Chapter 451: Slashing Through Lightning!
Chapter 451: Slashing Through Lightning!
Today in Storm City, a storm rages.
Thunderous winds and heavy rain sweep across the main and secondary islands of Ohara, with locals prepared, donning raincoats and holding umbrellas, or rushing back to their homes or shops to seek shelter.
Based on past experiences, storms in Ohara manifest in two ways: either it rains for three to four consecutive days within a month, or it occurs in segments, averaging around five to six days of rain each month.
As this month has only passed five-day mark, and it had already rained at the beginning of the month, this fits the latter pattern of segmented rainfall.
Many people didn't return home but instead gathered in taverns and restaurants, watching the rain while enjoying their meals.
This included foreign merchants and pirates, who sought places to rest within the city.
Restaurants and inns near the port were mostly occupied by these visitors, some peacefully and others in a chaotic mix.
For instance, there was a mixed restaurant located two streets away from the port, standing four stories tall. The first floor was a tavern, the second a restaurant, and the third and fourth floors were inns, frequented by traveling pirates.
The owner of this establishment was a retired pirate with a bounty of several thousand bellies in his heyday. He had broken his leg and decided to settle down in Ohara with his savings and treasures.
For pirates who had either retired due to overwhelming odds or been forced to retire due to injuries, Ohara was their sanctuary, not Hive Island.
It was the only place that accepted and didn't discriminate against them. As long as they followed the rules, they could live like ordinary people without fear of pursuit.
However, these special individuals had to report and undergo screening before settling down.
Those with particularly heinous pasts were not welcome.
It had nothing to do with strength, morality, or alignment; Sage simply disliked those who were too despicable.
Because he himself was despicable enough.
Among the pirates on the high seas, aside from those who specialized in pillaging and burning, there was another type—those who ventured out illegally, were branded as pirates, and had bounties on their heads, but were essentially professionals in another field.
The owner of this restaurant shared a similar background with Zeff, the owner of Baratie. He was a chef who had set sail in search of All Blue, gained a reputation, and later broke his leg. He then brought his wealth to Ohara to retire.
Sage welcomed people like him the most.
How could he not? They were investors and taxpayers!
However, being pirates, they ran a crude-style restaurant, attracting mostly foreign pirates, which often led to a rowdy atmosphere.
Locals didn't frequent this place, not out of fear, but because they couldn't stand the noisy and messy environment. Under the rule of their lord, no one feared these pirates.
"The total bill comes to 14,000 bellies," a waiter said with a smile to a pirate who had just finished his meal.
The pirate, with his intimidating build and face scarred with wounds, slammed his hand on the table and roared, "I don't have any money!"
The waiter maintained his smile and waved his hand, signaling for several burly men to emerge from the back.
The pirate quickly stood up, glaring menacingly at the waiter. Before the men could reach him, he crouched down, covering his head with his hands.
"Beat him up!" the waiter ordered.
The burly men complied, surrounding the pirate and delivering a barrage of punches and kicks.
Other pirates dining nearby seemed accustomed to this, continuing their boisterous behavior as if nothing was happening.
This was the rule in this mixed restaurant, perhaps due to the owner's background as a chef. No matter how destitute someone was, they would be invited to the table, even if they clearly had no money.
Eating one's fill was the priority.
As for paying the bill...
If they truly couldn't afford it, a beating and being thrown out would suffice.
However, with pirates everywhere, some even recognizing each other, no one would lose face over a meal.
Skip out on the bill? Start a fight? Kill someone?
Did they not know where they were? At most, they'd suffer a beating and some embarrassment, but any unruly behavior would result in more than just a simple beating.
Near the port, several corpses hung, their ribs exposed from being split open, now dried by the wind.
"You scum from the outer seas, coming to Ohara to beg for food!" the waiter snarled. "Beat him! Beat him hard! And then throw him out!"
"Stop!"
Suddenly, another pirate slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "It's just a meal! I'll pay for him!"
The waiter waved his hand, signaling the burly men to stop, and then had the freeloading pirate thrown out.
When the pirate who offered to pay finished his meal and asked for the bill, the waiter, still smiling, said, "Sir, the total comes to 35,000 bellies."
"I said I'd pay for that pirate's meal," the well-fed pirate replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Yes, sir, it's included in the total of 35,000," the waiter confirmed.
"Okay."
The pirate put down his napkin, stood up silently, and, with a disdainful glance at the waiter, turned and crouched down, covering his head.
The waiter stood in silence, witnessing the scene unfold.
Boom!
Not long after, the streets, drenched by the torrential rain, witnessed the addition of another fallen figure, bruised and swollen, eliciting laughter from the restaurant's patrons.
Such individuals were a common sight, but they also represented the city's inclusiveness.
It wasn't a fearsome beast or a place of strict rules; as long as one abided by the local regulations, everyone could live freely and comfortably.
...
Unlike the bustling Storm City under the downpour, a desolate area in the northwest featured a cliff overlooking the sea. The heavy rain smoothed the rocks, making it treacherous for ordinary people to traverse without slipping into the sea.
At the tip of the cliff, a sword-like stone protruded into the air, and beneath the curtain of rain, a delicate and graceful figure stood with her back to the observers.
The woman wore a battle armor skirt, the metal on her skirt and arms glistening with rainwater, matching her golden, wavy hair.
She assumed the stance of a drawn sword, her eyes half-closed, standing motionless like a sculpture beneath the rain.
Whoosh!
The seawater below the cliff rose with the intensity of the storm, transforming into waves that crashed against the cliff, causing vibrations that even dislodged some rocks.
Just as the seawater struck the cliff, for a fleeting moment, it seemed to pause, like a glitch in a movie.
Whoosh!
The second wave surged forward, and the hand that held the sword hilt seemed to twitch slightly, as if about to draw the sword or as if it had already been unsheathed and resheathed.
As the massive wave was about to hit the cliff, it suddenly lost its momentum, transforming into splashing droplets that merged with the rain and fell into the sea.
"Lady Lily!"
Boom!
Several pirates, braving the downpour on their motorcycles, arrived at the cliff just in time to witness Lily standing like a statue. As they called out, the sky erupted with muffled thunder, unleashing several bolts of purple lightning that emitted a blinding flash, causing them to instinctively shield their eyes.
In that instant of raising their hands, the purple lightning, resembling a serpent, had already reached Lily, who stood on the protruding cliff.
A piercing sound of a sword being drawn echoed as a horizontal beam of light mysteriously appeared in front of her, like a burst of white lightning, abruptly halting the descending purple lightning. For a fleeting moment, the lightning seemed to freeze, perhaps, maybe...
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The light flashed repeatedly, tearing through the air like a white gash, and a two-finger-wide rapier, entwined with white lightning, suddenly appeared in the air, seemingly having been drawn from the woman's scabbard at her waist. Yet, it too appeared frozen, and in the blink of an eye, it shifted from a vertical position to a horizontal one.
It was as if the movie had skipped a frame.
The sword, most of the time enveloped in white lightning, seemed to briefly display blue lightning in one frame, but it was so fleeting that it could have been an illusion in the pouring rain, unnoticed by anyone.
With the rapier's 'skipped frame,' the descending lightning was filled with white light.
The lightning had completely stopped!
Click.
The sword, which had been visible outside, returned to its scabbard with a soft click.
Clatter!
In the next instant, the descending lightning shattered like glass, twisting into 'glass shards' in the air and dissipating.
The golden-haired woman straightened her body, turned silently, and finally looked at the pirates on their motorcycles.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The pirates, still reeling from the lightning strike, didn't have time to register their shock before the lightning dissipated, leaving them with expressions of bewilderment.
"What do you want?" Lily asked coldly.
Only then did the pirates react, lowering their heads respectfully under her gaze.
"Lady Lily, Sage is looking for you."
Lily glanced at them, nodded, and without a word, walked past the pirates. Before they could even catch their breath, her voice rang out again.
"By the way..."
"Yes, yes!" The pirates stood as straight as pencils.
"Don't come here on rainy days; it's easy to get struck by lightning. Go back quickly."
Lily turned her head and said, then vanished from the cliff as a fleeting afterimage.
The pirates relaxed, some even leaning against their motorcycles for support.
"Lady Lily's aura is truly terrifying."
"Yes..."
Another pirate swallowed, "Sometimes, it's even more intimidating than Sage. Is this the influence of the Tyrant Aura?"
"Forget about the Tyrant Aura. That's not something we can comprehend. But just now..."
The pirate gazed at the cliff in awe and said, "Lady Lily, did you just slice the lightning into pieces?"
(End of Chapter)
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