The purple-haired man clearly understood—matters concerning other worlds, about "Earth Land"—those in high positions like him were obviously well-informed.
"Enough nonsense! You bastard! Take us to the king now!"
Natsu couldn't wait any longer.
He leaped forward into the amusement park, pointing at the purple-haired man on the pirate ship and shouting, flames already flickering on his fists.
"Why waste words on him? Watch me take him down directly!"
Bacchus was even more straightforward.
The muscles in his legs tensed instantly, and he dashed out like a leopard, covering the distance in a few swift steps, leaving shallow pits in the ground where he stepped.
Bacchus leaped straight toward the ship, his fist tearing through the air with a sharp whistle.
The force of his punch surged violently, aimed directly at the purple-haired man who seemed as fragile as a chick.
"Boom!"
To everyone's surprise, the purple-haired man seemed completely caught off guard—or perhaps he never expected Bacchus to be so fast—and took the full force of the blow to his chest.
His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into a spinning teacup ride with a dull thud.
"?!"
Everyone was stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.
The guy had made such a dramatic entrance, yet he turned out to be so weak?
He showed no reaction to Bacchus's punch and was sent flying outright.
"What's going on? Isn't he supposed to be strong?"
Bacchus looked at his own fist, equally confused.
He had expected an intense battle, but it ended in a one-punch knockout?
"Pfft!"
The purple-haired man, who had been sent flying, struggled to push himself up from the wreckage of the shattered teacup ride.
He spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, forcing himself to stand despite the sharp pain in his chest and the dizziness that made stars dance before his eyes.
"You bastards! I am Hughes, captain of the Third Magic War Division of the Edolas Royal Army! You invaders... will all die!"
Despite his bloodied mouth, Hughes snarled fiercely and swung the magic wand in his hand.
The tip of the wand glowed with an ominous magical light.
"Rumble! Screech—!"
Under the influence of magic, the entire amusement park seemed to come alive in an instant!
The pirate ship beneath Bacchus's feet emitted a deafening roar and the piercing sound of twisting metal.
The hull shook violently and immediately started moving, accelerating abruptly as if thrown by some immense force.
With a momentum to crush everything in its path, it charged straight toward the "expedition force."
"Whoa! Even beaten to such a state, he can still cast spells without any issue!"
Standing on the violently rocking pirate ship, Bacchus couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration as he watched Hughes, who was struggling to stand steady not far below.
But then it occurred to him—these people didn't seem to use magic at all; they relied entirely on magical tools in their hands.
That made sense.
Hughes's wand wasn't damaged, so even if he was coughing up blood, it wouldn't affect his ability to use it.
The massive pirate ship hurtled toward them like a moving mountain, but the members of the "expedition force" remained completely unshaken.
They had too many ways to handle it, too many people capable of dealing with it.
After all, it was just a wooden ship.
"Boom!"
A short yet imposing figure leaped out—it was Makarov.
His right arm swelled abruptly as he jumped, golden magical energy swirling around it, transforming it into a thick, powerful limb reminiscent of a giant's arm.
With a forceful and precise uppercut, his fist slammed into the underside of the rapidly approaching pirate ship, sending the entire vessel soaring upward!
The pirate ship spun out of control in the air for several rotations before crashing directly toward the stunned Hughes.
The hull emitted a chilling sound of splintering wood, followed by a thunderous impact as it smashed heavily onto the ground, shattering into pieces with wood splinters and debris scattering everywhere.
"Bravo! As expected of Master Makarov!"
Cheers erupted from the "Expedition Force."
The old man Makarov retracted his restored arm, stroking his beard with an air of "it was nothing worth mentioning," though inwardly, he was quite pleased.
"That move from the old man— it was pure skill."
Witnessing this, Marco couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
Many present could have stopped or destroyed the pirate ship, but launching it into the air required genuine skill.
It demanded an almost supernatural mastery over one's own body; otherwise, one could only manage to smash it apart.
"Good thing I got off early, or I'd have been sent flying too."
Bacchus landed on the ground, speaking with lingering fear.
Had he disembarked any later, he would have been spinning along with that pirate ship.
"Was that guy defeated?"
As Bacchus approached, everyone asked eagerly, curious about the condition of Hughes, who had been crushed beneath the pirate ship.
"That guy was so weak; he's probably crushed to death, right?"
Bacchus hadn't seen it either, but he assumed the battle was over.
"Not dead yet—he's quite tenacious, I must say." Marco chuckled, his eyes glowing as he used his x-ray vision to see Hughes struggling within the wreckage of the pirate ship.
"He's still alive?! What kind of ability does he have?"
Bacchus looked astonished.
He thought the guy was incredibly weak, with no real strength to speak of—and he's the captain of the Magic Battle Corps?
"The magical tool he uses is the 'Command Wand,' which allows him to freely control any object in the royal capital's amusement park. It can even grant simple cognitive abilities to some items within the park."
Mystogan provided the explanation, noting that the reason this amusement park served as a line of defense for the palace was precisely due to the existence of this 'Command Wand.'
"Whoa!"
A collective gasp arose from the group.
It sounded quite impressive, though somewhat similar to Chiko's magic, which only works within a fixed area—Chiko's magic is effective only in "Magnolia," while this guy's magical tool is bound to this amusement park.
"Then let's snatch his wand!"
"Or just tear down this amusement park!"
Gajeel and Natsu spoke simultaneously.
They were both dissatisfied that Bacchus had taken the lead and acted first, so now the two of them rushed forward competitively.
"He's my opponent! Don't you dare steal him!"
Seeing this, Bacchus hurriedly joined them, charging toward the pirate ship wreckage alongside Gajeel and Natsu, afraid that the other two would claim the victory.
"These youngsters..."
Witnessing this scene, the three guild masters wore helpless expressions.
This was an expedition to another world, yet these youngsters were actually playing around.
But then again, once they could use magic, this other world "Edolas" seemed truly underwhelming in terms of strength.
What kind of magic war captain was this, so easily defeated? It made their grand mobilization appear somewhat excessive.
"Intruders! Over here! Capture them!"
Just as everyone's mood was undergoing subtle shifts, the castle guards had already begun surrounding them.
The guards surged forward like a steel tide, a massive dark crowd completely blocking the amusement park entrance.
Their cold armor reflected a chilling gleam under the dim light, wielding an assortment of weapons—drawn swords, a forest of spears, and even handheld cannon-like arms.
"Don't let your guard down! Even a lion must use all its strength to catch a rabbit!"
Seeing everyone becoming somewhat relaxed and dismissive of these foes, Marco immediately issued a reminder.
He didn't want any casualties due to carelessness—after all, this was a cross-world expedition, a real war where enemies wouldn't play games with them.