An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Mei couldn't let Tigne and his companions join the Liberator. Even if they asked for the Liberator's help now, Mei couldn't dedicate the rest of their lives to an organization that was constantly fighting against the world.

Mel seemed in pain and stammered, but Meredith answered:

"It doesn't matter whether you join or not!"

It is indeed a pity that we cannot follow the same path, but such trivial matters will not be a reason to distort the way of life of Milady and others.

So Meredith smiled and said loudly:

"May Mei, who made the decision of her own free will, be happy! May the Melkine Pirates be blessed with unrivaled luck!!"

"Waaaaaaaaaa!" the pirates cheered in unison. Meredith raised her hands and shouted.

"Xiao Mi..."

She can be described as perfect, not bound by anyone and unreachable by anyone. She is the embodiment of freedom.

Meredith smiled brightly to encourage the pirates, but Mel just stared at her blankly.

The look in her eyes was different from the way she looked at her family, but it was filled with emotions that were no less than family affection.

She must have felt the same way as her two companions who were watching Meredith's smile.

Mei'er kept the feeling to herself, then stood up and created a water arch bridge, moving it to a height where she could overlook the entire ship.

She smiled softly and said:

"Listen to me, my beloved pirates. I will rescue our families. I will rescue Tigne. This must be the final act of piracy. Once we do this, we will never find a safe place again. We will continue to advance on the sea with nowhere to anchor."

Through the magic of the wind, everyone held their breath and listened carefully, the captain's words that should have reached even the cabin.

"Anyone who disagrees should speak out now. I will reward him for his past hard work, provide him with sufficient funds, and send him back to Andika."

On that island where the weak are ruthlessly abandoned, there is a chance to challenge and become strong again. However, even after hearing Mei'er say that, everyone's eyes did not change.

They simply stared at their captain or listened intently to her words.

It seems to be saying, "That's not what we want to hear."

After confirming that no one stood up to express objection, Mei'er, although looking a little embarrassed, nodded in affirmation after a pause.

Then, Mei'er drew her saber, and with a clang, a clear sound echoed. The blade reflected the rising sun, making it appear brilliant and dazzling, and the blade's light embellished Mei'er's arrogant expression with a poignant and beautiful touch.

"Alright! My beloved fools! Follow me! Follow your captain to the end!"

A cry resounded, shaking the entire Melkine.

Meredy joined the others in yelling, "Ooo ...

The rising sun illuminates the pirate flag.

It was as if the world was smiling at those who displayed the brilliance of their will.

Prequel 02 Chapter 4: The Myth War

Oscar appears in the magnificent yet desire-shrouded central casino.

Only, this time he was dressed as a waiter.

The man, covered in lust and fat, took the champagne from Oscar's tray and left, seemingly unconcerned with Oscar's slight bow. The same thing happened with the man in black who was in charge of security in the casino.

"I don't understand……"

Oscar said this quietly. He unconsciously tried to push his glasses up, but his hand didn't feel the way it usually did, causing him to mumble a few words. He wasn't wearing any special disguise, just taking his glasses off. Even the man in black didn't notice...

"Ahaha~ As expected, Aou's true form is glasses."

Meredith came over, holding the tray in one hand and said with a smile.

However, Oscar, who would normally retort immediately, now just stared at Meredith silently. Yes, just like Oscar disguised as a waiter, Meredith also disguised herself as a maid to sneak into the casino.

"Milletie, the maid outfit really suits you. It looks really good on you."

"...Oh, it feels like you're staring at me even harder than when Mi-chan was wearing her dress."

"That's two different things. The last time I came here, I thought the maid costumes here would definitely suit you, and I was right. Meredith, you're absolutely stunning, and that black wig looks amazing too. Will you keep this look for the rest of your life?"

"...Oh, Xiao Mi is a little scared, oh yeah."

Meredith seemed to be very frightened and kept backing away, while Oscar was getting closer and closer.

"Hey, you two, do you know what infiltration means? Don't draw attention."

The one who came to mediate (?) between the two was Katie, who was also wearing a maid outfit.

In fact, many members of the Melkine Pirates have sneaked into casinos by disguising themselves as casino employees or gamblers.

The backbone of the operation to recapture Tigne was incredibly simple. Natsu and Mel were to be transferred to the room where they had previously met Tigne, then escaped using a direct teleport. Then, while undetected, they boarded the Melkine, anchored offshore, and, along with the ship, they were transferred to the Melkine family, who were aboard the recovery fleet. They continued to teleport as much as possible, escaping with the fleet to a point far enough away that even airships couldn't easily follow them.

However, judging from Bahar's strong vigilance, Tignes might not stay in a fixed place.

In that case, we would have to use Mel's magic of peering into the past to track Tigne's whereabouts. However, the underground of Antica had practically become a maze, so it would be overly optimistic to think that we could find Tigne without being discovered.

So they adopted the tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. As soon as they received the contact from Nizu, the people in the ground group would make a lot of noise and create chaos, reducing the number of enemies who went to find Mel and the others.

By the way, if you want to talk about how they disguised themselves as employees or gamblers to sneak in, it was simply because of the power of money.

Casino dealers and guards were required to undergo rigorous screening by the Dewat family before they could take up their positions. Playing the role of a customer was a given, but if one simply wanted to impersonate a waiter, there were countless ways to do so.

So, Katie, who was also disguised as a maid like Meredith, saw the two of them sneaking in and flirting (?), so she came over to complain...

"Katie, you're great too. Cat ears and a maid outfit go perfectly together."

"Eh? T-T-What are you saying all of a sudden? No need for polite words!"

"I'm not just being polite. If possible, I want to keep looking at you."

"What!?"

The cat's ears trembled, the cat's tail stood upright, and the heat gathered on her face made Katie almost spit fire.

Oscar was about to start explaining the beauty of the cat-eared maid, but...

"Oh, if you don't restrain yourself, I'm going to get angry."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry."

The first-person reference changed to "this lady," indicating that Meredith was about to lose her temper. A vein bulged on his face, though he maintained a smile. The oppressive feeling Meredith exuded brought Oscar back to normal.

At this moment, because the noise was too loud, a middle-aged man stopped. He then stared at Meredith with wide eyes, and then immediately looked at her with lustful eyes.

"Look who this is! Aren't you the little girl from back then? Hahaha, I didn't expect we'd meet again in a place like this! What's with that outfit?"

Mireidi seemed to have no impression of the middle-aged man. She tilted her head and saluted gracefully.

"...I'm sorry, did you mistake me for someone else?"

Since she was in stealth, Meredith's tone and attitude changed when she answered. However, her noble temperament and respectful attitude seemed to further embolden the man.

"Even if you change your hair color, there's no point in me forgetting your eyes and your beautiful features. Hehehe, I guess you're working in hiding because you're in debt, right? But isn't it wrong to owe money?"

Mireddy frowned slightly, and she looked at Oscar and asked, "Who is this guy? He looks vulgar and disgusting..."

Oscar whispered in her ear, "He's the uncle who cheated on you earlier."

During that time, the man kept talking non-stop, and it seemed that he was quite obsessed with Meredith. He had not thought that Meredith would run away and in fact he even invested his personal property to help in the search.

"But you can rest assured, I will take care of you. I have a wide network of contacts, so buying you won't be a problem, hehehe."

"No, so I think you've got the wrong person."

Perhaps intending to take off Meredith's wig, the man reached out to her head, but Meredith naturally dodged quickly.

The man's eyes suddenly turned fierce.

"I can call the guards over right now, right? You've already made an enemy of the casino, so you don't think they'll just let you go. That's why I offered to help you out and take you in. Don't let me down."

Although he said so, the man's lustful eyes clearly showed that he had no good intentions towards Miledy.

Oscar reached into his arms, ready to draw his blazing sword, his heart burning with rage. But Katie held his hand back.

As long as Natsu and Mel successfully rescued Tigne, they could leave immediately, so for now they had to endure. Katie convinced herself as she stepped forward to buy time.

"Guest, she seems confused, and it's not convenient to talk here. How about we move to the inner room?"

Katie's words were surprisingly polite, and she made a proposal to the man. The man seemed to have just realized her presence, startled, turned around, and stared at the smiling white-haired cat-eared maid, letting out a strange laugh.

"You, you have a pair of pretty small breasts too. Even though you're a little old... you're still pretty good."

“…”

Now I finally understand why the man is obsessed with Meredith. His target seems to be "girls with small breasts."

Meredy and Katie's pupils constricted. Oscar let go of his magic sword and quickly distanced himself.

"Come on, you two, let's go to the room inside, huhey."

The man gave a disgusting smile and extended his hand towards Meredith and the others.

At this moment, news came from the communication artifact that Oscar prepared for all staff.

(This is Nizu. I don't see Tigne in the room. We've been spotted by the enemy. I'll leave the feint to the east and attack in the west to your command!)

Oscar nodded, smiled brightly, and gave a thumbs-up to Meredith who was being approached by the man.

"Miledi, you don't have to be patient."

This sentence became the signal to start the war.

"Come on, don't be afraid, leave everything to me—"

"Go to hell, pervert."

Meredy's gravity magic, "Black Jade," struck the man's crotch. The shell, with a force comparable to a battering ram, struck the man's crotch, and the sound of something shattering echoed.

“——!!”

Hit in the balls by the Black Jade, the man was in so much pain he couldn't even whine. He pressed his hands against his crotch, his mouth opening and closing like a fish starving for air, before his body went limp, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

There was a loud thud, causing people around to turn around and wonder what had happened.

Meredith snorted and angrily removed her wig. Her dreamy golden hair was quickly tied back into a ponytail. Meredith took a deep breath, picked up the communicator, and shouted in a voice that seemed to echo through the hushed room.

"Brothers! The battle begins!"

““““Uoooohhhhhhh!”””””

A large number of weapons suddenly appeared in the air. They were weapons Oscar had summoned from the "treasure vault." Meredy used gravity magic to place them into the venue.

The pirates who had infiltrated the venue successfully caught their weapons. After shedding their formal attire and returning to casual attire, they shouted and attacked the black-clad man next to them.

The venue was shrouded in wailing and screaming, and the wealthy people in the central district fell into panic. At this moment—

"You were back then...!"

"She's the main culprit! Catch her!"

A group of men in black rushed towards Meredi who gave the order.

"Oh! Please!"

"Understood."

Oscar touched the shoulders of Meredith and Katie, and at that moment, they changed into their normal clothes under the maid outfits, because Oscar had collected the maid outfits with the "Treasure House".

At the same time, Oscar took out his glasses from his pocket and put them on, then -

“What! Devil’s glasses!? When did they sneak in?!”

"Damn weird gentleman! Such a perfect disguise!"

"Am I going to be stripped naked again? P-please, at least let me keep my underwear!"

The men in black who were rushing forward all stopped in fear.

It seemed that only after putting on the glasses did they recognize Oscar as the "devil glasses of that time." Oscar couldn't help but look into the distance.

"...Miledi, seriously, am I wearing glasses?"

"Um, um, Aou is human, okay? It's okay, okay?"

Meredy was rarely at a loss for words, and Katie glared at them helplessly, as if to say, "Please be serious."

"Don't be afraid! You're men, right?! Getting stripped is nothing! We'll catch them naked then! Everyone, charge at the glasses!"

"Right, that's right! Don't underestimate the Devastat family! You idiots with glasses!"

For some reason, their target changed from Meredith to Oscar, and they rushed towards Oscar.