Youpi, after all, wasn't like Pitou and Pouf, who loved reading and studying. So, he only felt something was wrong with his body, not immediately realizing the cause.
Kite and the others, however, had seen much of the world and immediately judged that Youpi had been afflicted by some unknown poison, a toxin so powerful that even Youpi's monstrous constitution succumbed within a dozen seconds.
'No wonder Law had merely slapped Youpi's ankle back then… he was injecting the poison into his body.'
'But to do it bare-handed, against Youpi's defenses...'
In just a moment, not only did blood begin to flow from Youpi's facial features, but his skin also started oozing copious amounts of blood.
By the time he became aware of the abnormality in his body, he had already lost the ability to move freely.
Only then did he realize he had been afflicted by a potent poison without even noticing.
With this thought, Youpi let out an enraged roar, disregarding the state of his body entirely. He released his Aura at its highest intensity and charged towards Law, who was only tens of meters away.
Unfortunately, while Youpi focused on healing his injuries, the poison had taken full effect, making his movements incredibly stiff and drastically reducing his speed.
Even so, Youpi, with a face twisted in fury and ferocity, covered in blood, charged at Law.
If looks could kill, Law would have been shredded to pieces.
Watching Youpi's dying counterattack, Law's expression remained calm. He released his Domain, enveloping Youpi within it.
A visible, distorted mass of Aura materialized, covering Youpi's blood-drenched head, but to no effect.
'[Invisible Sniper] can easily crush an ordinary person's head from a distance, and even a low-level Nen User probably couldn't withstand it. But against a reasonably strong Nen User, it's just a gimmick. And if they're fast enough, it basically can't hit them.'
Watching the unscathed Youpi, Law silently withdrew the offensive effect of [Invisible Sniper].
Although poisoned, the Aura swirling around Youpi's body was not just for show. It was normal for [Invisible Sniper] to be ineffective.
'Slow.'
Law muttered inwardly.
The already stiff and slow-moving Youpi seemed to be hit by a deceleration ray, his charging momentum mercilessly weakened.
Five meters, four meters...
Three meters, two meters...
Law simply stood still, watching the blood-soaked face, eyes bulging as if about to burst from their sockets, veins standing out. He whispered, "Thirty seconds."
Then, Youpi, filled with unwillingness, collapsed at Law's feet.
Those two meters became an insurmountable chasm before his death.
Seeing Youpi fall, Law couldn't help but marvel at the ferocity of the Carola Snake-eye toxin.
It was a poison he brought back from the Dark Continent, extracted from the eyes of a snake called the Carola Snake.
Its toxicity was extreme, causing victims to exhibit symptoms of profuse bleeding in a short time.
Law thought Youpi's physical constitution was terrifyingly strong, so even poisoned, he could last several minutes before succumbing, but he didn't expect it to take only thirty seconds.
Looking at Youpi's corpse, Law's eyes held anticipation.
After a good while, Youpi's corpse showed no movement.
'No resentment...'
Law couldn't help but look disappointed, also feeling some regret, 'I should have thoroughly humiliated Youpi earlier… it might have stimulated resentment.'
What's done is done, thinking about it now is useless.
Outside the combat zone, Kite and the others stared dumbfounded at Youpi's corpse.
An enemy so powerful had fallen just like that, giving them a surreal, unreal feeling.
Then, the three of them saw Law flick a few sparks from his fingers onto Youpi's corpse and the blood, which instantly burst into raging flames.
Those sparks and the spontaneously generated fire were methods Law had used in battle earlier, now employed to cremate the corpse.
Faintly, Kite and the others guessed the reason.
"The fuel should be sufficient."
Law glanced at Youpi, engulfed in flames.
Without Aura protection, relying on flesh alone, it was difficult to resist high temperatures.
The reason for specifically setting a fire was to eliminate the Carola Snake-eye poison in Youpi's body and blood. Even diluted by large amounts of blood, it still possessed significant toxicity. Burning it prevented future trouble.
Under the gaze of the trio, Law flashed a few times and arrived before them.
Morel and Kite looked at Law with eyes filled with admiration. Knov's gaze wasn't just admiration… it was more like looking at a god.
Meeting their different gazes, Law's expression remained calm. "Ging should be able to handle the remaining Royal Guard. I'm going to find Netero. You all stand by here."
As soon as the words fell, not giving the three a chance to speak, he immediately headed south.
Watching Law's retreating figure, the three looked at each other wordlessly.
Kite thought silently: 'This is Law's strength.'
"Incredible."
Morel muttered sincerely, then seemed to remember something and hurriedly looked at the severely injured Knov, thinking he needed to get Knov medical treatment quickly.
Then, his face twitched.
He saw Knov's eyes shimmering, gazing intently at the departing Law.
That look gave him an indescribably strange feeling.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever seen Knov behave this way.
…
A vast open area surrounded by rocky mountains.
The Nen Dragon created by Zeno arrived over this location, finally dissipating suddenly as its energy was exhausted.
"Oh."
Netero naturally knew what was happening. His expression impassive, he let his body freefall.
The King was slightly taken aback but then calmly landed.
The two landed one after another, stirring up dust.
Netero stared solemnly at the King, who casually surveyed the surroundings.
"No people or buildings here. You can destroy as much as you want," Netero said flatly.
The King turned his body, looking directly at Netero, and said calmly, "It looks desolate. As a burial place, it's a bit of a letdown for you."
"Huh?"
A vein throbbed at Netero's temple. He sneered, "Whose burial place it is remains to be seen."
"You cannot defeat me," The King stated with certainty.
"Without trying, how would I know? You have no idea of my strength, do you?" Netero's eyes became shadowed, his body emanating the unique glow of Aura.
The King quietly observed Netero, who was preparing to enter combat mode. After a moment of silence, he said, "You don't seem like the mediocre martial artist who can't see the situation clearly."
The meaning of these words was equivalent to: Don't you have any sense of whether you can win or not?
Netero's response was to let his hands hang naturally at his sides.
He didn't strike a palm stance, but his attitude was clear.
Seeing this, the King showed no reaction, still speaking in that placid, unfluctuating tone, "I can see that, like her, you possess a certain ultimate talent. Dying here like this would be a pity."
"Therefore, as long as you submit, I can spare your life."
Netero's eyes narrowed, a terrifying expression appearing on his aged face.
He knew who the King was referring to, and he could tell the King was serious.
But it was this kind of casual seriousness that made one's heart feel stifled.
"Ant, you are missing an arm now," Netero said ominously.
Hearing this, the King raised his right hand, lightly pressing it against the severed arm, and said flatly, "One arm is enough to deal with you."
It was merely the opening of a stratagem, not a true dead end.
Hearing the King's words, Netero suddenly burst out laughing.