"Lightning Chain!!!"
Vito, now in his monstrous form, let out a thunderous roar. Blinding electrical discharge erupted from his body as a bolt of lightning streaked outward.
"Aaaagh—!"
Shrill screams filled the air as several knights clad in black armor with white crosses were engulfed by the electricity. They collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from their bodies; they had been charred to a crisp where they stood.
After slaying several Paladins of the Church of the Night, Vito turned his head and happened to see Cavendish looking conflicted, his brow furrowed in deep distress.
Born into nobility and having received a refined education, Cavendish harbored an intense internal resistance toward the indiscriminate slaughter of common civilians. Even now, his unsheathed blade, Durandal, remained bright and snow-white, untouched by a single drop of blood.
"Cavendish, what the hell are you doing?" Vito barked. "Stop your damn posturing! You're a pirate now, and these people are our enemies! If you don't have the stomach for it, hand your body over to Hakuba!"
It was common knowledge within the Chris Pirates that Cavendish suffered from a split personality. His inner persona, Hakuba, was an utterly bloodthirsty killer who would slay anyone in his path—be they pirate, Marine, or civilian. Age and gender meant nothing to him; Hakuba lived purely for the joy of the kill.
To beat Hakuba into submission, every time he surfaced, Oliver, Arlan, Enel, or even Aeridar would personally step in to suppress him. After more than a dozen such "lessons," even the murderous Hakuba no longer dared to turn his blade against his own crew.
Under these circumstances, letting Hakuba take over was the best course of action.
"Hakuba...!"
Cavendish's expression flickered. If that murderous demon were to emerge, it would mean a landscape of rolling heads and piles of corpses.
Yet, despite his reluctance, Cavendish's head suddenly dropped—he had fallen asleep while standing.
A few seconds later, a sinister, twisted expression crept onto his face. His eyes became cold and filled with a savage malice. Hakuba had emerged, seizing control of the body.
"Kekeke... how could I possibly miss out on something as wonderful as a slaughter? Kekeke—!" Hakuba let out a series of erratic, jarring laughs. He radiated an overwhelming killing intent that was the polar opposite of Cavendish's princely image.
"Heh, long time no see, Hakuba!" Sensing this intense bloodlust, Vito wasn't alarmed; instead, he grinned at the swordsman.
"Giant lizard, your smile is hideous! Kekeke~" Hakuba shot Vito a glance, mocking him with a perverse sneer.
Dimitri, who had little patience for Hakuba's antics, shouted coldly, "That's enough, Hakuba!"
"Shut your mouth, or I'll butcher you too!" Hakuba glared at Dimitri with icy eyes.
"Try it if you think you're capable. If not, go kill the people outside!" Dimitri met Hakuba's gaze head-on, his voice freezing. "Don't forget that I am the commander of this operation! You know the consequences of defying orders."
Upon hearing those words, Hakuba's pupils suddenly contracted.
"..."
"One of these days, I'm going to kill you! Kekeke~" Hakuba lowered his head slightly, but his tone remained frigid as he let out that erratic laughter.
Clang—
Hakuba flicked his longsword, the blade singing softly. Then, his silhouette vanished instantly.
Squelch—!
A violent gust of wind swept through the crowd. In a flash, several heads flew into the air, and three-foot-high pillars of blood geysered from their necks, drenching those standing nearby like a fountain.
"A ghost!"
The surrounding mob was horrified. Seeing this "demonic wind" that severed heads out of thin air, their legs turned to jelly from sheer terror.
Squelch!
Another gust of wind struck. Seven or eight more heads were sent flying, blood spraying wildly into the sky.
"Kekeke! Kill! Kill them all! Hack them to pieces! Chop off their limbs! Shred their bodies! Leave no one alive!" Hakuba's figure flickered back into view a short distance away, his laughter dripping with bloodlust.
"Wait...!"
Suddenly, Hakuba's facial expression began to shift rapidly, as if he were struggling internally.
A moment later, the twisted malice vanished, replaced by his original visage. Cavendish had fought back and reclaimed control of his body.
"Hah... hah..." Cavendish gasped for air, shouting in anger at his inner demon, "Hakuba! I didn't give you permission to come out!"
"I never would have imagined... that the Kamaitachi of Rommel was actually a combatant of the Chris Pirates—'White Horse' Cavendish!" From atop a nearby roof, Razalo looked down in shock and admiration.
"Who are you?"
Cavendish suppressed Hakuba and frowned at the man standing a short distance away. The scars on both sides of the man's cheeks were particularly memorable.
"Razalo. Vice-Commander of the Dark Tribunal, Church of the Night!" Razalo introduced himself with an air of arrogant defiance.
"The Church of the Night!"
Cavendish narrowed his eyes, staring intently at his opponent. The fact that the Chris Pirates had been inexplicably swarmed by an entire city of people was clearly the work of this shadowy church.
"Wait a minute!"
"Is Mondos Bank one of yours too?!"
Looking at the man's sleek combat gear emblazoned with the black-and-white cross, Cavendish immediately connected the dots.
"So you figured it out," Razalo said irritably. "That guy Mondos Bank is nothing but a trouble-making bastard!"
"As I thought!"
Cavendish's mind raced. This was actually a relief; a powerful enemy in plain sight was far better than a hidden foe firing arrows from the shadows. That was the worst kind of feeling.
Seeing the look on Cavendish's face, Razalo knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Hmph."
Razalo sneered and leaped directly from the roof. He marched forward, his pace quickening until he was in a full sprint. His figure moved like the wind as he charged Cavendish, throwing his arms out as a cold, metallic glint appeared.
"Arm Blades!"
Cavendish's pupils shrank as half-meter-long blades suddenly extended from the man's forearms.
"Precious Metal Axe!!!"
Cavendish gripped his sword with both hands, assuming a defensive stance to parry the pair of lunging arm blades.
CLANG—!
The tips of the arm blades struck the flat of Durandal. The clear ring of clashing steel echoed out, immediately followed by a powerful shockwave of wind that kicked up a storm of dust.
"Biken: Blue Bird!!!"
Cavendish parried Razalo's blades and lunged forward with a sudden thrust. The sword moved so fast that the air itself vibrated, creating a whistling gale around the strike.
"Hmph! Softening!"
Razalo retreated hastily toward a nearby house. He pressed his hand against the exterior wall for a split second before darting away like a flash of lightning.
In the next heartbeat, the brick and stone of that massive section of wall became as soft as cotton, causing the entire structure to collapse forward.
"Damn it!"
Startled, Cavendish was forced to pull back his sword and halt his advance.
RUMBLE—!
The entire wall crashed down, slamming into the earth and kicking up a thick, suffocating cloud of dust.