Black Clover: The Son of Fire Dragon Igneel

On the deck, Drake lay in a lounge chair, a parasol shading him from the scorching sun.

Beside him, a one-eyed middle-aged man nervously wrung his hands, showering Drake with fawning looks.

Drake couldn't help but be impressed by the power of fear.

Despite never having seen Galuna Island's curse, or encountered any victims, these fishermen were adamantly refusing to go near the island.

Drake had no choice but to fly there himself. However, halfway there, he discovered that even with the sun as a reference point, it was remarkably easy to lose one's bearings out at sea.

The reason for Drake's current situation was that, while he hadn't located Galuna Island, he had found a pirate ship instead.

Drake wouldn't be as lenient with these pirates! Even if they were unwilling to go to Galuna Island, they had absolutely no grounds to refuse.

The one-eyed pirate said, "Your Honors, as requested, we're about to reach Galuna Island!"

Drake opened his eyes slightly and glanced at them.

"Considering your cooperation, I'll let you off this time! But you should really find some honest work."

Sensing their ki, Drake found that these pirates weren't particularly malicious; they were at most the equivalent of street punks.

Perhaps they were recently turned pirates, or perhaps they were simply a bunch of complete idiots who hadn't actually done anything that real pirates would do.

This was why Drake had only threatened them, choosing not to resort to violence.

Drake rose from his lounge chair; the outline of Galuna Island was now visible on the horizon.

Fire Dragon Wings unfurled behind him; Drake addressed Gray.

"We're a day behind Natsu; I'm worried something might go wrong, so I'll go to the client first. You can head over after the ship docks."

The original plot involved Gray and Natsu arriving on the island together, subsequently discovering Gray's senior, Lyon, attempting to use a Moon Drip magic ritual to release Deliora, the demon from Zeref's book.

Due to Gray's actions, the first battle didn't occur until the second night after they landed.

But this time… Natsu, that guy, would never wait a whole day to act.

And Drake, having gotten lost, was at least half a day behind Natsu in arriving at the island.

Therefore, Drake was quite concerned that something unexpected might happen.

Drake wasn't worried about Lyon's group; Natsu's strength was more than sufficient to deal with them. The problem was Ultear, who was with Lyon.

Ultear, meaning Ul's Tear. Ul was the master who taught Gray Ice Make magic and also the mage who used the forbidden magic "Iced Shell" to seal Deliora.

Ultear was Ul's biological daughter; she was born with immensely powerful magic.

This is precisely why the research institute deceived Ul, detaining her as a test subject.

This also led to a misunderstanding between mother and daughter, causing Ultear, fueled by resentment towards her mother, to join a Dark Guild.

Ultear possessed a Lost Magic similar to Dragon Slayer Magic—Arc of Time.

Even Drake, at his current level of strength, would have to approach time magic with caution; moreover, Ultear also possessed Ice Make magic skills that were no less impressive than those of Gray and Lyon.

Although Ultear wouldn't seriously engage Natsu to avoid revealing her identity, Drake was concerned that Natsu's persistent personality might cause trouble.

Drake could sense that most of the island was wild terrain, so he flew towards the area with the strongest magical presence.

As soon as Drake approached the village, he spotted an unusual creature in the air above it.

It was a giant rat, nearly ten meters long, wearing a lacy dress.

Most surprisingly, the rat's tail stood upright, rotating in the air like a propeller, enabling this enormous rodent to fly effortlessly through the air.

The giant rat was also carrying a large bucket in its paws; just from the smell, Drake could guess that its contents were definitely not safe.

Drake also saw three people standing on the rat's back; these three were likely Lyon's accomplices.

Their presence here indicated that things were only just beginning; the worst-case scenario Drake had envisioned hadn't yet materialized.

However, seeing the giant rat about to pour the contents of the bucket, Drake couldn't stand by idly.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Just as the viscous blue-purple liquid began to fall, a pillar of fire shot out, instantly engulfing it completely.

The three people on the rat's back turned to look at Drake, all displaying displeased expressions.

But Drake's expression was even grimmer, so dark and intense that it was frightening.

"I don't care what you're planning on this island, but involving innocent villagers is utterly unacceptable!"

The three were startled by Drake's expression, but they quickly recovered their composure.

The man with exceptionally thick eyebrows said, "A newcomer we haven't seen before; are you reinforcements from the Fire Dragon? This is just troublesome!"

The girl among the three spoke up, "Sub-Zero's orders are to eliminate anyone who stands in his way. If we don't hurry, we'll lose Sub-Zero's love!"

Another man, with the face of a feline, said, "It's just one more person; five more minutes should be enough, right?"

The girl pointed at Drake. "Angelica, take him down!"

Angelica was the name of the giant rat she was riding; the girl was Sherry, a former mage from Lamia Scale; her magic was puppet magic, allowing her to control any non-human object.

The giant rat roared, turning to charge at Drake.

Drake remained motionless, simply raising his head to look into Angelica's eyes.

The giant rat's charging motion froze; it had seen a pair of eyes that had transformed into vertical pupils, and it had also seen the roaring shadow of a giant dragon behind Drake.

Animals possess a far keener sense of danger than humans, especially when the difference in life forms is significant.

The terror of facing a creature at the very top of the food chain caused Angelica's heart to momentarily stop.

This brief moment of hesitation was a critical mistake; the rat froze completely, its rotating tail coming to a halt.

Unlike Happy, whose wings were merely a manifestation of flight magic, not actual wings for flight, once its tail stopped, it plummeted straight down.

Drake had initially intended to send them flying with a single attack, but seeing them screaming as they fell, he lost his motivation to pursue them.

Drake turned and flew towards the village; before he even landed, he spotted Natsu and Lucy attempting to sneak away.

Actually, Natsu had noticed the three when they approached; seeing the fire pillar that had neutralized the threat, he naturally guessed that Drake had arrived.

Feeling guilty, they naturally tried to escape, but just as Natsu and Lucy turned to find a place to hide, their shoulders were firmly seized.

"Hey! Just where do you two think you're going?!"

Cold sweat poured down Natsu and Lucy's faces; they trembled as they turned to face Drake.

Natsu, forcing a smile, waved his hand.

"Hey, Drake! What a coincidence!"

Drake landed a punch that created a large bump on Natsu's head, angrily shouting, "Coincidence?! I came here specifically for you."

Lucy had also intended to speak, but seeing Drake's furious expression, she immediately shut her mouth.

Taking a couple of steps back, Lucy began to delude herself, praying that Drake wouldn't notice her.

Happy went even further; he hid directly behind Drake. "Drake, they forced me to do it!"

Lucy couldn't help but retort, "Traitor!"

Drake sighed. "I'm completely done with you two!

The punishment for your unauthorized S-class mission will be decided by the Master later; for now, tell me exactly what's going on here!"

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