The following evening, Kaito and Kalifa appeared in front of a lavish palace.
Tonight, Kaito wore his favorite black robe adorned with the Uchiha clan crest. He wasn't in his Marine uniform—if things went sideways and he had to make a quick getaway, this outfit would be much more convenient.
Kalifa was still dressed primarily in black. At that moment, she nervously tightened her grip on Kaito's hand.
Kaito let go, gently patted her on the back, gave her a reassuring smile, then turned to stride toward the palace. Kalifa hurried to follow him.
Two men in black stood guard at the entrance. When they saw Kaito and Kalifa approach, they immediately stretched out their arms to block the way.
"Who are you? This is Saint Shalria's residence. Filth like you has no business here. Get lost!"
Kaito said nothing and walked forward as if they weren't even there.
"You've got a death wish, you—!"
Thud.
The two guards suddenly rolled their eyes back and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Seeing this, Kalifa let out a silent sigh. Looks like the boss had already decided to throw down if it came to that.
...
"Who's there!?"
Well, it was a Celestial Dragon's palace—the security was indeed tight.
Even though the two men at the gate had been taken out without a sound, the moment Kaito set foot inside, black-clad guards swarmed out of the shadows, surrounding him and Kalifa with grim expressions.
Kaito was already out of patience for these loyal hounds. His eyes narrowed, and a wave of dominating pressure exploded from him. Every last one of the black-clad guards fell the same way the two at the gate had—crumpling silently to the ground. Only one skinny man in black was left, frozen in place and dumbfounded.
Behind Kaito, Kalifa looked at the fallen guards scattered across the floor and couldn't help but recall how she'd once lost consciousness under the same kind of pressure from the Dark King.
"That again... the move Rayleigh called Conqueror's Haki. I can't believe the boss has already mastered it so thoroughly."
Kaito glanced at the lone remaining guard and said coldly,
"Go tell Shalria... Uchiha Kaito is here."
The man didn't say a word. He turned and ran to deliver the message.
A short while later, he returned—this time, his face was a bloody mess, like he'd been beaten half to death. As soon as he saw Kaito, he hurriedly said,
"Saint Shalria says... she'll see you now. I'll take you to her."
As the man spoke, Kaito noticed he was missing all his front teeth. Looks like Shalria had done a number on him. Just like the rumors—arrogant and vicious to the extreme. Treated people like they weren't even human.
Kaito nodded and followed the battered man deeper into the palace.
...
They reached a grand hall, where a wide red carpet stretched all the way to the back. Led by the black-clad man, they walked to the end of the carpet.
There stood a tall platform.
Kaito lifted his gaze slightly and saw Shalria seated at the top. Two massive guards in black stood at her side.
The woman was dressed in the trademark Celestial Dragon space suit. Her bright orange hair was styled absurdly high, and she wore tinted brown sunglasses. A sheer purple scarf was wrapped below her shades. She was... not entirely unattractive.
At the moment, Shalria's eyelids were lowered. She stared down at Kaito and the others like she was gazing at insects.
The black-clad man standing in front of Kaito looked visibly afraid but still stepped forward respectfully to report,
"Saint Shalria, I've brought Uchiha—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, a gunshot rang out.
The man clutched his chest, eyes filled with disbelief as he stared up at Shalria. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, dead.
Shalria held a golden flintlock pistol, still smoking. She glanced at the corpse and sneered,
"Useless trash."
Then, without sparing another look at the fallen guard, she turned her eyes to Kaito and said in a cold voice,
"So you're Uchiha Kaito? Do you have any idea who you hurt a few days ago? Just because the Five Elders favor you, you think that makes you untouchable, hmm?"
Kaito chuckled, unimpressed.
"I just gave two minions a lesson. What's the problem?"
Hearing Kaito speak to her like that, Shalria's face twisted in fury. She raised her pistol again and pointed it straight at him, intending to kill this insolent Marine.
But Kaito had no interest in exchanging more words.
The moment she lifted the gun, he was already at her side, gripping her arm.
Shalria gasped in shock. The two guards beside her widened their eyes in terror, utterly shaken. To them, what Kaito had just done was a crime worthy of exterminating his entire bloodline.
They snapped out of it and lunged at Kaito from both sides, their fists clad in Armament Haki.
But Kaito didn't even bother looking at them.
Though these two were clearly far stronger than the previous guards, they were still nothing in front of the current Kaito.
He didn't move an inch. A repulsive force burst out from him.
Before their fists could touch him, the two guards were blasted backward, slamming into opposite walls of the hall and sliding down like sacks of meat, smearing blood across the walls.
Their fate sent Shalria into a full-blown panic. She'd been pampered and protected her entire life—never faced anything remotely like this. For a moment, she was too stunned to speak.
Kaito let his hand slip from her arm and smoothly snatched the golden flintlock from her grip.
With the gun gone, Shalria lost the last of her composure. Fear finally showed on her face—perhaps for the first time in her life.
Kaito's fingers tightened, and the luxurious golden pistol crumbled in his palm like it was made of sand.
He raised his hand above her and let go.
The shattered pieces of the gun rained down like golden snowflakes, scattering over her transparent bubble helmet. The shards clung to the surface like glitter, sparkling faintly.
Shalria stiffly turned her head toward Kaito and tried to keep her voice steady.
"You filthy commoner... do you have any idea who I am? Aren't you afraid an Admiral will slaughter everyone you care about?"
Kaito didn't respond.
He slapped her bubble helmet with a resounding crack.
The helmet shattered instantly, and Kaito's hand met Shalria's face in a brutal backhand.
Smack! The echo of that slap rang through the entire hall.
Shalria was knocked to the ground and rolled down the steps of the high platform, finally tumbling to a stop at Kalifa's feet. Kalifa quickly stepped aside, as if dodging a plague.
Truthfully, Kaito hadn't even used much strength.
Shalria's dramatic reaction was more due to her frail constitution than the blow itself.
Still, she was conscious.
Lying on the floor, she struggled to her feet, one hand clutching her swollen cheek. Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked up at Kaito standing atop the platform.
Kaito looked down at the now thoroughly cowed Shalria and sneered.
"Now... tell me—who are you?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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