Sengoku spent quite a while suppressing the sour feeling in his chest before finally getting to the point.
"Kaito, Kong wants to see you. He'll be in Mary Geoise these next few days, waiting for you."
"Oh? Is that Commander-in-Chief Kong's own idea?"
Sengoku didn't quite get what Kaito meant. Could it be Kong was meeting him at someone else's request?
But who would have enough influence to get the Commander-in-Chief to act as a messenger?
After thinking it over, the figures of those five old geezers appeared in Sengoku's mind. He frowned and asked,
"What is it? Is there some other purpose behind this?"
"Heh… maybe someone's just getting impatient."
"Someone? Who?"
Kaito shook his head, not planning to tell Sengoku about Imu. This involved the Ōtsutsuki clan—it was better for him to handle it himself.
"Probably Shalria. Hasn't she called headquarters several times already, demanding to see me?"
"Oh, her. She really is dying to see you—almost literally going crazy about it. Still, I'll give her this: she's kept her attitude in check."
Sengoku knew a bit about Shalria's connection with Kaito, so it wasn't hard for him to accept that explanation.
At the mention of Shalria, a faint smile tugged at Kaito's lips. That girl's face was always stuck in that punchable expression, yet now he found himself unable to dislike her.
This trip to Mary Geoise would be a good chance to drop by and see her. And if something seemed off, he'd take her away ahead of schedule.
...
Mary Geoise.
Several men in black were stationed at the lift entrance, looking like they were waiting for someone.
They had been standing guard here for two days already, and one of them couldn't help complaining,
"Why hasn't that Shikiryū guy shown up yet? How much longer are we supposed to stand here?"
"Shut up! That's someone who can take down an Emperor single-handed! The higher-ups told us to treat this reception with utmost care. If anything goes wrong, neither of us could afford the consequences!"
"Yeah, I saw that broadcast too. He's a total monster! The Emperor looked like kids in front of him. I almost think those four weren't even the real Emperor!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Aside from Kaido, the other three's territories have already been almost completely carved up by others. There's nothing fake about it."
"Unbelievable… who would've thought the Emperor era would end just like that?"
"Now it's the Navy's era."
"No! The Navy still has to obey the World Government. They're just a tool!"
Just as they were getting into it, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Who's there?!"
The black-clad men froze. And when they saw the newcomer's face, the color drained completely from their skin.
It was Kaito. This time, he had come alone, without any attendants.
Kaito gave them a cold, flat look, then fixed his gaze on the shortest one.
"You just said the Navy is nothing but a tool?"
The short man felt a chill rush up from deep inside, his whole body trembling even harder.
"Fleet Admiral Shikiryū, I was just spouting nonsense! Forget I said anything—I'll never dare again!"
Kaito said nothing, simply walking past them at an unhurried pace.
Seeing that Kaito didn't seem interested in pressing the matter, the short man let out a breath of relief and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Bang!
His body suddenly exploded, spraying blood evenly across the faces of the others. They stared stiffly at the spot where he had been, seeing nothing but a pool of blood.
The sight sent several of them collapsing to the ground in terror. Even their leader, who managed to stay standing, looked pale as a sheet.
He drew a deep breath and hurried after Kaito, not mentioning the death that had just occurred.
"Fleet Admiral Shikiryū, where are you headed? Commander-in-Chief Kong is still waiting for you over there."
Kaito stopped, turned his head toward the small-time leader, and said coolly,
"Do I need to report to you where I'm going?"
Under the gaze of Kaito's Rinnegan, darkness swallowed the man's mind, and he nearly blacked out.
He bent at a perfect ninety degrees, shouting,
"Of course not! Fleet Admiral Shikiryū can go wherever he pleases!"
Kaito didn't bother replying, simply heading off in his chosen direction.
Only after Kaito's figure vanished from sight did the leader straighten up and rejoin his group.
One of his men quickly asked,
"Boss, Rick…"
Rick was the man who had just died. The leader shot a look of disgust at the bloodstain on the ground and ordered,
"Clean this mess up. He deserved it!"
...
Inside a lavish palace.
Shalria was sitting astride a life-sized doll, yanking on its ears with both hands as she fumed,
"Ugh! That's what you get for ignoring me! You don't need these ears anyway!"
Two plump maids stood with their heads bowed at her side, terrified of provoking her temper.
After venting on the doll for a while, some of her irritation faded. She stood up, cradled the doll in her arms, and stroked its ears in a mockingly gentle way, murmuring,
"That hurt, didn't it? Well, you asked for it—always ignoring me. Just talk to me once, okay? Just once, and I'll give you a kiss, how about that?"
And then she actually puckered her lips and leaned toward the doll's face, about to kiss it.
"Hey, what kind of weird fit are you having now?"
The voice was full of obvious mockery, yet in Shalria's ears, it was music. Her eyes lit up with surprise and joy as she looked toward the source.
"Kaito!!!"
At the hall's entrance, Kaito stood with his arms crossed, smirking at her.
"Why'd you stop? Go on, kiss it!"
Shalria's cheeks flushed, but her joy at seeing him quickly overpowered any embarrassment. Ignoring her status as a Celestial Dragon, she tossed the doll aside and rushed toward him.
To Kaito, her speed wasn't much better than a snail's, but for her physical abilities, it was an exceptional effort.
He opened his arms and caught her as she barreled into him.
Without hesitation, Shalria planted a big kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a bright red lipstick mark.
Kaito made a show of wiping it off, but she grabbed his hand, protesting loudly,
"Why are you wiping it? You're disgusted by me?"
"What do you think?"
"I…!"
She froze, unable to come up with a comeback, and instead pouted, burying her face into his chest, mumbling something he couldn't quite make out.
Kaito sighed helplessly, resting a hand on her head and saying gently,
"Alright, alright. I came straight to see you without even meeting with Kong first."
She nudged her head against his chest, replying softly,
"Mm…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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