Bone wings flapping, Chase rode Curse of Dragon to hover above the merchant ship's deck.
Ina and her companions, along with the crew who'd had to ered courage to come out, were using the merchant ship's reserved magical tools to put out the fire.
The raging flames were quickly brought under control, leaving only sporadic embers.
"Not bad at all—this feeling of fighting side by side with everyone."
Chase rested his chin on his hand, seriously expressing his admiration.
Hearing this, Ina, whose fair face was covered in wood chip ash, couldn't hold back anymore. She shouted up at him, "This kind of 'fighting side by side' is totally not what we wanted!"
"My ship and my cargo!!"
Captain Lambert, who'd earlier confidently guaranteed the ship's sturdiness, crouched on the deck, weeping bitterly.
The crew, who should have been trembling in the cabin, had also come out onto the deck, staring despondently at the chaotic scene.
Perhaps even they hadn't realized that after hurriedly extinguishing the fire, the tension and despair deep in their hearts had inexplicably dissipated quite a bit.
Even though the main pirate force was still threateningly nearby!
This was the sense of security brought by Chase's words—"fighting side by side"!
"Come on, Captain Lambert—battle unavoidably causes damage sometimes."
Chase smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry. Once I catch those pirates and collect the reward, I'll have your ship fixed in no time!"
Though this whole thing was Marshall's scheme, truth be told, if Lambert hadn't agreed to let him board, they might not have been attacked at all.
Just because he always caused destruction on requests didn't mean Chase was unreasonable or lacked basic responsibility.
He just didn't like fighting, or simply couldn't be bothered to think about those little things that don't matter!
Even reckless idiots like Natsu and Gray always had Chairman Makarov carrying his weight, cleaning up after them.
Thus, the title "Fiore's Destruction King" wasn't easy to maintain—it required substantial compensation funds as support.
Fortunately, Chase wasn't short on money. He could afford it.
Lambert, tears still on his fat face, nodded blankly.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically as he shouted, "Watch out behind you!"
"Damn Fairy Tail! Just die already!"
A pirate who'd survived Hellfire using magical defensive gear had been lurking in the shadows. Seizing the moment, he suddenly attacked Chase, his large blade glinting coldly.
In seconds, the sharp blade reached Chase's right shoulder, swinging down viciously!
Chase sat motionless on Curse of Dragon.
——He'd long noticed This fish slipped through the net.
BOOM.
His advance laid Trap Card [Curse of the Hexagram] activated. The golden Hexagram released its binding force, freezing the pirate in place.
"Friend, when declaring an attack on an enemy, you should pay attention to their Set card zone." Chase smiled.
The immobilized pirate was terrified and couldn't understand what this guy was talking about.
Chase didn't intend to give him time to understand. He leaped high from Curse of Dragon's back, magical power converging on his tightly muscled right leg.
"Try this—Chase Flying Kick!"
THUD—Chase's right foot heavily stomped into the pirate's abdomen.
The pirate's ribs shattered instantly. Meanwhile, Chase's forward inertia didn't diminish at all. Carried forward, he flew straight and accurately crashed into the distant pirate ship.
BOOM!
The powerful impact shook the pirate ship violently.
All pirates were on edge!
Dust rose on the deck, gradually dissipating in the sea breeze to reveal the scene within.
Chase stood atop the unconscious sneaky pirate, his oppressive gaze sweeping across the many pirates.
Finally, it settled on the lead pirate captain—the master of the dark guild Deep Swamp Abyss, Cluny Blood.
"Good afternoon, scum."
Chase's lips curled into a brilliant smile. "Are you going to tie yourselves up nicely, or do you want me to beat you all up first and then tie you?"
What they could do, he could do too.
From this moment, offense and defense had swapped!
"Our aerial forces are just the weakest part of our pirate crew. You don't actually think taking them out means victory is assured, do you?"
"Are all the legendary Fairy Tail mages this arrogantly confident?"
Cluny, seated on His hide thrones, snorted with a sneer, leisurely playing with the skull necklace around his neck.
Chase kicked the sneaky flying pirate and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"That's right." He smiled frankly.
"You—!"
The unexpected candidness made Cluny's mouth twitch. All his carefully prepared opening lines became a dead case.
"Quite thick-skinned. But facing so many of us, what exactly do you plan to do?" Recovering, he gestured with his eyes to the surroundings.
His pirates immediately understood. They drew their weapons and slowly advanced, sieging Chase completely.
Though they feared the bone dragon circling above, the absolute numbers advantage and their president at the rear gave them immense courage.
Fairy tail mage?
You're exactly who we want!
"Troublesome, indeed."
Chase looked up at the aggressively surrounding pirates as magical cards flipped between
his fingers. "Provided these people can move."
Magic Card: Lightforce Sword, activate!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Blinding light appeared overhead. Immediately after, three huge light swords descended from the heavens in an impeccable formation, hovering at three points around the pirate ship.
Holy light imbued with sealing power scattered down. In that instant, all the pirates discovered with terror...
Their bodies seemed bound by some terrible rule force—no matter how they struggled, they couldn't move!
A seal magic even Natsu had trouble escaping—with their weak magical power, how could they possibly resist?
Truth be told, Chase had countless ways to instantly annihilate these small fries.
But considering the request's "capture alive" requirement, after deliberation he'd chosen Lightforce Sword.
Even if Marshall later refused to acknowledge it (highly likely), he could still take these important witnesses to the Magic Council and demand payment!
Cluny's gaze darkened as he glanced at the suspended light swords.
"Movement-restricting card magic?"
He pressed his hands on his knees, magically erupting with magical power, unleashing a terrifying aura storm that to Ina and the others felt like a living hell.
Slowly, his lumpy body began to straighten.
Feeling his body return to normal, Cluny's lips curled into a guffaw. He heavily stomped, shattering the deck beneath him, and roared, "Before absolute magical power, such tricks are useless!"
"Hah! You can't control me!!"
Chase looked up and casually glanced at him. "Oh. There's something I needed to confirm, so I didn't restrict your movements at all."
...
This casual, short statement completely silenced the tense, charged atmosphere.
Caw, caw, caw.
A crow flew over the pirate ship. And then...
It got frozen in place.
Cluny's laughter froze on the spot. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging angrily on his forehead.
At this moment, he felt like a complete clown.
***
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