The Armory Elites - Part 01

The elite-tier agents. They serve as the world government's secondary line of defense and are a group of strong coworkers. Each has a distinct combat style, yet they are typically seen in pairs when fighting.

There are six elite-level agents in all, although most of them are spread throughout the Vast Expanse. They are only dispatched on a mission together to defend La Isleta Cortada when conditions are dangerous.

Gootsy and Snoobs, the first two elite-ranked agents, are regarded as being on a lower level but are incredibly more skillful than any other troops. The other four focus on inspection and migration, while these two are experts in the forbidden armory techniques. It's a particular approach to muscle, dexterity, and perception.

As Tim and Phoebe continued to reach further toward the prison, Gootsy and Snoobs were their major opponents. On top of that, supported by troops that encircled the area.

Gootsy maintained his position while carrying the violin, which he utilized to strike his enemies or support his partner. "Ya-ho-ho! "We are here to capture, in other words, remove you from reaching Yasuda and stop you from interfering." laughed Gootsy as he softly played a tone-down tune. "Due to the enormous drop in our troops' numbers, we were put into operation and were given an important mission. If you were to seek to avoid suffering any casualties you should've stayed back and let us proceed, but I assume the public news about the execution was a burden to you. Was it not?"

Hearing about Chiaki's life being on the line, Tim could hardly restrain himself from rushing in. But he knew that barging in without a solid plan and with so many foes chasing after him, it would endanger him and Chiaki.

"You keep on saying that the Yasuda family interfered with the war, but from what I heard, I recall that their intention was to stop the ongoing war between the world government and the pirates. And did I forget to mention that Chiaki hasn't been involved in that scheme and was just a little girl who ran away? You would be crazy to think that I'd just let you slaughter one of my friends for something she didn't do." Tim, who received that information from Natan, continued to stand tall.

"Answer me. What illegal activity did Chiaki do? Based on my knowledge, it seems the only people who caused trouble were the rest of her family. And even so, that doesn't mean you were required to slaughter them one by one. You can't deny the truth that Chiaki's an innocent whose goal wasn't villainous and all she wanted was to keep living. But to how poorly you must've treated her, I believe she's probably given up the last remaining hope."

Gootsy and Snoobs did not move or respond in a startled manner. They maintained their composed demeanors, not intending to break the law. "While it may be true that Yasuda hasn't done any illegal activities, she still holds the title of being a member of the "Spirit Flower" agency that had the power to control other people's bodies, dead or alive." Explained Gootsy, but that's not where his explanation ended.

"You see, being on the side of the pirates causes a big alarm for the rest of humanity. With the power to possess or embolden any humanoid body, she could be a threat to society. Above that, such power includes increment, and if another war breaks out, having a trained Yasuda family member would rectify a massive epidemic. And the only thing that could stop her is; their true self."

When Tim heard the explanation, he hesitated, but it didn't satisfy him. Gootsy and Snoobs were still unconcerned. "She wouldn't do that! She might be on the other side of the global government, but that doesn't mean she's a thoughtless monster who tends to harm the world government. She's a person who cares and helps, not what you picture her as." They only wanted to focus on doing their mission.

"You do not know her well. Any member of the Yasuda family has a blood lust. They would do whatever it takes to finally put down the world government and let monsters such as you pirates live on and take control of the Vast Expanse. You would selflessly murder people, steal treasure, and raid other islands for fortune or to prove that you're the strongest among men and women. She may appear innocent to your eyes, but in reality, she's a beast, not a human, despite looking like one."

Tim started to get annoyed and frustrated as they continued to explain Chiaki's title. He found it intolerable that all they saw in Chiaki was a murderous automaton devoid of emotion or thought.

"You're fools to think so! Chiaki hasn't taken a life since she ran out and found better companions! She's been doing her best to help them, but she never took a single life. She wouldn't even hurt a fly!" Phoebe burst in with the same agitation as Tim.

"We may be fools, but you're getting manipulated, pirates. Yasuda's goal is nothing other than to eradicate the world government for her to recreate a world she would be proud of. *IT* is seeking "peace" and a "lawless" world, but for the world to keep the justice, the only way to do that is to behead her immediately."

Although their claim was obvious, something didn't seem right, and Tim's grave expression quickly caught everyone's attention. Tim questioned, "It?" Gootsy looked him in the eyes. "I don't care who or what you are, or how strong you are. But if you call one of my friends an object, that they aren't a real person will regret the last few words. She's not an item nor a creature. She's a human. That said... whoever mistreats her and calls her *it* will not get away with it."

Tim opened his arms to the side and hurriedly set them on fire. They were flaring with orange and blue sparks, and the only thing that Tim was after was to defeat the foes in front and rescue Chiaki. "I'll show you who *it* really is..."

21 minutes remain before the underwater train's set to go...

To be continued...