Chapter 257

Still cowardly?

It must be said that Gran Doma is arguably the most frustrated chairman since the founding of the Magic Council.

Although this incident was initiated by the Magic Council, Gran Doma does not believe he is at fault.

"No one can bully the Magic Council!"

"Summon Serena, Hyberion, and Wolfheim."

Having said this, Gran Doma immediately stepped forward and exited the council hall.

After exchanging glances, the other council members followed closely behind; this concerned the honor of the entire Magic Council, and they would absolutely not allow anyone to trample upon its dignity!

……

In fact, no summons from the Magic Council were needed; the moment the owner of the voice appeared, Hyberion and Wolfheim had already arrived at maximum speed.

Not only that, but other members of the Ten Wizard Saints and mages from various guilds were also arriving one after another, including Makarov, who had come to negotiate.

Hearing the commotion outside and assuming it was an invasion by beings from another world, Makarov rushed over immediately; upon arrival, he saw a man standing in the plaza outside the Magic Council's main hall, wearing a purple shirt and dark shorts, with short yellow hair, appearing to be around thirty years old.

Although he was already surrounded by a large number of knights and mages, the man remained calm, gazing ahead with an aura that deterred anyone from approaching lightly.

"What's going on? Why are you all here? And who is that guy?"

At the same time, Makarov noticed Natsu and the others not far from the man and immediately ran over to ask.

However, perhaps due to excessive excitement, Natsu did not answer but instead spoke to Makarov with great agitation.

"Gramps, look! Ace is saved! Look, Ace's comrades have arrived!"

"Ace's comrades?"

Hearing Natsu's words, Makarov froze on the spot; before he could react, Erza, who had accompanied him, stepped forward to explain.

"Like Ace, they are comrades from the Bai Huzi Pirates of the Great Sea Route in another world; I heard he is said to be the captain of the First Division of the Bai Huzi Pirates."

Erza made no effort to lower her voice, so everyone present heard her words, instantly causing a wave of shocked murmurs.

"A crew member of the Bai Huzi Pirates, Marco, the Captain of the First Division?"

"How did they arrive so quickly? How did they get the news?"

"Judging by the situation, it seems they come with hostile intent."

"If they truly intend to take action, we can do nothing, since the person is indeed in our custody."

"But are we just going to let them lord it over us like this?"

……

At this moment,

most of those qualified to stand here were guild masters; apart from the few negotiating with Makarov and the Council, the rest had rushed over upon hearing the news.

However, unlike the friendly relationship between Fairy Tail and Ace, the vast majority present viewed these beings from another world with hostility.

Most felt resistant; as the true masters of this world, they naturally held no goodwill toward these outsiders.

Furthermore, previous appearances by factions such as the Witch Cult, the Akatsuki, and the World Government had each caused massive disasters, making people naturally resentful toward these otherworldly visitors.

Although there were a few 'good ones' in between, such as Aizen helping them raid the Akatsuki, good people like Aizen were ultimately rare.

Moreover, based on their descriptions, these individuals might originally belong to their own world, only entering the Soul Society after becoming deceased.

Therefore, with such preconceived notions, people naturally disliked this newly arrived individual; furthermore, his forceful intrusion into the Magic Council itself constituted a provocation against the entire magical world.

"So noisy; isn't there anyone here who can make the decisions?"

The yellow-haired man, Marco, dug at his ear impatiently upon hearing these remarks.

As he spoke, a look of contempt spread across his face, as if the guilds before him were mere trash, completely disregarded.

In an instant, as his words fell, the faces of those guild masters who had previously maintained composure out of respect for Makarov, admiring Marco for diving into enemy territory to save someone, suddenly turned grim.

Admiration is one thing, but such an attitude is intolerable even for the most temperate person.

Seeing this, Makarov immediately became furious.

He had invested considerable effort and called in many favors precisely to persuade the Magic Council to release Ace.

Now, Marco's actions had instantly rendered all his efforts futile, and worse still, had left him indebted to many.

However, Marco paid no heed to any of this; he simply stepped forward and stated calmly.

"I am not here to negotiate with you, nor to cause a disturbance or provoke; my sole purpose is to retrieve my comrade."

"Therefore, I give you one chance: hand over Ace before our Oyaji learns of this matter."

Boom—!

As soon as he finished speaking, the barely subsided anger flared up again, causing Makarov to gasp in shock.

Good heavens, are all members of the Bai Huzi Pirates this domineering?

Previously, Ace dared to assault a council member at the Magic Council headquarters; now, Marco, deep in enemy territory, still dares to speak in such a manner.

At this moment, Makarov found himself at a loss for words.

On the contrary, he actually became somewhat interested in the 'Oyaji' Marco mentioned.

Just as the crowd grew enraged by Marco's behavior, a figure stepped forward to interrupt their accusations.

"So you are the so-called crew member of the Bai Huzi Pirates?"

Looking at the man before him, Hyberion stepped forward and slowly spoke.

As Hyberion approached, the surrounding guards and mages promptly made way, clearing a path through the center.

With Hyberion's appearance, all eyes turned toward him; the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar were not easily seen.

This was especially true for Hyberion, who ranked second among them.

Although he merely walked forward without releasing any magical power, the guild masters present could already feel the pressure emanating from Hyberion.

Despite this, Marco remained completely calm.

"Are you the one in charge?"