Angry for the first time

"Captain, did you hear something?"

Deep underground, Sakura lit the passage with blue flames rising from her right hand. The tunnel ran deep. Suddenly, Bepo looked back the way they had come and scratched his head.

"What sound?"

Mansherry and Lily's hearts tightened, fear creeping onto their faces.

"It's just our footsteps. Anyway, why haven't we reached the end of this tunnel yet?"

Confident in her abilities, Sakura listened carefully, but heard nothing except their footsteps.

"Captain, there's light ahead."

Suddenly, Mansherry pointed toward the end of the passage.

"Are we there?"

Excitement lit their faces, and they quickened their pace.

"Wow!"

Before long, they entered a cavern. Glowing pearls covered the ceiling, while all kinds of gold, silver, and treasures glittered on the ground, nearly blinding them.

"Treasure! It really is treasure!"

They wandered around the mountain of riches, looking here and there, their faces filled with excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

Outside, shock waves surged. Eldrago was even stronger than Ain had imagined, and his ability was downright bizarre.

His Armament Haki and Observation Haki were no weaker than hers, either.

After exchanging hundreds of blows, Ain collapsed helplessly among the rubble, her chest covered in blood.

A closer look would have revealed that Eldrago had grown younger, but his strength remained unaffected. After being struck by Backslide the first time, he had become thoroughly wary, leaving Ain unable to get close to him.

Meanwhile, a group of pirates had captured Conis as well.

"Where's the treasure hidden? Talk!"

Eldrago stared at the dying Conis and Ain, his face rugged and his thick, dark-red hair blowing in the wind.

Restrained by two pirates, Conis hung her head, her golden hair falling over her pale face.

"Captain, we found an entrance over there."

A pirate ran over excitedly