Twice

"Ouch... it hurts so much..." Toga rubbed his lower back as he stood up. "Luckily I reacted quickly, otherwise I would have lost my life like my Clones."

Although everyone in the room only suffered minor injuries, one person was caught in the dust explosion and lost her life. No, perhaps it's not so much death as she was; rather, she returned to where she belonged.

Even though Toga's Clones tried her best to avoid getting hurt, under this wide-range AOE attack, her injuries still reached the critical value that the Clones could withstand. Like a bubble, once it was popped, it would disappear without a trace.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Toga clasped his hands together and bowed earnestly to the empty ground before him. "It seems you have attained Buddhahood. In that case, I will not pursue the matter of you attacking the original body. However, you will never have another chance to appear."

To be honest, Toga still terrified. Although she acted nonchalant and didn't seem to care about being kidnapped, she still doesn't want to experience being betrayed by her own Clones a second time.

"Robin Hood... Is he the prince who came to save me? I really want to know if the face behind his mask is the one I resemble..." Toga already know that Robin Hood is someone's alias, and I have some guesses about who it is. Perhaps her Clones also knows that guess, but now that she has disappeared, it is a secret that belongs only to her.

The men who had been sent out by Alain returned, and seeing the devastated room and Alain covered in bruises, they exclaimed in shock, "Captain, what happened? What's going on?!"

"I was ambushed, but it's nothing serious." Alain calmly dusted himself off, looking at Toga who was being blocked at the door by his men, and muttered, "I see. That guy disappeared. Looks like our agreement doesn't need to be followed."

"However..." Alain said coldly, turning his gaze to her, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes, "As a businessman, I wouldn't mind fulfilling her will."

"Hey, isn't that a bit unnecessary?" Toga glanced behind her casually, and immediately, several people stood at the doorway, forming a human wall that blocked her way.

With a sly smile, Toga said, "Since she has disappeared, how about I continue the transaction with you? After all, I am the original form, and I know much more than he did."

"So, which organization do you belong to?" Alain asked.

"Right now I'm just an unemployed bum, you know? That kind of organization hasn't accepted me yet," Toga replied with a tilted head and a smile.

"Since that's the case, you... are no longer of any value." This was the only question Alain wanted to know, but since she didn't want to answer, Alain didn't want to waste any more time.

Although he had never killed anyone, he was still very familiar with the process of murder and disposing of a body.

"That Robin Hood guy said he was waiting for us on deck, right? Perfect, let's go to deck." Alain said to his men, "Tie this girl up again, and throw her into the sea to feed the fish later."

After saying that, he looked at Adams and asked, "What about you? Are you coming with us?"

Adams sighed and waved his hand, saying, "I won't go. Captain Barus is still on deck. I've met that guy a few times. I'd better retreat. After all, you've decided to use the final plan, so this old man won't get involved. Besides, I really need a swimming ring and a life jacket."

Although he referred to himself as an old man, Adams's sharpness was in no way inferior to that of Alain.

"..." Alain paused for a moment, "I understand. Then let's part ways again. Also, 'five,' that's the clue I can give you."

"To be precise, it's Compound V; that's what they're trading," Alain said frankly. "Even within the Dark Shadow, I only manage a branch; your territory isn't under my jurisdiction."

"... I see." Adams' eyes flickered for a moment, then he nodded. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Adams chose to help Alain because he wanted a crucial clue—a clue only the Dark Shadow possessed. Even though he only provided a single term, it was enough to keep Adams investigating.

Alain left with his men, leaving Adams alone in the burned-out room. He walked to the door, picked up his cane from where the Toga Clones had disappeared, tapped it on the ground to confirm it was intact, and then cast his deep gaze toward the deck.

The ship was still rocking. To ordinary tourists or some clueless crew members, this might seem like normal sailing, but Adams had already seen it with his own eyes; that spot would soon become the best place to witness the ship sinking.

As mentioned before, Alain considers himself the player, but now the black and white chessboard is being invaded by extra yellow pieces one after another, and he can't find anyone holding the yellow piece, which makes him very uncomfortable.

More than twenty minutes have passed, and the search and rescue team could arrive at any moment. If we don't bring Little Red Riding Hood back while all the passengers are waiting in their rooms, things will become very complicated.

The cruise ship's destination is Island, a place possessing the world's most advanced technology. Among its passengers are many of high status and powerful individuals. Dark Shadow absolutely cannot afford to antagonize them at this time. Therefore, this matter must be resolved immediately, even if it means sacrificing some things.

Kohler.

"What's wrong, boss?" Kohler's subordinate immediately turned to look at Alain.

"Go and do the preparations I told you to make earlier; there's not much time left."

"Boss, do we really have to go that far?" Kohler hesitated. "Aren't there many people on this ship that even Dark Shadow wouldn't want to offend..."

"As long as no one finds out it was Dark Shadow who did it, that's fine. Isn't there a whale causing trouble up there right now? Isn't that a perfect excuse?" Alain's eyes gradually turned cold. Since he couldn't take Little Red Riding Hood back, then let her be destroyed.

"Boss, something's happened!" No sooner had Kohler left than another messenger rushed in, flustered. "The two brothers we were guarding the warehouse are unconscious, Twice is currently missing!"

"Huh? Uncle actually escaped on his own? Could it be that he used his Quirk on himself? But didn't he say he would never do that...?" Toga was taken aback by this unexpected news and muttered to herself cautiously. She knew very well that she and Uncle were the only ones fighting alone on this ship, and if they failed, the League of Villains would abandon them without hesitation. Therefore, there was no other possibility that Uncle had escaped on his own.

Unless... no, that's impossible, why would those people go to save that wicked old man...?

Toga pondered this in my heart, I didn't notice that Alain had already stood before her, his eyes fixed on her.

"... Do you have any other hidden teammates? That guy said there were only two people on this ship, maybe they'll come to rescue you."

"Hehe..." Toga tried his best to put on an innocent smile, "I'm prepared to die, so please trust me a little now."

"Hmph." Alain ignored Toga and followed his subordinates toward the deck with a cold face.

He had no intention of forcing Toga confess; such things were irrelevant now, since the outcome was already decided.