In the bustling chaos of Water Seven, within the usually tranquil lamb butcher shop, the atmosphere suddenly turned grim. Sephiroth, who had been busy counting money, instantly stopped at the commotion outside. He quickly tucked the banknotes back into his jacket pocket, ready to step out and see what was happening.
But...
Before he could take another step, three menacing figures stormed into the butcher shop. They gripped their pistols tightly, sabers tucked at their waists, their faces contorted with ill intent.
"Hand over all the meat and money in this shop!" one of them yelled.
"Brother Bass, there's a beautiful woman here!" exclaimed the bald man, his eyes wild. He immediately aimed the pistol in his hand at Lilith, who still stood in shock beside Sephiroth.
"Hehehe! Not bad! Not bad!" laughed Andrew Bass, a one-eyed man, two meters tall, with a burly physique, a buzz cut, and a face scarred with rough features. His remaining eye, behind a black eyepatch, glinted with greed. "I didn't expect to meet such a beautiful woman. I'll go first, and when I'm done, it's your turn." Andrew Bass was the combat captain of the Watson Pirates, with a bounty of 9.6 million Berry. Arson, murder, and pillage were as routine for him as eating and drinking.
"Please let my sister go! You can take anything you want from the shop," cried the blonde youth, Lilith's brother, his voice trembling, yet he stepped forward resolutely, standing before the pirates. He gripped the cleaver in his hand tightly, even knowing it was no match for the pistol in the enemy's hand. If all the goods in the shop were stolen, he would suffer a great loss, but for his sister's sake, it was all worth it.
Thump! Thump!
Andrew Bass sneered, raised his pistol straight, and fired two shots at the blonde youth. One shot struck his chest, and another pierced his forehead, instantly claiming the young man's life.
Thud!
The blonde youth's body fell helplessly to the ground, blood beginning to seep.
"Are you telling me what to do? You foolish man who doesn't know the situation. You have no right to negotiate with me at all! ...Ptooey!" As he spoke, the one-eyed man spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the blonde youth's corpse, landing directly on his face, displaying his disgusting contempt.
"Brother!!!" Everything happened too fast, too suddenly. After the young blonde woman regained consciousness from her shock, she wanted to rush to her brother's corpse, tears streaming down her cheeks.
But...
"Don't be foolish, run!" Sephiroth, having recovered from his shock, immediately extended his right hand, grabbed Lilith's wrist, dragged her to the back door of the shop, and slammed the back door shut.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just as he closed the door, three gunshots rang out in succession. Three blood blossoms instantly bloomed on Sephiroth's back. The pirates had shot him.
Seeing Sephiroth's hand still on the door, Andrew Bass immediately grinned, his cynical smile twisting further. "Another fool! He deserves to die!"
However...
The next moment, under their three astonished gazes, Sephiroth's body transformed rapidly. His ears became long and slender, his height increased to two meters, and a pair of fleshy wings even grew on his back. His red eyes gleamed sharply.
"Roar!" Sephiroth let out a beast-like growl, his eyes filled with pure killing intent. Turning, drawing his sword, charging forward—it was all completed in one lightning-fast motion!
Seeing this, the three pirates were all terrified. Among them, only Andrew Bass barely reacted, subconsciously firing a shot at the young man.
Whoosh!
Because he hadn't aimed at all, his accuracy was terrible, barely missing Sephiroth's body. The bullet didn't even graze Sephiroth's hair, it directly hit the shop wall, leaving a mark.
Sephiroth quickly circled the counter with the goods in front of him, swinging the Autumn Leaf Sword in his hand forcefully.
Swish!
A flash of fiery red sword light, and one of the pirates was instantly beheaded, blood splattering everywhere. A few drops even hit his cheek, warm and faintly smelling of blood.
Sephiroth personally beheaded someone at close range. There wasn't the slightest fear or panic in his heart. For a doctor, blood, severed limbs, and such things were commonplace for him. He had seen even more gruesome sights. Instead, after personally killing this scoundrel, he even felt a sense of exhilaration and satisfaction in his heart.
The tragic death of their comrade instantly sobered the two remaining pirates. They immediately raised their pistols, aimed them at Sephiroth, and pulled the triggers, while their feet quickly retreated towards the shop's exterior, trying to escape.
Thump! Thump!
The young man who had transformed into a vampire felt his physical abilities increase dramatically. Relying on his sharp observation, he quickly dodged sideways while continuing to advance, moving like a shadow.
But...
One of the bullets still grazed his left arm, leaving a thin, bloody mark.
However...
Instead, after dodging, he stepped forward fiercely, swinging the Autumn Leaf Sword in his hand with a deadly horizontal slash, instantly slitting the other pirate's throat.
Andrew Bass cursed softly, switching to hold the pistol in his left hand, and drawing a saber from his waist with his right, quickly slashing diagonally towards Sephiroth. He was confident this slash would end the young man.
Under the one-eyed man's astonished gaze, his saber slash instantly split Sephiroth's head diagonally into two halves.
Squeak, squeak, squeak...!
Several black bats flapped their wings and flew out of the young man's head, a horrifying and unexpected phenomenon.
When Sephiroth received the slash, his hand movements didn't stop at all. His saber swung past him, cleanly severing Andrew Bass's neck with one strike.
Thud!
The headless body fell heavily to the ground, and the one-eyed head's face was filled with frozen astonishment and disbelief. He simply couldn't understand why the young man's head could split into black bats and evade his fatal slash.
At that moment, the entire commercial street was in chaos. More than forty pirates, in groups of three to five, armed, were storming and looting shops. The sounds of gunshots, desperate screams, and pleas for mercy were endless, creating a symphony of mayhem.
Sephiroth frowned, looking at the two-masted sailing boat docked at the waterfront in the waterway. His heart was filled with doubt. A black skull flag hung from the mast of this sailing boat; it was clearly a pirate ship. The commercial street was located near the central area of Water Seven. Normally, it would be impossible for a pirate ship to sail openly without being noticed by others.
Whoosh!
As Sephiroth was still wondering, accompanied by the sound of a gunshot, a sudden bloom of blood appeared on his left chest. His eyes looked forward, but as far as his gaze reached, he saw no one firing at him at all.
Could it be a sniper...? he thought, his instincts screaming caution.
Suddenly! A strong warning sign emerged in his heart, and unconsciously he turned his head slightly.
Whoosh!
The next moment, a burning pain instantly shot through his left ear. The shot just now, although he had deliberately dodged, the bullet still pierced his left ear...
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