Chapter 665: The Reason Lilith Gave!
Ryuunosuke stepped onto Greedwach Island.
After landing, he did not find anything special.
If anything, it looked even more ordinary than most islands. A medium sized island you could find anywhere on the Grand Line. No bustling town. No obvious ports. Few buildings. Almost no human traces.
The only structure he could see and sense clearly was a Guardian outpost not far ahead.
"Nobody's here?"
"No way."
Ryuunosuke stared at the empty encampment, then chuckled, a cold amusement creeping into his smile.
"Lilith, I'm already here."
"You went through all that trouble just to lure me onto this island, didn't you?"
"So why is everyone gone the moment I arrive?"
He did not believe Gowther's intelligence was entirely reliable.
Not because he doubted Gowther's judgment.
Gowther had pulled that information from a Guardian's soul.
If it were anyone else, they would accept it as ironclad truth.
But Ryuunosuke understood Lilith's methods far too well.
Her specialty was manipulating souls, carving blessings, planting marks.
In that kind of system, even memories inside a soul could be rewritten.
Even so, he still came.
First, because he was strong enough. Confident enough.
Second, because he wanted to see what Lilith was truly planning.
"As expected of Captain Ryuunosuke."
A door opened.
Someone walked out step by step.
"But since you already know it's a trap, why did you still come?"
It was Roger.
"Uncle Roger?"
Ryuunosuke's expression turned ugly in an instant. Rage surged up so fast it almost became physical.
"You really do deserve that uncle title from me."
His aura slammed outward, a violent pressure rushing straight toward Roger.
"I did it," Roger said quietly. "I want to apologize."
"But if I didn't do it, someone else would have."
"And they might have gone even further than I did."
He looked pained, as if the words themselves scraped his throat.
"At that point, the entire Goa Kingdom would probably have been wiped out because of this incident."
"I see?" Ryuunosuke's voice lowered.
He walked toward Roger, one step at a time.
With each step, his aura rose another level.
He had not even reached Roger yet, but the pressure alone was already crushing.
Roger's face tightened.
"Am I going to die?"
He looked helpless, not dramatic, just honest.
Because against Ryuunosuke in this state, he had no chance.
No victory.
No escape.
"Did I misunderstand you?" Ryuunosuke asked again, stopping right in front of him.
"No."
Roger's answer was immediate.
"If you think what I did was wrong, then kill me."
"I won't resist."
He closed his eyes.
Even with death accepted, fear still existed.
Pirate King or not, Guardian leader or not, the body still trembled in the face of the end.
Then Ryuunosuke noticed it.
The faint curve at the corner of Roger's lips.
A smile.
The same kind of smile Roger wore at Loguetown, when he faced execution and announced the Great Pirate Era to the world.
Puff.
Ryuunosuke did not hesitate.
The Heavenly Feather Blade came down in an instant.
Roger died immediately.
No lingering breath. No struggle. No final words.
"A stunt double," Ryuunosuke muttered, voice flat. "And he still had that many lines."
He looked forward, eyes narrowing.
"Lilith, is this your preparation?"
"Or do you think this is enough to deal with me?"
He pushed the door fully open and stepped inside the former Guardian residence.
It still looked like a base.
But Ryuunosuke had already guessed the truth.
If even Roger was just a projection, then this place was probably abandoned too.
"Captain Ryuunosuke."
A projection appeared inside the room.
Lilith.
Her tone carried a strange implication, almost gentle, almost regretful.
"If we could talk, I don't think we would've ended up like this."
"Talk?" Ryuunosuke sat down casually, as if the room belonged to him.
He produced a glass of wine and lifted it, then rested back in the chair.
"Fine."
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't attack your Guardians."
"And don't try to dodge the truth. My goal and yours collide. That's a fact."
He wanted to hear what Lilith would say.
"You also want the Seed of God," Lilith said calmly.
"And we did make a mistake this time."
"The core contradiction should be those two points, correct?"
"So how do you plan to resolve them?" Ryuunosuke asked, genuinely curious.
Because those two points should have been impossible to reconcile.
"First," Lilith said directly, "I will apologize for my disrespect toward your parents."
"When this is over, I will personally guard their graves for three years."
"That will be my repentance, by your world's standards."
Ryuunosuke's eyes did not change.
Lilith continued.
"Second…"
"I can give up the Seed of God."
Ryuunosuke froze.
For a moment, he did not react.
Those conditions were not something he expected.
It was not that he was suddenly forgiving.
It was that he did not believe Lilith could think like a human being.
"Why?" he asked immediately.
"Why?" Lilith echoed, smiling slightly.
"Is Captain Ryuunosuke questioning my decision?"
"Or do you think those words shouldn't come from me?"
"You really are…" Ryuunosuke stared at her. "More like a person now."
"Yes."
"A person."
"My projection has become a person."
"And I am trying to remain human."
Lilith's tone softened.
"I think I've been affected."
"Captain Ryuunosuke, can you accept my apology?"
Ryuunosuke's expression turned thoughtful.
If Lilith's words were true, then cooperation would be the best outcome.
Trading a powerful enemy for a powerful partner.
A profitable deal.
A very profitable deal.
"Can I know why you made this decision?" he asked after a pause.
"Because…"
Puff.
A violent surge of energy suddenly pierced straight through the Guardian stronghold.
It tore through the room and shattered Lilith's projection on the spot.
The image collapsed, destroyed instantly.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, are you alright?"
A familiar voice entered with a light laugh.
Jay.
He walked into the base smiling, as if he had just done something worthy of applause.
"Lilith is the best at deceiving people."
"What were you two talking about just now?"
There was even a trace of pride on his face, like he wanted credit for saving the day.
Ryuunosuke looked at him calmly.
"We were saying…"
He paused, then exhaled, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Forget it."
"Whatever I wanted to say, I can't say it now."
He lifted his gaze.
"What, Mr. Jay is here too?"
For an instant, ruthlessness flickered in Ryuunosuke's eyes.
Then it was suppressed, buried deep.
Under normal circumstances, Jay might have noticed.
But the atmosphere was chaotic.
And Jay, at this moment, carried his own guilt.
So he did not see it.
"I heard from your crew that you came to see Lilith alone," Jay said with an eager smile.
"I was worried, so I came."
"Now, let's launch a direct attack on the entire island."
"Lilith won't escape."
The fire in Jay's eyes was unmistakable.
He had been waiting for this day for a very long time.
.....
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