"Hahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting!" Kachi wiped the spittle from his face, laughing instead of getting angry, though his laughter was filled with cold, murderous intent.
"Since your mouth is so disobedient, there's no use keeping it!"
"Stop! You beast!" The Lieutenant tried to stand up, but a surrounding pirate struck his injured back with a club. Blood spilled out, and he fell to the ground again.
Kachi raised the long saber in his hand high, aiming it at the little girl's mouth.
Just at this critical moment—
"Bang!"
A crimson stream of light accurately pierced Kachi's arm holding the saber!
Clang!
The long saber fell to the ground.
"Who?! Who did that!" Kachi looked around in shock and fury, trying to find the attacker's trace.
"Lord Kachi, your... your hand!" A pirate lackey pointed at his arm, warning him in terror as if he had seen something horrifying.
"My hand?"
Kachi looked down, and his pupils suddenly contracted—there was no blood gushing from the severed part of his arm. Instead, it was like burnt ashes, scattering wisps of scarlet dust.
Even more terrifyingly, this strange dissipation was rapidly spreading along his arm!
"My hand! No—!" He subconsciously let go, and the little girl he had been restraining fell to the ground.
Kachi tightly gripped the dissipating arm with his remaining hand, trying to stop the terrible process, but he could only watch helplessly as his flesh and blood, as if consumed by invisible flames, turned into drifting red mist, inch by inch, from his forearm to his elbow, and then to his shoulder.
"Ah! My hand! My arm!"
But his arm continued to dissipate, and the speed of dissipation increased, gradually spreading to his elbow and shoulder.
"Stop! Stop, I say!"
Kachi screamed desperately, but it was useless. He could only watch as his arm completely vanished and the process began to spread throughout his body.
Finally, under the terrified gaze of the surrounding pirates, the arrogant "Invisible Man" Kachi completely dissolved into drifting red particles of light, like a sand sculpture scattered by the wind, vanishing entirely into the air, leaving only his empty clothes scattered on the ground.
"L-Lord Kachi... vanished?"
"Impossible! He must have activated his Invisibility Ability!"
"B-But his clothes are still here..."
The pirates looked at each other, their terrified whispers filled with doubt and unease... Several nautical miles away, at the bow of the st. freya.
Charlotte Linlin slowly lowered the sniper rifle in her hand, which was wrapped in a crimson electric arc. A wisp of scarlet smoke drifted away from the muzzle.
"It seems the distress signal was real." She nodded slightly, her sharp gaze fixed on the smoke-filled port in the distance.
"There truly is a group of fools causing trouble on the island."
She turned her head and spoke to a dark green figure behind the sail:
"Boss Pi, push a little harder, we'll be there soon!"
"Understood, Dad!" Aranui responded cheerfully, and a brilliant blue light erupted from its single eye.
It took a deep breath—the airflow circulating around its body suddenly accelerated, turning into a powerful gust that poured onto the sails, instantly boosting the st. freya's speed!
..."What should we do next?"
"Quickly leave this place! Go find Captain Liji!"
The remaining pirates threw away their weapons in panic, fleeing the port like stray dogs, leaving behind only chaos.
Watching the pirates retreat in haste, the Bearded Lieutenant, who was slumped on the ground, finally sighed in relief, his strained nerves slightly relaxing.
Although he had no idea what that strange annihilation was all about, at least for now, he and the little girl were temporarily safe.
Just then—
"Thud!"
A heavy dull thud came from behind him, as if some colossal object had landed on the ground.
The Lieutenant turned his head with difficulty, his pupils suddenly contracting—a strangely styled Giant Ship had quietly docked sometime unknown, and standing before him were several figures of extraordinary aura, yet they caused his heart to pound wildly.
"Captain, should we follow the usual procedure?" asked a tall, blonde Female Giant holding a massive nodachi, her voice booming in the Lieutenant's ears.
"Of course." The Damselette leading them, Charlotte Linlin, with her pink hair fluttering and her posture tall, replied calmly.
"After all, they are also potential 'resources.' Naturally, the priority is ensuring our own safety. If we encounter danger, we don't need to worry about their lives."
As she spoke, Charlotte Linlin's Observation Haki spread like a tide, gradually enveloping the entire island.
"Pirates! And specifically... the Heavenly Punishment Pirates!" The Lieutenant recognized their identity, and the sliver of hope that had just risen was instantly drowned in deeper despair.
He glanced at the trembling little girl beside him, and a wave of determination surged in his heart:
'No! Now is not the time to give up! At least... at least I must let this child survive! For... justice!'
He struggled to get up, preparing for a final stand, even if it was a futile gesture. However, the next sentence spoken by the other party made him freeze on the spot, his mind blank.
"Hey, you half-dead Marine over there," a petite figure lightly jumped down from Charlotte Linlin's shoulder; it was Gloriosa.
She tilted her head up. Although she had to look up to meet the gaze of the slumped Lieutenant, her eyes held a condescending arrogance and scrutiny.
"Was it you who sent the distress signal? Where are the enemies now?"
"Y-You... you're here... to... rescue us?" The Lieutenant felt his tongue was tied. The statement sounded utterly absurd even to himself. Pirates... rescuing Marines and civilians?
"Hmph!" Gloriosa first clasped her hands over her heart and glanced happily at Charlotte Linlin, "If Lady Linlin weren't so merciful..."
She then quickly changed her expression, scanning the Lieutenant's miserable state with disdain, "Who wants to bother with the messy affairs of you Marines!"
"Th-Thank you!" Although it was hard to believe, this seemed to be their only hope now. The Lieutenant suppressed the turmoil in his heart and pointed the direction, "They are in..."
"Found them!" Charlotte Linlin suddenly spoke, interrupting the Lieutenant. She raised her hand and pointed toward the center of the island, her gaze sharp.
"In that direction, where the presence is most concentrated!" As she finished speaking, a pair of magnificent blue Dragon Wings *swooshed* open behind her.
"Then I'll go first! Zeus, let's go!" Gölz, who was already furious at the miserable sight before her, was the first to leap onto the Thundercloud Homies, Zeus, transforming into a streak of lightning and following closely behind Charlotte Linlin.
"Since it's the direction Linlin locked onto, it definitely won't be wrong!" Gloriosa didn't even wait for the Lieutenant's confirmation. The pure white Light Wings on her back instantly spread out, and her figure shot up into the sky.
"Hey! You three flying bastards!" Ripley, left on the ground, watched the three figures rapidly depart, stamping her foot and roaring in anger.
Unable to fly, she could only watch helplessly as her companions rushed to the battlefield first.
Annoyed, she shook her head to suppress her emotions. Her gaze swept over the chaotic town, and she gave orders to Lilith and the Combat Squad she was leading, who were slowly approaching:
"Lilith, take your people to clear out the remaining pirates in the town and protect the civilians. I'll stay here to guard the st. freya and ensure the safety of the port area."
"Understood, Lady Ripley!" Lilith responded crisply, then turned, her eyes sharp as she looked toward the town, waving her hand to signal.
"Combat Squad, follow me! Clear out the trash and protect the civilians!"
"Yes!" The Female Warriors responded in unison, spreading out quickly like well-trained cheetahs, rushing toward the pirates still committing atrocities in the town.
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