Aeridar snapped back to reality and shrugged dismissively, a sneer playing on his lips.
"My apologies. I killed so many people in the Kingdom of Bivins; how was I supposed to know your students were among those nobodies?"
Despite his words, Aeridar sifted through his memories. He recalled the final assault on Griffinfort, a pair of twins, both wielding estocs, had tried to take him on. He had shattered their blades in a single exchange and snapped their necks without breaking a sweat.
After the cleanup, he had identified them as the Arno Brothers: the elder, Arno Balan, and the younger, Arno Knight. They had been rising stars in the bounty hunter world and former chief fencing instructors for the Aubrey Kingdom.
Aeridar hadn't expected those two pieces of trash to be the star pupils of the Flash Blade, Gergiel Haunger, nor did he expect the old man to come seeking vengeance. Karma works in mysterious ways, it seems.
"Ae... Aeridar-senpai!!!"
"I'm actually... actually seeing... the le-le-legendary man himself... I... I'm so..."
Bartolomeo stood there with a look of ecstatic worship, as if he were on a holy pilgrimage. He trembled with such intensity that he could barely keep his footing. Tears streamed down his face, and his body was so rigid with excitement that his speech dissolved into incoherent stutters.
"You bastard! I'll slaughter you!"
Aeridar's contempt pushed Haunger over the edge. With a roar of pure fury, the old man charged, his estoc aimed straight for Aeridar's heart.
"Fuffuffuffu! The old-timer's lost his cool!" Doflamingo laughed wickedly. Watching Haunger charge, he raised his hand, and a searing hot whip erupted from his palm, lashing out toward Haunger's head like a fiery arrow.
"Overheat!!!"
BOOM!
Startled, Haunger threw himself aside. The flaming whip struck the earth, carving three glowing fissures dozens of meters long into the ground.
"Doffy, it's me he's looking for," Aeridar noted calmly, narrowing his eyes.
"Fuffuffuffu! There are so many people here anyway, I might as well help you thin the herd!" Doflamingo glanced at the severely wounded Lao G. Seeing the deep sword gashes on the old man's body, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
Bartolomeo was screaming internally: DAMN IT!! You senile old fossil! How dare you lift a finger against that man!
"Captain, these fools are actually planning to surround and kill you. They're dreaming," Vito said, his voice low and raspy.
"Keke-keke! A bunch of idiots!" Hakuba, Cavendish's bloodthirsty persona, sneered with a twisted, malevolent grin.
Hearing Vito's report, Aeridar and Doflamingo looked toward Sabo's group with a hint of amusement.
"Captain, the gap in the defenses is the Underground Trade Port. Trafalgar Law and the others are trying to escape through there. Leave this place to you; we'll head down to plug the hole!" Dimitri stepped forward, his tone serious.
"The Underground Port!" Doflamingo's expression shifted. He had indeed overlooked that exit in the chaos.
"Heh... now that sounds interesting." Aeridar tilted his head. "Dimitri, you're in command. Get to it!"
Watching Dimitri and Aeridar confer, the faces of Sabo and the others grew grim.
Doflamingo glanced at his injured officers and waved them away. "Diamante, take Lao G and the others and get out of here. Leave this to Aeridar and me!"
"Understood!" Diamante nodded. He and Senor Pink immediately began helping the wounded away from the front lines.
The arrangements were made in plain sight. Sabo, his face pale, turned to his allies. "Anyone who wants to leave, head for the Underground Port now! Break through and get out, and take my brother with you! Those who stay will face Golden Ring Aeridar together!"
To be honest, the odds of surviving an encounter with the "Golden Ring" were slim. They had to secure an escape route first; otherwise, everyone would die here.
"Leave Luffy to me!" Calotte said. Having witnessed Aeridar's power firsthand, he had no desire for a direct confrontation.
"I'm counting on you!" Sabo nodded, relieved it was Calotte taking the lead.
Calotte scooped up the unconscious Luffy and retreated toward the port alongside the Evil Hypnotist Pubert and a large group of colosseum fighters. Aeridar and Doflamingo didn't move to stop them.
"Shishiilian!"
"Pedro!"
Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi barked simultaneously. "Take our people and go!"
"Duke!"
"Master Nekomamushi!"
Shishiilian, Pedro, and the warriors of the Musketeer Squad and the Guardians looked at their rulers in shock.
"Go!" Inuarashi growled, his eyes locked onto Aeridar as he signaled with his hand again.
This was a battle where survival was not guaranteed. If they won, excellent; if they lost, the seeds of the Mink Tribe had to survive. These were the strongest warriors of the Mokomo Dukedom; they could not all perish in this place.
"Dammit!"
"We're moving!"
Understanding the heavy resolve of their two kings, Shishilian, Pedro, and the other Mink warriors suppressed their grief and fled without looking back.
"You bastards!"
At that moment, Bartolomeo finally broke out of his paralysis. Wiping tears and snot from his face, he jumped forward and pointed a trembling finger at Sabo's group.
"This great man is a Warlord of the Sea, the Lord of the Neutral Zone, the great Lord Chris T. Aeridar! You dare raise your hands against the venerable Aeridar-sama? You bunch of suicidal fools! I'll teach you some manners!"
With that, Bartolomeo crossed his middle and index fingers. A square, transparent barrier manifested out of thin air in front of him.
"Barrier-Barrier... Crash!!!"
Bartolomeo roared as he thrust his right fist forward. The transparent square barrier shot forward at high speed, slamming into Haunger like a runaway train.
"This kid..."
Startled, Haunger thrust his estoc forward. The blade, hardened to a metallic black by Armament Haki, struck the barrier dead-center.
DONG—!
The impact sounded like a bell. The air vibrated violently, and a fierce shockwave exploded between them. The barrier was knocked back, but Haunger was also forced back several steps, leaving deep footprints in the cracked pavement.
The spectators were stunned. No one expected this newcomer to hold his own in a head-on clash with a master like Haunger. Even if he were relying on a Devil Fruit ability, it spoke volumes of his potential.
Aeridar watched Bartolomeo jump to his defense and couldn't help but feel a bit of wry amusement at having such a fanatic fan. Still, he smiled and said, "Oh? Bartolomeo. I know who you are."
"Ae-Ae-Aeridar-senpai..." Hearing his name, Bartolomeo looked like he'd been hit by a bolt of electricity. Tears began to spray from his eyes again, and his barrier flickered as his concentration wavered. "It... it is my honor! My dream has always been to join the Chris Pirates!"
"No... I'm overstepping! Your radiant light has blinded me! To make such a bold request upon our first meeting... please forgive my impulsiveness!"
Aeridar shook his head with a smile, looking at the young man with genuine appreciation. "Once this business is finished, consider yourself a combatant of the Chris Pirates."
Bartolomeo's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I... I... I was just invited... by Aeridar-senpai... to join?!"
His eyes turned blood-red, like a bull seeing a matador. He leaped into the air, pointing at Sabo and screaming like a maniac: "You damn bastards! Come on then! Let Bartolomeo wipe you all out as a joining gift for the great Captain Aeridar!"
Everyone's mouth twitched as they watched the raving Bartolomeo. Despite his madness, they knew they couldn't take him lightly. The "Absolute Defense" of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit was a nightmare to deal with. Aside from Aeridar himself, no one on that field was confident they could break through that defense.