"Attack!" Xia gave the order without hesitation. At the same time, her ability flared, raising ten or so beams of light before her.
She bit down hard, forcing her power to the limit. The light flashed white—only for an instant, but that instant was enough for Rosen.
Aberdeen and the pirates escorting Xia's friends froze. Their hostility, killing intent, and all negative emotions were instantly purified, leaving them stunned for less than a second.
Rosen moved like thunder. With a Soru: Lightning Shadow, he flickered behind them, unleashing a Shigan Torrent that pierced through their bodies in an instant, killing them on the spot.
Blood sprayed. Dehnley reacted at once, moving to shield Aberdeen. Rosen did not pursue. His goal was to rescue Xia's friends, and that was already accomplished.
The rest could wait.
"AKS Chamber internal affairs—outsiders, stay out of this." Xia's voice cut through the room, her words meant to prevent everyone from joining forces against them.
The guards, instinctively ready to stop the killing, froze when Xia declared it internal business. They turned to Remont, awaiting his command.
Many nobles couldn't help but admire Xia's boldness and Rosen's decisiveness. One dared to speak, the other dared to act.
"What now?" Remont muttered, frowning as the hall, only just cleaned, was once again drenched in blood. And once again, the culprits were Xia and her bodyguard.
"Xia!" Aberdeen's face was twisted with rage. Her attack made her stance clear—she would never hand the contract over to him.
"President Remont," Aberdeen said coldly, "as a direct heir of AKS, she attacked me, the vice-president. Naturally, I cannot just sit and wait to die. If, under such circumstances, I were to kill the crazed heir, then taking the president's seat myself would be perfectly reasonable."
Though furious, he first sought confirmation.
"According to Chamber rules, not even the president is permitted to kill members without cause," Remont explained publicly. "If she struck first, you are justified in retaliating. Should you win, you will be the first in line for succession. But ultimately, the final decision rests on a vote by the major chambers."
"Heh… that's enough for me. A shame, Lady Xia. I had planned to spare you, but you insisted on playing clever little games. Even if you saved them—so what? You've only given me the perfect excuse. Once you die here, no one will dare raise objections. Dehnley, kill them all!"
Aberdeen's face twisted into cruelty. Unlike Kit, he had come prepared, bringing every ounce of power he could muster.
"Looks like tonight's meeting won't happen after all. But since it was meant to decide the new president, let them settle it themselves." Remont spoke calmly, as if all of this had been foreseen.
Including Xia's counterattack.
Only Rosen was the unexpected variable.
"Anyone who blocks our way—kill without mercy!" Dehnley drew twin swords, and the room grew tense with killing intent.
At Aberdeen's command, more than a hundred warriors charged forward under Dehnley's lead. Even old butler Alex drew his long blade, felling two mercenaries with a single swing.
"Stay here. Don't move." Rosen walked toward the battlefield. Xia and Alex had some ability, but the warriors' aura told him they were seasoned fighters—some likely able to face a hundred on their own.
"Die!" A towering mercenary over three meters tall swung a brutal kick. A long-leg tribesman—his double-jointed legs exploded with force, striking Rosen's arm with surprising power.
"Rankyaku." Rosen lifted his leg, sending a slicing blade of air forward. The mercenary twisted at the last second, narrowly dodging, but Rosen followed up with a single punch, dropping him unconscious.
Strong, but nothing beyond a few exchanged blows.
"Fighting without sand still feels strange… but this is a good chance to hone my body techniques. If I can push my martial arts to the advanced level, then I'll finally possess the complete strength of a true admiral—even with only two disciplines." Rosen thought to himself.
"Two-Sword Style: Petal Slash!" Dehnley's blades crossed, releasing arcs of sword energy that bloomed like flowers. Strong—around the level of a mid-ranked Rear Admiral.
In other words, barely touching the threshold of the Shichibukai.
No wonder Aberdeen was so confident. With Dehnley's strength, few here could face him in single combat outside of Remont.
But to Rosen, it was just a matter of spending a little more time. Hardly a threat.
"Armament: Shigan Torrent!" Rosen's fingers, coated in Haki, fired in a rapid storm, shattering the flying sword energy.
"One-Sword Style: Vine Slash!" Dehnley's expression hardened. He hadn't cared much about Rosen before, but seeing his attack destroyed so easily made him wary.
His blade cleaved downward, forming sword energy shaped not like a crescent but twisted and irregular, like creeping vines. Its unpredictable path made it nearly impossible to anticipate.
"Rokushiki Secret Art: Fist of Shattering Sky!" Rosen's Haki-wreathed punch exploded forward, compressing the very air before unleashing it in a violent blast. The void rang with a piercing roar.
Dehnley's sword aura was shredded, and the shockwave crashed into him. Crossing his blades, he barely shielded himself, his clothes ripped apart, his skin cracked, and the wall behind him shattered into rubble.
"Impossible! Dehnley, you're the commander's trusted blade—how can you fail against a stray bodyguard?!" Aberdeen's eyes widened in disbelief. This battle had barely begun, yet it was nothing like what he had imagined.
"My apologies… the enemy is strong. But I will give everything." Dehnley's gaze turned icy. Hearing his commander's name, retreat was no longer an option. Even death would not move him.
"Will this building survive? We're on the upper floors—if it collapses…" Some nobles grew nervous. The fight was entertaining, but being buried alive was not.
"He's strong," Colson muttered, eyes burning with fighting spirit as he watched Rosen.
"So it really is him," Moris said, recognizing Rosen even without his sand powers. "What's he doing in the Kingdom of Andia? Ah… revenge. With his personality back in Wine City, he'd never let a bounty stand unanswered. One day, when he's strong enough, he might even turn Marine Headquarters upside down…"
"You know that masked bodyguard?" Remont asked, surprised.
Out of respect for Moris's strength, he had long extended olive branches. If Moris ever agreed to serve him, his power would rise to a new level.
"Know him? More like an enemy. Once he finishes his business, I'll settle the score with him myself." Moris grinned—he relished duels.
"Who is he?" Remont pressed. For someone to survive as Moris' enemy and still be this powerful—it was remarkable. From what Rosen had just shown, his strength rivaled Colson's.
"If you're thinking of recruiting him, forget it. He's not the type to bow to power."
"You hold him in very high regard," Remont admitted, a touch uneasy. He knew Moris well enough to understand—Colson had never received such praise.
Could this masked man truly be that strong? And utterly untamable?
(End of Chapter)