Arrogant People!

9:30 PM.

The area near the fountain in the city center.

He had a rapier at his waist, its scabbard cracked from being hit by grenades, and a grenade in his right palm.

Merlin arrived in an alleyway here, sniffing Yol's scent. He quickly found them in a garden with some trees on the outskirts, near this location.

At this time, this place was the rendezvous point agreed upon with the survivors.

Because of this, Merlin wasn't the only one waiting here with Yol and the others.

"It's me!" As Merlin arrived, the survivors keeping watch around the area came out one after another.

However, "Is it only you guys left?"

Merlin looked around. Besides Yol and the other person, only a total of fifteen survivors had arrived. At this moment, an acquaintance walked forward, anger flashing in Eric's eyes:

"Those bastards actually deployed poison gas bombs in the sewers. These are all that's left of our people coming over now.

Of the brothers who were with me, including myself, only seven remain."

For the past few days, they had been hiding in the sewers. Although it was smelly and dirty, it was still relatively safe.

But today, the soldiers first marched through the city in large numbers, deterring the survivors from hiding, and then sent people to deploy potent poison gas bombs throughout the city's sewer system. More than half of the survivors in the sewers were directly wiped out.

Merlin scanned the area, looking at the survivors around him, their eyes filled with deep apprehension and fear. In an instant, he knew they couldn't wait any longer, so he said:

"They've reached the end of their rope, so tonight is our best chance.

Rest up, and at 3 AM tonight, prepare to break out with me!"

Eric nodded at this, also feeling relieved.

But at this moment, the leader of another group of survivors stepped forward, his eyes flickering as he looked at Merlin:

"Mr. Merlin, if that's the case, when will you help the rest of us transfer the plumbism from our bodies?"

Merlin calmly glanced at him, "Do you have any suggestions?

Alfos."

He was a well-proportioned middle-aged man with blond hair, wearing a messy suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

A gleam flashed in Alfos's eyes:

"Half of our remaining companions have plumbism, and their condition isn't good. If you heal them, our chances of escaping successfully will be even greater, right?

What do you say, Mr. Merlin?"

At this moment, Eric also looked at Merlin, but with some hesitation in his eyes:

"Brother Merlin, three of the brothers who came with me haven't been healed yet either!"

During these three days, sometimes after defeating the soldiers, Merlin would transfer the plumbism from some survivors onto the soldiers who were not yet dead.

And among the fifteen survivors who had arrived now, seven still had plumbism.

In the dim environment, a strange light flickered in Merlin's lowered eyes:

"I believe I've said it before, my body can only bear four portions of plumbism.

Do you have any creatures here that can bear the plumbism for me now?"

At this moment, Alfos let out a confident light chuckle, "Mr. Merlin, your ability to transfer negative status effects, animals can also do it, right?

We brought a hunting dog."

Merlin's lips curved slightly, "Of course, any living creature will do."

Alfos's lips curled into a smile, and he clapped his hands. Four people walked forward excitedly from where he had been standing. One of them was carrying a black hunting dog whose mouth was tied shut and whose limbs had been broken.

Alfos said with a bright smile:

"Then you can begin. Use that Devil Fruit ability of yours that amazes me every time I see it."

"Begin?" A brilliant smile appeared on Merlin's face, "Begin what?"

Alfos's expression stiffened, and he lowered his voice unhappily, repeating, "Heal the plumbism of our companions."

Merlin's voice became faint, "Healing so many people at once will consume a lot of my energy.

We are escaping tonight, and my body will become weak at this time.

So tell me, what about my safety then?"

Alfos's expression immediately stiffened, but he then smiled broadly, "Don't worry, we will all protect you then."

At this moment, Eric on the side hesitated. He felt that the atmosphere here was a bit off.

He felt that Alfos might have gone a bit too far.

He immediately wanted to play peacemaker and step in to stop it.

But as soon as he moved to step forward, At this moment, he felt something hard press against his back.

Simultaneously, Yol's calm, lowered voice emerged:

"Mr. Eric, don't move! Be careful not to accidentally fire the gun."

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Eric's forehead.

And at this moment, Merlin, who had somehow put his hands behind his back, had a glint of mockery in his eyes:

"Are you here to protect me?"

At this moment, His body suddenly surged forward, He pulled the pin from the grenade behind his back and hurled it with his right hand towards the three survivors not far away who were with Alfos.

Then, Black Flame ignited in his right hand, and he punched Alfos square in the face:

"Calamity. Scarlet of Wounds."

In an instant, Alfos's body, which had been punched to the ground, was engulfed in Black Flame. Several fatal wounds suddenly appeared on him, and a gash opened at his neck, from which blood spurted out.

Immediately after, with a boom, an explosion occurred. The three people over there didn't react in time and were blown away by the blast.

Piercing screams erupted.

Merlin's figure then dashed out rapidly, closing the distance in the blink of an eye to the four people who had approached him.

As they looked at him in panic and vigilance, Black Flame surged around his fists, and he threw three rapid punches. The three men fell to the ground screaming. Then, he flickered and kicked the fourth man hard in the groin.

A heavy thud sounded, and Merlin smoothly drew a dagger from his right side.

He slashed across his neck.

With a thwip, blood splattered onto Merlin's face. At this moment, Merlin darted forward, and three cold glints flashed.

The three men lying on the ground had their chests pierced.

Then, Merlin reabsorbed the plumbism from two of them.

He glanced at Eric and his group, who stood frozen in terror, then walked over to the three men heavily injured by the grenade.

Amidst their screams and pleas for mercy, Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

He finished them off.

Merlin wiped the blood from his face and looked at Eric with a deep gaze:

"Do you want my life too?"

Eric gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his forehead. Hearing this, he quickly replied:

"I don't, little brother Merlin, no, boss Merlin, you know I've never had any ill intentions towards you."

At this moment, Merlin sensed Yol's questioning gaze, so he shook his head at her:

"Yol, put the gun away. Eric was misled."

"And Lami, grenades are dangerous, children shouldn't play with them carelessly."

Merlin looked at little Lami, who was behind Yol, holding a grenade in her right hand, the pin pulled with her left, her eyes fixed on Eric and his group.

At this moment, the people beside Eric suddenly looked at Lami in panic.

They all swallowed hard, feeling as though they had just walked through the gates of hell.

They looked at Merlin with fear in their eyes.

This Merlin guy was truly ruthless, killing eight people without a word.

Merlin then looked at Eric and said softly, "Brother Eric, I've never had any ill intentions towards you. I just want to escape here alive.

But in this world, there are always damned ungrateful wretches who are never satisfied.

You're not that kind of person, are you?"

Eric gave a bitter smile and raised his hands, "I'm not that kind of person."

Merlin nodded, "I believe you're not."

Saying that, Merlin looked at the three people behind Eric, "Come over here!

Now someone else will take the blame for the plumbism for you."

With that, he walked towards Alfos, who lay on the ground, his face full of terror and already on the brink of death.

Seeing that they didn't dare to move, Merlin tilted his head and asked curiously:

"Don't you want to be healed?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them swallowed hard, fear flashing in their eyes as they quickly approached.

A short while later, Merlin absorbed the Platinum Lead Calamity from their bodies and transferred it to Alfos.

Then, Merlin reclaimed the Calamity of Wounds, but not before giving the man another stab.

Thus, the fellow who had spontaneously decided that sheer numbers would allow him to overpower Merlin died with his eyes wide open and unseeing.

Merlin's gaze was calm as he turned to Eric and the others:

"Tonight, we will escape this prison of Frevanz. Once we're out, we'll go our separate ways!

From now on, how you want to live and where you want to go will be entirely up to you."

Hearing Merlin's words, Eric breathed a sigh of relief. He then subtly glanced at the eight people who lay dead in the garden.

He silently marked Merlin as someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke in the future.

This was because Merlin gave him a feeling of unsettling madness that made his heart race.

The kind of person who would kill without a second thought.

Not long after, Merlin led them to Viscount Mela's villa.

Everyone sat in a corner to rest.

Meanwhile, Merlin took Yol and Lami to a cave beneath the rock garden.