"Whoosh..."
Gusts of wind whipped across the shore as El, wings black as night, swooped down like a fallen angel from legend, moving at incredible speed. He quickly arrived at the island's coast, where Carmel was making her deal with the World Government. El had already scouted this remote island near Elbaf.
"El, stop them quickly!" Carmel rushed forward, gripping El's clothes with feigned desperation. "They're human traffickers! We've been deceived, and the children have been captured by them!"
The children locked in cages looked on in shock. Had Sister Carmel been tricked? Nevertheless, they saw El as their savior, and their cries for help echoed through the air.
"El, boss, save us!"
"These bad people locked us up!"
The children knew all too well how strong El was. Even adult giant warriors couldn't match his strength. He could lift them effortlessly and toss them into the air like ragdolls. They were sure he could defeat the villains who had captured them.
"Gray hair, black wings, flames at the back of his head…"
"It really is the legendary Lunarian! It's the first time I've seen one."
"He doesn't look like the rumors—his skin isn't brown…"
"Is it because he's a giant hybrid?"
"This is the cursed race the World Government has placed a bounty on!"
"We can't let him escape!"
Meanwhile, the CP agents had drawn their guns and cannons, aiming them at El. Their eyes were filled with caution and hostility.
"We've got quite the dangerous one here," the CP0 officer in charge remarked coldly, ignoring Carmel's charade. He fixed his gaze on El and said, "The World Government received intelligence about a Lunarian hiding in Elbaf, but because it's the land of the giants, we couldn't arrest you. I didn't expect you to come to us willingly."
To the CP0 agent, El was clearly formidable, but they were CP0—far more powerful than ordinary CP agents. As long as they could prevent him from flying away, capturing him wasn't impossible.
"Oh, is that so?" El chuckled lightly, ignoring the CP0 agents.
He looked down at Carmel, her face full of fake urgency, and smiled. "Sister, I've been meaning to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."
Even now, Carmel was putting on an act, fearing that if CP0 failed to capture him, he'd return to Elbaf, potentially exposing her secret life as a human trafficker. It was understandable—Carmel had played the role of "Holy Mother" for years, fooling countless people.
"What...?" Carmel faltered, surprised. The next moment, El, his enormous hand like that of a small giant, grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air.
"El, what are you doing?" Carmel's face twisted in pain as El's grip tightened, and she struggled desperately.
"That's enough acting..." El's face remained indifferent, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think I didn't know you sold these children to the World Government, Mountain Witch?"
"What!?" Carmel's face turned pale, while the CP0 agents stood in stunned silence. They hadn't expected that Carmel's true identity had already been exposed.
She thrashed wildly, denying his words. "What are you talking about? Let me go…"
"You thought you could sell me and Linlin to the World Government, then retire in peace?" El sneered, his eyes cold. "Sorry, but hell is your real retirement plan!"
"You... you knew!?" Carmel's expression contorted as she realized her cover was blown. No longer bothering to pretend, she screamed at the CP0 agents. "What are you waiting for? Save me!"
Crack—
Before the CP0 agents could react, El's grip tightened mercilessly. "Ahh!" Carmel's scream was cut short as her bones shattered. She didn't even have time to activate her Soul-Soul Fruit powers before her body was crushed into a bloody pulp.
Her head lolled to the side, eyes wide in disbelief as she died. Blood spilled onto the ground in a gruesome display, sending shivers down the spines of everyone watching.
"Sister—"
"El, he... killed Sister Carmel?"
The children in the cages were stunned, their eyes wide with terror. None of them had expected that the normally kind El would so brutally kill Sister Carmel. They turned pale with fear and began crying uncontrollably.
"Carmel—" The CP0 officer leading the operation was shocked and furious. He hadn't expected El to act so decisively. Before he could intervene, Carmel was dead. They still hadn't drawn the other "monster" out, and now they had lost a valuable asset.
Without hesitation, the CP0 officer charged forward, shouting, "Shave!"
"Finger Gun: Oren! (Yellow Lotus)"
In an instant, the CP0 officer was in front of El. His index finger turned pitch black, coated in Armament Haki, and he struck with rapid, bullet-like jabs aimed at El's body.
"What!?"
But to his horror, El's body was as hard as steel. No matter how many times he struck with his Haki-infused attacks, he couldn't pierce El's skin. He was starting to understand just how terrifying El's invulnerability truly was. El stood there, completely defenseless, yet his body couldn't be harmed.
"Are you scratching an itch?" El asked coldly. Without even moving, he brought his foot down hard.
Boom—
The ground trembled and collapsed beneath him, causing many of the CP agents to lose their footing and crash to the ground, bleeding from their injuries.
Swish... swish...
Green sprouts erupted from the earth, transforming into massive vines that whipped through the air like spears, aiming to impale the CP0 officer.
The CP0 officer's face twisted in shock as he retreated. "Iron Body: Go! (Strength)" At the same moment, two other CP0 agents sprang into action, charging at El with their bodies hardened like steel through their Iron Body technique, throwing powerful punches toward him.
"You're courting death!" El's expression remained cold, his eyes flashing with a blood-red gleam. Thanks to his extraordinary Observation Haki, he had already predicted their movements. Clenching his fists, he swung them with devastating force.
Boom!!
Boom!!
In an instant, both agents were sent flying like cannonballs, their bodies crashing violently into a hillside in the distance.
Boom... Boom...
"What!?"