"A very special material. Really hard."
Law frowned. He hadn't expected his ability to fail.
This usually only meant two possibilities:
Either the other side had extremely powerful Busoshoku Haki covering their body, or their physical construction contained Kairoseki or other special substances that could counter Devil Fruit users.
Clearly, Law's ability development had not yet reached the level where he could cut anything.
He recalled some not-so-pleasant memories.
Like a certain guy covered entirely in Busoshoku Haki.
"Strong attacks, but no effect."
By then, the dust had cleared. Hawkins walked out unharmed. A scarecrow on his arm slowly turned to ash.
Meanwhile, somewhere on the Sabaody Archipelago, an ordinary man was smoking all over, looking like he had been hit by a laser.
Hawkins still had that Furui expression. He said flatly, "Be careful. His attacks are lasers. Very fast."
THUD!
Urouge had found an opening. A full-powered blow landed solidly.
The immense power made the Pacifista's head turn. Its entire massive body uncontrollably tilted to the side. A noticeable spark and smoke came from the spot on its face where it had been hit.
At that moment, just before the fallen Pacifista's body was about to completely touch the ground, it actually stood up again. Its body material is nothing like normal human.
Ignoring the damage to its head, it swung its hand back with a whistling wind, slapping at Law, who was closest to it.
Law: "??"
Meanwhile, on the Thousand Sunny, anchored at the port—
Merry, through her connection to the ship, had already passed the information about the Pacifistas to Sanji and the others on board.
Along with the orders from Captain Luffy.
Pacifistas?
Mass-produced human weapons?
Hearing this news, Franky was not afraid at all. On the contrary, his eyes lit up. He struck his signature pose with super excitement.
"SUPER! Who made these? I must meet this scientist!"
"This is not the time to be excited, Franky!" Usopp's legs were trembling. "We need to hold out until Luffy and the others get back!"
SWISH!
The Pacifista on the deck wasn't going to give them time to chat. It raised both arms, aimed its palms at Sanji and Brook, and instantly fired off deadly lasers!
"Yohohoho! What a fiery welcome!"
Brook drew his cane sword and nimbly jumped and dodged.
Just as Franky was about to move, he saw this Pacifista suddenly open its mouth, gathering an even thicker energy beam inside.
Not good!
"Franky!" Sanji shouted.
BOOM!
A thick laser cannon fired directly from the Pacifista's mouth, instantly engulfing Franky's position, causing a violent explosion.
"Franky!"
Usopp and Brook shouted simultaneously.
As the smoke cleared, Franky stood up, his whole body smoking, a pained expression on his face. "Damn guy. His cannon is a laser!"
He really wanted that ability too!
But then he got excited again. "I'll definitely invent one!"
For now, he would use something less advanced.
Weapon Left: Coupe de Vent!
The thin tube-like structures on his hands released powerful air cannonballs, blasting toward the Pacifista!
BOOM!
The two attacks collided in mid-air, causing a small explosion.
However, the Pacifista's firepower was clearly superior. Its mouth kept opening and closing, firing one laser cannon after another like a barrage at Franky, forcing him to run for cover, dodging on the deck.
"Hey, hey, hey. That's too unfair. Why is his attack unlimited?"
Franky only had one Coup de Vent!
Wasn't that just bullying?
Not only could it fire repeatedly from its mouth, the Pacifista's hands were also constantly moving, firing lasers to block Sanji's and Brook's paths.
Diable Jambe!
Sanji's feet spun rapidly, friction turning them red.
Having advance knowledge of Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki, plus day-and-night training, Sanji's Kenbunshoku had also awakened.
Using his excellent sight and speed, he wove through the dense laser network, constantly closing in on the Pacifista.
Diable Jambe: Yaki Nabe Spectacle!
Seizing a gap, Sanji moved like lightning, instantly appearing behind the Pacifista. A powerful back kick in its side.
After the attack, a mark like A barbecue brand was left on the Pacifista's hard body.
THUD!
The heavy blow made the Pacifista's body visibly pause. But it seemed completely unaffected. Simultaneously, it turned its palm toward the now-imminent Sanji. Its palm shone brightly.
"Damn!"
Sanji's pupils contracted. At this close range, it was almost impossible to completely dodge.
SWISH!
The laser fired. Though Sanji desperately dodged, his left shoulder was instantly pierced by the beam.
He let out a grunt and retreated explosively, landing in the distance, clutching his bleeding shoulder, clicking his tongue with a grimace.
As for Usopp—
He had been using all kinds of strange plants and special projectiles for long-range harassment.
But whether it was Firebird Star, Sticky Grass, or Impact Dial, hitting the Pacifista was like scratching an itch. He couldn't break through its defenses. all.
"Damn it. I'll have to try this!"
Usopp gritted his teeth, a look of determination appearing on his face.
He was also a brave sea warrior!
He couldn't always hide in the back!
Taking advantage of the moment when the Pacifista's attention was drawn by Sanji and Franky, Usopp gathered his courage, charged forward, and pulled a giant shell from his tool bag.
The Reject Dial he had obtained from Skypiea!
"Take this – Reject Dial!!"
Using all his strength, Usopp slammed the Reject Dial hard against the Pacifista's chest.
THUD!
A dull, heavy impact. The powerful impact made even Usopp's own arm go numb. He was knocked backward by the reaction force, rolling on the ground.
But the Pacifista just swayed slightly. The metal plate on its chest was slightly dented.
Its defense power was nothing short of abnormal.
And this attack completely attracted the Pacifista's attention.
Its cold scanning lenses locked onto Usopp. The palm laser began condensing again.
Usopp looked at the growing light, terrified out of his wits. He wanted to run, but his legs were weak. There was no time!
"Usopp!"
Sanji and the others' eyes were about to burst, but they were too far away to help.
At this critical moment—
"If you were to travel, where would you like to go?"
Hearing this sudden, unfamiliar voice, Usopp, whose consciousness was blurred by fear, instinctively looked up.
He saw a huge figure.
Paw blast.
The next moment, under everyone's astonished gazes, Usopp's figure vanished from the spot.
This sudden figure looked exactly like the Pacifista.
Sanji, Franky, and Brook all widened their eyes.
Was this the real Bartholomew Kuma?!
"What did you do to Usopp, you bastard!"
Filled with rage, Sanji's Diable Jambe ignited again. He leaped up and kicked hard at Kuma's arm!
But his foot seemed to hit an invisible barrier, producing a dull thud. The huge rebound force sent him flying back, stumbling several steps before stopping.
"What is your ability, anyway?"
Kuma slowly turned to Sanji. His eyes, hidden in the shadows, seemed to have no focus. "'Black Leg' Sanji. Where do you want to go?"
"Give Usopp back first!"
Sanji kept moving, again trying to close in. "It'll be hard for me to explain things to our idiot captain otherwise!"
Kuma was silent for a moment, as if processing some information. Then he said slowly, "But you're running out of time. And I'm running out of time."
"What do you mean?"
Just as Sanji's mind formed this question—
Kuma's figure appeared before him like a ghost, without warning. His huge palm, still wearing a black glove, gently pressed against Sanji's chest.
"Farewell, 'Black Leg' Sanji."
A light flashed. Sanji's figure, like Usopp's, instantly vanished from the spot, leaving no trace.
"Sanji-san!"
Brook exclaimed, thrusting his cane sword, but it hit nothing.
Franky roared as he charged. "You bastard! Give back our crewmates! SUPER Franky Iron Fist!"
Kuma did not dodge. He let Franky's iron fist hit his body, producing a dull thud. He didn't move at all.
Then, he raised his hand again.
"Three-Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash!"
Brook dashed in at high speed, his sword tip aimed at Kuma's back.
But Kuma seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His other hand casually swatted backward.
Two consecutive flashes of light. Brook and Franky also disappeared from the deck.
In an instant, on the Thousand Sunny, only the Pacifista that had first boarded remained.
That Pacifista, apparently confused by the appearance of the genuine article, stood frozen in place, its scanning lenses flickering, unsure how to react.
Kuma slowly looked up. "Continue the mission. Exterminate the other pirates."
His authority on the Sabaody Archipelago was the highest.
Even if Kizaru returned.
Even if... other Admirals came.
Receiving the clear instruction, the Pacifista's red light stabilized. It ignored the now-empty Thousand Sunny, turned its huge body, and walked with heavy steps toward other areas of the island where pirates had been detected.
And Kuma's figure, after sending off four members of the Straw Hat crew, disappeared again.
Almost simultaneously—
On the other side, Zoro, Nami, Bonney, and Merry were still facing off against Sentomaru and a Pacifista.
Zoro had already exchanged several rounds with the Pacifista. Though his slashes could leave deep sword marks on its hard body, even sparking, he could not inflict fatal damage.
These things were too hard.
To break the defense, he would need to enter that state.
Using Busoshoku Haki—the state he had used back in Alabasta when he cut down one of Crocodile's intelligence officers.
But Sentomaru was just watching Zoro and the Pacifista fight. He hadn't joined in yet.
Watching Nami supporting the emotional meltdown Bonney, and Merry guarding them warily, Sentomaru's stocky face showed a flicker of extremely complex emotions.
Their friendship still existed.
But—
"Bonney! Since you chose to become a pirate and even hang around with such a vicious criminal like Straw Hat, don't blame this old man for forgetting our past friendship! Today, in the name of justice, this old man will arrest you!"
Yet even as he said these righteous words, his gaze kept shifting, unable to look directly into Bonney's eyes.
Perhaps, in some corner of his heart, he also knew that what had happened to Kuma could not be easily summed up by the word "voluntary."
Facing the daughter of an old friend, carrying out this "justice" inevitably made him feel somewhat guilty.
"Zoro! I leave this to you!"
Nami made the decisive call. She could see that Sentomaru's attention was mainly on Bonney.
If not now, when?
She used one arm to support the nearly limp Bonney, grabbed Merry with the other, turned, and ran.
"Yeah. Go."
Zoro, biting Wado Ichimonji tightly, gave a muffled response. The blades of his three swords pointed at Sentomaru and the waiting Pacifista.
"You think you can just run away? Are you ignoring this old man?"
Sentomaru moved as if to give chase.
"Your opponent is me!"
Zoro's figure flashed, instantly blocking Sentomaru's path. Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui brought Sentomaru's sword light, blocking his advance.
Sentomaru was forced to stop. He glared at Zoro. "You're going to block this old man?!"
Even as he shouted, his gaze unconsciously flicked toward the direction Nami and the others had fled, then quickly returned.
Then, as if to cover something, he quickly issued an order to the Pacifista standing by:
"PX-3! This old man will handle this! You go support PX-1 and PX-2! Prioritize and destroy the other pirates with bounties over 100 million!"
The Pacifista's eyes flashed red. Receiving the instruction, it immediately turned and walked toward the area where the other Supernovas were.
Zoro watched this and laughed. "What's this? Personal bias? Deliberately letting them go?"
"Nonsense! This old man is the world's tightest-lipped and most impartial man!"
Sentomaru, as if his tail had been stepped on, flushed red and shouted back with a stiff neck. "Having PX-3 go support is to improve eradication efficiency! This old man alone is more than enough for the remnants of the Straw Hat crew!"
"Is that so?"
Zoro said no more. Fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. "Then let me see how much weight you, this so-called impartial man, have!"
Almost as soon as the fighting began, Luffy and Rayleigh had already sensed it.
"These guys don't care about the Celestial Dragons at all?"
Luffy hadn't expected things to develop this way.
"Then let's just kill these useless ones."
Nika, who had stayed behind, stared at the Celestial Dragons with a sick smile.
Just as Luffy turned his head—even Rayleigh hadn't reacted—
"Not so fast."
A strange voice sounded beside Luffy.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Luffy's pupils shrank. Before he could even see the person, a yellow flash appeared in his eyes.
***
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