Being able to take Pitou away so easily was largely thanks to the King's clear stance.
If possible, Law would have preferred not to leave that place. Regardless, the plan was proceeding roughly on track. He just wasn't sure about Netero's subsequent actions.
No matter the process, Law only wanted to accomplish two things: eliminate the threat posed by the Chimera Ants, and preserve Netero's life.
If Netero truly had a way to take the King to another battlefield, then Law would need to kill Pitou as quickly as possible.
Law walked ahead. Although his back was turned to Pitou, the Aura he emitted wasn't casual.
With each step, his momentum solidified further.
After walking some distance, the gravity in Pitou's eyes grew increasingly intense.
They walked on the curved rooftop of the corridor, one in front, one behind, like a couple strolling in the drizzle.
However, if an ordinary person lightly touched that Aura Field, their consciousness would undoubtedly be erased by the malice.
In a spot within the courtyard, Youpi had completed his transformation amidst roars.
His red body swelled several times its size, each muscle like a balloon blown to its limit, making his entire form grotesque.
Tentacle-like appendages resembling flower petals extended from Youpi's back, covered with dense, tightly packed eyeballs. His massive head was similarly covered with eyes.
This genetic mutation completely altered his body while also granting him certain biological functions.
The numerous eyes directly gave him a 365-degree field of vision. Consequently, he noticed Pitou and a human walking on the curved rooftop building.
In that moment, Youpi's focus wavered.
'If Pitou was out here, then wasn't the King left without a guard?'
The instant his mind wandered, a sharp blade flash sliced towards him.
Swish.
Blood sprayed. Three petal-like tentacles were severed.
The one who struck was Kite, wielding a scythe.
"Hmm?"
Youpi snapped back to attention but felt no regret whatsoever.
He knew that what he needed to do now was quickly kill these humans, then return to the King's side.
Under the astonished gazes of Kite, Morel, and Knuckle, the severed ends of Youpi's tentacles wriggled, the bleeding stopping, and they regrown.
'Highly efficient regenerative ability.' Kite was inwardly shocked, involuntarily associating it with a type of worm possessing rapid growth capabilities.
…
Youpi's roars were not weak, so Law and Pitou naturally heard them, but they had no reaction.
Taking Pitou to an open area on the other side, Law stopped and then turned around.
"Right here."
The moment Law's words fell, Pitou's pupils contracted sharply, almost shrinking to pinpoints.
She instantly leaped backward, spreading her arms, palms slightly curved downward… a standard crane wing posture.
Only after jumping over ten meters away did Pitou realize Law was still in the same spot, just holding a rusty longsword in his hand.
Just now, her extremely acute senses had caused her to have an excessive reaction.
Because Law's Aura now was too sharp, radiating an extremely dangerous sensation, as if a sharp blade had been honed to its utmost sharpness.
Just the act of summoning the longsword made Pitou feel as if Law had suddenly driven the blade towards her in a slash.
Her fur stood slightly on end. The Aura around her body was released to its maximum.
Pitou watched Law standing motionless with the sword. Despite lacking combat experience, her instincts told her she couldn't remain passive. Only aggressive attacks could break the 'momentum' the other party had built.
With almost no thought, Pitou pounced.
Unlike a cat, more like a leopard, her forward-stretched claws gleamed with cold light.
Law instantly summoned the White General holding a longsword.
In that extremely rapid change, Pitou's field of vision was suddenly filled with a large amount of white light.
She barely had time to see it was a massive humanoid figure before she saw the longsword carrying a sharp light coming towards her… a swing-style slash executed by utilizing distance perfectly.
In that split second, there was no room for thought.
But Pitou made the most correct response in an extremely short time.
Her offensive immediately switched to defensive. She lifted her forward-stretched claws upward, blocking the trajectory of the incoming slash.
Clang!
A loud metallic impact sounded.
The Nen-constructed longsword struck Pitou's claws, instantly bursting with firework-like sparks.
Five concentric circles of Aura Ripples blasted out successively. Pitou's upper body was bent backward by powerful force, violently spun around, and shot backward like a cannonball, flying out of the palace in the blink of an eye.
After the momentum weakened, Pitou's body heavily smashed into the rocky ground, throwing up a large patch of turbid muddy liquid.
In the palace courtyard, Law retrieved the White General, his brows lightly furrowed, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.
The moment Pitou was slashed away, he saw it clearly. Not even her claws were sliced off.
Although the sharpness of the White General's sword wasn't as strong as the Shin powered with God Hand, it wasn't something an ordinary Ko could defend against.
'Hard enough. However, her Aura is clearly much weaker than when we first met. Is it because she maintained her En for too long and used a healing ability?'
Law thought, his figure suddenly disappearing from the spot. He didn't spare his Aura Consumption, directly using [Instant] to travel, heading towards the direction Pitou flew.
Indeed, Law's judgment was correct. The Aura Pitou was releasing now was clearly not as formidable as initially. It wasn't just because Pitou used En for an extended period, but also because of Doctor Blythe.
Every use of Doctor Blythe consumes a large amount of Nen.
Although she didn't completely heal the King's injury, the Aura consumed during the several dozen minutes of treatment couldn't be recovered.
If we categorize fatigue levels into low, moderate, and severe, Pitou was currently at a moderate level.
While leaving the Capital Palace, Law saw Kite and the others fighting Youpi. After a brief pause, Law still moved forward without looking back.
Everyone had a task. His task was to restrain or kill one of the Royal Guards. So he had no reason to stop and assist Kite and the others.
Because no one knew what changes would occur if Pitou and Youpi reunited. Therefore, it was best to defeat them one by one.
Law's figure vanished from the spot, reappearing dozens of meters away the next second, flashing in and out until he reached where Pitou had fallen.
When Law arrived, the drizzling rain finally stopped. However, the dark clouds above remained heavy and unbroken, as if brewing a second downpour.
Pitou was covered in mud, hands pressed into the wet soil, body arched.
The Aura wrapped around her body was like a blazing flame, seemingly roaring.
Like a tightly wound spring, she shot forward again, attacking the newly arrived Law.
Again, a flash of white light filled her vision. Again, her offense shifted to defense. Again, she was sent flying back.
After the second failed attack, Pitou instantly understood her positioning.
This enemy before her could only be dealt with by her. If Pouf or Youpi were to face him, they would certainly have no chance of victory.
Among the guards, only her acute senses could cope with the opponent's power and speed.
This time, when she was sent flying, Pitou seemed to have adapted. She adjusted her posture in mid-air and landed steadily.
She instinctively looked at the grooves on her claws, her gaze slightly focused.
Both slashes had landed on the exact same spot.