"This town is called 'Funny Town,' and it used to be the birthplace of the Twin Horse Kingdom musical."
After clearing away the remains and taking away the dead comrades, Locke led Kuro and the others into the town.
The town wasn't exactly bustling; although it had a large population, the streets seemed too big, making it appear somewhat empty compared to the number of people in the town.
Kuro noticed that there were many closed theaters around the town, but they seemed to have been closed for a long time. Some places were covered with cobwebs, and the doors were dilapidated.
“This is also Goro’s hometown.” Locke stared at a large square in front of the street and said with some reminiscence, “Two years ago, this place was very lively.”
"So, you still haven't told me what exactly Goro is," Kuro asked.
"Goro... is a person."
Locke's voice deepened: "A musical actor."
"This town used to be very lively, with many opera dancers and crowds of people. Even the war didn't diminish our love for opera. It's our tradition, even His Highness the Prince..."
Locke lowered his head and said dejectedly, "Perhaps His Highness loves musicals too much, so he summoned all the musical actors. Except with His Highness's permission, there are no longer any Kabuki actors in the common people. But Goro, Goro is different."
"His skill level is not appreciated by His Highness, but he loves performing. Even though we are forbidden, Goro still defies the ban and performs for us, even though his performance is terrible."
As he spoke, Locke chuckled twice, as if recalling something happy.
Then, he shook his head, as if to clear his mind, and continued speaking:
“A year ago, His Highness the Prince discovered Goro’s existence and executed him here, right here in this square.”
He pointed to an inverted cross in the center of the square, where there were some black marks that looked like dried blood.
"Goro was probably resentful, so he became a vengeful spirit and possessed the monster. On the day he died, I heard the beast's roar, and then the nightmare began."
"Since then, wild animals have frequently come to the town to attack people, especially recently. This is not the first time we have been attacked by wild animals, but it was better before. The ferocious beasts would return to normal and leave after a while."
"This is the first time we've encountered such a ferocious beast. Many people have died, probably because it's the anniversary of Goro's death. Captain, if it weren't for you, we would probably all have become targets of Goro's vengeful spirit."
"but..."
Locke walked forward to the center of the square, where a black cloth covered the back of the inverted cross.
He pulled back the black cloth, revealing a human-shaped statue.
It was a comical figure with the white, painted makeup typical of Noh plays. He wore a strange, lewd laugh, carried a naginata in one hand, and had his other hand with fingers spread wide. He had one leg bent, striking a classic Noh pose.
Kuro has seen this pose before; it's just like CP9's lewd behavior.
“Mr. Kuro…”
Upon seeing the statue, Kro's pupils contracted, and he stepped forward and whispered, "The guardian ape I encountered was also using this pose."
"oh?"
Kuro glanced at the statue again. "Is it that scary? A vengeful spirit? Could it be some kind of Devil Fruit?"
"So, Navy Captain..."
Locke took a deep breath and said, "Although this matter is somewhat inappropriate, Navy Captain, please listen to our request. If you encounter Goro's vengeful spirit, and if you can capture it, please bring it to us. If you really can't capture it, could you please tell it that we have wronged it?"
"Please!" He bowed deeply to Kuro.
Please!!!
The other people who followed looked at each other and then bowed in unison at a 90-degree angle.
Watching these people bow, Kuro silently exhaled a puff of smoke. "Kuro, what's the location?"
"It's moving."
Kuro sniffed, pointed forward, and moved the finger in all directions until he finally pointed to a spot. "They're heading in this direction... Galloping Horse City! Mr. Kuro, the Guardian Ape is heading towards Galloping Horse City!"
Kuro paused for a moment, then said, "Kuro, analyze it."
"yes."
Kro pushed up his glasses. "It fought me before and seemed very human. If it was transformed from Goro, then it should be human. If it really has the body of an animal and the heart of a human, then it would be familiar with animals. Perhaps it guessed that I, as a werewolf, have a keen sense of smell, since I licked its blood before."
"They deliberately used blood to lure people, causing the strongest military force in Benma City to split its forces. Regardless of whether we came or not, the goal was to reduce Benma City's strength. Combined with what we know now, their target must be Benma City. They want to take revenge on Old K!"
"Pretty smart." Kuro chewed on his cigar and looked in the direction of Galloping Horse City. "Knowing the destination is enough. You made me go in circles. Now you can't escape at all."
"Kuro, are you going to help that old K?"
Lida asked, "That guy obviously summoned all the Kabuki actors to his city. How selfish of him to not allow others to watch the Kabuki performances."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter."
Kuro walked forward, ignoring the people bowing. He looked at the area at the town entrance, where bloodstains remained despite the cleanup.
"It's too cowardly to take revenge on innocent people and vent your anger on them."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
