Chapter 182: Sabaody: Verbal Thanks Are the Most Useless

The shadow clone, using Shunpo, quickly whisked Sabo away right under Kizaru's nose.

Everyone present, including Kizaru, hadn't even reacted before Sabo had vanished…

"Huh? Strange... biu, and he's gone. Was that an illusion?" Kizaru scratched his chin, his voice laced with mock confusion.

"Uh… What just happened?" Ivankov looked bewildered.

Inazuma, equally surprised, muttered, "Although I don't know who it was, Sabo seems to have been saved…"

Meanwhile, Takumi had already returned to the ship. As he walked to his room, a sudden system notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! You helped Sabo escape from the crisis of capture. Progress towards the next milestone: +20%. Current total progress: 30%. Reward: Pegasus Meteor Fist Lv1.]

Takumi paused, immediately accessing the information about the Pegasus Meteor Fist.

It was a combat technique from Saint Seiya, transcending human capabilities, allowing the user to throw hundreds of punches per second, each surpassing the speed of sound. At its peak, each punch could deliver the impact force of a million-ton meteor, capable of defeating enemies whose weight exceeded the user's by over 300 million times.

In short, it was a pretty good technique.

Without hesitation, Takumi asked internally, "System, what's the power of a Level 1 Pegasus Meteor Fist?"

[Ding! At Lv1, the Pegasus Meteor Fist allows the host to unleash 100 punches per second, each carrying the force of a one-ton meteor impact.]

A one-ton meteor impact…

That's a pretty terrifying amount of power.

But at Level 1, it's just one ton. To reach the level where each punch carries the force of several million tons, it would probably take several million level-ups…

[Ding! Each time the Pegasus Meteor Fist levels up, the host's punching power will increase threefold.]

Threefold, huh. Doesn't seem like a lot. But if it triples with each level, by Level 10, each punch could carry the force of nearly 20,000 tons…

Even though the skill leveled up slowly, the one-ton impact was still decent for now.

It seemed like the shadow clone had completed its task smoothly.

Without further thought, Takumi headed straight to his room.

Elsewhere.

The shadow clone had taken Sabo to the outskirts of the 29th area as quickly as possible.

Once he confirmed that Kizaru wasn't pursuing them, the shadow clone finally let go of Sabo.

"Who are you, really?" Sabo asked warily, watching the shadow clone closely. The figure wore a mask, and their behavior was odd, making it hard for Sabo to figure out who they were. "Why did you save me?"

The shadow clone waved dismissively. "Well, since you asked, I'll be generous and tell you. This young master… uh, young lady here was just passing by and saw someone in need. And then, the justice buried deep within me surged forth, and I couldn't help but save you."

Sabo: "…"

What a noble sense of justice… what a spontaneous outburst of kindness… Sabo wasn't buying it.

Just then, several figures emerged from the dimly lit woods nearby.

"Sabo… is that you?" someone asked in a low voice.

Sabo immediately turned toward the source of the voice. When he recognized their faces, he hurried over to them.

They were members of the Revolutionary Army.

"Are you all okay?" Sabo asked.

The group shook their heads, their faces lined with worry.

"Ivankov and Inazuma stayed behind to cover us… They've been captured."

"What are we going to do, Sabo? There's an admiral on their side. We can't possibly rescue them with just us."

"By the way, before Ivankov parted ways with us, he told us to give this Den Den Mushi to you, in case we couldn't reach the leader."

As one of them spoke, they handed Sabo a small Den Den Mushi.

Without hesitation, Sabo took it and immediately made a call to Dragon.

The line connected quickly.

"I'm sorry, leader. I tried to rescue Ivankov and Inazuma, but I failed…" Sabo said, his voice tinged with guilt.

"It's alright. Return for now," came Dragon's calm response.

"And what about Ivankov and Inazuma?"

"I'll explain everything once you're back."

Sabo paused for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

Dragon's composed tone told Sabo that the situation with Ivankov and Inazuma wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"This will be your first time leading a team back on your own. Can you handle it?" Dragon's voice sounded again through the Den Den Mushi.

Sabo grinned. "No problem. Leave it to me."

"Good. Sabaody is not a place to linger. Return as soon as possible."

"I understand."

With that, Sabo ended the call.

He pocketed the Den Den Mushi, then turned to his comrades, who were watching him expectantly. "Has our ship been discovered?"

"No, it's still hidden in the secret location."

"Good," Sabo nodded. "Get ready. We're heading back."

"Huh? What about Ivankov and Inazuma? Are we just going to leave them?" one of them asked hesitantly.

"With an admiral involved, we don't stand a chance right now. But just leaving them behind doesn't feel right…" another added.

Seeing their hesitation, Sabo continued, "Ivankov and Inazuma stayed behind to ensure your escape. They didn't do it so you could go back and throw your lives away. They know what they're doing. I'll talk to the leader when we get back and work out how to rescue them."

The Revolutionary Army members exchanged glances, realizing the truth in his words. With their current strength, there was nothing they could do. It would be better to regroup and plan their next move with Dragon.

Sabo glanced over and noticed that the shadow clone was about to leave. He hesitated for a moment, then told his comrades to wait while he quickly ran after the clone.

"Hey, thanks," Sabo called out as he caught up to the shadow clone. He looked a little sheepish. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be in Marine custody by now…"

"Verbal thanks are the most useless thing ever. If you really want to thank me, show me something tangible," the shadow clone replied casually.

"Uh, what do you want then?" Sabo asked.

"Money." The shadow clone held out its hand.

Sabo chuckled wryly. "I don't have any…"

"Tch, so poor." The shadow clone looked Sabo up and down before its gaze landed on the pipe he was holding. "Give me that pipe of yours."

Sabo: "?"

My… my pipe?

Admittedly, the pipe was something he had picked up…

Sabo, torn between amusement and confusion, asked, "This pipe isn't worth much. Why would you want it?"

"You ask too many questions." The shadow clone snatched the pipe from Sabo's hands. "Consider this your payment for saving you. We're even now. If we meet again, pretend you don't know me, okay?"

Sabo: "…"

I don't even know what you look like. Even if we did meet again, I probably wouldn't recognize you…

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