Captured

Beneath the Red Line, a navy ship marked with the letters CP3 was sailing rapidly in a specific direction.

Everyone on board wore snow-white uniforms and masks that lacked any expression.

At the bow of the ship, three masked individuals stood in a row; one of them slowly tucked a Den Den Mushi into his robes.

"The two of you, take ten men and head to Copperfield by speedboat for reinforcements. If you don't see that little girl, then don't let Toby live any longer!"

Without turning his head, the man who had been holding the Den Den Mushi simply gestured slightly as he issued the order to the two people behind him.

"Understood!"

Without a word of excess, the two bowed respectfully, received their orders, returned to the cabin, gathered ten men, boarded a speedboat, and departed for Copperfield.

On the other side, Toby, who had just hung up the phone, tossed the Den Den Mushi aside with a look of disdain.

"Wait for your reinforcements? You're overthinking it. I just wanted a boat to get out of here; I don't want to stay in this city with that lunatic any longer!"

"A lunatic? Are you talking about me?"

Just as Toby finished hanging up, a voice rang out. Simultaneously, the door swung open, revealing Chen Qiang standing outside.

"Bang!"

Seeing Chen Qiang at the door, Toby didn't hesitate; he smashed through the nearby window and fled outside.

However, once he was out, he realized that in the short time he had been on the phone, all the gems above the city had been destroyed by Chen Qiang—not a single one remained.

Though shocked, Toby didn't freeze. A yellow light flickered in his hand, and a yellow gem appeared. He threw it out rapidly, and his entire body transformed into light, diving into the gem and flying toward the distance.

But before he could fly very far, a patch of inconspicuous blood on the ground suddenly rose up, blocking his path. By the time he reappeared and prepared to change direction, Chen Qiang had already arrived behind him.

"Clatter!"

The sound of chains rang out, and Toby felt something wrap around his ankles. A sense of powerlessness surged through him, causing him to collapse limply to the ground.

It was at this moment that Chen Qiang appeared beside him, his blood-red blade thrusting directly toward Toby's heart.

"Bang!"

Chen Qiang's strike did indeed land, but unexpectedly, a red gem embedded in Toby's chest helped him block the blow. As Chen Qiang struck the gem, a massive explosion erupted from Toby's chest, blasting Chen Qiang away.

Toby had blocked the attack, but he still suffered damage from the explosion. Though the injuries were minor and didn't affect him much, they gave him the chance to break free from the Seastone's restraint. He scrambled to his feet and resumed his flight.

However, the Chen Qiang of now was not the same one who had fought him twice before. During this interval, Chen Qiang's injuries had healed, and his strength had improved, making him even more formidable than before.

Although the increase wasn't massive, in a battle between experts of the same level, victory often hinges on such slight margins.

Chen Qiang's strength had grown, but Toby's had not; in fact, his stamina had dipped due to the two previous battles, making the ensuing fight much simpler.

During the pursuit, Chen Qiang capitalized on the fact that his opponent was unaware of his increased strength. He launched a sudden burst of speed, stabbed his blade into the man's shoulder, pinned Toby to the ground, and wrapped the Seastone chains around him once more.

Then, Chen Qiang began to crush Toby's legs, one stomp at a time.

"Ah~~~ You bastard!"

With his legs shattered, Toby let out a shrill, agonizing scream followed by a hysterical roar.

"Kill me! Just kill me! You won't be able to escape anyway; the CP organization will be here soon, and you'll be captured by them! Hahahaha!"

Realizing he couldn't escape, Toby roared at Chen Qiang in a state of madness.

Chen Qiang didn't answer; he simply raised his blade and severed one of the man's arms.

"Ah~~~"

Another scream echoed.

"Heh! Don't talk. Just listen to me!"

Once Toby's screaming ceased, Chen Qiang stepped off him with a smile, grabbed him by the hair, and forced him to look up.

"How should I put this? You know I won't let you go. No matter what you know or what you can do, you are going to die here today."

"But, as a good person, I've decided to give you a chance: I'll let the entire city be buried with you. What do you think?"

Chen Qiang asked with a smile, his tone sounding as if he were discussing a casual matter.

"Pah!"

Toby showed his disdain for Chen Qiang's words, his throat working as he prepared to spit in Chen Qiang's face.

But Chen Qiang had already anticipated the move. Without hesitation, he slammed Toby's head into the ground with such force that the surrounding earth cracked.

Chen Qiang didn't stop there; he lifted Toby's head and slammed it into the ground repeatedly until he felt it was enough. By then, a crater had been formed in the ground.

"What... what do you want me to do?"

Toby, his head covered in blood as Chen Qiang lifted him up again, finally chose to submit under the shadow of impending death.

"See? You should have said that earlier. Why be so stubborn when you're about to die? Help me with something, and I'll make sure your death is quick and painless, right?"

Seeing the man submit, Chen Qiang's smile returned as he spoke to him.

"What do you want?"

"It's nothing much, I just need you to do me a favor. Help me create some of those red gems you used to attack me earlier!"

"Fine!"

"I want them to be as big as half the city!"

Toby, who had just had the Seastone removed from his body by Chen Qiang and was preparing to craft the gems, froze mid-motion, staring blankly at Chen Qiang with a face covered in blood.

"What, you can't make them that big? Then just make a bunch of smaller ones and pile them up until they're that size!"

Seeing the stunned look in Toby's eyes, Chen Qiang immediately understood what the other was thinking, and with a grin, he spoke again.