"Don't take your eyes off of him. There's no way that was enough to beat him." Emma said, pointing towards where Metalbeard landed.
There was a thick smoke covering the area which made it impossible to see through. Emma quickly prepared another spell and aimed it towards the smoke in case Metalbeard tried anything.
"Wait… what if I?" I sat down on the ground and closed my eyes.
The area around me was completely dark except for two glowing spots. One was where Emma was standing while the other was where Metalbeard was.
"What's he doing?" I asked myself.
The small bright light suddenly shot upwards catching me completely off guard. I opened my eyes and looked up just in time to see Metalbeard flying towards both me and Emma.
"Play time's over!" Metalbeard shouted.
A giant pillar shot out from the ground to intercept him but as if it were nothing, Metalbeard cut right through it.
Without any hesitation, I ran in front of Emma and took a defensive position as a way to protect her.
"You're both finished!" Metalbeard shouted.
"Bring it on!" I shouted back, closing my eyes and bracing myself.
Right when Metalbeard should've hit me, I heard a loud clanging sound. Almost as if some weapon managed to fend off against the oncoming attack.
"Looks like I made it in time."
I slowly opened my eyes and saw a man with bright blonde hair standing in front of me. In his hand he carried a bright blue trident. Looking past the man, I could see Metalbeard standing in the distance.
"To think a couple of kids could find Metalbeard's hideout. Good job you two… or should I say three?" The man turned around and looked back at where the entrance was.
I turned my head and saw the merchant from earlier who allowed us to sneak in. He glared at me for a moment before turning away and walking out the room.
"Who are you?" Emma asked.
"Aoi. The guild leader of Floor Twenty."