socalfunplaces Chapter 299 Darkness Approaches, Sword and Bow Meet
Chapter 299 Darkness Approaches, Sword and Bow Meet
Chapter 299 Darkness Approaches, Sword and Bow Meet
The sailboat left a white trail on the sea at dawn, like a weary traveler's final sprint.
Hiyori Kozuki had returned to the bow of the ship. The brief rest had restored some of her strength, but her face was still pale.
Her hands gripped the gunwale tightly, her nails almost digging into the wooden railing, her purple eyes fixed on the ever-approaching behemoth ahead.
Zou, the giant elephant that has walked the sea for thousands of years.
"Almost there—" she murmured to herself, her voice almost carried away by the sea breeze.
Oda Nobunaga stood beside her, his red battle feathers fluttering in the morning breeze.
His right hand remained on the hilt of his katana at his waist, while his left hand rested casually on the gunwale, his fingers rhythmically tapping the wooden planks. "Hmm, almost there." Nobunaga squinted, his gaze sweeping over the faint outline of the forest visible on the elephant's back.
"But trouble is coming soon."
"What trouble?" Hiyori asked warily. "Kaido's men? It's the three-day agreement—"
"Now I can confirm it's not Kaido's man," Nobunaga interrupted her, a cold smile curving his lips.
"That guy may be a madman, but he doesn't go back on his word. He said three days, and that's three days. The second day isn't even over yet, so his men won't make a move."
He suddenly turned his head and looked at a certain spot on the sea towards the stern of the ship, a dangerous glint flashing in his red eyes.
"But there are plenty of people in this world who want to take advantage of trouble. Some people probably think this is a good opportunity to get something for nothing."
The moment he finished speaking, Nobunaga suddenly raised his left hand, and three crimson flames shot out from his palm as if they were alive, streaking across the sea and shooting straight towards a seemingly calm area of the sea about a hundred meters away!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The flames exploded, and three huge columns of water shot up from the sea.
Amidst the splashing water, three dark figures shot into the sky from the sea!
However, their attire was not in the style of the Beasts Pirates.
The leader was dressed in a black, tight-fitting combat suit, with a metal mask covering half of his face, and several oddly shaped short knives hanging from his waist.
The two men behind him were a gray cloak-wearing man holding a long staff and an exceptionally burly man with thick chains wrapped around his arms.
"As expected of the heroic spirit known as the Sixth Demon King, his senses are truly sharp." The leader of the men in black landed on the sea.
No, to be precise, I was standing on top of a submarine that had just surfaced from the water.
The submarine was entirely black, with no markings on its sides, only an unsettling matte finish.
"Who are you?" Hiyori demanded loudly, her hand already on the short sword at her waist. "You're not Kaido's men!"
"Kaido? Ha." The man in black scoffed. "That beast who only knows brute force dares to command us?"
He removed the metal mask from his face, revealing a young face covered in scars.
Those eyes were bizarrely two-colored pupils, blue in the left eye and gold in the right.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Raven, and I am the Special Operations Captain of the Second Fleet of the Blackbeard Pirates."
He bowed slightly, a gesture that was elegant yet full of irony.
"By order of my admiral, I have been waiting here for you two for quite some time."
"Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach?" Hiyori's face turned extremely ugly.
Of course she had heard of that name.
The one who seized Arjuna, the Heroic Spirit of Akainu, during the Alabasta Holy Grail War.
Now possessing two heroic spirits, "Arjuna the God" and "Count of Darkness," he is a mad and ambitious figure known as one of the most dangerous forces at sea.
"Exactly." Raven smiled. "The Admiral is very interested in the Holy Grail War, especially—those newly emerging, promising participants."
His gaze shifted between Hiyori and Nobunaga.
"The last descendant of the Kozuki family, and the heroic spirit she summoned, Oda Nobunaga."
"According to our informants in Wano Country, you injured Kaido. Being able to do that proves your worth."
Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword: "So?"
"Therefore, the Admiral would like to invite you to join the Black Faction."
The raven spread its arms wide, as if displaying some kind of generosity.
"The Holy Grail War is a battle between red and black, and having more people is always a good thing. Moreover, the Admiral can guarantee that your treatment will be much better than under Kaido."
"Treatment?" Nobunaga laughed, a laugh tinged with deep sarcasm.
"Are you trying to recruit retainers, kid? What I hated most in my life was someone standing in front of me and speaking to me in such a condescending tone."
His gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Besides, does your Blackbeard Pirates even deserve it?"
The raven's smile vanished. The grey-robed man behind him raised his staff, while the burly man tightened his grip on the chains.
"What a pity." Raven sighed. "The admiral said that if we can't recruit them, then—"
A hint of murderous intent flashed in his heterochromatic pupils.
"Reclaim your Command Seals and Heroic Spirit powers. The Holy Grail War is, by its very nature, a game of mutual plunder."
"Let's do it!"
Almost at the same time that Raven gave the order, Nobunaga moved.
His figure vanished from the bow of the ship like a ghost, and the next second he was already above the submarine, his katana drawn, the blade wreathed in crimson flames, and he slashed at the raven!
"clang!"
A deafening roar, like metal clashing, exploded on the sea.
It wasn't the raven that blocked Nobunaga's attack, but that burly man.
He used his chain-bound arms to forcefully block Nobunaga's sword, and the submarine deck beneath his feet caved in under the impact!
"Not bad in terms of power." Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, his sword flashing as flames surged. "But it's not enough!"
"Sword Call Shiranui!"
Crimson flames spread along the blade like living things, instantly engulfing the burly man's arms.
But the big man seemed to feel no pain. He just let out a low growl, and the chains tightened suddenly, throwing Nobunaga and his sword into the air!
At the same time, the gray-robed man's staff was already pointing at Hiyori on the ship.
"Binding Spell: Sea Serpent's Entanglement!"
Several blue chains formed from seawater burst forth from the ocean, coiling towards the sun like living venomous snakes!
"Master! Watch out!" Nobunaga forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, firing several fireballs at the water chains with his left hand holding the gun.
But the raven had already appeared in front of him, its short knife drawing an eerie arc.
"Don't get distracted, Mr. Heroic Spirit. Your opponent is me."
"Get out of my way!" Nobunaga swung his sword to block.
But Raven's movements were extremely strange, like a boneless snake, twisting and turning in narrow spaces, each attack aimed directly at Nobunaga's vitals.
The battle on the sea instantly intensified.
On the high cliffs of Zousi Forest, Pedro crossed his arms, while Siegfried took in the entire scene below.
"It's a battle of Heroic Spirits," Siegfried said in a deep voice, his silver armor gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the morning light.
"That red-clad servant is very powerful. But the three people surrounding him—they are extremely cunning and don't get along well with him—"
Pedro's one eye was fixed on the sea, even though it was far beyond his field of vision.
However, listening to Siegfried's account, he felt as if he were there himself.
"The Blackbeard Pirates—have they also gotten involved in the Holy Grail War?"
"It seems so." Siegfried gripped his greatsword tighter.
"And they chose to ambush and kill the other participants here. Master, what should we do?"
Pedro remained silent.
Logically, Zou should remain neutral and not get involved in external disputes.
But the Holy Grail War has already affected the entire world. Can Zou really remain unscathed?
He remembered the vow he made to Qigefei last night: to protect him.
Protect Zou, protect our comrades, protect the future that is worth protecting.
And now, on the sea, there's a girl being besieged, and beside her, a heroic spirit fighting fiercely—
Are they enemies? Or potential allies?
"Siegfried," Pedro suddenly spoke, his voice firm, "Can you sense the presence of that red-clad heroic spirit? Is he evil?"
Siegfried closed his eyes, then opened them a moment later.
"No. Although his aura is wild and unrestrained, it doesn't have any sinister feel to it."
"On the contrary, the three who attacked him—especially the leader with the two-colored pupils—had a strong smell of blood on them."
"On that ship," Pedro said, looking at the sailboat, "where is the girl?"
"Fearful, yet resolute. Her soul—bright." Siegfried offered a concise yet powerful assessment.
Pedro took a deep breath and made his decision.
"Zou is the ancient ancestral land of the Kozuki family. If that girl is from Wano Country, then Zou has an obligation to protect her."
He looked at Siegfried, "And the Blackbeard Pirates—I've heard of their infamous reputation while I was traveling."
"If we allow them to run rampant near Zou, they will threaten our homeland sooner or later."
Siegfried nodded, a barely perceptible smile on his face.
"A wise decision, Master. So—"
He carried the greatsword on his shoulder.
"Should we intervene?"
"Yes." Pedro was already in battle mode, his golden hair standing on end in the morning breeze. "But not a direct confrontation. We need a plan—"
He quickly whispered his thoughts.
Siegfried listened, his eyes growing increasingly approving.
"Good tactics. Well then, let's begin."
On the sea, the battle has entered a critical phase.
Nobunaga fought against three opponents alone, and although he was temporarily at a disadvantage due to his superior strength, the three Ravens cooperated extremely well, clearly indicating that they were a special operations team that had undergone long-term training.
The burly man was responsible for frontal restraint, the gray-robed man used remote spells to interfere, and the raven moved around like a venomous snake to launch sneak attacks, each move cunning and ruthless.
"Three Thousand Worlds - Combo!"
Nobunaga forced the burly man back with a single spear thrust, then unleashed a fiery tiger attack on the gray-robed man.
The gray-robed man hurriedly raised his staff to defend himself, but just then...
"Now!" Raven suddenly appeared behind Nobunaga, her twin swords aimed straight for his back!
"Lord Nobunaga!" Hiyori exclaimed.
But Nobunaga's lips curled into a cold smile.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
He didn't even turn around; he simply reached back with his left hand and precisely grabbed the raven's wrist!
"What?!" Raven's pupils contracted.
"You think I didn't notice?" Nobunaga's red eyes flashed with fighting spirit.
"Of the three of you, only you are the real threat. The other two are just decoys."
With a sudden burst of strength, he snatched Raven up and slammed him onto the submarine deck!
"Bang!"
Raven's body slammed into the deck, creating a dent, but at the last moment he used a strange contortionist technique to dissipate most of the force, rolled to his feet, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
"As expected of a Heroic Spirit—" He wiped away the blood, a glint of fanaticism flashing in his heterochromatic pupils, "But do you think this is all the strength we possess?"
He suddenly raised his hand, pulled a metal ball from his pocket, and slammed it hard onto the deck!
"Come out, our ace!"
The sphere exploded, releasing thick black smoke. From within the smoke, a massive figure slowly rose to its feet.
That was a strange thing.
It has a humanoid outline, but its entire body is covered with dark purple carapace, and four pairs of insect-like limbs extend from its back. Its head has no facial features, but only a constantly rotating red light spot.
It exuded a nauseating, inhuman odor.
"What the hell is this?" Nobunaga frowned.
"A toy the admiral borrowed from the navy." Raven grinned.
"An anti-heroic spirit weapon that combines ancient weapon technology, seastone components, and—a little bit of magic—is quite useful after modification."
"It's specifically designed to deal with heroic spirits like you."
The red light on the head of the Spellbreaker locked onto Nobunaga. The next second, its four pairs of limbs on its back opened simultaneously, spitting out dozens of purple beams of light. Nobunaga swung his sword to block, but the moment those beams touched the flames on his sword, they began to devour the power of the flames!
"It can absorb magic power?" Nobunaga's eyes narrowed.
"It's not just about absorption," Raven said smugly.
"It can analyze, copy, and then—use it against you. That's the power of technology, Mr. Heroic Spirit."
The Spellbreaker fired beams again. This time, the beams deformed in the air, transforming into the exact same shape as the fireballs Nobunaga had fired before, only this time the color had turned into a strange purple!
Nobunaga dared not be careless and unleashed a powerful slash. The flames collided with the purple beam of light, creating a massive energy shockwave on the sea!
The sailboat was violently rocked by the shockwave, and Hiyori clung tightly to the gunwale to avoid being thrown off.
Looking at Nobunaga, who was locked in a fierce battle, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Just then.
"Master, bow your head!"
Siegfried's voice boomed across the sea like thunder.
Pedro had somehow already swum to the vicinity of the sailboat. He leaped out of the sea, landed on the bow, and pinned Hiyori down.
Almost at the same moment, a silver sword light, like a falling meteor, pierced through the air from the direction of Zou and shot straight toward the Spellbreaker!
The speed of the sword light was so fast that it exceeded the limits of vision. The spellbreaker didn't even have time to react before being hit head-on!
"boom-!!!"
A deafening explosion rang out.
The Spellbreaker's massive body was blasted away by this sword strike, sliding across the sea for over a hundred meters before finally coming to a stop.
A deep crack appeared on its chest shell, and red lights flickered wildly.
The three ravens stared in disbelief at what they saw.
On the high cliff, Siegfried slowly withdrew his throwing posture.
His greatsword was back in his hand.
That last strike was him throwing the greatsword with pure force, and then recalling it after hitting the target using some kind of connection.
"What kind of monster is that?" the gray-robed man asked, his voice trembling.
"Another Heroic Spirit—" A hint of seriousness finally flashed in Raven's heterochromatic pupils. "Were there participants on Zou as well? The intelligence didn't mention that!"
Pedro helped Hiyori up and said in a deep voice, "People of Wano Country, Zou welcomes you. But now is not the time to talk."
He looked at Siegfried on the sea: "Mr. Siegfried! Can you deal with that iron lump?"
Siegfried, carrying his greatsword, first met Oda Nobunaga's gaze, and the two nodded in acknowledgment.
Upon hearing the Master's call, it locked onto the enemy with unwavering focus.
"You can give it a try."
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