Inside the machine, Ritter suddenly stopped his endless "slurp, slurp, slurp."
A sharp gleam flashed through his crimson eyes.
Through his Observation Haki, he could tell the battle outside was nearing its conclusion.
The Allied Army's war cries were drawing closer and closer, while Pilurka's remaining resistance was rapidly collapsing.
Still...
A centipede dies hard.
It was time for him to disappear.
To an outsider, this battle looked deceptively simple.
Ritter had killed one Admiral, then vanished.
But only someone truly perceptive would understand what he'd really accomplished.
Fortunately...
Imu was a smart man.
That was exactly why Ritter had trusted him to keep everyone occupied.
He believed Imu wouldn't resort to force against him.
But Ritter still had far more important things to do.
Did anyone really think he was that open-hearted?
Back then...
His first instinct had been to run.
"Looks like we're done here, little one."
Ritter scooped the girl into his arms and lightly patted her slightly rounded stomach.
"Buffet time's over."
"If we keep eating, the owner will come kick us out."
"So it's time to make our escape."
He glanced at the enormous machine, now nearly drained of power, its glow dim and lifeless.
With a wide grin, he waved casually.
"Thanks for the meal."
"I'd love to visit again."
"...Actually, never mind."
"We'll just kill the owner first."
The moment the words left his mouth...
The blood mist around him exploded outward.
Gone was the gentle absorption from before.
Now...
It became pure destructive force.
It was obvious.
Dinner was over.
Time to smash the plates.
Boom!
He burst straight through the hole he had opened earlier, carrying the girl as he shot back into the sky above the battlefield.
The instant he appeared...
Countless eyes locked onto him.
Ritter ignored every single one of them.
His destination couldn't have been clearer.
Deep inside Pilurka's royal capital...
The massive hangars filled with aircraft.
"Go ahead and keep fighting."
"I'm just going inside to take a little look."
"No need to mind me."
"Stop him!"
The three Admirals shouted in unison.
"Stop them!"
"If anyone can stop them, I'll grant them noble status!"
"I'll even make them Celestial Dragons!"
That last promise came directly from Imu.
"AAAAAH!"
"OOOOOH!"
"It's time for us to leave."
"And while we're at it..."
"Let's steal ourselves a flying ride."
Ritter grinned mischievously.
With the girl in his arms...
Blood mist erupted around him once more.
Boom!
"He brought reinforcements!"
Dr. Alpha shrieked.
"I'm completely pinned down! I can't move!"
"Stop him!"
"Take back the Divine Maiden!"
Galvan roared.
But...
It was already too late.
Ritter had never intended to fight them.
His true target had always been the fleet of flying vessels inside the royal capital.
"Anyone who gets in my way..."
"Dies."
He let out a thunderous roar.
For the first time since entering the battle...
He stopped holding back completely.
An ocean of blood mist erupted from his body like a crimson tsunami, sweeping across the city.
"Mist... Rise!"
After absorbing such an enormous amount of Life Force...
Ritter had reached the absolute peak of his condition.
In fact...
He was stronger now than when the war had begun.
Charging into the royal capital...
He was a tiger among sheep.
"Mist Style..."
"Blood Mist Chaos!"
Dense crimson fog expanded at terrifying speed.
Wherever it passed...
Pilurka soldiers and low-ranking officials didn't even have time to scream.
Their Life Force was ripped away instantly.
They collapsed as dried skeletons.
Normally...
Someone with Conqueror's Haki equal to Ritter's could disperse his mist.
Unfortunately for Pilurka...
No such people remained inside the capital.
To be honest...
At this moment...
Ritter could do almost anything he wanted.
Buildings rapidly corroded beneath the blood mist.
Steel rusted.
Stone crumbled.
Walls collapsed into dust.
Holding the girl calmly in his arms...
Ritter walked forward without haste.
Meanwhile...
Panic spread throughout the city.
"W-What's happening?!"
"Why has the sky turned red?!"
"I can't see!"
"I..."
"I can't breathe..."
"That madman is back!"
"Kill him!"
Within the sea of crimson fog...
Two pairs of blood-red eyes slowly opened.
One belonged to Ritter.
Cold.
Merciless.
Completely indifferent toward all living things.
The second pair...
Was even larger.
Even more terrifying.
Behind Ritter...
A gigantic Blood Dragon slowly took shape.
Its jagged horns pierced the mist.
Its enormous fangs glistened.
Simply meeting its gaze was enough to shatter the minds of the weak.
"M-Monster!"
"Run!"
Screams echoed endlessly through the fog.
Carrying the girl...
Ritter strolled through the chaos as though taking a leisurely walk.
The mist automatically parted before him.
Anyone foolish enough to block his path instantly withered into lifeless bones.
As he walked...
His thoughts drifted back to the last time he had invaded Pilurka's royal capital.
Back then...
The girl in his arms had been completely different.
Her eyes had been empty.
Her body had been cold.
She had shown no reaction to anything around her.
Like an exquisitely crafted doll.
Even then...
He had already wanted to destroy the entire kingdom.
Roger had once wiped out an entire nation.
People still talked about it endlessly.
But that was because Roger's reputation was overwhelmingly positive.
Everything he did became legend.
Ritter understood this world far better now.
As a pirate...
Someone as straightforward as Luffy would never survive for long.
This world held far more betrayal than passionate adventure.
Ritter's reputation had never been good to begin with.
So what if he destroyed another country?
Those Pilurka researchers...
They had never looked at the girl as though she were human.
Now...
He finally understood.
They had only ever seen...
A tool.
The first time he came here, he had feared Pilurka's hidden experts and unknown technology.
After rescuing her...
He had immediately fled.
Back then...
He had just arrived in this era.
Now things were different.
He had met Joy Boy.
He had met Imu.
Pilurka was the only kingdom left on his list.
He lowered his head.
The girl in his arms was still quiet.
But now...
There was life in her eyes.
After absorbing so much energy...
A healthy blush had finally returned to her face.
She looked up at Ritter...
Smiled sweetly...
Then quietly unwrapped a piece of candy and placed it into his mouth.
Ritter chewed absentmindedly.
Then lifted his gaze toward the countless Pilurka citizens fleeing through the blood mist.
Many of them had participated in...
Or silently watched...
The Divine Maiden Project.
He looked at them without the slightest warmth.
"Everyone..."
"Who ever laid a hand on her..."
His voice echoed throughout the crimson mist.
Like the declaration of an emperor claiming dominion over the sea.
"Today..."
"You'll repay every last debt."
"With interest."
Behind him...
The Blood Dragon silently opened its jaws.
The blood mist instantly became even more violent.
Its speed of erosion doubled.
Everything standing before Ritter was swallowed whole.
He was no longer merely clearing a path toward the spacecraft.
He was...
Settling old scores.
Crimson mist engulfed the city.
The Blood Dragon coiled through the heavens.
Holding his vice-captain safely in his arms...
Ritter walked through the steel city that had once imprisoned her.
What followed...
Was not simply plunder.
It was vengeance.
And wherever he passed...
Only silence...
And ruins remained.
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