# Chapter 141
—
At Jeannie’s words, Arthur’s eyes widened.
*“Good heavens… the professors of Arcane University had formed a rebel faction?”*
It was nothing short of astonishing.
That Willet or the mercenaries had turned into rebels was not too surprising—those people were always free-spirited by nature.
But Arcane University was different.
They were educators before they were professors, intellectuals.
For such people to pick up blades and guns to raise a rebellion?
*“Then… does that mean Professor Chizzy is fighting too?”*
Imagining that elderly professor locked in combat against the investigative police, Arthur scratched his head.
He couldn’t even properly picture such a scene.
But there was still an even more shocking fact.
Julie—who had taken over as the new leader of the revolutionaries after Willet’s imprisonment.
*“That tiny girl… became the leader of the revolutionaries?”*
Thinking it over, Arthur soon let out an exclamation.
*“Right, seven years have passed… she’s not a little kid anymore.”*
When they had parted, Julie had been ten years old.
Now, she would be the same age as he had been before being trapped in Whitebeard’s curse.
*“Wow… so she’s not a child anymore, but a young lady now?”*
Even so, for her to have become the leader of the revolutionaries was astounding.
While Arthur was still marveling, Jeannie raised her voice.
“Some of you stay here and guard headquarters, the rest follow me. Everyone, get ready!”
At her command, the members of the Ears Gang bustled about.
As Jeannie watched them with her arms folded, one of the men carefully raised a question.
“By the way, Boss. Who is that man?”
“Who?”
“The guy you brought here with you.”
Jeannie’s body flinched ever so slightly.
At her reaction, the corners of the gangsters’ mouths curled up.
“Don’t tell us he’s coming with us too?”
“Or maybe… is he Boss’s secret lover?”
At the barrage of questions, Jeannie snapped back with a sharp warning.
“You bastards out of your minds? I loosen the leash a bit and you think you can get away with this crap? That’s what you’re curious about?”
“Well… it’s natural to be curious, isn’t it?”
“Exactly! It’s the first time Boss has ever brought an outsider here!”
At her subordinates’ protests, Jeannie looked exasperated.
“Come on. I’ve brought outsiders plenty of times.”
“Not one this handsome.”
“And we heard you even cried in front of him, Boss?”
Jeannie’s eyes shot wide.
*“T-they saw that?”*
Pondering, Jeannie let out a groan.
Thinking back, it would have been strange if they hadn’t.
She had, after all, burst into tears the moment she saw Arthur Bayern and threw herself into his arms.
Meanwhile, sly smirks spread across the faces of the men.
It was just a casual jab, but the normally cold, ruthless boss of the Ears Gang had been thrown into complete fluster—this was too good a chance for teasing to pass up.
“Who the hell is that guy!”
“Is he really your boyfriend?”
“Or maybe someone you’re promised to marry!?”
The flood of questions poured down like a waterfall.
Just as a flustered Jeannie was about to hurriedly make an excuse, a clever idea flashed across her mind.
Smirking, she shook her head.
“…Haa. This is why kids are no good.”
“…?”
“You really don’t know who that man is?”
Her sudden change in demeanor made the men blink.
“Uh… who is he?”
“You idiots, are you really former mercenaries?”
“…?”
“Haa… I’ll say it just once, so listen carefully. That man is the Grim Reaper.”
The men’s blinking eyes widened.
“…The Grim Reaper?”
“You mean he’s the Reaper of Death?”
Jeannie let out a mocking chuckle.
“Ha! You fools. Who else in this business would be called the Grim Reaper?”
“…?”
“The legendary mercenary who disappeared seven years ago. The man who killed a pirate vice-captain, annihilated one of the Seven Sovereigns, outwitted Lord Dormund, and captured the leader of the fanatics.”
“…!”
The men’s eyes bulged.
And Jeannie declared:
“The man once known in this underworld as the legendary mercenary. That man is none other than the Reaper, Donn.”
The men erupted in shock.
—
—
Once preparations were complete, Jeannie immediately began leading them toward Zone D, where the meeting hall was located.
Trailing behind, Arthur scratched his head and muttered.
*“Hm? What’s with this?”*
The stares of the thirty Ears Gang members following were strange.
For some time now, they had been glaring holes into the back of his head.
*“Why are they looking at me like that all of a sudden?”*
Unable to figure it out, Arthur turned around.
“Hello, everyone?”
“…?”
“Do I have something stuck to the back of my head? You’ve been staring at me so much…”
Flustered, the gangsters stammered.
“N-no, it’s not that…”
“Th-that’s…”
Their voices trailed off, and their eyes fell to the ground.
While Arthur tilted his head in puzzlement, Jeannie quietly approached and whispered.
*“Just play along for now.”*
*“…Play along, Miss Jeannie?”*
*“Yes. I told them you’re the Donn who vanished years ago.”*
Arthur still looked confused.
*“And what does that have to do with them glaring at the back of my head?”*
*“Of course it matters. To them, you’re an idol.”*
*“…An idol?”*
*“Yes, an idol. Seven years ago, when they were just rookies entering the underworld, you were at your peak.”*
At her words, Arthur blinked.
*Was I at my peak back then?*
Just then, one of the men shouted.
“Sir, are you really the Reaper Donn?”
Turning his head, Arthur replied.
“I don’t know about being a Reaper, but I am Donn.”
The man’s jaw dropped.
“It’s… it’s an honor! My name’s Hargus!”
“Ah, hello, Mr. Hargus. The honor’s mine as well.”
At his words, the man called Hargus wore a look of deep emotion.
Then, the other gangsters, unable to hold back, rushed forward.
“I-I’m Gen!”
“An honor to meet you! I’ve heard countless tales about you!”
“To meet the legendary mercenary whose name always comes up in every underworld story…”
Showers of greetings and handshakes overwhelmed Arthur, leaving him flustered.
Jeannie chuckled and shouted.
“Enough chit-chat! Form ranks. We’re at the meeting hall now!”
Startled, the men scurried back into formation.
As Jeannie was about to head past the iron doors, she stopped abruptly.
“……”
Her eyes narrowed at Arthur.
Turning his head, Arthur noticed it too.
*“Oh?”*
Beyond the iron doors, faintly visible in the shadows, were dozens of men aiming their guns straight at them.
Turning back, Arthur mouthed to Jeannie.
*“Are they on our side too?”*
*“Of course not. Looks like something went wrong.”*
Hearing her answer, Arthur drew Beast.
The moment the magic gun appeared, Jeannie’s eyes widened—
BOOM!!
A thunderous roar erupted as the bullet from Beast engulfed the men hiding in the dark.
Beside him, Jeannie pulled a sour face.
“…It’s been a while since I’ve seen that decisiveness of yours, Young Master.”
Shrugging, Arthur stepped forward.
Inside the burning passageway, dozens of men lay sprawled, on the verge of death.
Jeannie sifted through them, then widened her eyes.
“The investigative police?”
At her words, Arthur’s eyes widened too.
“Huh? What are *they* doing here?”
“…I don’t know either. Don’t tell me, our location’s been exposed?”
As she spoke, Arthur tilted his head.
From above, footsteps, screams, and fierce roars echoed.
Smiling faintly, Arthur murmured.
“Looks that way. There’s fighting up above.”
At his words, Jeannie’s face hardened.
“Everyone upstairs! The pirates are attacking!”
Her shout snapped the stunned men back into motion, and they hurriedly ran off.
Jeannie then turned to Arthur.
“Young Master, let’s go too.”
“Of course. But how did our location get exposed?”
“I don’t know… information definitely leaked, but from where…”
Grimacing, Jeannie sprinted forward, Arthur following close behind.
They ran through the dark passage for a while, then Jeannie burst upward—
CRASH!
The iron door ahead shattered, light pouring in.
Emerging from the underground, Arthur let out a low exclamation.
“Oh?”
It was a basement bathed in sunlight filtering through.
There, dozens of pirates clashed against men in uniform.
And tearing through them with abandon was a figure whose nose had been replaced by a massive horn.
“Rrrraaagh—!”
“A rh-rhinoceros! A rhinoceros has appeared!”
“Damn it! Who’d have thought that monster would come here…”
The uniformed men fell back in terror.
The pirates shouted gleefully.
“Kya-ha! The Captain’s horn is the best!”
“Kill them all! How dare you plot rebellion in Arcane?”
“You won’t even make it to prison! Just die here!”
Watching, Jeannie’s face stiffened.
“…So even Captain Allendor has shown up?”
Arthur asked.
“Is he famous?”
“…Infamous, rather. Back in the day he was a pirate executive.”
Grinding her teeth, Jeannie cursed.
“Damn it… how did the intel leak? For someone that big to show up here, they must be sure of it…”
While she seethed, Arthur’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Fall back! Everyone retreat inside the building!”
Because the elderly man blocking the rhinoceros’s charge looked familiar.
Recalling, Arthur gasped.
*“Good heavens… that’s Professor Norse?”*
The steadfast man who had taught swordsmanship at Arcane—now aged and worn—was standing against the rhinoceros.
But things were dire.
“Urgh—!”
The so-called rhinoceros shockingly wielded sword aura.
His aura, combined with his horn, pressed Norse down with crushing force.
Seeing this, Arthur leapt in at once.
Startled, Jeannie shouted.
“Y-young Master?”
But Arthur was already in the midst of the melee.
Spinning lightly, he stepped before the rhinoceros and bowed slightly.
“Hello, everyone.”
“…?”
Both Norse and the pirates froze, startled by the sudden greeting.
Even Norse himself gasped.
*“Who is he? Reinforcements?”*
At that moment, the rhinoceros charged.
“Who the hell are you?!”
As Norse cried out in alarm, Arthur kicked up a fallen sword and caught it.
Steel clashed with steel as Arthur’s blade met the rhinoceros’s aura.
CLANG!
At the sound, Norse’s eyes went wide.
“…What? Sword aura?”
Even the rhinoceros faltered.
*“What? Another man besides that old geezer who can wield aura?”*
Meanwhile, Arthur calmly examined his aura and murmured.
“Hm… no time to waste, so let’s finish this quickly, Mr. Rhinoceros.”
“…?”
“Do you have any last words?”
The rhinoceros blinked, then scoffed.
“Last words? You bastard… just because you blocked this once, you think you’ve won?”
Arthur smiled faintly.
“I’ll count that as your last words. You’ve done well.”
With that, his sword shot forward.
The rhinoceros swung his aura and horn to resist—but he did not notice the subtle shift in Arthur’s blade.
So subtle it escaped his perception.
In that instant, Arthur’s crimson aura transformed into a grey sword force, slicing cleanly through the rhinoceros’s aura.
Then it cut his sword, his neck, and lastly, even the horn he so proudly bore.
And yet, until his head rolled lifeless to the ground, the rhinoceros never realized what had happened.
Silence fell heavily upon the scene.
“…?”
Pirates, mafia men, even Jeannie—none could speak.
All stared, dumbfounded, at the sight of the rhinoceros slain in an instant.
In that eerie stillness, Arthur turned his head.
And there he saw Professor Norse, mouth agape in shock.
Smiling brightly at his old teacher, Arthur spoke.
“Hello, Professor Norse. It’s been a while.”
Professor Norse’s jaw slowly dropped open.
—
