Chapter 218: Redemption
Chapter 218: Redemption
The sky darkened as night approached, and the Navy soldiers’ breathing grew heavier.
“Kurocommander is a commander, and our Hugocommander is a commander too. Why are they treating him like this?”
The Lieutenant gripped the hilt at his waist, his face darkening.
A contemptuous smile curled the Lieutenant’s lips. “I’ve never heard of Navy soldiers blocking others from arresting pirate collaborators.”
The Lieutenant drew his blade and roared, “Don’t insult Hugocommander!”
“I won’t let you defame Kurocommander either.” With a sweep of the Lieutenant’s arm, the Navy behind him raised their long spears, aiming at the opposing soldiers.
Likewise, the Navy under the other Lieutenant drew their weapons, their faces brimming with fury.
The tension thickened like glue—any moment, the clash might erupt.
“Crushing Pressure!”
Kurocommander swung his blade, unleashing a torrent of Killing Intent.
But the Killing Intent swept past like wind, rustling their clothes and hair tips. Kurocommander saw their expressions waver briefly before their rage intensified.
None of them collapsed.
“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Lida muttered, his meal halfway to his mouth.
Kurocommander’s Killing Intent failed to knock them out? When had their willpower grown so strong?
“Sea water.”
A voice drifted from behind.
Kurocommander turned. Gurgas, lying on the ground, gasped, “Soak the living in sea water—that’ll break the curse.”
Gurgas’s voice lacked its earlier despair. He turned his head, his gaze eerily calm. “Hurry. Once night falls completely, it’ll be too late.”
Whoosh!
As he spoke, the sky split open, pouring down fist-sized raindrops that stung against their skin.
Kurocommander clenched his five fingers. Rainwater gathered into a swirling sphere, enveloping everyone present.
“Kurocommander, what are you—gurgle—”
Not even Lida escaped.
Only after the sea water soaked them all did Kurocommander release his grip, letting the sphere dissolve.
The Lieutenant and Navy soldiers stood stunned, lowering their weapons, their eyes wide with horror.
What had they nearly done? Internal conflict among comrades was unthinkable. They’d almost committed an unforgivable act.
Suddenly, the Lieutenant raised his blade, slashing at the other Lieutenant.
Whoosh!
A sudden burst of air pressure hurled the Lieutenant and his men backward.
Kurocommander tightened his grip on Autumn Water, turning to Gurgas. “Hey, wasn’t the sea water supposed to break the curse for the living?”
Gurgas said nothing, staring at Kurocommander with infinite sorrow.
Kurocommander’s hand trembled slightly. “No way…”
“They’re all dead,” Gurgas said flatly.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
A wail pierced the air. Hugo collapsed to his knees, trembling as he stared at his hands. His face, once twisted with madness, had returned to normal.
Snapping back to reality, he looked up sharply at Kurocommander. “Tada Town was wiped out three days ago! None of these are real people!”
Kurocommander frowned. “You called the shot?”
“Leave now! No time! Report back to Headquarters and deploy Pacifista! This place is beyond saving!”
Ignoring Kurocommander, Hugo rushed his words like a final testament. Pain contorted his face. “Go! Now!”
The last word erupted like a grotesque roar.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky, plunging Tada Town into utter darkness.
Hugo clutched himself, his skin blazing crimson. His mouth gaped open in a guttural howl.
Boom!
Flames erupted from his hair, face, and skin—before the rain doused them.
But the flames’ absence didn’t save him. His skin blackened, carbonized by searing heat. Molten, lava-like patterns coursed across his body, like the book’s curse described: eternal burning.
Alongside Hugo, those Kurocommander had blown away transformed too. Their bodies twisted grotesquely, hissing steam as rain met their flesh. Each became a charred, monstrous echo.
“So much pain… blood… give me blood…”
Hugo’s trembling hand swelled, his fingers sharpening into beast-like claws.
“Give me blood!!”
The featureless, ash-covered face bore no expression—only boundless madness. Just as the book warned: at night, the cursed become Monsters, enduring relentless burning until they drain the living’s blood.
Wham!
A spinning axe cleaved through Hugo, splitting him in two. The blade sliced through the other Monster-Navy soldiers like a boomerang before flying back.
Gurgas stood behind, catching the massive axe in one hand. His gaze burned with icy madness as he whispered, “Redemption…”
He’d survived the Shinmeiryu Style technique?
Gurgas trembled. His body swelled, tearing through his priestly robes as black fur burst forth. His face lengthened into a snout, his legs twisting into bestial forms.
“Aooooo!!”
A five-meter-tall werewolf towered over them, howling at the dark sky.
A Devil Fruit user?! And a Zoan with peak vitality?!
No wonder he moved after the Shinmeiryu Style blow. Worse—this wasn’t a normal type. A werewolf capable of bipedal movement and growth was likely an ancient breed.
“Roar!”
The werewolf lunged, claws slashing at Kurocommander.
Kurocommander clenched his fist. The downpour surged toward the beast, swallowing it in a sea-water sphere.
He flicked two fingers along Autumn Water, unleashing a wisp of golden light.
“Shinmeiryu Style—Mystic Art!”
Sea water weakens Devil Fruit users… but only for weaker types. This was merely a hindrance.
Time to end it.
“Azure Dragon!”
The blade descended, carving into the sea water. The torrent coiled into a serpentine water dragon, engulfing the werewolf. The water sharpened into blades, slicing through its body. Blood clouded the sea-water, staining it crimson.
The beast roared in agony. Three minutes later, the blood-tainted water dispersed, revealing the battered werewolf.
Thud!
It collapsed, its chest still heaving weakly.
The werewolf’s form shrank, reverting to human.
“Thanks…”
Gurgas’s expression softened, his voice bitter. “If you’d been the one stationed here years ago, maybe Tada Kingdom wouldn’t have fallen like this.”
"Are you awake?" Kurocommander asked. "You weren’t burned by the flames?"
“The curse differs. I’m not like them.”
Gurgas’s eyes flicked to the nearby Doctrine Book, his voice fading. “A woman gave me this book. It told my story—I guarded this land’s last remnants, ending their agony with mercy.”
Kurocommander understood. That “mercy” was slaughter.
Death freed them from pain.
“So you killed everyone in Tada Town?”
“Exactly,” Gurgas said with a hollow smile. “I thought I could resist. I read the Witch’s Revenge—its power couldn’t affect me. But that woman… that woman said I’d fall under the book’s curse, forced to act out its tale. I refused to believe her… until it became reality.”
He fixed Kurocommander with a grave stare. “If you meet a black-haired woman who seems evil, don’t—never—defy her words. Watch for her verbal traps. Her words are lies… until you deny them, making those lies real.”
“Sipatia?”
Kurocommander narrowed his eyes. “Ah, I’ve already learned that the hard way.”
“Have you?” Gurgas chuckled. “Stay until sunrise. Everything’ll be restored… except me.”
He turned to Hugo’s bisected corpse, sighing. “At dawn, apologize to Hugo Mr. on my behalf. He was a noble man—his will broke the curse, but I killed him in my madness.”
Gurgas’s life force ebbed. Staring at the sky, he murmured,
“Lance… after all this, are you finally at peace? We truly failed Lisa…”
His mouth hung open, eyes wide, frozen in silent repentance.
(End of Chapter)
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