In the Forest of Medusa, the Skeleton stood still like a stone statue, not daring to act rashly.
If it were going to kill him or cut him up, it would have happened in an instant. But this Mender just stared at him without doing anything, making his emotions go up and down, very uncomfortable.
Suddenly, the Mender moved, instantly making the Skeleton's nerves tense.
However, the expected blade did not fall.
The Skeleton timidly looked over and saw the Mender turn its body, looking in a certain direction.
'Hmm? Could it be that help was coming?'
The corner of the Skeleton's eye, full of hope, followed the Mender's gaze, but saw nothing.
Though unclear why the Mender was looking in that direction, what was certain was that there was no savior.
At this moment, he desperately wished that Law and his group would walk out of the light specks.
If given another chance, he would not run away no matter what.
The Skeleton was filled with bitterness.
'Was it wrong to pursue freedom?'
Running away was fine, but this damnable fate had arranged a super giant monster right on his escape route.
The Mender silently looked in that direction, emotions no different from those of a sapient being gently rippling within it.
But its graffiti-like eyes could not convey its emotions.
It sensed something, but it did not pay much attention, and the feeling was not clear.
After a moment, the Mender withdrew its gaze, again falling upon the Skeleton, pondering how to impose sanctions on the Skeleton before it, within the bounds allowed by the rules.
If this skeleton person were of the same nature as the two souls it had reclaimed before, then it would not have to think so much... it would simply reclaim him.
On one side was white, on the other black, and the Skeleton stood on the unbiased boundary line between black and white.
What the Mender needed to do was to disrupt the Skeleton's balance, push him onto the black side, and then legitimately impose sanctions.
But here was the problem: how to push the Skeleton?
His thoughts pulling back and forth, the Mender gradually felt displeasure.
The feeling of being blocked by invisible walls was like a saw, cutting back and forth against its body, deepening his displeasure.
Should he use violent means to smash through those invisible walls, or do nothing and let the walls stand before him?
Two thoughts, like a quarreling angel and demon.
The Mender paused, its gaze locked onto the Skeleton.
For a moment, the Skeleton felt the pressure growing.
He vaguely felt that something was happening to this Mender.
Whatever it was, it was bad for him.
The Skeleton was anxious inside, but dared not show it, afraid that a small move might provoke the Mender.
But right now, he could do nothing.
As the Skeleton had sensed, the Mender was indeed undergoing some changes, triggered by the Skeleton standing on the boundary line.
What the outcome of this change would be was still unclear.
Evolution? Or degeneration?
Either way, the Skeleton's position would not change one bit. He was still a lamb waiting for slaughter, unable to offer any resistance.
Because, after all, he was not Law, and also because there were very, very few sapient beings on the Dark Continent who dared to resist the Mender.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, one not moving, the other not daring to move.
...
On the other side, with the enhancement of Shin and the Divine Scripts, the silver-haired woman was unable to move, and Law and his group continued to gang up on her, not understanding the meaning of compassion.
Everyone took turns, each landing a kick. No one could withstand that.
But a full hour of continuous ganging up had not caused any damage to the silver-haired woman.
However, Law knew this was not something that could be rushed. He could only slowly wear her down, to see if they could eventually grind her to death.
On the sidelines, the captive Chucu watched helplessly as this group of humans beat the silver-haired woman for over an hour.
She thought that if the silver-haired woman was dealt with, she might be next.
Inevitably, a psychological shadow began to form in her heart.
Throughout the entire beating process, the silver-haired woman remained silent. Even if she wanted to speak, she could not.
When first subdued, she had been a bit worried, but not anymore.
These humans could not break through her defense. As things stood, she was at least safe.
The only thing to consider was how to break free from her restraints, and how to seize that human's book.
No one spoke on the scene, only the dull thuds of fists on flesh.
"Where is the Skeleton?"
After about ten minutes, Tonpa was the first to notice that the Skeleton was gone.
"Hmm?"
Only then did the others notice the Skeleton's disappearance.
"That guy could not have run off, could he?"
"It seems... that is the only possibility."
Everyone looked at Law. After the Skeleton's intelligence value had been squeezed dry, according to the agreement, he was supposed to be released.
However, Law had not released the Skeleton, seemingly wanting him to become part of the team's combat strength.
But the Skeleton had been marginalized since being forced into the team, never fitting in.
After all, the Skeleton had been forcibly brought in. For him to willingly integrate into the team was basically unlikely.
"That guy took the chance to run off."
Meeting everyone's gaze, Law smiled helplessly.
He had indeed wanted the Skeleton to become a part of the team, but he also knew this was very difficult.
Originally, the Mender was the culprit that had destroyed the Skeleton's home. With a common goal, the Skeleton might have been like Coo, cooperating with them against the Mender.
Who would have thought that guy had no desire for revenge at all, thinking only of escape all day long.
"Forget him."
Law shook his head and looked down at the silver-haired woman lying on the ground.
He did not want to waste too much time on this woman, but he had to.
Otherwise, after they found the Mender, if this woman jumped out to interfere, the pressure would be immense by then.
Law signaled his teammates to continue ganging up on the silver-haired woman, trying to break her defense as soon as possible, while he focused on suppressing her resistance.
Perhaps a single lapse could allow the silver-haired woman to break free. In this situation, the difficulty of transferring the silver-haired woman to the Hide-and-Seek Dimension was very high.
If they could transfer her to the Hide-and-Seek Dimension, they could use Ko to gang up on her, and the efficiency would certainly be much higher.
The ganging up continued. Unknowingly, another hour passed.
Progress was still very slow, only wearing down a small portion of the silver-haired woman's Nen.
Just then, a powerful Aura came from deep within the forest, instantly penetrating the bodies of everyone present.
"Hmm!?"
Law's breathing briefly paused, surprise in his eyes.
As for the others, they were all startled.
"Is..."
Chucu blurted out a syllable, but reacted quickly, immediately shutting her mouth and swallowing the rest.
Law glanced at her quickly, and she looked down guiltily.
'Is it the Mender...?'
Law did not press Chucu, but asked himself silently in his heart.