Bluno's originally dull eyes suddenly gleamed with an intense light as he stared fixedly at Ivan. "Who exactly are you?"
Ivan had no intention of hiding his identity. He needed fame now to boost his Homelander Approval Rating. "As a spy, you should have seen my file. I am Shadow Garden's Tanuki!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Buffalo Tavern fell into complete silence. Everyone stared at Ivan in disbelief.
Especially the black-haired man, whose eyes burned with fervor.
He had once had a happy family, but his wife, due to her exceptional beauty, had caught the eye of a passing Celestial Dragon. She was kidnapped and taken as a slave.
To this day, he still didn't know whether she was alive or dead.
This filled the black-haired man with deep hatred for the Celestial Dragons, but his strength was too weak. He had no ability to seek revenge, not even the means to get close to a Celestial Dragon.
But not long ago, he received news that the Celestial Dragon who had taken his wife had been killed by Fox—and Fox was a member of Shadow Garden!
That was why he had taken the lead, risking everything to establish the Shadow Garden Fan Club, gathering other fans of Shadow Garden, hoping to unite their strength to one day aid Shadow Garden.
He never expected that today, he would actually encounter a member of Shadow Garden!
The black-haired man stood up and quickly approached Ivan, his expression twisted with excitement. "You… you're really Shadow Garden's Tanuki?!"
Ivan turned, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, speaking in a voice only the black-haired man could hear:
"Yes, I am. Thank you for your support, letting me know there are still like-minded people in this world.
This world has long been rotten. We are those who lurk in the shadows, hunting the shadows!
I've heard your plea. Today, Shadow Garden will fulfill your wish!"
While Ivan was speaking with the black-haired man, Bluno subtly retreated, suddenly opening a door in the air and attempting to slip through.
As a CP9 spy, he possessed the most comprehensive information on Shadow Garden and was well aware of Tanuki's strength.
This guy could instantly kill a Seven Warlord of the Sea. Even if the Warlord was on the brink of death, according to intelligence analysis, this guy definitely possessed strength comparable to a Warlord.
Facing a powerhouse of that level, he was no match at all!
So if he wanted to survive, he had to escape!
But Bluno was being too naive. With such an absolute gap in strength, how could he possibly escape?
The moment he moved, two beams of scorching Heat Vision instantly pierced through his body, then sliced through him like two unstoppable blades, cutting him in half at the waist.
The speed was so fast that Bluno didn't even feel pain—only a sudden warmth at his waist before his vision inevitably dropped, and the door grew farther and farther away.
When the pain finally surged over him like a tide, he realized what had happened. He was going to die.
Damn it, he was so close to being able to tell his comrades about Tanuki's arrival…
He hoped Lucci and the others would be safe…
The next moment, two more scorching beams flashed, slicing his head open.
Thus, CP0 Bluno died!
Ivan looked at his body, his eyes calm.
The members of CP9 weren't irredeemably evil, but when it came to killing them, Ivan wouldn't hesitate.
After all, this was a conflict of factions, a clash of ideologies, a struggle of life and death!
After Ivan left, the long-suppressed noise in the Buffalo Tavern erupted as everyone excitedly discussed what had just happened.
Only a few masked figures quietly slipped away, preparing to immediately gather fans for a meeting to inform everyone about what had happened here!
Unnoticed by all, a flying News Bird in the sky accidentally observed the commotion below and instinctively took a few photos.
In the photos, Tanuki's figure was clearly visible!
…
Leaving the Buffalo Tavern, Ivan quickly headed toward the location of the mafia in Water 7.
Along the way, he decisively clicked the lottery button.
Various cards flashed before his eyes.
[Doctor Strange: Portal], [Tobirama Senju], [Nightcrawler], [Kuroro Lucifer], [Doraemon: Anywhere Door], [Tokisaki Kurumi]…
Finally, the rapidly flipping cards suddenly stopped. On the surface of the card, a figure with sunny blond hair materialized.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Template: Minato Namikaze!]
[Template: Minato Namikaze (Approval Rating: 1%)]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the skill: Flying Thunder God Technique!]
[Flying Thunder God Technique: Consumes stamina to leave a unique Flying Thunder God Formula on a target, allowing the user to teleport to the marked location.]
The next moment, a warm current flowed through his limbs and mind, and Ivan mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Additionally, his neural reflexes sped up significantly, making the world around him seem to slow down.
Learning that he had obtained the Minato Namikaze Template, Ivan was quite satisfied, though he felt a twinge of regret.
Among the skipped character templates, [Doctor Strange: Portal] and [Tokisaki Kurumi] had appeared.
Even if the Doctor Strange Template only had the Portal skill, it would have been stronger than the Minato Namikaze Template.
After all, the Portal skill was capable of traversing the multiverse.
As for the Tokisaki Kurumi Template, it went without saying—it granted the ability to manipulate time. Time-based abilities were rare and precious in any world!
Still, the Minato Namikaze Template wasn't bad. It not only provided long-distance teleportation but also Sealing Technique abilities.
The Sealing Technique allowed him to create Sealing Scrolls, meaning Ivan could easily take all the Celestial Gold without leaving a single piece for the World Government!
Next, Ivan created a Wood Clone and sent it away quickly. His main body then went to a weapon shop and purchased several dozen daggers.
After engraving the words "Shadow Garden" on the daggers, he hurled them out, scattering them across every corner of Water 7.
Immediately after, Ivan's figure flashed rapidly through Water 7, appearing at one mafia stronghold after another, and in the homes of various officials.
Combined with Illusion Technique, he easily distinguished who was good and who was evil.
The good were spared; the evil were instantly cut down with a Flying Thunder God Slash!
In this way, the sins of Water 7 were being precisely excised like a surgeon's scalpel!
…
Meanwhile, Tanuki's appearance finally became known to the Marines. Coincidentally, the fastest man on the sea was not far from Water 7.
Sengoku excitedly roared into the Den Den Mushi:
"Kizaru, this is the best opportunity! Tanuki has appeared in Water 7 and is on a killing spree. Hurry over and capture him!
This way, we'll deal a heavy blow to Shadow Garden and learn more about them through Tanuki!"
At such a moment, even Kizaru didn't slack off, though he couldn't resist a quip: "How terrifying~ Don't worry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I'll give it my all!"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "GoddessTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!