Heart Demon Seed

Although Tony did not know what crime he had committed, his fear told him that his life was paramount; even if he were thrown into prison, his father would find a way to fish him out.

Thus, he softened his stance, intending to hug his head and crouch down.

"I surren..."

But Laffitte's cane hooked under Tony's armpit, lifting him like a child, and he chuckled sinisterly, "I'm sorry, Young Master, but you must have a shootout with the Navy today..."

His pale face turned toward the spotlight, "Give the order. Kill all the Navy, and this group of foolish mobs as well."

Tony saw ripples of light and said in a daze, "But I didn't deploy enough men today."

"No, you did." Laffitte's cane hooked Tony, pulling him upright. After the audience in the opera house had all crouched down, they and the bodyguards remained standing, looking incredibly conspicuous.

Bang!

Conrad's gunshot rang out coldly. Since he had said he would open fire, he would certainly do so; if one's words were not backed by action, one could not stand firm.

Crackling gunfire followed immediately.

From the open, wall-less section of the opera house, the forty-man gun squad of Aokiji's Buster Call force unleashed a barrage upon the wall of flesh formed by the bodyguards.

Screams erupted from the mouths of the ladies who could no longer contain their terror.

But the King and Tony were out of the line of fire.

Because Laffitte had grabbed one in each hand and leaped onto the iron scaffolding of the spotlight beneath the opera house ceiling.

The leap was so light it displayed physical prowess far beyond that of an ordinary person; despite carrying two grown men, his landing was as soft as a feather.

The bald bodyguard in black with the steel-cable right arm, who had just blocked the bullets, also slipped away to hide behind the cover of a private box.

Standing on the iron frame, Tony's expression was now as intensely furious as the King's, much like how the King had recalled his own noble status.

He, too, remembered the glory of the Marlon Family as the former head of the West Blue underworld, and remembered his grandfather who had once followed the World Conqueror, Rocks.

"Counterattack... Counterattack! Kill them all!"

As if in response to Tony's shout, the dense sound of leather shoes hitting the ground like galloping horses echoed through the dark, cold night.

Laffitte flicked his cane, slicing through the tin roof of the opera house, and with another light jump, he carried the King and Tony through the opening and onto the roof.

Rows of mobsters wielding firearms approached from both ends of the street in front of and behind the opera house, their blades and axes reflecting a cold, flowing light.

Seeing the Marlon Family crest on the attire of these mobsters, Tony was overjoyed.

He failed to notice that not a single one of the faces beneath the night sky was someone he recognized.

In an alleyway the mobsters passed, Bege puffed on a cigar and sneered, "The young master of the Marlon Family has ordered the slaughter of the Navy and numerous dignitaries; this news will surely hit the headlines tomorrow."

The tattooed man with the long, curling tongue beside him walked out of the alley with a grin, blending into the ranks at the opera house, and said, "The underworld of the West Blue is destined to be unified by you, Boss."

On the wall-less west side of the opera house, Conrad looked up at the sky again. In the drifting, cloudy night, the four baleful stars circling him bloomed with a blinding, blood-red light.

Beneath his feet was the center of the stage.

It was the misfortune brought by his own destiny star; if he hadn't suggested coming here, the group of Navy soldiers behind him would not be appearing at this time and place.

He had long ago calculated his own destiny star, named—Ten Thousand Mile Slaughter.

"Kneel! Beg me for mercy!" the King and Tony roared in unison, their savage, smug expressions identical.

Laffitte couldn't help but laugh out loud, his face full of enjoyment.

The Navy soldiers, hearing the noise, also realized they were surrounded. The sound of footsteps indicated the enemy's vast numbers, and combined with the killers hidden in the shadows, a thick, suffocating aura of death seemed to seep from everyone's skin.

"All troops, listen up!" Conrad's voice was loud and clear, "Retreat!"

"Retreat where?" Shuzo suppressed the resentment in his heart. Because he was confused, he chose to obey first; at a time like this, a unified direction was paramount.

"Ain, clear the path. Kujaku, seal the rear."

Conrad lowered Baby-5's shield and walked toward the stage alone, "I will cover the rear!"

"How will you cover the rear?" Kujaku asked, stunned. She picked up her shield and hurriedly followed, blocking the side of Conrad's body facing the audience.

"Ha! I am the Overlord Heavenly Image! A possessor of Conqueror's Haki!"

Conrad declared loudly, his voice rising with every step he took, "You staying here will only hinder my performance! I haven't been able to unleash my full Haki for fear of knocking you all unconscious!"

The Navy soldiers followed with their guns raised. Bling Bling, who had been training with Conrad from the start, knew his physical limits and advised, "If we charge together, we can always get a few people out."

"No more words!" Conrad clenched his fist and slammed it with great force against the back wall of the stage, "Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"

The wooden wall shattered into splinters with ease.

His Conqueror's Haki also fiercely stunned the eyes of everyone present for a brief moment.

"Go! Go through here!" Conrad looked at Kujaku, "Help me look after Baby-5. Take her and go; I'll be there as soon as I finish covering the rear."

The shield transformed into liquid. The girl in the red dress with the bow lowered her head, biting her lip as she asked, "Do I have to go too?"

The sound of footsteps drew closer, mixed with the ringing of gunfire and the clashing of steel blades.

Conrad ruffled her hair firmly and said gently, "My Haki is too strong; it would knock you unconscious too."

Baby-5 lowered her head further. Kujaku took her by the wrist, and the Navy squad advanced toward the hole in the stage.

Conrad took a breath and turned around.

Just as he turned his back, two small hands suddenly wrapped around his waist, and Baby-5's voice, thick with tears, struggled to reach him.

"I... I won't leave! Don't drive me away..."

Baby-5's hands gripped Conrad's clothes so tightly they dug into his waist muscles, her voice trembling as she said, "You said you would always need me... D-do you not need me anymore now?!"

Conrad was an orphan, so he wasn't one for drawn-out, tearful farewells; he reached back and pulled Baby-5 to his side.

The stage spotlight shone three meters in front of them, leaving them standing in the darkness, much like the sunless past they had both endured.

Conrad thought of the dark room he used to frequent; if someone had been there to talk to him in that dark room, he wouldn't have ended up talking to himself...

Conrad looked toward the crowd of sycophantic elites in the audience, though among them were many children; he had no time to analyze it, simply throwing his hand out and roaring, "Get out! All of you, get out!"

The elites, as if granted a reprieve, released their heads and scrambled to find their own ways to survive.

Behind the stage came the sounds of collapsing stone and wood, the cracking of whips, and the friction of walls as obstacles were piled up, leaving only the path behind Conrad open.

This path was not sealed.

The Mafia had arrived, nearing the broken wall, and several pairs of leather shoes had already stepped through.

In truth, Conrad hadn't let the Navy leave because of his Conqueror's Haki.

He gripped Baby-5's supple hand and suddenly opened his eyes wide, bloodshot veins ferociously crawling across his black irises as his entire aura turned instantly violent.

It was to begin the reverse cultivation of the Heart-Freezing Art.

To reverse-cultivate one of his two core techniques, the very art from Wind and Cloud used to suppress the Qilin Mad Blood, and to force the flow of Haki that guarded his brain to run in reverse.

He was releasing the Heart Demon Seed, planted within him after he had suffered a cultivation deviation during his solitary confinement in that dark room.

Blood surged downward, and the veins on his face bulged.

"YEHAHAHAHAHA!!!"