Feeble Justice

In a private room, Kalifa was taking a bath. Warm water washed over her exhausted body, and she failed to notice the tall shadow that had appeared behind her like a ghost.

A precise, powerful chop struck the back of her neck. The instant pain flared, her consciousness sank into darkness, and her body crumpled limply.

Dawn wrapped her unconscious body in darkness, calmly dressed her, then slung her over his broad shoulder.

Kalifa's combat talent might not have been exceptional, but her ability as a secretary was precisely what his current forces needed. A proper organization could not consist solely of fighters charging into battle.

Carrying Kalifa, Dawn continued his search. Minutes later, he found Kaku's room. Using the same swift and efficient method, he knocked him out, concealed him with darkness, and hoisted the long-nosed youth onto his shoulder as well.

Kaku's talents in swordsmanship and shipbuilding were equally worth investing in.

With both of them over his shoulders, darkness swirled around Dawn and absorbed Gravity. Their bodies gradually became weightless, floating into the air as they flew toward some invisible presence in the night sky.

High above, a three-masted sailing ship hovered silently. Thick darkness perfectly enveloped its hull, making it invisible not only to the eye, but also isolating and absorbing its gravity and any airflow disturbances it might create.

Dawn landed on the deck, entered the cabin, and bound the unconscious Kalifa and Kaku tightly with specially made iron chains.

After ensuring there could be no mistakes, he returned to Guan Hao Island once more. Now it was time to "recruit" the last one—the most valuable, but undoubtedly the hardest to deal with.

A clearing before the woods.

The boy in the tall hat was surrounded by a group of instructors led by the chief instructor. The chief instructor forced a kindly expression onto his face.

"Lucci, did you see anyone suspicious tonight?"

Even the chief instructor did not want to put on too many airs before a student as gifted as Lucci.

Lucci's expression remained cold as he answered simply:

"No."

The chief instructor frowned deeply and warned him:

"A suspicious intruder has infiltrated the island and stolen something important. It isn't safe outside. Return to your dormitory as soon as possible."

Lucci nodded and turned to leave.

The chief instructor then looked at the solemn-faced instructors around him.

"Spread out! Even if we have to turn this island upside down, we must find that damned rat!"

The instructors were just about to acknowledge the order and move out—

An abyssal mass of darkness erupted without warning around them, instantly forming an inverted bowl-shaped prison that engulfed the chief instructor, every instructor, and Lucci, who had not yet gone far!

The light was completely cut off, and even sound seemed to have been swallowed, leaving only a dead silence that made their hearts tremble.

"What is this?!"

One hot-tempered instructor did not hesitate. Gathering all his strength, he threw a fierce straight punch at the dark barrier imprisoning them!

But the instant his fist touched the darkness, his face changed drastically. It did not feel as if he had struck something solid, but as if he had fallen into an incomparably thick, bottomless swamp.

The darkness not only absorbed the force of his punch, but generated a powerful suction that dragged at his arm, trying to pull his entire body inside.

"Not good!"

This instructor had extensive combat experience. He lowered his stance, planted his feet into the ground as though they had taken root, and roared as his muscles bulged, violently wrenching his arm free from the dark barrier.

Yet that brief exchange had already left sweat on his brow and his breathing slightly unsteady. He had clearly expended a great deal.

"Oh? As expected of a Cipher Pol instructor. Your reactions and strength are both decent. This is the first time I've seen someone forcibly break free from this."

A voice carrying a trace of approval, yet unbearably grating to everyone's ears, rang out within the dark prison.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a tall blond youth standing not far away. No one knew when he had appeared.

The chief instructor stepped forward, suppressing the shock and unease in his heart as he shouted sternly:

"Boy! Are you the intruder? How dare you cause trouble here! Do you know where this is?!"

Dawn pretended to ponder, lightly tapping his forehead with a finger.

"Here? Hmm... let me think. A cradle of evil? A training center for the World Nobles' lapdogs? Or perhaps... an accelerated course for executioners?"

Those words were like the sharpest needles, viciously piercing the psychological bottom line of the chief instructor and every instructor present.

The chief instructor's face instantly turned liver-purple, veins bulging across his forehead. He finally understood: the youth before him was a heinous criminal harboring deep hostility toward the World Government!

"Arrogant!"

The chief instructor flew into a rage and waved his hand.

"Get him! Kill this vile scum who insults justice! Dead or alive!"

"Yes!"

The instructors answered in unison, murderous intent bursting forth.

The next moment, the air was violently torn apart. More than a dozen figures in black training uniforms became blurred afterimages, their robes snapping sharply through the air.

Using Soru, they lunged at the foul-mouthed Dawn from all directions in a flawless combined attack formation, each unleashing their moves and sealing off every avenue of escape.

Yet Dawn remained where he stood, utterly motionless, as though he had been frightened senseless by the terrifying assault—or simply had no time to react.

The faint curiosity Lucci had felt because of the dark prison was swiftly replaced by disdain. So he was just an idiot who knew how to talk big.

A cruel curve had already appeared on the chief instructor's lips, as if he could see the brat who had insulted justice being torn to pieces.

However, in the next second, every instructor's attack struck Dawn's figure at once—yet instead of the expected spray of flesh and blood, the figure popped like a bubble and shattered into nothingness.

Afterimage?!

The instructors' pupils contracted sharply as horror surged through them.

"Too slow."

A cold voice, like one rising from the depths of hell, sounded behind the hot-tempered instructor who had attacked the prison.

He had barely begun to move when his chest turned cold and a piercing pain tore through him. He lowered his head in disbelief and saw a bloody hole where his heart should have been.

Thud!

The light in his eyes instantly dimmed, and his body collapsed weakly to the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dawn's figure flickered like a ghostly phantom. Every brief appearance was accompanied by a dull, wet pop and the sight of another instructor's heart being blasted apart by invisible finger force, sending him crumpling to the ground.

His movements were simple, efficient, and brutal, without a single unnecessary motion.

In less than half a minute, the dozen or so well-trained Cipher Pol instructors had all become corpses sprawled across the ground, and the thick stench of blood began to spread through the dark prison.

Dawn's figure solidified once more. Standing amid the pile of corpses, he lightly flicked the blood from his index finger, his face full of contempt.

"This is the justice you believe in? It is truly... pitifully feeble."

Having witnessed his subordinates being slaughtered as easily as chopping vegetables, the chief instructor's shock transformed into boundless rage and a trace of barely perceptible fear. He knew that tonight, he had encountered an unimaginably powerful enemy.

"You bastard!"

The chief instructor's eyes turned bloodshot as he let out an inhuman roar.

"You have no idea what kind of existence you are making an enemy of! The World Government's power is far beyond the imagination of a frog at the bottom of a well like you! Evil will never have a way out!"

"Prepare yourself!"

The muscles across his body swelled wildly, bursting apart his upper training uniform. Thick fur grew over his skin, his skull warped, curved horns sprouted from his forehead, his legs became slender and explosively powerful, and his feet transformed into hooves.

Zoan, Ox-Ox Fruit, Gazelle Form, Human-Beast Form.

"Before my absolute speed of over two hundred kilometers per hour, you will have no chance to fight back!"

TO BE CONTINUED