"These maniacs!"
"Damn it, what kind of bullets are these—"
"Cover me, cover me…"
The weapons used by the Straw Hat crew were high-tech gear that Franky had brought from Vegapunk's lab. As they say, "If it's Vegapunk's creation, it's bound to be top-notch." These were in a league far above the typical weak bullets and noise-making cannons found across the seas.
"Hahaha~~"
Even Luffy and Zoro were enthusiastically wielding machine guns and rocket launchers at close range, practically transformed into sword saints from another world, only missing a line like: "This is way better than a katana!"
Rat-a-tat-tat!!!
"You damn—"
As the Golden Lion raged, Roman had already grabbed Nami and leaped away, vanishing into the "air," leaving the Golden Lion completely in the dark. He nearly lost it and unleashed a full-powered "Lion's Roar: Ground Roll" that could have wiped out everyone present in one go.
"East Blue kids dare to humiliate me? How bold!"
"Master, you should leave first!"
At the critical moment, his subordinates quickly stepped in to persuade him.
"Leave these enemies to us."
"Hmph!"
The subordinates feared the Golden Lion's attacks might hit them too, and the Golden Lion himself knew his abilities often caused collateral damage. Though he considered them mere cannon fodder, they could still deplete the enemy's ammo.
"I leave it to you!"
The towering Golden Lion swept his cloak and walked away. Meanwhile, back at the Straw Hat crew's position, a sudden "door" opened in the air as Roman and Nami stepped out.
"Nami~~!"
"Welcome back!"
"Good, now—"
With a swish, Luffy casually tossed his black captain's coat aside, leaping off in the direction where the Golden Lion had retreated, now in his suit and tie. Roman frowned—if Nami found out that a suit worth millions of Berries was treated like this, Luffy might have to showcase his head's durability right then and there.
Well, now wasn't the time to focus on that.
Whoosh~~~
Sheets of white paper swirled out from Roman's body, transforming into puppets wielding swords, shields, and crossbows. They fearlessly charged in all directions, immediately forcing the Golden Lion's men flooding the hall to retreat in disarray.
"Wind and snow, come to me—"
Freed from the Golden Lion's restraint, Nami revealed her power as a storm mage. With a wave of her hand, a frigid wind howled into the battlefield.
"Blizzard!"
Crack, crack, crack!!!
Layers of frost and ice coated the battlefield, turning it into a frozen hell. The biting cold spread everywhere, quickly draining the heat from weapons and freezing the pirates' fingers to their blades, leaving them unable to fight.
Of course, Roman's paper puppets were unaffected by the low temperatures. As for the rest of the Straw Hat crew:
"Achoo!"
Roman's gaze shifted to Usopp, who instantly straightened up.
"Hahaha, not cold at all! So warm~~~"
"Yohoho, I'm all goosebumps—though I don't have skin…"
Chopper, accustomed to winter islands, was fine. Franky, being a cyborg, didn't mind. Brook, with only his skeleton left, was naturally unaffected.
"Robin, come stand by me."
As Nami conjured a few flames to circle around her, poor Usopp was left shivering. He moved closer to Nami and Robin under the guise of "sharing the fire."
"Zoro, Sanji!"
With a shout, Roman ran after Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji close behind. The remaining captains, gorilla, and clown officers were left to the others.
—
"It's starting."
In the dark, snowy battlefield, several figures appeared near the chaotic castle.
"Stick to the plan."
"Understood!" x6
The white silhouettes disappeared into the shadows, scattering in all directions. Rob Lucci, draped in a white coat with a white pigeon perched on his shoulder, strolled toward the battle. His gaze shifted to the scene behind the castle:
A towering golden figure floated in the air, pursued by several familiar faces.
Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, and—
Roman!
Standing in the snow and watching two opposing groups confront each other, the former ace of CP9 and now a CP0 agent muttered to himself:
"Wouldn't it be easier to just call in experts from the Marines to deal with the Golden Lion directly?"
"Why risk your life like this?"
Was it out of the pirate code of 'loyalty to your crew,' sheer youthful pride, or perhaps—
"Using a legendary pirate as a stepping stone?"
Truly, what an ambitious 'boss.'
*Whoosh—*
In a flash, Rob Lucci appeared in the midst of a hurried group of pirates.
"Huh?"
"Who are you!"
"Get lost—"
Before the pirates could react, Lucci popped a golden pill into his mouth. He silently felt the enhanced Zoan abilities and the surge of strength coursing through him.
"Arm Strength Enhancement—Flying Shigan!"
*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*
With a swift movement of his hands, Lucci pointed his forefingers around him. The sound of flesh being pierced rang out as invisible 'air bullets' struck the pirates. A large group of them was sent flying backward, their bodies riddled with fatal wounds. It was clear they wouldn't survive.
"Not bad, about 60% stronger than a regular Shigan," Lucci noted calmly.
That racoon sure was capable. If power like this fell into the wrong hands...
Snapping out of his habitual overthinking, Lucci dismissed the 'ridiculous' idea. His superior was a Celestial Dragon, representing the World Government and 'justice.' Evil...
"I just hope this time I'll have a decent boss," Lucci murmured.
As a government agent, this was his only 'luxury.'
"So far,"
Eliminating pirates, rescuing civilians, and the newspapers praising their leader as a 'commercial genius of the past 800 years' and a 'trailblazer in cross-sea transport'...
"It seems okay."
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Turning to face the sound of approaching footsteps, Lucci saw waves of pirates charging toward him, led by their officers. These were the underlings of fifty pirate crews—thousands of them, stretching endlessly into the distance.
"Who are you? Get out of the way!"
"Damn it, our captain is still inside—"
"This guy isn't one of us..."
"Kill him!"
As the pirates surged forward, Lucci, standing at the main gate, raised an eyebrow and revealed a bloodthirsty grin.
"This road is closed."
Of course, the pirates didn't care what this man in a white suit and mask had to say. Neither did Lucci waste time talking to them.
*Leg Strength Enhancement—*
"Rankyaku!"
With a sharp horizontal kick, a massive crescent-shaped slash swept across the battlefield! Like a crescent moon falling from the sky, it cut through the scene with chilling sharpness and a wave of merciless bloodshed.
*Slash!*
In an instant, the chaotic battlefield fell silent. The pirates at the front felt their strength drain away, cold seeping into their brains as the world tilted. While those further back were still confused—
*Crash!*
The pirates at the front collapsed forward, but their lower halves remained standing.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"A demon!!"
"What's happening?!"
"This isn't real... it can't be real..."
The once-bloodthirsty pirates screamed and stumbled backward like helpless children, terrified by the sight in front of them:
A field of severed bodies, cut cleanly in half. At a glance, there were at least...
"Approximately 600," Lucci stated calmly, giving a precise number. While it wasn't a significant blow to the thousands of pirates from fifty crews, it was enough to shake them.
"Hah, if you keep kicking like that, you'll wipe them all out on your own."
A towering 'werewolf' walked over, his path lined with the bodies of more pirates.
"Arm Strength Enhancement!"
As Jabra slightly crouched and gathered strength, his fingernails grew rapidly, resembling Soru blades! He then spread his arms wide and charged at the pirates with a roar.
"Tekkai!"
There was no need to attack or "fight" in the traditional sense—he simply dashed through the pirates with his arms open, and his sharp claws instantly created a blood-soaked path of death!
"Hahaha, in the name of 'justice,'"
"Die, pirates!"
The scum gathered here were planning to plunder and pillage the East Blue. There was no such thing as "accidentally hurting an innocent" among them.
"Jabra, why are you here?"
Facing Lucci's questioning, the wolfman grinned slyly.
"The others can handle the rest. This spot is closest to the main battlefield. If something goes wrong, we can respond immediately."
"It seems you have a good sense of the boss."
"Hehehe, I don't want to think about what's just or unjust." The wolfman, with a menacing expression, looked at the hesitant pirates. "All I know is that the boss made it possible for many ordinary people to enjoy dinner with their families in peace."
If the boss can stand in a better position, he can protect even more civilians...
"Of all people, I didn't expect you to agree with the boss first."
Hearing Lucci's comment, Gabrura flashed a wide grin.
"No, it was you."
?!
————
In the underground prison,
"We are with the government,"
The men, who had been forced to work as laborers on this island under the Golden Lion's control, stared in disbelief at Kaku's serious face. Even though his white suit and the corpses of the guards on the ground hinted at the truth, they were too scared to take a step forward.
It wasn't until the sounds of gunfire and shouting came from outside that they finally accepted the fact that someone had come to rescue them.
"Ughhh!"
"Why did it take so long?"
"We... we..."
"Alright, everyone, stay calm."
Kaku casually flicked the blood off his sword, quickly calming the group.
"Follow me. We've also sent people to rescue the women. Don't worry..."
Before he could finish, Kalifa arrived with a group of young women—these were villagers from the island, taken to serve as maids.
"Everyone, please stay calm and don't panic. We've also sent people to rescue the elderly and children who stayed in your villages. For now, we need you to cooperate with us so we can get out of here and reunite you with your families."
Under the dual pressure—or assurance—of their force and the government's authority, the villagers, whose arms bore feather-like markings, quietly followed orders. With the powerful "giraffe man" Kaku clearing the way, they proceeded cautiously.
"Master Bubble: Invisible Bubble!"
A massive Bubble shielded the villagers. Though a closer look might reveal faint distortions in the air, the enemy forces under the Golden Lion were too preoccupied with Kaku's deadly assault to notice.
'Boss, the villagers have been evacuated.'
'The pirate reinforcements have been held back—'
'We've retrieved the research records on IQ...'
...
"hahahaha! I don't care who you are—"
The Golden Lion, hovering in the air, seethed with rage as he looked at his burning base. Decades of effort were about to be destroyed. His killing intent boiled over.
"Anyone who dares ruin my plans will be torn to pieces!"
"Go ahead, if you think you can."
With the villagers safe and reinforcements intercepted, the battle in the main hall escalated. As Nami strengthened the blizzard, some of the pirate captains began sneaking away...
Now that there were no distractions, it was time to go all out!
"Everyone, attack!"
Defeat the Golden Lion—
----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu