Hancock didn't deal with Lizville right away. Instead, she first sat down to eat with Kaito and Shalria.
After the meal, she summoned a few of her subordinates, had Lizville stuffed into a black bag, and carried away.
This time, Hancock didn't choose to stay the night either. But judging from the hatred in her eyes before she left, Lizville likely had no chance of surviving this ordeal.
...
After Hancock left, Shalria leaned in close to Kaito and asked,
"Kaito, what kind of grudge does that Hancock have with Lizville?"
This matter involved Hancock's secret. Unless Hancock herself gave permission, Kaito would never reveal it to anyone.
He shook his head and replied,
"You'd better not ask. When you've gotten close enough to her, ask her yourself. But as for whether she'll turn you into a statue or not, I can't guarantee that."
Hearing this, Shalria remembered the scene just now when Fiona was turned into stone, and her body shivered uncontrollably.
She inched closer to Kaito and said resentfully,
"But that's why you're here!"
"Tch, if you go looking for trouble yourself, I won't save you."
"Scumbag!"
"What did you just say?"
"... I said it's really hard—dealing with that Hancock is really hard!"
"Tsk tsk, sometimes your reactions aren't that slow after all."
"Hmph..."
Shalria didn't care if Kaito was being sarcastic. As long as Kaito's words sounded like praise, she would take them as such—every word!
Kaito reached out to rub Shalria's ahoge. Just as he was about to speak, a gurgling sound came from his chest—his Den Den Mushi ringing.
He pulled it out and connected the line. Kalifa's voice rang out,
"Boss! Fleet Admiral Kong just called—something huge happened in Mary Geoise! The vivre cards of twenty Celestial Dragon family heads have all turned to ash. They're all dead!"
"Nani!?"
Shalria let out a shriek, and her face instantly filled with terror.
Her father was one of those family heads. This news was equivalent to announcing her father Rosward's death.
For Shalria, it was like being struck by lightning on a clear day. She couldn't accept it at all—her vision went black, and she fainted on the spot. Fortunately, Kaito used his ability to catch her body and pulled her into his arms.
He carried Shalria back to her room and used Konohanasakuya-hime to wake her.
When Shalria opened her eyes, confusion flashed across them. But the moment she saw Kaito, her expression twisted into unbearable grief.
She collapsed against Kaito's chest, crying out,
"Kaito! Father, Father... he—!"
Kaito gently stroked her back, whispering words of comfort.
He had never even seen Rosward in person. And from what he knew of him from the anime, Rosward was far from a decent man.
But no matter what, Rosward was Shalria's father. No matter how much Kaito disliked the man, this wasn't the time to show it.
What's more, Kaito tried searching for Rosward's soul in the Yomi Yomi no Mi's realm. If he could find it, he might as well revive him for Shalria's sake, and also ask what exactly had happened in Mary Geoise.
But the result was startling—Rosward's soul wasn't there at all.
That was bizarre. After all, vivre cards never lied. Once one turned to ash, its owner's death was absolute.
The only explanation was that Rosward's soul had been completely annihilated.
But aside from himself, who else had that kind of power? Who could silently and unnoticed wipe out twenty Celestial Dragon family heads in Mary Geoise?
If not for the vivre cards, their deaths would have come without a single warning...
...
At that moment, Shalria lifted her tear-streaked face, looking at Kaito with pleading eyes as she sobbed,
"Kaito, can you avenge my father? Please, I beg you!"
Her brother Charloss was completely ignored. No one could see him as a reliable elder brother anyway.
But this was probably the very first time Shalria had ever begged anyone—and the one she begged was Kaito.
Kaito frowned. He cupped Shalria's burning cheeks in his hands, looked her straight in the eyes, and said each word firmly,
"Never say 'beg' to me again. Between us, there's no need for that! Do you understand?"
Shalria stared blankly at him for a while, then buried her head in his chest again, choking out,
"I understand... Kaito, now I only have you. Please, don't abandon me!"
"You... still as silly as ever! Fine then. Today, I swear upon the name of Uchiha—Uchiha Kaito will never abandon Shalria. You and I will be together for life! Does that reassure you?"
"Mm..."
Shalria didn't really know what the Uchiha name meant, but she trusted that Kaito wouldn't lie to her. And when she thought of his words—together for life—her heart finally began to calm.
Kaito quietly held Shalria as they sat on the bed. Though Konohanasakuya-hime had healed her, she had still just lost her father. Her spirit was extremely fragile, and before long, she drifted to sleep in his arms.
When Kaito saw she had fallen asleep, he thought to lay her down. But the moment he loosened his grip, she woke with a start and cried out in panic,
"Kaito, where are you going?"
Seeing her like this, Kaito couldn't bring himself to leave. He leaned down, kissed her forehead gently, and whispered,
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you."
With that, he lay down beside her, wrapping her once more in his arms.
Shalria pressed tightly against him, clinging like an octopus.
Kaito let out a soft sigh, stroking her back. His Rinnegan glinted with a flash of cold light as he looked at her curled form in his embrace.
Shalria was his woman. Now that someone had caused her such grief, there was no way he would just stand by.
Casting a hypnotic genjutsu with the Rinnegan, he even wove a beautiful dream for her. Shalria fell asleep again, this time with a sweet smile on her face.
Kaito smiled faintly. This—this was how Shalria should be.
He rose from the bed. His clothes instantly shifted into the Fleet Admiral's uniform, his cloak billowing though there was no wind, brushing gently across Shalria's sleeping face.
Pulling the blanket up around her, he looked at her softly and whispered,
"Sleep. Leave the rest to me."
With that, his figure flickered—and in the next instant, he was in his Fleet Admiral office.
Kalifa was there, poring over some photographs spread across the desk. One of them was unmistakably Rosward.
The moment she saw Kaito, Kalifa stood and greeted him,
"Boss."
Kaito's face was grim as he spoke in a deep voice,
"Kalifa, summon all headquarters Vice Admirals and above. Tell them to assemble in the conference room immediately."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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