After Wyper and Raki spotted the Seraphim Ship, they immediately returned to the Village and reported everything to the current Shandia Chief.

Especially upon hearing that Gan Fall was leading the group, the Chief promptly gathered all Shandian warriors and entered the forest.

Under the cover of nature, they observed these unfamiliar outsiders.

"Their clothing is in a style we've never seen before..."

"And they don't even have wings? Are they really normal people?"

"But the one leading them does have wings... What material are those wings made of? So large, and they move, emitting a faint glow when they do? Incredible!"

"Those are some seriously cool wings!"

"Hey! These are intruders who could put you in danger at any moment!" The Shandian Chief turned around and growled at the murmuring young men behind him.

"Wings or whatever... none of that is more important than the safety of our Village!"

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed the terrified looks on the faces of the youths he'd just scolded—all staring directly at him.

This left him momentarily puzzled...

Had he really been that harsh?

Were they really giving him such looks... Wait a minute?!

Their gazes weren't fixed on him at all!

They were staring at something behind him!

The Shandian Chief's hair stood on end as he turn around—only to find that the intruders who had been advancing through the forest moments ago were now standing right behind him.

Several Shandian warriors had already been subdued!

And standing before him was none other than the kind-hearted yet fearsome-looking man, T-Bone.

"M-Monster!"

"So the zombies from the stories are real after all!"

"This has to be some abomination the Skypieans dug up from who-knows-where to use against us!"

Like a tidal wave, the cries of the Shandian warriors crashed over T-Bone in rapid succession.

Though T-Bone's expression remained unchanged, his teammates—who knew him intimately—could tell from the slight trembling of his shoulders...

He was emotionally devastated.

While his SWORD comrades ached for T-Bone, they understood the Shandians' reaction.

Even they, who worked alongside him daily and had grown accustomed to his appearance...

Still occasionally got startled by T-Bone's face.

Yet this very reaction proved the Shandian warriors' exceptional caliber.

After all, T-Bone's face alone had once made a female pirate with a 20 million berry bounty burst into tears.

"I mean you no harm," T-Bone said, attempting what he believed to be a friendly smile.

"We come in peace."

But the moment that expression appeared, every word he'd spoken became meaningless.

It became a living embodiment of phrases like "scaring children into silence," "horrifying to behold," and "blood-curdling."

"Mommy!"

As everyone knows, when fear reaches its peak...

It transforms into rage.

A self-defense mechanism kicks in.

Thus, dozens of Shandian warriors simultaneously charged at T-Bone.

"I didn't want to do this."

T-Bone wiped his face, his voice tinged with irritation.

Even the most patient person would find this treatment unbearable, wouldn't they?

"Right Angle Flash! Bon Clay Cut!"

With a swift draw of his swords, he sliced through the air, creating a right-angled slash that T-Bone shaped into a perfect rectangle.

Still, T-Bone held back, striking with the flat of his blade rather than the edge.

Even so, the impacted Shandian warriors coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

Temporarily incapacitated.

The Shandian Chief, having regained his composure, glared darkly at Gan Fall.

"And this is what you call 'peace'? Bringing a powerful, hideous monster to our Village?"

Gan Fall opened his mouth to respond, but Michael placed a hand on his shoulder.

Seeing the silent shake of his head, Gan Fall simply kept his mouth shut.

He knew that these Marines from the Blue Sea were far more powerful than him.

"You just treated my subordinates so rudely, so isn't it only natural for him to fight back?" Michael said with a smile as he stepped to the front, addressing the Shandian Chief.

"After all, you struck first."

"You... just who are you people?" The Shandian Chief instinctively assumed a defensive stance.

"Have you come to destroy our Village and the Shandians?"

"Do you have persecution delusions or something..."

Though Michael muttered the complaint, he fully understood the Shandians' excessive vigilance.

After all, this was four centuries of blood-soaked enmity.

No matter how heinous the act, it would hardly be unexpected.

"I've come to help the Skypieans and Shandians completely end these four hundred years of blood feud."

"End the feud?" The Shandian Chief wore a mocking smile.

"So you mean to say you plan to completely exterminate the Shandians?"

"No no no... not extermination. Just making the Shandians disappear from Skypiea entirely."

"Isn't that the same as extermination!?"

"As the Chief of the Shandians, you should know of your people's origins, no?" Michael cleared his throat, adopting a kindly smile.

"We're actually fellow countrymen."

The Shandian Chief's head snapped up, his gaze boring into Michael.

"What do you mean by that!? Are you saying—"

"Exactly. We're Marines from the Blue Sea... Not that you need to know what Marines are. Just know that I'm here to take you all home."

Home.

At that word, all the Shandians fell silent.

Whether fear or anger, all emotion dissipated in that moment.

Only questioning eyes remained, fixed intently on Michael.

"The Blue Sea... the Blue Sea..." The Shandian Chief suddenly wore an expression of longing.

"The azure ocean ten thousand meters below White-White Sea... You can truly take the Shandians back there?"

"Not only can we take your people back... we can bring all of Shandora with us." Michael stated firmly.

"So... will you take us to your village to talk properly?"

The Shandian Chief's mouth twitched.

He wanted to refuse instinctively, but considering the opponent's unfathomable strength—if they truly wished to destroy the Shandians, they wouldn't need to go through such trouble.

"...Fine. Follow me."

"Now that's what I call wisdom in adapting to circumstances."

With a smile, Michael extended his hand, casting dozens of healing spells simultaneously on the Shandian warriors.

Soon, those who had been lying incapacitated moments before regained their vitality completely.

"Lead the way, my fellow countrymen."

"We won't lay a finger on your belongings."

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