Chapter 421: A Sudden Reversal of Battle!
The banquet roared on. Laughter, clinking glasses, and drunken shouts filled the deck.
A tipsy Keshia blended into the party almost too easily. She was already charming, and her willingness to drink made her stand out even more.
Ryuunosuke had made it clear that everyone aboard could join in the Dragon Hunter Pirates' activities, and the crew welcomed her without hesitation.
"Captain… if this keeps up, something bad might happen," Najenda murmured, eyes narrowing at Keshia's flushed face.
She hadn't forgotten—this girl was from the Guardians. No one knew what tricks she might unleash. What if her powers went out of control?
Ryuunosuke smirked. "No. If she does… that's exactly what I want to see. It'll give us a chance to learn what she's hiding."
Before Najenda could reply, the sound of glass shattering rang out.
"Bang!"
Keshia collapsed to the deck. A sudden buzz filled the air as a violent aura erupted from her body.
The crew instinctively leapt back, clearing space around her.
In the center of that pressure stood Keshia—her expression dazed, eyes flickering with confusion.
"Where… is this place?" she asked, voice distant. Her gaze swept across the faces surrounding her, her expression darkening. Everyone here radiated terrifying strength. She was surrounded, and she didn't like it.
If they all attacked at once—even she might not endure it.
Ryuunosuke stepped forward. "Let's make this simple. You're aboard the God's Ship of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. I am Ryuunosuke, their captain. The rest are my crew."
"Ryuunosuke… pirates… you're pirates?" Keshia muttered, frowning as if the word itself felt foreign.
"Where are the others? Am I the only one here?"
"Your people aren't here," Ryuunosuke replied evenly. He explained how she had boarded and what had happened earlier.
Keshia blinked, then laughed lightly. "So I'm drunk, huh? Heh… well, this doesn't seem so bad. But you're enemies, aren't you?"
Her face twisted. Black lines crept across her skin, her pupils blazing red. A suffocating killing intent flooded the deck.
"As expected…" Ryuunosuke muttered. He turned to his men. "Ban, she's yours. Everyone else—break out the snacks. Sit back and enjoy the show."
The crew grinned, scattering to grab seats as if watching a play.
"Oi, why me?!" Ban grumbled, still clutching his wine jug. "I just wanted to drink, not fight…"
But he stepped forward all the same, swaying slightly, jug in one hand. His eyes locked on Keshia. "You made me spill my wine. For that… you're dead."
He lifted the jug for another sip—only for a blood-red spike to lance through both the jug and his chest. Wine and blood splattered across the deck.
"You call yourselves Guardians, yet you have no manners," a cold voice hissed. "Did no one ever teach you not to interrupt someone else's drink?"
"Bang!"
Ban moved in an instant. He ignored the spikes still protruding from his body, his divine staff flashing into his grip. With one devastating swing, he sent Keshia crashing across the deck.
BAN's eyes were as hard as stone. For him, mercy was reserved for Elaine alone.
Keshia staggered upright, fury igniting. Crimson spikes erupted all around her, dripping with gray-black mist that spread like poison through the air.
BAN's eyes narrowed. "So it's that disgusting energy again… Keshia, was it? Then—"
"Puff!"
Before he could strike again, skeletal arms burst from Keshia chest. They yanked her backward, pinning her to the deck.
The crew blinked in confusion. "Eh? What is this… performance art?"
Even Ban glanced at Ryuunosuke, silently asking if he should continue.
But Ryuunosuke's eyes hardened. "That's not her aura."
The power radiating from those bones didn't belong to Keshia at all. Someone—or something—was interfering. And it was using her body as a vessel.
"Ban, hold off," Ryuunosuke ordered. His Observation Haki flared outward, sweeping the seas. His gaze snapped to the horizon—where a massive, three-masted barque was cutting through the waves toward them.
So… it's them.
Could this be Moria's doing? But his ability was tied to shadows, not… this.
Then a familiar voice rang out from Keshia's lips.
"Kruel Busuld! What are you doing?!" she cried out, struggling against the skeletal arms. "If you attack me now, Boss Jeff won't forgive you!"
The name made Ryuunosuke's eyes sharpen. Kruel Busuld—Brook.
And sure enough, moments later, the massive ship loomed alongside the God's Ship. Brook appeared on deck, his skeletal form unmistakable. Behind him stood Moria, oddly subservient.
Ryuunosuke frowned. "Brook…?"
Brook inclined his head politely. "They won't notice. You shouldn't have been here in the first place, Keshia. I'm simply bringing you back to normal."
He turned to Ryuunosuke and bowed. "Captain Ryuunosuke, forgive the intrusion. May I lend my aid aboard your ship?"
Ryuunosuke chuckled darkly. "A little late to ask, isn't it? You've already attacked one of my guests. Still… if you explain your reasons, maybe I'll let you continue. Otherwise…" His voice dropped like a blade. "…you'll regret it."
Brook's flame-like eyes glowed. "The truth is simple. The one you see is not Keshia. She's been possessed. I argued to kill her immediately, but my superior believed this was a unique chance. So I waited until now. Causing this here, aboard your ship, makes it more believable—it looks like nothing more than a drunken quarrel. Natural, isn't it?"
He adjusted his hat, his tone calm yet heavy. "In short—this isn't her. And if we don't act now, what's inside her will spread."
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]