Chapter 649: The Decision!
For Meliodas, going back was not a luxury.
It was necessity.
Elizabeth was still waiting.
With that hanging over him, it did not matter what stood in the way. If there was even a chance, he would take it.
"Captain Meliodas is right," Kobayashi said, finally speaking after staying quiet for most of the discussion. "We're in an absolute advantage right now. And that's exactly why we need to be more careful."
"The more overwhelming things look, the easier it is to fall for a false sense of safety."
"False sense of safety?" Ban tilted his head, smirking like he was listening to a bedtime story. "I don't know what you mean, Captain Kobayashi, but in a situation like this…"
"Even if a strong opponent shows up, you face them head on. That's how you find the answer."
He sounded carefree, as always.
Sometimes that attitude made him reliable.
Right now, it was the exact kind of confidence that got people killed.
"Class?" Kobayashi smiled and looked straight at him. "The Seven Deadly Sins are mostly offense. Some defense. And when needed, you serve as bait and meat shields."
"Your ability steals. Your special traits are immortality and absurd regeneration. Right?"
"Ha?" Ban blinked. The others looked equally confused.
They all knew that already.
Ban's fight had made plenty of people complain about his ability. It felt like cheating.
So why bring it up now?
Kobayashi slowly took off her glasses, still smiling.
"I can kill you."
Bang.
In the blink of an eye, Ban retreated more than ten meters.
His expression changed the moment he felt it.
That was not pressure.
That was killing intent.
Pure and direct.
"Your immortality isn't absolute," Kobayashi said lightly. "It's a special ability. Or rather, an origin."
"All we'd need to do is strip you of that origin."
"Then killing you becomes simple."
She tore off her hair tie.
A bright red aura erupted from her body, violent and clean.
The space around her trembled, as if it could not hold its shape.
The stability of this world's space was notoriously strong. Whitebeard could affect it with his Devil Fruit, and some other abilities could do similar things, but that was because of this world's rules.
With the gods' seal layered over everything, it should have been even more secure.
Yet Kobayashi's aura still made the air turn chaotic.
That alone proved how terrifying she truly was.
In her original world, she had nearly killed the Dragon God.
Ryuunosuke nodded slowly.
"Kobayashi is right."
"There are still people and abilities in this world that can kill us."
"Whether it's Jigokudo's abilities, or Ban's immortality."
"None of it is absolute."
"So we need to be even more cautious from here on."
Then his eyes flicked to Kobayashi.
"Kobayashi. Put it away for now. Save it for the enemy."
"Understood, Captain." Kobayashi suppressed her aura and sat off to the side, saying nothing more.
Ryuunosuke swept his gaze across the crew.
"Anyone else?"
Truthfully, he liked what Kobayashi had done.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had been fighting like a dimensional reduction strike this whole time.
Pirates, Marines, even the World Government, Guardians, Evictors… none of them were on the same tier.
But now they were dealing with opponents who did not fit the usual ladder.
Kobayashi's display forced everyone to remember that.
Chrollo spoke first.
"Well, we're thieves. We're better at missions than speeches."
"Captain, you decide."
Najenda followed without hesitation.
"Nightraid will follow the captain's decision."
No objections.
Yahiko spoke just as simply.
No objections.
Now only the Seven Deadly Sins remained.
Meliodas looked at Ryuunosuke.
"Captain. Without this Seed of God… can we still return to our worlds?"
"It can't be guaranteed," Ryuunosuke answered honestly. "Seizing the Seed of God is the safest option right now."
Meliodas nodded once.
"Then I'll keep my previous stance."
"If it's the safest way, we try."
"We only get a real answer after we put our hands on it."
His voice did not shake. If this was the only road, then he would walk it, no matter what waited at the end.
Ryuunosuke's gaze sharpened.
"That's what I wanted to hear. I'm going too."
"If we cower every time something looks big, would we still be the Dragon Hunter Pirates?"
"But we may need to adjust our approach."
"They want to use us. Fine."
"Aren't we doing the same thing?"
"Let's go."
"We fight the Dragon Hunter Pirates way."
"Captain…" Meliodas started, emotion rising in his eyes.
Ryuunosuke cut him off immediately.
"Don't get moved, Meliodas. That's not your usual persona."
Then he raised his hand and erased the invisible boundary around them as if wiping dust from a table.
The moment the Dragon Hunter Pirates stepped out, Jay was already waiting.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," Jay asked at once, voice impatient. "Does your crew have an answer now?"
He was too eager.
And that eagerness did not match someone so deep and calculating.
Ryuunosuke noticed it immediately, and the obviousness made him even more sure.
"The answer is the same as before."
"Mr. Jay, lead the way."
Jay's face lit with appreciation, and beneath it, something more complicated flickered.
"As expected. The Dragon Hunter Pirates truly live up to the name."
"To reach consensus this fast… I admire it."
"Then we start with Lilith."
"Lilith?" Ryuunosuke frowned. "Why not go straight to the Seed of God?"
Lilith and Adam were no longer problems he needed to prioritize.
They wanted the Seed too, sure, but Ryuunosuke now had power, and he had bigger problems ahead.
Those two were no longer the center of his board.
.....
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