinforcements! Requesting reinforcements!" The on-duty soldiers aboard the battleships immediately reported to their superiors. These officers, already angry at being roused from bed, were initially even more infuriated by what sounded like a ridiculous claim. "Pirates, attacking the Governor's Mansion? Use your damn head! With Admiral Amyrius there, not even the Four Pirate Kings would dare—" BOOM! Before he could finish, a massive explosion echoed from the direction of the mansion. Flames shot into the sky, lighting up half the city. The officer's words caught in his throat. Eyes wide, he gawked at the glow in stunned disbelief. "Impossible…Impossible! How the hell did they get so bold…?" "Move!!" He leapt from his bed, dashing out the door. "Reinforce the Governor's Mansion! Go!!" Very quickly, all the soldiers stationed aboard the naval base's warships were fully armed and headed out—leaving behind only a small team for backup duties. ——— About ten minutes later, Edward led Danitz and the others—one-eyed Cage included—quietly into the now nearly empty naval base. Facing the massive silhouette before them, Danitz felt a rising sense of dread. "Tell me you brought us here just to admire the ship up close." "Of course not." Edward opened his arms with a sunny smile. "We're stealing that warship." "...What?" He turned to the equally stunned Cage and the rest. "Didn't you all say you could sail any ship?" Cage forced a strained smile. "Mr. Sparrow, as you can see, we're just a bunch of pirates. We've never had the chance to learn how to pilot a naval warship..." "What about you, Mr. Ace?" Danitz shrank back slightly, glancing around. "Do I look like someone who served in the Navy?" "Since we've already chosen this path, we finish the job." Feeling the continued progress of the potion digesting within him, Edward took the lead and walked forward. After a dozen or so steps, seeing the others still frozen in place, he turned around and grinned. "This might be the only time in your life you'll see a brand-new warship like this up close. Not curious? Don't tell me you're that gutless." "..." It was a simple, but very effective taunt. The men exchanged glances. "Let's go, then!" Danitz grumbled, "I am Fire Fist Ace now. When I get back, I'll have plenty of stories to brag about to those guys." Cage and the others didn't say much more, following silently. Boarding the ship was easy—after all, there weren't many soldiers left on board. Edward quickly subdued them with a few swift Imperius Curses. RUMBLE... With a loud mechanical groan, the warship raised its anchor. The steam turbines kicked into gear. Amid a plume of black smoke, the massive vessel sailed out of the harbour. By then, every other ship and guard in the vicinity had already been dealt with—put to sleep or knocked out by Edward in advance. Standing in the captain's cabin, gazing out at the distant sounds and flickers of fire from the Governor's Mansion, Edward murmured: "Step two, complete." ——— Half an hour later. The troops who had gone to reinforce the Governor's Mansion finally rushed back—only to find the docks utterly empty. Their commanding officer stared blankly at the harbour, stunned. He rubbed his eyes hard. "...Where's the Beluse? My massive Beluse…where the hell did it go?!" ——— [Note]: The promised Extra Chapter. Here you go. And, no Extra Chapters tomorrow. But don't let that stop you from VOTING. Keeps me motivated~ Oh, and if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]