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With a clear expression of anger stamped on his face, Noble Family Patriarch Daren said to Erick:

"I can\'t believe you were doing this under the covers all this time... Before we can vote, I demand an explanation from you, Erick."

"What are you talking about, Jimbe?" Erick asked, confused.

"Oh, are you still acting like an underhand? Well, no problem at all, because I will read that document so that all the people present can hear."

At this point, all the people who made up the jury exchanged glances and prepared their ears well to listen carefully.

Then Rujierd began to read what the document said:

"I, Erick Smakusa Bollan, admit for purposes of \'proof of loyalty\' that I am cooperating with the Straw Hat. Our business involves torture, murder, human trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping, private imprisonment... And this comma-filled list extends to ten more different illegal activities." Rujierd spoke in a noxious voice. His face was with an expression that mixed disgust with anger.

Of all those present, Rujierd was the angriest of all, because he really felt betrayed. When he took over as Patriarch of the Daren Family, and consequently assumed a throne in Conseloh, Erick was the one who assisted him in the first months, and he had great respect for Erick, despite his confused ideals.

Mr. Smakusa didn\'t know what to say, but the answer the council needed was exactly in his eyes. His eyelids were dark, scratched and droopy, as if there was no life there anymore. His pupils were as small as was humanly possible, and his mouth was trembling, as if he wanted to say something, but was too afraid.

Everyone present in that courtroom stared at him for a few seconds, and those seconds quickly became the most agonizing seconds of the old Smakusa Family Patriarch\'s life.

All the judgmental gazes were torturing him, and for a certain moment he thought he was in a chamber where there were only these dozens of eyes. For someone like Erick, who was always in the spotlight of glory and flattery throughout the Empire, being judged for the first time in his life was an almost gut-wrenching blow.

When Erick finally spoke something, that something was an exclamation, actually a cry of pain.

"I DIDN\'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT, I SWEAR! I already know what happened...it was Ayumi who made Straw Hat write that, wasn\'t it? She\'s the real criminal! She must have betrayed him and made him write that."

Even in the face of Patriarch Smakusa\'s desperate accusations, Ayumi Yamazaki did not tremble. Smiling, she said:

"Why are you so distressed? No one has even mentioned that there is a signature of yours on that document... or did you already know there is one?"

With his pupils shrinking, Erick Smakusa looked so angrily at Ayumi as if he were seeing the very personification of the devil in front of him. In the dark chamber filled with judging eyes, the Elf\'s green eyes stood out, them being larger and more prominent than any other.

"I believe the proper penalty for the greatest shame in the history of this Empire is death, those in favor of that, please raise your hands." Amanda Hangen said, and raised her hand immediately afterwards.

The raised hands of the council members had no effect on the vote, because it would be the jury that would decide, but their raised hands had great weight, which influenced the decisions of the people who made up the jury.

The first hand to be raised was Amanda\'s, and soon after that of Rujierd Daren, who now refused to look into the empty eyes of the one who was something like a mentor to him.

Shanks Ballard and Thomas Landford exchanged glances briefly, but did not raise their hands.

Nico Sallow and Jimbe Collalto were afraid to raise their hands. Rationally, for both of them this was too quick a trial to decide something so important, but then Jimbe looked at Erick\'s companions who were sitting a few feet away and was surprised to see their angry glances at his own family.

As far as Jimbe knew, those two men present were Erick\'s first and only grandchildren. Both were raised by him even after their parents died, yet even that special bond wasn\'t stopping them from leaking their feelings, as the two were looking at Erick Smakusa with anger, not Ayumi.

The eyes of Kyor and his brother made Nico and Jimbe make the decision they were afraid to make: raise their hands.

The people on the jury, gradually as they saw the commanders of the noble families raising their hands, also raised their hands, even though they were afraid of what voting for the death of a Smakusa might entail in the future.

Therefore, when Ayumi Yamazaki finally raised her hand as well, symbolically, most of the jury were holding up their hands.

"Sigh... Without further ado, I announce that Erick Smakusa Bollan is sentenced to death. Anyone against this decision, speak now or forever hold your peace." Jimbe Collalto was direct and proclaimed.

In Erick\'s vision, everything was black and white, and his eyes could only distinguish color in the one person in front of him: Ayumi.

\'This is all your fault, all your fault, all your fault, all your fault...\' He repeated mentally, as he stared at her with a frightening look.

At that moment, Mr. Smakusa threw back his black cape, raised both hands, and imitated the pose that an archer normally did to shoot an arrow. From one instant to the next, a bow of flames appeared in his hand, and on the string of flames three arrows appeared. The whole atmosphere quickly became hotter, and the people on the jury began to get ready to run.

For most of the people present, going through this second was almost torturous because it took so long, however, it was especially agonizing for Luke, who saw the future hundreds of times during this second. At the end of all his predictions, the result was always the same... Ayumi always managed to be fast enough to be able to activate her shield Gene Skill, but that skill could never hold all three arrows, no matter how hard she tried. More often than not, the shield of the Matriarch of the Strogueher Family would break with the impact of the second arrow, and it would go right through her, followed closely by the third arrow, which would embed in the chest of the blonde Elf.

In all predictions, nothing Luke tried to do worked either. Neither using Bastet, nor the explosive speed moves of the Sea Ornament.

The arrows from Erick\'s skill were as fast as light, and Luke could never get fast enough to even manage to throw himself in front of the arrows and die in Ayumi\'s place.

"Shit, shit, shit... Why? Why did I decide to come instead of allowing Alexis to come in my place? She is faster than me, she could save her."

"No, don\'t think like that, it\'s not all over yet."

Two clones fragmented the half-wolf\'s mind within the Horus Dimension, separating his rational part from his sentimental one.

"What are you talking about, idiot? We\'re exhausted, there\'s no saving her."

"Luke one, reason, there is always something we can do, we are never out of options, think..."

With his last strength, Luke began to think and in a simple snap of inspiration, he remembered something.

When the <Leg of Horus> was deactivated because of the time limit that the half-wolf\'s body could pass within the ability, he was drenched in sweat, but still had enough energy left to scream.

"LESCAAAAAAAAAAR!" Luke cried out as he watched the flash of fire arrows intensify, blinding everything in the room.

As he pleaded for the presence of the mysterious boy who had told him the whereabouts of the gang of former thieves, Luke used his last weapon. The half-wolf thought that if his destiny was indeed connected with the boy who carried an owl on his shoulder, he might answer his call so suddenly.

Then, as soon as Luke shouted, time literally stopped. He looked around him, and saw all the desperate people, and he could also see the sparks from Erick Smakusa\'s bow stop in the air, without disappearing.

The half-wolf quickly tried to move, without thinking much, after all, he wanted was to save Ayumi. However, his legs were still locked, just as all the rest of his body was also static.

\'Did I accidentally activate <Leg of Horus> again?\' Luke cogitated, even though he knew he was too tired for that. The world was not moving slowly like when he activated the Skill, this was literally standing still.

As Luke wondered what was going on, he heard footsteps echoing from the main entrance of the place. The pounding of footsteps on the marble floor projected a thin, even slightly soothing sound. These footsteps slowly came closer, but Luke couldn\'t move to look at who or what was approaching, until suddenly Lescar\'s face appeared before his eyes.

The black haired boy had a closed smile on his face, and spoke:

"Hello~ You called me, didn\'t you?"