Chapter 526: Athostan Leaves, Into The Island
You could say it was basic common sense on the sea.
How could you allow something else to nest inside your own territory and sleep soundly?
That was something no one would tolerate. The system, least of all.
It was precisely because of the system that the Dragon Hunter Pirates had reached their current level in terms of spirit and will. Even if some of them were still rough when it came to technique, their mental strength was already far beyond what this world was used to.
And this shadow dared to scramble with the system for control inside Ryuunosuke's mind?
That was no different from picking the calmest spot on the Grand Line and asking to die there.
The black phantom struggled desperately.
It tried to pull back, to flee, to send out a warning.
But it could no longer do anything.
In the next instant, the shadow dissolved like snow under the spring sun.
At the same time, a vast wave of soul power surged into Ryuunosuke's body.
He drew in a long breath.
"Exhale…"
He slowly let out the foul air in his chest.
"Is it finished?"
Ryuunosuke raised his eyes.
The Spear of Longinus hovering in the sky shattered inch by inch, vanishing into scattered red light.
Moria collapsed onto the sea, motionless, half floating on the broken hull of Thriller Bark.
His life force had not vanished yet, but it had thinned to the very edge.
He could die with the next ripple of power.
As for Athostan, he was still standing, but even from a distance it was obvious how much the summoning had cost him.
That weakness was not only because he had called forth the Spear of Longinus.
Ryuunosuke had already cut away a huge portion of his origin earlier.
If Athostan had still been at his peak, calling the spear would not have dragged him down like this.
Now, after losing so much of his essence, summoning that weapon again had left him exhausted.
"What is that girl planning to do?"
Roy's voice suddenly rang out. He had spotted a figure flying toward the wreckage where Moria lay.
"A girl?"
"Perona?"
Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes.
The small floating figure, umbrella in hand, rushed straight toward Moria.
The moment he recognized her, Ryuunosuke's figure vanished.
Athostan sensed the movement as well.
He caught sight of Perona flying over and immediately assumed she was Moria's accomplice.
More importantly, he could not allow what had just happened to occur again.
Before this girl gained the same sort of power Moria had wielded, she had to be eliminated.
His body flashed.
A long spear appeared in his hand, similar in style to the Spear of Longinus, though clearly inferior.
Athostan thrust straight toward Perona's head.
Steel rang.
The spear tip stopped cold.
Ryuunosuke stood in its path, blade already drawn, eyes calm.
"Perona is my friend."
"And she is nothing like Moria."
His tone was flat, but there was no room for argument.
"T… thank you."
Perona stared at the spear inches from her face, then at Ryuunosuke. Tears welled up before she could stop them.
She had not sailed long with the Dragon Hunter Pirates, but during that time she had been looked after by Ryuunosuke and the others.
Even after Moria had taken advantage of her, the Dragon Hunters had not laid a finger on her.
Now, when Moria was half dead and worthless as a bargaining chip, they were still protecting her.
Her nose stung. Tears streamed down her face without restraint.
"Take him and leave."
"This is your choice. I will respect it."
"In the future, try not to be dragged into this kind of mess again."
"If you do not know where to go, look for Hawkeye. He is a good man, the sort of person you can trust with your life."
Ryuunosuke smiled faintly.
He raised his hand and unleashed a gentle wave of force.
Perona and Moria's massive body were wrapped in it and whisked away in an instant.
Their destination was, of course, Mihawk's lonely little ship nearby.
At that moment, Mihawk's expression darkened.
Moria's sheer size made his coffin boat creak like it would break apart at any moment.
There was simply no way that tiny craft was meant to carry something like that.
…
After dealing with Perona, Ryuunosuke turned his full attention back to Athostan.
"Now then, Mr Athostan, can you tell me about Lilith?"
"And Adam has run into trouble. Did you know about that?"
He asked without preamble.
"What?"
"Adam…"
"Captain Ryuunosuke, please explain yourself."
Athostan's aura surged, wild and violent.
The name alone shook him.
However, remembering the agreement he had just made with Ryuunosuke, he forcibly suppressed his anger.
Beneath that calm, worry gnawed at him.
"Answer my question first."
Ryuunosuke sat cross legged on the surface of the sea, face expressionless.
On the other side of the battlefield, Brook and Keshia were still fighting fiercely.
Ryuunosuke had seen them clash enough times to know how it would go.
With the Dragon Hunter Pirates watching from all sides, neither of them would be allowed to escape.
"Lilith…"
"This place is one of her domains."
"If Captain Ryuunosuke enters, you may gain far more than anything I can tell you here."
"What I know may not be of much use to you now."
Athostan spoke slowly.
The moment his words fell, his body was wrapped in a faint light, drawn away by the lingering power of the Spear of Longinus.
He vanished from the sea.
"He ran?"
Ryuunosuke frowned.
He had planned to hear Athostan's version of Lilith's story.
Instead, the man had slipped away the instant he got the chance.
"Then we will go inside and take a look ourselves."
Ryuunosuke turned.
Behind him, the black island loomed quietly, like a beast that had been sitting there for countless years.
Now that he had this much information, there was no reason to hesitate.
He needed to see what lay within.
With that decision made, Ryuunosuke's figure flickered and reappeared on the deck of the Eternal Ark.
"Captain."
The crew quickly gathered around when they saw him.
"Keep watching Keshia and Brook."
"No matter how the fight ends, do not let either of them slip away."
"I am going to check what is hidden inside Laugh Tale first."
"If you run into anything you cannot handle, contact me immediately with the Dragon Hunting Token."
Ryuunosuke gave his orders crisply.
"Understood, Captain."
The division commanders nodded.
Ryuunosuke did not linger.
He turned and headed straight for the island.
The moment he stepped into the black forest, a suffocating heaviness pressed down on his chest.
A strange power drifted through the air, probing, trying to force its way into his body at every opening.
"So this is the force that damaged Roger's body and left him with a fatal illness?"
Ryuunosuke frowned as he felt it.
If this power were allowed into the body, it was easy to imagine what would happen over time.
Even a man like Roger would not be able to withstand it forever.
Ace had not shown any obvious injuries after entering.
That had to be thanks to the Infinite Stones.
At this moment, Ryuunosuke held the Infinite White Stone in his hand.
The pure aura flowing out of the stone spread in all directions, neutralizing the corrupting energy around him.
The pressure on his chest vanished.
Soon, he passed through the twisted forest and emerged into a canyon.
A massive, dried up root system sprawled across the ravine like the bones of some ancient beast.
"So this is what Ace was talking about, the withered root?"
Ryuunosuke walked toward it.
Beside the roots, a Poneglyph stood, the ancient stone carved with characters he could not fully read.
He recognized the scene from Ace's photo.
So, you finally came.
A familiar voice echoed in his ears.
"First Generation?"
Ryuunosuke's expression shifted, surprise and doubt flickering across his face.
Back at Eve's Root, he had been certain this presence had disappeared.
So why was it here?
"It has been a long time."
"I am surprised you arrived so quickly."
"And your body…"
"Hmm?"
The voice paused.
"Why does Adam's aura cling to you?"
The First Generation had meant to comment on how much stronger he had become, but the moment it sensed Adam's power, its tone changed completely.
"Just now, a shadow wielding the Spear of Longinus tried to invade my mind."
"I killed it and ate it."
Ryuunosuke answered without the slightest change in his expression.
"Ha?"
For a moment, even the usually calm First Generation was stunned speechless.
The Spear of Longinus.
Adam's shadow.
Killed, then devoured.
All that horror, contained in one light and casual sentence.
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