Other than the scar-faced Elder who lay grievously wounded, the remaining three were utterly shaken. One punch just a single punch had left their comrade on the brink of death.
All three froze in place, staring grimly at the figure before them, a man who seemed more like a sovereign than a mere enemy.
"Damn it! One strike and he was finished! At this rate, we'll all be killed! We don't fear death, but the pain…" The Elder with sand-colored hair and beard clenched his jaw, his voice dripping with frustration yet powerless to change the situation.
"What if we offer him 150 Devil Fruits to let the bald one go, and stall him for now?" the long-bearded Elder suggested after a moment of heavy thought. "If the five of us were together, our strength would be far greater than it is now. With the bald one missing, our power is short. Free him first, then we'll discuss how to deal with this brat."
The curly-haired Elder and the swordsman Elder frowned at first but eventually nodded. It was, after all, the only option left.
"Boy, release the bald one. We'll give you 150 Devil Fruits, and you end things here. What do you say?" the long-bearded Elder called out to Rakuya.
Rakuya arched a brow, utterly unimpressed.
What a joke. Did they really think 150 fruits could buy him off? Did they take him for someone so easily fooled?
"Bastard! One hundred and fifty is already a fortune!" The swordsman Elder's temper flared as he raised his blade, but the sand-haired Elder quickly pressed it down, holding him back.
Rakuya sneered coldly, his gaze sweeping across them like a blade. "Seems you really don't learn your lessons. If that's the best you've got, don't blame me for being merciless."
He raised his right hand, gathering that terrifying repulsive force once again.
Truthfully, Rakuya wanted nothing more than to end them here. But after consuming the Fruit of Life, they no longer feared death. No matter how many times he killed them, they would revive. Killing them outright gained him nothing. The best method was to subdue them but his Kotoamatsukami had only just been used. The cooldown was a full month. After all this trouble coming to the Holy Land to extort the Five Elders, he wasn't about to be fobbed off with a measly 150 fruits.
"Wait!" The scar-faced Elder, voice trembling without him even realizing it, croaked out, "Fine… release the bald one, and we'll give you 200 Devil Fruits. We stop here."
Even he was afraid now. The thought of losing those 200 fruits hurt deeply, but the alternative was worse.
Rakuya chuckled. "If you'd been this sensible earlier, you could have saved yourself all this trouble."
"Bring the 200 fruits, now!" the long-bearded Elder barked, face twisted with fury as he ordered a nearby Marine vice admiral.
Moments later, a glittering pile of 200 intact Devil Fruits lay atop the rubble-strewn battlefield.
"Two hundred Devil Fruits… how many powerhouses could that create?"
"If I could get just one, I'd sell my life without complaint!"
Marines all around whispered in awe and envy, eyes locked on the treasure.
"Boy, the fruits are here. Now release the bald one," the swordsman Elder demanded coldly.
Heh. Rakuya was many things, but he always kept his word.
A black vortex suddenly tore open in midair, its pull chilling to the soul. Reaching into it, Rakuya yanked out the battered, half-dead bald Elder and casually flung him into the midst of several Marines.
"As promised, I'm returning your man. As for the Devil Fruits… I'll accept them gladly."
With a gesture, he summoned his gravitational force. The 200 fruits soared into his personal space in an instant.
"Farewell, gentlemen. I'll be sure to drop by again sometime." With a push against the void, Rakuya vanished, disappearing entirely from sight.
"Damn brat! We just let him leave like that?!"
"That was 200 Devil Fruits!" One of the Elders nearly wept blood at the thought of such a loss.
The swordsman Elder's eyes burned with shadowed fury as he suddenly swung his blade into the sky. With a thunderous boom, the very clouds above were split in two, the scene awe-inspiring yet meaningless.
"What good is venting now? Why didn't you cut him down when you had the chance?" the sand-haired Elder roared.
"Idiot! If I could kill him, I would have carved him into mince long ago! Damn that monster!" the swordsman Elder bellowed, his fury shaking the Sacred Land. Marines nearby watched in stunned silence. Never before had they seen a Gorosei lose his composure like this.
Meanwhile, on the bustling Sabaody Archipelago, a man dressed in a black cloak patterned with red clouds stood arrogantly, a strange scythe strapped to his back. His sinister grin made the air grow heavy.
"Hahaha! Another imposter daring to claim he's Liu Yun? You're killing me with laughter!" A pirate with rotten yellow teeth doubled over, clutching his stomach as he mocked.
Hidan's brows drew together, his expression turning to cold steel. "Finished laughing? Then it's time for you to die."
He pulled the scythe from his back, giving it a casual twirl. A sickly stench of blood filled the air, proof that the weapon had drunk deep many times before.
"Oh, look at this little brat. Done with your milk yet, daring to bark like that? Careful you don't bite your tongue." The pirate leader smirked as he drew a pistol, leveling the barrel at Hidan. "Kid, you're the one about to die."
Bang!
The shot rang out, the pirate smugly blowing the smoke from his barrel. He didn't even bother to check the corpse he already pictured the boy lying dead.
Clang!
Instead, the bullet was flicked aside by the swing of Hidan's scythe.
"What? I missed?!" The pirate's face froze in disbelief, his arrogance shattered.
"Tch. That's all you've got?" Hidan mocked, disdain dripping from his tone.
Impossible. His aim had always been perfect, a hundred shots a hundred kills. How had this boy casually swatted the bullet aside? Panic rippled through his men.
"Boss! I saw it he swung and batted the bullet away!" one of the lackeys stammered in terror.
"Nonsense!" the captain snarled, slapping the underling across the face. "Shut up if you don't know what you're talking about! I wasn't even trying! That's all!"
But in the pit of his stomach, he knew the truth. This was no ordinary foe.
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