Weak Justice

In a private room, Kalifa was taking a bath. Warm water washed over her exhausted body, and she never noticed the tall shadow that had appeared behind her like a ghost.

A precise, powerful strike landed on the back of her neck. The instant pain flared, her consciousness sank into darkness, and her body collapsed limply.

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

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

Carrying Kalifa, Dawn continued searching. A few minutes later, he found Kaku's room. Using the same swift and efficient method, he knocked him out, concealed him in darkness, and slung the long-nosed youth over his shoulder as well.

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

Carrying both of them, Dawn made darkness surge around him, absorbing gravity. The three bodies gradually became weightless and floated into the air, flying toward some invisible presence in the night sky.

High above, a three-masted sailing ship hovered silently. Its hull was perfectly wrapped in dense darkness, making it visually invisible; even the gravity acting upon it and any possible disturbances in the airflow were entirely absorbed and isolated.

Dawn landed on the deck, entered the cabin, and used specially made iron chains to securely bind the unconscious Kalifa and Kaku.

After making certain nothing could go wrong, he returned to Crown Sky Island. Now it was time to "recruit" the last one—the most valuable, and 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 wish to put on too many airs before a trainee as gifted as Lucci.

Lucci's expression remained cold as he gave a simple reply.

"No."

The chief instructor frowned deeply and reminded 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 will find that damned rat!"

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

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

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

"What is this?!"

One instructor, already hot-tempered by nature, did not hesitate. Gathering all his strength, he hurled a fierce straight punch at the dark barrier trapping them!

Yet the instant his fist touched the darkness, his expression changed drastically. It did not feel like striking something solid, but like sinking into an incomparably viscous, bottomless swamp.

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

"Not good!"

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

But that brief exchange alone left sweat on his forehead and his breathing slightly unsteady. Clearly, the expenditure had been enormous.

"Oh? As expected of a CP 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 praise, yet gratingly harsh to everyone's ears, rang out within the Darkness 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, forcibly suppressing the shock and unease in his heart as he shouted sternly,

"Boy! You're 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 sin? A breeding center for the World Nobles' lapdogs? Or perhaps... a crash course for executioners?"

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

The chief instructor's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, veins bulging on his forehead. He completely understood now: the youth before him was a heinous villain who bore deep hostility toward the World Government!

"Arrogant!"

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

"Get him! Kill this evil bastard who insults justice! Dead or alive!"

"Yes!"

The instructors answered in unison, killing intent erupting from them.

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

Using Soru, they pounced on the insolent Dawn from all directions in a perfect combined assault formation, each unleashing techniques that sealed off every avenue of escape.

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

The faint curiosity that had appeared on Lucci's face because of the Darkness Prison was quickly replaced by disdain. So he was just an idiot who knew how to talk big.

The chief instructor's lips had already curled into a cruel smile, as if he could see the kid 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 blood and flesh flying everywhere, that figure burst like a bubble with a pop and vanished.

An afterimage?!

The instructors' pupils contracted sharply, horror filling their hearts.

"Too slow."

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

He had barely begun to move when he felt a chill in his chest, followed by piercing agony. He lowered his head in disbelief and saw a bloody hole where his heart had been.

Thud!

The light in his eyes instantly faded, and his body crumpled weakly to the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dawn's figure flickered like a ghostly apparition. Every brief appearance was accompanied by a dull, wet sound and the sight of another instructor's heart exploding from an invisible finger strike as he collapsed in defeat.

His movements were simple, efficient, and cruel, without the slightest unnecessary motion.

In less than half a minute, the dozen or so well-trained CP instructors had all become corpses sprawled across the ground. The thick stench of blood began to spread through the Darkness Prison.

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

"So this is the justice you believe in? It's truly... pathetically weak."

Having watched his subordinates be slaughtered as easily as cutting vegetables, the chief instructor's shock had transformed into boundless fury and a trace of barely perceptible fear. He knew he had encountered an unimaginably powerful enemy tonight.

"You bastard!"

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

"You have no idea what kind of existence you're opposing! The World Government's power is far beyond what a frog at the bottom of a well like you can imagine! Evil will never have a way out!"

"Prepare yourself!"

The muscles all over his body swelled madly. His upper training uniform was torn apart, dense fur grew over his skin, his skull warped, curved horns sprouted from his forehead, his legs became slender and explosively powerful, and his feet turned into hooves.

Zoan-type, Ox-Ox Fruit, Gazelle Form, human-beast form.

"Before my absolute speed of over two hundred kilometers per hour, you will be utterly unable to fight back!"

TO BE CONTINUED