Chapter 143: Was Yonko Red-Haired Shanks Caught in an Anti-Vice Raid? (Patreon)

Inside Emerald Spring, the final stop of the anti-vice campaign was underway.

Hughes stood at the doorway, dark lines covering his face, his eyes full of exasperation as he looked into the room.

He never dreamed he'd run into Gildarts here. What are you supposed to do when an anti-vice raid ends up catching your guild's big brother?

Gildarts was also staring at Hughes with a pained expression.

He was genuinely in pain. The moment Hughes kicked the door open, he went from fully aroused to completely deflated in just three seconds.

Suddenly, a disturbing rumor flashed through Gildarts's mind.

They say if you're suddenly startled during... an intimate moment, it can lead to unspeakable consequences...

Gildarts:' ...' He opened his mouth, but no words came.

Magnolia General Hospital probably had a men's health clinic, right...?

While Gildarts was questioning his life choices, Hughes reacted quickly, raising his Memory Magic Crystal and secretly recording a short clip.

Hughes gave himself a mental thumb-up. Now he finally had something to hold over Gildarts.

"Gildarts, I'll give you face tonight. I won't disturb you further!" Hughes waved the official document in his hand and walked away calmly, leaving the bewildered men and women in the room staring blankly after him.

After this incident with Gildarts, Hughes realized a profound truth: from now on, whenever doing something that couldn't be spoken of, he absolutely had to keep his Observation Haki active at all times.

Watching the show was fine. Becoming the one being watched was not.

Seeing Hughes come out so quickly, Mira and Erza had question marks floating above their heads.

Hughes didn't hide anything and told them what had just happened.

"Pfft!" x2

The way they looked at him like he was garbage left a lasting impression. Hughes still remembered the first time he met Mira. She had given him that same look several times.

"Are we going to another hot spring tavern now?" Erza asked after she finished silently judging Gildarts.

Hughes nodded. Since Cailin wouldn't come out, they'd tear down her whole establishment.

Without pausing, Hughes grabbed both girls' hands and flew out of Emerald Spring, landing directly in front of the neighboring hot spring tavern.

Magnolia Town's Hot Spring Street had nine taverns in total, all owned by Cailin.

Strictly speaking, she was a powerful, successful career woman.

Hot Spring Street wasn't cheap to visit. The clientele were either mages or wealthy, influential ordinary people.

What Hughes was doing now was making Cailin enemies of these people. He was rallying their collective power to slowly dismantle her business.

The longer Cailin waited to show herself, the more enemies Hughes would make for her.

His goal was to force Cailin to come out on her own. For a successful career woman like her, the difference between voluntarily coming forward and being forced out was immense.

She had used her position as a woman to slander him, so Hughes would turn that lie into reality, shatter her pride, and force her to bow her head.

If he just wanted to catch Cailin, a sweep of his Advanced Observation Haki would cover the entire town. Catching her would be as easy as picking a flower by the roadside.

But that wasn't the result Hughes wanted.

As for the clients he was inconveniencing, would they hold grudges?

Frankly, Hughes couldn't care less. Not only was he alone, but with his current strength, besides the handful of truly renowned people, who did he have to fear?

His power was his greatest asset.

...

Outside the hot spring tavern, the moment Hughes landed, he looked ahead with a strange smile on his face.

Oh, someone couldn't sit still any longer.

Standing before him was a young married woman who embodied contradiction itself, both seductive and surprisingly innocent.

Cailin was still wearing the form-fitting dress that showed off her exceptional figure. Her proportions were exquisite, her ample bust looking ready to burst free.

She seemed a bit irritated now. Her naturally soft, gentle face carried a hint of anger, adding a touch of fire to her mature charm, making her all the more captivating.

She was the kind of woman who would stay on your mind day and night.

Except for Hughes, Erza, and Mira.

Especially Mira. Hughes couldn't understand why she was so hostile toward Cailin.

He was the actual victim of Cailin's false accusation, wasn't he?

Seeing Mira's magic suddenly surge, the crystals on her demonic body flickering as though they were about to erupt, her fierce appearance made Hughes think she was losing control. He quickly patted her to snap her out of it.

"Let's talk," Cailin said, suppressing her anger. Her crystal-clear eyes fixed on Hughes as she licked her lips.

Her voice was still soft and velvety, like heavenly music pouring directly into one's mind, making people linger and unconsciously lower their guard.

Hughes smiled at her, then placed his hands on Mira and Erza's backs and pushed them forward.

Talk? To hell with talking. First beat her into submission, then talk.

"Erza, defeat her, and you can have Mira's cooking every day for the next month. I'll buy you ten strawberry cakes tomorrow, and I'll keep Natsu and Gray away so no one interrupts you while you eat!"

Before Hughes even finished speaking, Erza's eyes lit up. She kicked off the ground, springing high into the air, her jagged greatsword raised high as she brought it crashing down toward Cailin.

To Erza, ten strawberry cakes were a small matter. What mattered most was not being disturbed while eating them.

Somehow, she had never managed to finish a single strawberry cake in her entire life. It was like she was cursed. Every time she tried, some accident would happen.

This time, with Hughes's help, she would definitely finish an entire strawberry cake. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, putting even more strength into her strike.

BOOM!

The ground in front of the hot spring tavern instantly shattered, large craters dotted the ground.

Purgatory Armor was famous for its destructive power. It was said that no one who witnessed it lived to tell the tale. Later, it would become Erza's second most powerful armor.

Its power was naturally not to be underestimated. Erza was still young and couldn't fully control Purgatory Armor. If this had been two years later, she wouldn't have merely shattered the ground in front of the hot spring tavern.

The entire Hot Spring Street would've been smashed to pieces, because two years later, she would become an S-Class Mage.

Breaking Laxus's two-year record, she would become the youngest S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail history.

Cailin, however, was clearly no pushover. Facing Erza's ferocious overhead strike, a deep blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet as she darted away in a flash, escaping the attack's range.

Seeing this, Hughes decided to send in reinforcements. Why fight fair when you could gang up on her?

"Mira, you go help too. Be careful. Cailin knows Sleep Magic. That's how she took down Macao and the others."

Mira nodded and charged at Cailin.

She had long been fed up with Cailin.

That shameless woman actually dared to seduce Hughes. Did she really think Mira hadn't noticed her licking her lips while talking to him?

Cailin: ... Her lips were simply dry because she was so angry.