"Humanity? Heh heh heh~"
The effeminate man named Glens Felburn let out a scornful chuckle at Cross's words. "This world runs on the law of the jungle. Even those who call themselves 'gods' are a dime a dozen, yet their deeds are no better than devils. So tell me, what's the worth of something as laughable as humanity?"
"To be born human, yet lack humanity, no matter what they call themselves, they don't deserve to be called people," Cross replied coldly, his eyes sharp with murderous intent.
"Arguing over ideals is pointless," Felburn waved dismissively. "You killed my brother, so of course I want revenge. Unfortunately, you joined the Marines. I missed my best shot... and I failed."
He shook his head, unwilling to continue the debate.
"That's not entirely true," Cross said, gaze fixed on the long-haired man before him. "I'm right here, aren't I? Maybe if you try a little harder, you just might get your wish and kill me."
"Heh, do I look like an idiot to you?" Felburn gave a sardonic grin, raising a finger to point at himself. "I'm a coward, through and through. If I had any guts, I would've come for you myself. Instead, I put a bounty on your head in the North Blue underworld."
"I figured as much," Cross said without surprise. Ever since wiping out that human trafficking ring, assassins had been after him nonstop. It wasn't hard to deduce that the remnants of that group were behind it.
"In three years, I raised the bounty from 30 million to 80 million Berries. Countless assassins came for you, and not a single one succeeded. That's when I knew, if I confronted you alone, I'd be no different from them." Felburn spread his arms in frustration. "The world's just not fair. To think a monster like you exists. You're only fifteen!"
"So why are you coming after me in person now?" Cross asked, puzzled.
"With your strength and potential, you'll be drafted to Marine Headquarters before long and become a key figure. I was ready to give up my grudge, why risk provoking a sea emperor just to settle a score with the dead? But... I couldn't let it go. I wanted one last try," Felburn admitted openly.
"I see."
Cross nodded. Now it made sense.
He was still a low-profile recruit. If he died on a mission, the world would write him off. The Marines wouldn't go to war over someone like that.
But if he rose through the ranks, earned recognition, became valuable, and then someone tried to assassinate him?
The Navy wouldn't sit still. Felburn would be marked as a fool who dared challenge Marine authority.
"Hey~ how about we strike a deal?"
Suddenly, Felburn chuckled playfully. "Before this attempt, I'd already decided, if I failed, I'd give up for good. No more assassins, no more revenge. So how about you let me walk away this time?"
"Not a chance," Cross replied coldly. "Ever heard the phrase 'cut the weeds and dig up the roots'? And more importantly, I despise human traffickers."
Without warning, Cross lunged forward, slashing his blade directly at the long-haired man.
A brilliant flash cut through the air like a white streak of lightning, momentarily illuminating the dark alley.
"Just my luck!"
Felburn's face twisted, and he quickly leapt back, refusing to let Cross get close.
At the same time, Felburn's long black hair began floating upward unnaturally, as though defying gravity. Then it suddenly shot forward, transforming into a swarm of inky tendrils, snaking and writhing through the air to entangle him.
"Life Return?!"
Cross's eyes widened in shock, instantly recalling a flamboyant CP agent with long pink hair and a kabuki-like appearance.
Still, his body moved independently of his mind. With swift precision, he whipped out his blade, Kagehide, slashing in rapid succession and conjuring a flurry of strikes that formed a crisscrossing web of blades.
With a chorus of sharp slicing sounds, the onrushing black hair was shredded by the bladed net, fragments raining down like a storm of black snow.
Seeing his attack neutralized, Felburn grimaced as if his hair itself had been wounded. He swiftly retracted the remains and wove them into tight, braided strands resembling tentacles.
"Demon Hair: Eight Fang Assault!!!"
With a sudden shout, eight hair-tentacles lunged forth like arrows, each aimed to skewer Cross.
"One-Sword Style: Shockwave!!!"
Cross's gaze turned steely. Gripping his blade in both hands, he swung Kagehide in a powerful arc, carving a visible half-moon through the air and unleashing a razor-sharp gust of sword wind.
BOOM!!!
The mini-tempest howled forward, shredding the incoming tentacles like paper and tearing a deep, semi-circular gouge into the ground itself.
"Ugh... damn it!"
Felburn cried out as the force of the sword wind slammed into him, sending his body flying. He crashed into a wall several meters away with a bone-jarring smash.
The cracked, soot-stained red brick wall shuddered under the impact, spiderweb fissures sprawling outward from where he hit.
"Cough... cough...!"
Slumped in the filthy, waterlogged alley floor, Felburn coughed painfully and looked up, grimacing. "That was my last chance at revenge... and I blew it. I don't hate you anymore. Let me go. I'll cancel the underworld bounty, and I'll even pay you the full 80 million Berries as compensation for the trouble I've caused these past three years. What do you say?!"
"Hah?!"
Cross sneered, raising an eyebrow in mockery. "You think I'm stupid?"
Without another word, he strode forward, blade in hand, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Tch... is telling the truth really that unbelievable these days?" Felburn grumbled. He quickly scrambled to his feet, his hair rising like bristles, and with a violent flick of his head, launched his next attack.
"Black Needles: Thousand-Strike Rain!!!"
Hundreds of hair-thin projectiles fired forth like a deadly hailstorm, each strand sharp and fast, resembling ninja senbon, more terrifying than any rain of darts from a wuxia novel.
"One-Sword Style: Shockwave!!!"
With a mocking grin, Cross raised Kagehide once more and unleashed another devastating slash.
BOOM!!!
Powered by both monstrous strength and swordmaster-level skill, the howling blade wind roared out like a miniature storm, wiping out the rain of hair needles in an instant.
Felburn was once again blasted backward by the overwhelming force. His clothes were torn, his body scraped, and he landed hard, face-first in the dark, foul-smelling water that filled the alley.
He lay there, battered and soaked in filth, utterly defeated.
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