Chapter 103: Thought They Were Weaklings, But They're Full of Fighting Spirit!
Natsukawa didn't have time to worry about Anya at this moment. After confirming she was with Ran, he turned to look at the two figures fighting.
Where were the people from the Hatamoto family?
Conan anxiously scanned the restaurant.
It was pitch black—visibility was less than two or three meters. He couldn't see anything at all!
Damn it. Conan raised his flashlight watch, preparing to conduct a thorough search to locate the Hatamoto family members.
"Conan, can I borrow your watch for a moment!" The watch on Conan's wrist disappeared in an instant.
"Uncle Natsukawa—"
Before the words were even finished, Conan saw the light turn into a blur as Natsukawa had already rushed toward the source of the commotion.
After Natsukawa approached and illuminated the fighting area, Conan realized that the two fighting were Yor and Butler Suzuki!
What happened? Did Butler Suzuki expose himself?
I haven't even figured out the truth yet. How did he jump out?
Butler Suzuki didn't look like a man in his sixties at all. Every attack he launched was powerful and devastating.
One punch shattered a solid wood dining table in half, cutlery clattering to the floor.
Yor was no ordinary fighter either. Her speed was astonishing, and she unleashed incredible power with every strike. Most of the noise came from the shattered tables, chairs, pots, and pans.
This was too reckless!
Although he didn't know what had happened, Yor wouldn't act so casually without reason.
She was a tactical combat instructor for the Metropolitan Police Department. For her to intervene, Butler Suzuki must have done something serious.
Could it be—
Another murder!
However, it was now certain that Butler Suzuki was one of the two murderers.
Natsukawa flashed the light at Ireland, who was impersonating Butler Suzuki, and then threw a chair.
Bang!
The chair missed Ireland but interrupted their fight.
"Mouri-san, find a way to restore the lighting system!" Natsukawa shouted back.
With such poor visibility, their numerical advantage was difficult to exploit.
Mouri Kogoro immediately responded. After confirming his daughter's safety, he turned and headed for the electrical room.
In the time it took to say a single sentence, Yor and Ireland were fighting again.
Sweeping kicks, punches, blocks, and strikes—
Yor's fighting style was extremely disciplined, befitting her status as a tactical combat instructor from the Metropolitan Police Department. Even Ireland could only exchange blows with her without gaining the upper hand.
Why didn't Gosho Aoyama introduce such a character sooner? Natsukawa mused. Beautiful face, great figure, combat skills—her popularity could rival, or even surpass, that of Amuro Tooru.
Lucky I acted quickly!
Wait—could Yor-san have a childhood friend?
Natsukawa's face immediately darkened, a sense of urgency rising within him. He had to work harder to win Yor over quickly.
Otherwise, if another childhood friend appeared later, where would he go to complain?
Ireland was deeply frustrated. He had set up the electrical trap to kill several members of the Hatamoto family and then frame Hatamoto Takeshi.
Unexpectedly, Yor discovered him.
The plan had suffered a major setback!
He hadn't anticipated that this seemingly elegant woman possessed such monstrous strength.
He'd only managed to stab two people shortly after turning off the lights, one of whom wasn't even dead when Yor discovered him.
So unlucky.
Damn it!
Where did this monster come from?
The death of Hatamoto Gozo caused Pisco's plans to change. Pisco's latest demand was to kill everyone at sea, preferably sinking the ship as well.
A sunken ship would undoubtedly cover up the truth. The cause of death could be easily attributed to an accident, and then it would only be a matter of time before Pisco brought the Hatamoto Group under his control.
This way, he would not only complete his mission but also kick Tequila out of the game—the result Pisco most wanted.
As for Hatamoto Akie?
It didn't matter. Having her would certainly speed up the takeover, but there were other ways to do it without her.
There were many ways to compete in business. As long as everyone in the Hatamoto family was dead, there was plenty of room for maneuver.
With enough threats or benefits, the shareholders and executives could be easily dealt with!
But now...
With his identity exposed, once these people returned to Tokyo, Pisco's plan would be ruined!
At that point, the police would intervene, and the domestic incident would escalate into a power struggle among zaibatsu, leaving the Organization no room to intervene.
Thinking this, Ireland hardened his resolve, drawing a short knife from his waist and gripping it in reverse.
Not a single one could be spared, even if he had to sink the ship!
Suddenly, the flashlight reflected light from something, and Natsukawa's expression changed drastically.
"Yor, back off!"
Immediately afterward, Natsukawa swung a table leg, aiming at Ireland's knife-wielding arm.
The short blade reflected a cold light. Ireland twisted his wrist, the hilt knocking the table leg away, his eyes filled with murderous intent!
That damned guy was interfering with him again!
Ireland pushed off with his feet, his body launching forward like a cannonball, his target Natsukawa.
Compared to Yor, Natsukawa seemed easier to deal with.
And these two seemed to be a couple. If he took him hostage, Yor would obey, right?
However, he miscalculated.
The two were only two meters apart when Natsukawa suddenly flipped his hand, pulling a fire axe from behind his back!
His waist propelled his arms, his legs planted firmly in a horse stance.
The twenty-pound fire axe sliced through the air, its red paint seemingly stained with blood, exuding a murderous aura with every swing.
What the—!
Ireland's gaze froze for a moment, then filled with utter horror. Had that fire axe been behind his opponent the whole time?
How come he hadn't noticed it before?
Compared to Natsukawa, Ireland suddenly felt his short blade was pathetic.
Its length was a major disadvantage, and besides, this guy's speed in swinging the fire axe was just too fast!
Ireland stumbled, the sixty-four-year-old body performing a 120-degree backward bend, bracing himself with one hand on the ground, narrowly dodging the oncoming fire axe.
Amazing!
Conan stared intently, his eyes filled with envy.
If only his father had hired a martial arts instructor to train him back in Hawaii, he might be able to put up a few moves now.
"Conan-kun, come here right now! It's too dangerous over there!"
Anya shouted from the darkness, completely unafraid of attracting Suzuki's attention.
"Keep it down!" Conan scrambled to Anya's side and covered her mouth.
"It's dangerous to be so loud! They're still fighting over there. What if our noise attracts that guy? How will they fight back then?"
On the other side, Ireland did two backflips to create distance between himself and Natsukawa.
Who would have thought he'd come equipped with such a heavy weapon?
They looked like weaklings, but they're full of fighting spirit!
Natsukawa's nose twitched. He smelled blood.
He quickly looked at Yor, scrutinizing her several times, his gaze lingering on her figure.
It wasn't improper—he was just worried Yor was injured.
There were no wounds, so it wasn't Yor who was injured. Someone from the Hatamoto family had probably been hit.
He didn't even know if they were dead or alive.
"Yor, get behind me!"
"But..."
"Come here quickly! He has a knife—it's dangerous!"
Ireland: "..."
Looking at the fire axe in Natsukawa's hand, then at the short blade in his own, Ireland felt a deep sense of inadequacy.
Who's dangerous here? Maybe you should rephrase that.
Besides, weren't these two just showing off their relationship?
This woman named Yor, despite her formidable fighting prowess, was now hiding behind Natsukawa like a delicate maiden.
Ireland, his limbs numb from Yor's blows, took a few steps back.
This was no place to linger!
As long as the cruise ship was still at sea, he still had a chance!
Whoosh—
He had only taken two steps back when he heard a sharp whistling sound.
Looking toward the sound, all he could see was darkness.
A second later!
A smooth object appeared in his vision.
A teapot?
Ireland noticed the teapot too late. It was only about three meters in front of him, a mere 0.1 seconds away from striking him.
Clang!
The teapot struck him in the chest with sudden, devastating force.
The sound of shattering ceramic mingled with the cracking of tables and chairs.
Ireland was sent flying by the impact, crashing into a table.
Who attacked me?
Ireland gritted his teeth, clutching his aching chest, and looked around in bewilderment.
It was pitch black and silent all around, with only the faint light from the flashlight in Natsukawa's hand. He couldn't tell where the attack came from.
But even if he did, it wouldn't matter. His best course of action now was to escape.
Just then—
The lights came back on!
The blinding light illuminated the restaurant.
The sudden change in light caught everyone off guard, except for Anya, who, wearing sunglasses, seemed completely unaffected.
"Papa, the bad guy is trying to escape!"
Anya's voice was particularly clear in the quiet restaurant.
Natsukawa, his eyes adjusting to the light, immediately looked toward Ireland.
Ireland had already retreated more than five meters.
"Don't come any closer!"
Ireland, his vision restored, grabbed Hatamoto Shoji, who had been watching the commotion from the corner, and held the short blade to his neck.
Thank goodness there's a hostage!
Ireland breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, only to find his face uneven, with patches of the disguise peeling off.
Had his mask broken?
It must have been from the fight just now. That woman named Yor had landed quite a few hits on his face.
At this moment, half of Ireland's face revealed a foreigner's features, while the other half showed Butler Suzuki's appearance.
Ran, witnessing this bizarre sight from afar, nearly died of fright. Like an ostrich, she burrowed under the table and covered her head with the tablecloth.
"How terrifying! His face is falling apart!"
Conan and Anya: "..."
Ran-neechan is definitely a scaredy-cat, Anya thought to herself.
The scene in the restaurant was witnessed by Hatamoto Akie, her heart pounding.
Uncle Kitaro was dead, Aunt Mariko was dead, Tatsuo was dead—the number of people to divide the inheritance had dwindled in just one day.
Was this the feeling Masuyama Kenzo had described?
The feeling of unexpected wealth.
It was simply too wonderful!
If Uncle Shoji also died, only Ichiro and Natsue would have to share Grandfather's inheritance with her.
Then, with Masuyama Kenzo's intervention, all the inheritance would be hers.
Hatamoto Akie's inner demons were unleashed, her gaze toward Hatamoto Shoji filled with malice.
For the first time, she so desperately longed for her uncle to die.
Damn Butler Suzuki, why hasn't he made a move yet!
After restoring power, Mouri Kogoro immediately returned to the restaurant.
The restaurant was a complete disaster zone.
The wreckage of tables, chairs, and dishes littering the floor proved that something terrible had happened there not long ago.
End of Chapter 103
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