Chapter 341: A Torrential Release

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The crew returned to the Demon Warder without delay. They already understood the grim reality of the island: aside from Chonghao the frog, not a single soul had survived.

Once aboard the vessel, Chonghao began looking around in wide-eyed wonder, utterly thrilled.

For members of the Dark Clan, merely laying eyes upon the Dragon Flag Pirates' Demon Warder was bragging rights enough to last a lifetime.

Yet here he was, actually standing on its deck!

It felt like an impossible, intoxicating dream.

"Aiya, you should stay aboard and rest properly. The situation outside is uncertain, and stepping out right now is far too dangerous," Ain said with a gentle smile, holding the hand of a sweet, delicate young woman.

It was none other than Aiya, whom Drake had previously rescued from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons.

When Drake had retrieved her from safe containment not long ago, she had collapsed against the gnarled roots from sheer exhaustion. Having gone days without a single drop of water, her physical constitution had reached its absolute breaking point.

Drake had secretly cursed his own carelessness—he had completely forgotten about Aiya during the chaos.

The apocalyptic battle earlier had consumed every shred of his focus on Im until he was gravely wounded.

By now, Aiya had lived aboard the ship for six days, getting along wonderfully with every member of the Dragon Flag Pirates.

None of them wanted her to witness the carnage on the island. She was an ordinary civilian; even if she possessed far more resilience than average, bearing witness to such inhumane butchery would be unbearable.

"Big Sister Aiya, let's head inside first. We just made some discoveries and need to hold a meeting. Conveniently, I can brew some fresh tea for everyone," Bell said with a bright smile.

With warm enthusiasm, he ushered Aiya deeper into the cabins, shooting a subtle wink toward Drake and the others as he walked past.

Catching the cue instantly, the rest of the crew followed them inside.

Gathering in the main hall, Drake sank into contemplative silence. The current situation had turned exceptionally dire.

The most critical bottleneck was their complete lack of actionable intelligence on Im. Given her movement velocity, standard intelligence networks were virtually useless.

By the time they caught wind of her location and arrived on the scene, that monster would have already moved on.

This System is completely unreliable when it counts, Drake grumbled inwardly.

Kenshin and the others were equally at a loss. The gruesome spectacle across the island had dealt a heavy blow to their spirits.

No one had anticipated Im acting with such wanton savagery. Wherever her scorched-earth path led, wholesale massacre followed in her wake.

The atmosphere in the room turned suffocatingly heavy.

With Aiya persuaded by Ain to rest in her quarters, the crew no longer needed to maintain a facade.

If they failed to track Im down swiftly, there was no telling how many more innocent lives would be butchered just like the people of this island.

"Um..."

The giant frog suddenly raised a trembling webbed hand. Just as he parted his lips to speak, the gazes of everyone in the room snapped onto him in unison.

The sudden pressure sent cold sweat pouring down his green skin, leaving him fidgeting in sheer panic.

"Is there something you want to say?" Bell asked, tilting his head in confusion.

From the moment they stepped inside, Chonghao had been hesitating, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. Drake fixed him with an identical, expectant gaze.

Could this guy actually possess some crucial piece of intelligence? A flicker of hope sparked in Drake's chest.

"Um... may I use the restroom?" the frog asked, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Drake froze on the spot.

The crew: "..."

"The restroom is the third door on the left behind you," Drake pointed with an outstretched finger, letting out a long, silent sigh in his heart.

The frog had already explained everything: from the moment Im fled until now, he had remained on this island the entire time.

If he truly possessed any critical intel, he would have brought it up long ago. Why would he wait until now?

He had gotten his hopes up for nothing.

Trading glances with Kenshin, who simply shook his head, Drake couldn't help but sigh again.

Is there truly no other way?

System, can't you come up with something?!

"Um..." Just then, Chonghao raised his hand once more.

"Hm?!" The crew turned back in bewilderment.

Drake said flatly, "Didn't you say you needed the restroom? Hurry up and go—holding it in is bad for you."

Chonghao's entirely green face flushed a dark, embarrassed red. Lord Drake... is far too blunt!

"Um... actually... I think there might be a way to track down news on that woman," Chonghao finally blurted out, gritting his teeth to voice the thought he had held back.

The dispirited crew snapped to attention instantly.

Drake's eyes lit up like lanterns. Blurring forward in a flash, he hoisted Chonghao straight up by the collar. "What did you say?! Hurry up and spit it out—what method?!"

"Eek!" Chonghao shrieked in terror, nearly going limp from Drake's sudden aggression. "L-Lord Drake... I... I'm bursting!"

"You're bursting?! I'm even more impatient than you! Talk! What's the method?! Can we pinpoint Im's exact location?!" Drake pressed urgently.

"B-Boss, seriously, I really need to go! If you keep shaking me, I'm gonna..."

"Gonna what?!" Drake glared with wide eyes. "Out with it! Do you think I'm joking around here?!"

"I REALLY CAN'T HOLD IT IN ANYMORE!!" Chonghao's voice spiked into a high-pitched, piercing shriek.

Drake was practically on the verge of shouting back: I can't hold in my temper anymore either! Just hurry up and spit out whatever method you're sitting on—

Wait a minute!

Can't hold it in?!

A sudden realization struck Drake like a bolt of lightning. He snapped his head up to stare at Chonghao.

The giant frog wore an expression of sheer agony, looking as though he had swallowed a live coal. His bright green face had contorted into a bruised, purplish liver shade.

A violent shudder ran down Drake's spine. Could it really be...

As if to validate his worst fears, a thunderous, concussive blast detonated through the cabin, followed instantly by a vile, nauseating stench that assaulted the senses and made the stomach violently churn.

Across the room, Kenshin and the others vanished in a blur, reappearing outside the hall doors and slamming them shut with a resounding click. Through the transparent glass pane, they could be seen pinching their noses tightly, faces pale with horror.

"HEY! HEY!! I'M STILL INSIDE HERE!!" Drake yelled in sheer terror. By now, how could he not realize what had happened?!

The guy had lost complete control of his bowels!

With a desperate sweep of his arm, Drake used a spatial displacement to fling Chonghao straight into the restroom. Simultaneously, he gathered immense spatial power, compressing the toxic atmosphere of the hall into a dense, sealed spatial orb in the span of a single heartbeat.

Throwing every window wide open, clean sea air rushed into the room, allowing Drake to exhale a massive breath of relief.

In that single fraction of a second, he had literally stared into the abyss of hell.

"Clean yourself up completely before you dare come back out!" Drake shouted toward the restroom corridor, thoroughly traumatized.

This guy was truly something else.

"You bastards..." Drake glared at the crew as they trickled back into the room, his temper flaring. Those traitors had bolted without even thinking of taking him along!

Had it not been for his lightning-fast reflexes, he would have suffered a fate worse than death.

"Hehehe... Well, well, aren't you completely fine?" Locke laughed heartily, rubbing his hands together. "We knew from the start that a little bit of foul air couldn't possibly harm someone of your caliber!"

"You are the great captain of our Dragon Flag Pirates, the legendary Emperor of the Sea reigning over the New World!"

"Right, guys?" Locke winked furiously toward Kenshin and the others, signaling for backup.

"Ah... Yes, yes! Locke-aniki is completely right!" Bell nodded vigorously, his dark eyes darting downward, terrified of making direct eye contact with Drake.

Beside them, Ain's cheeks flushed crimson, deeply embarrassed by the blatant flattery.

Kenshin and Kuzan stared at the display with wide eyes. To think such shameless, absurd nonsense could be spoken with a straight face!

How could Drake possibly buy that?!

Yet when they glanced over at Drake, they found him inspecting Locke and the others with mild suspicion before his face relaxed into an enlightened, smug grin.

Kenshin and Kuzan: "!!!"

He actually bought it?!