Ronin's heart jolted.
Because he had already realized what Netero was about to do.
The reason he had been able to keep charging at Netero again and again after being knocked away, just like the Ant King, was because of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave he had used earlier.
Otherwise, with the sheer power of Hundred-Type Guanyin's attacks, Ronin would have been sent flying off to who knew where long ago, just like Neferpitou.
But now, the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave had been completely destroyed by Netero. And Ronin, who needed to maintain his speed, had no way to free his hands and cast it again.
So where would the next strike from Hundred-Type Guanyin send him flying?
Even if he could use the Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique to maintain flight afterward, it would be almost impossible for him to burst forward at extreme speed again and close in on Netero the way he had before.
"Hoho. Looks like the terrain isn't in your favor," Netero said, his slightly mocking words reaching Ronin's ears in some strange way while he was in the state of Heart Drop Fist Listening.
At the same time, one of Hundred-Type Guanyin's giant hands appeared in front of Ronin when he was still about eight meters away from Netero.
Bang!
With an overwhelming impact, Ronin's body shot out like a baseball, rapidly leaving the range of the platform atop Trick Tower.
Netero's move had truly put him in checkmate.
With the help of the Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique, Ronin's body came to a stop in midair, but approaching Netero again was no longer possible.
He still had plenty of sealing scrolls in hand. The tearing pain across his body was easing under the effects of the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
He was still one step short.
If he had been able to perform more actions during that high-speed charge earlier, then even after being knocked away by Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin, he would have had a way to quickly reappear on the platform.
But during that charge, he had already been giving everything he had. Being able to pull out a sealing scroll and release a shadow clone had already been his limit.
Throwing out a kunai marked with Flying Thunder God under those conditions would have been asking too much of him.
Ronin slowly floated back above Trick Tower, but there wasn't much disappointment on his face.
Because he could clearly sense that Netero had not used his full strength.
More importantly, he knew Netero still had one ultimate killing move:
Hundred-Type Guanyin: Zero Hand.
If Netero had used that technique, Ronin did not think the current Strength of a Hundred Technique would have been able to repair him.
"So, am I qualified?"
By the time he landed on the platform, most of Ronin's injuries had already healed, and the Strength of a Hundred Seal on his forehead had returned to its diamond-shaped mark.
"Barely," Netero replied with a chuckle.
Ronin smiled.
Because he knew Netero had relented.
But that also meant one thing: Chairman Netero's restriction on his son Beyond must have a special reason behind it.
"Chairman, is that as much power as your technique has?" Ronin asked, pushing his luck.
Although Zero Hand could unleash far greater power, during the earlier exchange, Ronin had noticed that the power of Hundred-Type Guanyin's normal moves seemed fixed at a certain level, without any special explosive increase.
He just didn't know whether Netero was doing that deliberately, or whether Hundred-Type Guanyin had sacrificed power after pursuing the ultimate extreme of speed.
At least to Ronin, compared to the speed of Hundred-Type Guanyin, the fact that its palm couldn't slap him apart in one hit meant its power was lacking.
"I'm old. I'm not much use anymore," Netero said self-mockingly.
"Then do you want to become a little younger?" Ronin's eyes lit up.
He still had the Witch's Rejuvenation Potion. If Netero wanted it, he wouldn't mind sharing.
"That's an item from Greed Island, isn't it?" Netero saw through Ronin's idea instantly. As he turned and gestured for Ronin to follow him back toward the airship, he said, "No need. I think I'm fine as I am."
Ronin didn't really understand, but he respected the decision.
Besides, he had already expected this result before coming here.
With Chairman Netero's position, it wouldn't be difficult for him to investigate that information. Judging from the result, he had clearly known about it for a long time.
For him to reject it so easily now, he had most likely thought it through long ago.
So Ronin dropped the topic and instead asked the question he cared about most.
"Back then, was it really only the three of you who went to the Dark Continent?"
"Yes. Looks like you really did investigate quite a bit." Netero glanced at Ronin in surprise.
Not many people knew about what happened back then, and there had been no written records left behind.
Where had Ronin learned about it?
From which old geezer's mouth?
"Then what do you think my chances are of coming back alive?" Ronin continued asking. At the same time, as if remembering something, he turned to Beans. "Could you help me prepare a change of clothes? Thanks."
"Huh?" Beans was startled again. "Uh—yes, of course."
"I don't know why you people are so curious about a place like that," Netero said. "But when I went back then, there were only three of us. If you ignored things like giant pits of filth and the like, it actually wasn't too bad if you treated it like a vacation.
"As for your survival rate… fifty percent, I'd say."
Netero's answer surprised even Ronin.
Was this how the strong saw things?
As for the probability itself, it was fairly moderate.
"In that case, I'll have to plan carefully," Ronin said, already starting to look forward to it.
Netero looked at him with drooping eyes.
"Kid, don't get excited too early. Smuggling yourself there isn't that simple. Do you have a ship? Do you have a map? Can you identify edible food? Do you know how to process all kinds of ingredients? Can you save yourself if something goes wrong… Are you prepared to face death?"
"Just tell me the route and method first. I can find people to help me with the rest," Ronin said with a smile.
The Dark Continent wasn't somewhere you could go just because you got excited.
Even though Ronin was very confident in his own strength, he still needed to make every preparation possible.
This time, Netero didn't answer. Instead, he led Ronin back to the room from earlier.
"Why do you want to go to the Dark Continent?"
After sitting down again, Netero poured himself another cup of tea. He drank slowly as he asked the question.
"To avoid Beyond," Ronin said with a shrug. "He's set his sights on me."
"But he shouldn't be able to go to the Dark Continent in the short term," Netero said with certainty.
"That's right. At least, he won't set off before you die," Ronin said, exposing it directly.
"You really do know quite a lot," Netero said with a cheerful smile. "So earlier, did you truly have killing intent?"
"No. I don't want to join Beyond's team," Ronin said honestly.
Whether he could beat Netero was one thing. Whether he had killing intent was another.
And from beginning to end, he had never thought of letting Chairman Netero die.
In fact, he would much rather Chairman Netero keep living.
That way, no matter what kind of plan Beyond came up with, he wouldn't be able to go to the Dark Continent.
~~~
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