At the Association headquarters, within the president's office, Kavach tapped away expressionlessly at his computer keyboard, issuing one order after another.
While the Emerald-level demon was gone, the evacuation order had already been issued. He was currently dealing with this very matter.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the computer keyboard was slammed with such force that several keycaps flew off.
Looking at the random string of garbled characters that appeared on the screen, Kavach's face darkened as if water were about to drip.
"Azrael," he muttered the young man's name through gritted teeth.
Having lived for so many years, Kavach naturally understood that there was virtually no possibility of reconciliation between them.
After all, Azrael was essentially responsible for his being forced to confront the Emerald-level demon.
If he were in Azrael's shoes, he would have complained to Lucian long ago.
"Yes. Why wouldn't he?"
Kavach suddenly grasped a point of doubt that had never occurred to him before.
Since Lucian hadn't approached him yet, there were only two possibilities.
Either Azrael was a saint, completely oblivious to his actions and hadn't complained to Lucian.
Or,
"He couldn't contact his teacher." Kavach's eyes lit up at this thought. "Does that mean..."
"I can strike first?"
But then he slammed his hand on the table. Strike first, bullshit.
He could have used the excuse of a work error as a pre-emptive measure; at most, he'd be suspended, not in grave danger.
But if he really attacked Azrael, he'd have to think carefully about how many different ways to write death.
Of course, there was also the most crucial reason.
"I can't fucking beat him!"
Considering the young man's unknown ability to crush even Emerald-level demons without taking any damage, wouldn't attacking Azrael be pure suicide?
He didn't dare open his eyes, hoping it was just a hallucination.
Kavach's defenses began to crumble.
He slumped weakly in his chair, a wave of regret rising in his heart.
If only he had known.
Clearly, he hadn't considered the third possibility.
"Hey, what's wrong with President Kavach?"
The sudden voice startled him.
He quickly sat up straight and looked carefully.
He saw a Lore Cardian he had never seen before sitting calmly on the sofa, with his legs unceremoniously placed on the coffee table.
"Who are you?" Kavach calmed down and asked in a deep voice.
The unknown Lore Cardian raised his eyebrows, took out his mobile phone and shook it, "Didn't you keep sending messages to the head of the family saying that this kid is so terrifying, he will become a great man in the future, and he must not be allowed to stay?"
"So the head of the family asked me to come."
As if he had thought of something, Kavach quickly took out his mobile phone.
After a moment, he placed his phone on the table. "Did Lord Sun send you here?"
"Hmm," the unknown Lore Cardian nodded, tossing a slice of orange into his mouth. "From today on, I'll obey you."
"Whatever you say, I'll do."
Kavach sighed. "What's your name, sir?"
He tossed another slice of orange into his mouth, and the Lore Cardian surnamed Sun casually replied, "Just call me Sun-Myun."
Then, as if remembering something, the Lore Cardian surnamed Sun continued, "Let me make this clear: if this succeeds, everyone will be happy."
"But if it fails, I'll just say it was you who ordered it, and it has nothing to do with the Sun family."
Kavach fell silent.
Sun-Myun, however, remained unfazed, continuing to eat his sweet orange.
After a long moment, the president of the Donglai Cardian Master Association seemed to have made up his mind. His face calmly said, "As it should be."
"Happy working together?"
"Happy working together."
But even though the partnership was finalized, Kavach still felt uneasy.
He pondered over it, finally realizing something he had overlooked.
In his perception, Sun-Myun was only a Gold-level Lore Cardian!
Of no use in his current situation.
"I have good news and bad news." Kavach's eye twitched, and he asked Sun-Myun stiffly, "Which one do you want to hear first?"
Sun-Myun scratched his head and hesitated. "Hmm, the good news."
"The good news is that Azrael is only a Gold-level Lore Cardian."
"The bad news?"
"The bad news is that he just killed an Emerald-level demon."
"..."
The president's office seemed to have been muted, silent save for the faint hum of the computer.
After a long moment, Sun-Myun's voice rang out again.
"Sorry to bother you. Goodbye."
He said this, but his body remained motionless, staring intently at Kavach.
Kavach sighed and told him about the recent events on the coast.
After listening to Kavach's story quietly, Sun-Myun stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
After a long moment, he looked up at the middle-aged man behind the desk and said, "I say..."
"Were you intimidated by him?"
He then began to analyze the situation in detail.
"Think about it, if he really had such a method, there would be no need to lure that Emerald-level demon away, right?"
"Doesn't this act of taking off his pants and farting just prove that he's guilty?"
"Who knows, maybe that Emerald-level demon was killed by the Master Finn you mentioned?"
"After all, the timing makes sense, doesn't it?"
Kavach was stunned when he heard this, but then he thought about it and realized that what Sun-Myun said did make sense.
He clapped his hands and said solemnly, "That makes sense. Let's do it."
Seeing this, Sun-Myun shrugged nonchalantly and continued eating his orange.
His earlier words were actually more of a comforting gesture. There was another possibility he hadn't mentioned.
Azrael did possess the means to kill the Emerald-level demon, but the conditions for using it were rather harsh. He didn't want anyone to see his flaw, so he lured the demon away.
After all, killing it anywhere was killing it.
But did Kavach not realize this?
Perhaps not.
It was just that the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. He had no choice.
On the shore, Azrael solemnly thanked Kishimoto and the others, "Thanks to you two this time."
He meant it.
Even though the two of them didn't appear to have done anything, at least not running away when the Emerald-level demon appeared was a remarkable achievement.
Not to mention Kishimoto risking his life to ferry Godfrey and Diesel back. After all, even if they had claimed to be returning to the city to protect the evacuated residents, there was nothing wrong with them.
The two men's faces were filled with smiles, and they waved their hands repeatedly, "It's my duty, President Azrael. You're welcome."
Their words were sincere.
They felt that this trip to Donglai had been accomplished with little effort.
Azrael had taken down the Emerald-level demon, while Godfrey and his companions, along with Master Finn, had destroyed the fleet.
Not only was the work easy, but they had also earned the favor of someone like Azrael.
They simply wished for more missions like this.
After Godfrey and Diesel sincerely thanked them, Kishimoto and the others departed Donglai.
Watching the man and woman depart, Azrael finally relaxed his stiff body and stretched his muscles. "Both directors, please go home and rest early. You've worked hard these days."
Several days had passed since the Emerald-level demon appeared.
Azrael, Godfrey, and Diesel had been cleaning up the mess along the coast.
Fortunately, the Onefold Doctrine hadn't caused any trouble during that time.
"President Azrael, you should go home and rest early," Diesel said hurriedly.
Azrael nodded, "I won't be polite to our own people, so I'll go back first."
"Please do as you please."
Just before leaving, he suddenly stopped, "Although the Onefold Doctrine seems to have disappeared these days, I always feel that something is wrong."
"So I'll have to trouble you two the day after tomorrow."
With that, he waved his hand and disappeared on the coast.
Diesel and Godfrey were left stunned.
Meanwhile, Azrael, returning home, flung himself onto the sofa.
"Ah!"
"A long-awaited break."
He slumped for a moment before finally sitting up.
"Time to make the next card."
"Should I promote Luffy or Zoro first?"
"Or rather."
Azrael currently had three materials on hand:
[Hollow Demon Bat] (Red), [Pirate Swordsman] (Red), and [Kingly Power] (Red).
He also had over 20,000 points.
Any one of these materials would be enough to craft the next card.
Logically, the more obvious card, promoting Luffy, would be the safest choice.
After all, Azrael didn't often act as a member of the Crimson Oath Society.
But,
"I can't stand it anymore."
Thinking of Kavach's face, Azrael's anger soared.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and began selecting materials.
"Gold-grade [Physical Strengthening Pill - Strength Type I] (Blue)?"
"No, no, try another."
"Gold-grade [All-Around Physical Evolution Potion] (Gold)?"
"This is it."
Azrael spent 9,990 points and bought the first batch of ingredients.
He then began selecting the second batch.
He went through the process quickly, immediately spotting the one suitable for Zoro's advancement:
Gold-grade [Eye of Insight] (Purple), priced at 4,500 points.
After completing his shopping, his points dwindled again to 6,030.
While waiting for the materials to arrive, Azrael quietly pondered his plan to assassinate Kavach.
Of course, he couldn't follow the path of some old man in the mountains, resorting to some unorthodox assassination scheme where he killed everyone he saw.
If he did, he'd have to wait until his plan was exposed.
But thinking about how the Association was now essentially his, Azrael couldn't help but smile.
That was all right.
Soon, the two batches of ingredients were delivered to Azrael.
After signing for them, he handed them to the Shadowkhan soldier standing nearby.
It's definitely impossible to create a card right now.
After such a long day, I need a good night's sleep to replenish my energy and improve my chances of success.
At least that's what Azrael had read in the books.
That night, Azrael stretched out in bed, feeling refreshed.
He rarely slept anymore, mostly meditating instead.
But he still occasionally indulged in this exercise, which had been his favorite as a mortal.
Feeling his mental energy surge, Azrael washed up briefly before heading to his study.
He spread the three Zoro materials on the table, took a deep breath, and summoned the card that belonged to him from his mind.
[Please continue to write your story.]
[After being separated by Bartholomew Kuma, a Shichibukai, Zoro and Perona landed on Kraikana Island. There, they met Dracule Mihawk, also a Shichibukai and the world's greatest swordsman.]
[After receiving news from Luffy and the others, Zoro defeated the island's baboons and requested Mihawk's guidance.]
[Mihawk initially refused, believing it shameful for Zoro to seek instruction from his enemy. However, in the days that followed, he saw Zoro's sincerity and agreed to train him in swordsmanship.]
[Two years passed in a flash, and soon it was the day the Straw Hat Pirates had agreed to reunite.]
[Thanks to Perona, Zoro was the first to reach the Sabaody Archipelago.]
[After reuniting with Sanji, the two defeated the PX-7, a weapon the World Government had developed based on the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma.]
[Led by Chopper, they returned to the Thousand Sunny and set off for Fish-Man Island.]
[On Fish-Man Island, Zoro accidentally became separated from Luffy and the others and pretended to be imprisoned by the Neptune Army.]
[After escaping, he, along with Nami, Usopp, and Brook, easily defeated the King's forces.]
[However, during a battle with Hody Jones, he was captured due to being unable to breathe underwater and was imprisoned within Ryugu Palace.]
[After escaping, he instantly killed Hody's subordinate, the Eight-Sword Style user Hyouzou.]
[After leaving Fish-Man Island, the group arrived in Punk Hazard and learned of Caesar's plan.]
[To thwart the plan, the group formed an alliance with Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates.]
[In the final battle, Zoro faced Monet, a subordinate of Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and defeated her with overwhelming strength.]
[In Punk Hazard, Zoro first displayed his Observation Haki, allowing him to sense the presence of others.]
[After the Punk Hazard incident, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at Dressrosa, Doflamingo's home base.]
[There, Doflamingo established a factory to produce artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruits, "SMILE," and ruled the entire kingdom.]
[The entire kingdom was in dire straits.]
[To save the kingdom's inhabitants, the Straw Hat Pirates clashed with Doflamingo's forces.]
[This time, Zoro demonstrated the results of his two years of training, significantly improving his Three Sword Style and Armament Haki.]
[Pica, a member of the Donquixote family and the user of the Stone-Stone Fruit, was crushed by Zoro with overwhelming strength.]
[Even the huge stone giant was chopped into pieces by Zoro's Three Sword Style.]
[After the Dressrosa incident, Zoro's bounty had reached a terrifying 320 million berries, making him a well-deserved member of the Worst Generation.]
After the card was made, the card belonging to Zoro floating in front of Azrael was very different from the previous one.
The young man with short green hair had matured significantly compared to his original appearance, and his angular body contained explosive power.
Three katanas hung at his side, Wado Ichimonji gleaming white, Sandai Kitetsu emanating an ominous red aura, and the black blade Shusui radiating quiet menace.
Putting the card into his mind, Azrael carefully checked the information.
, , , ,
[Worst Generation·Zoro]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Red
Category: Biological
Skills:
[Three Sword Style]: After two years of training under Dracule Mihawk, Zoro's swordsmanship has reached a pinnacle of perfection. He now perfectly integrates the One Sword Style, Two Sword Style, Three Sword Style, and Nine Sword Style, and has mastered several powerful secret techniques including Santoryu Ogi: Rokudo no Tsuji and Kiki Kyutoryu: Ashura.
[Armament Haki]: Areas of Zoro's body covered with jet-black Armament Haki significantly increase his defense and attack power. Armament Haki also grants the user the ability to contact Logia-type Devil Fruit users and other energy-transformed bodies.
[Observation Haki]: Zoro's Observation Haki allows him to pinpoint his enemy's location, allowing him to dodge attacks from unseen sources and sense killing intent.
Abilities:
[Swordsman? Literary Master!]: Although Zoro is a swordsman, he possesses a unique talent for naming his moves. Therefore, Zoro's attack power is boosted when his opponent's move names are shorter than his own.
[Swordsman's Heart]: Zoro's unwavering dedication to the way of the sword grants him resistance to mental attacks and fear effects.
[Shura's Path]: In desperate situations, Zoro can manifest his fighting spirit as the demon god Asura, creating the illusion of nine swords.
[Enhanced Physiology]: Zoro's body has been strengthened to inhuman levels, granting him incredible durability and the ability to fight through grievous wounds.
Introduction: I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!
Advancement Path: Bronze [Pirate Hunter Zoro] → Gold [Worst Generation Zoro] → Emerald [Great Swordsman Zoro].
Bond: When appearing with the [Mihawk] series, the [World's Greatest Swordsman] effect is activated.
When appearing with the [Luffy] series, the [Straw Hat Pirates] effect is activated.
Activated Bond: [Straw Hat Pirates] (3/10)
Bond Effect: When all members of the Straw Hat Pirates appear at the same time, if one member dies, the remaining members will enter a Rage state.
Note: Rage: At the cost of losing their sanity, the card's stats are significantly enhanced across the board.
, , , ,
Zoro's strength was about what Azrael had expected.
However, he couldn't help but twitch his eyes when he saw the new trait called [Swordsman? Literary Master!].
"Quick, call Eidaime!"
Eidaime's Nimbus Ice Cream launched Jiraiya's Double Shiki-no-Maru, leaving Azrael with a vivid memory. Its abstractness rivaled that of the Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Roar Three Styles.
Actually, it's just the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God.
Isn't it Dead Water Returning to Yin?
"Where did that voice come from?" He shook his head and threw away the Dead Water Bible that started chanting inexplicably in his head. Azrael continued to focus on Zoro's card.
Overall, he was quite satisfied. The specific strength still depends on actual combat.
But he shouldn't be disappointed.
It should be easy to kill Kavach.
But if you insist on saying that there is something Azrael is not satisfied with, that is, Zoro's three swords are still plain and ordinary blades.
"It's really like riding a strong warrior on a weak mount."
He was a little helpless, but this is the best he can do at the moment.
At worst, he can make sword-related prop cards later.