Not long after.
Isa and Ginil, along with six other CP agents, finally arrived at the section of forest where Alvin and Robin had vanished.
Ginil noticed that Isa's breathing was steady and her complexion unchanged. Her speed earlier had even surpassed theirs, which surprised him.
With strength like that, she was still willing to serve as Zelas's secretary.
He could not understand it.
"Captain, it seems Nico Robin and the other one intend to use this forest to evade our pursuit. What should we do now?" one of the CP agents asked.
The other agents also frowned as they looked at the towering trees around them.
In such a vast forest, locating two people would be extremely difficult unless one possessed Observation Haki like Ginil.
Among the six of them, only Ginil had awakened Observation Haki. That was precisely why he was the captain.
"We force them out," Ginil said in a low voice.
"I agree," Isa responded calmly, then took the lead and stepped deeper into the forest.
At that moment, Ginil realized that the direction Isa chose was exactly the one he had intended to take, because only that path had noticeably fewer animal movements.
Does this woman also possess Observation Haki?
The thought crossed his mind.
But now was not the time to dwell on it. He turned to his team and ordered, "Spread out in a horizontal line. Maintain formation and do not separate too far from one another. Stay alert for ambushes."
"Yes, Captain!"
The six agents responded in unison.
The seven of them advanced in a line, swiftly moving in the direction of Alvin and Robin.
High above the ground, hidden within the fork of a massive tree with a trunk nearly two meters thick, Alvin lay concealed, observing the seven pursuers through the scope of his sniper rifle.
Dozens of meters ahead to his left, Robin was also hidden in another tree, her back pressed against the trunk.
Alvin's position was roughly fifty meters diagonally behind her.
Soon, the seven pursuers entered within a thousand meters of their effective range. Alvin noticed their speed gradually slow.
Then he realized that the direction they were advancing was precisely toward Robin's location.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Alvin's face. They had taken the bait.
Both sides remained extremely cautious. When the seven pursuers were only a few hundred meters away, Alvin subtly nodded in Robin's direction.
Robin understood instantly.
Her hands folded gracefully before her chest as she activated her Devil Fruit ability.
In the next moment, twelve arms sprouted from Ginil's body, locking around him like iron clamps.
"Captain Ginil!" the other agents cried out in alarm.
Isa immediately concealed herself behind a tree.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What a pity. The strength is lacking!" Ginil laughed arrogantly. His muscles tensed like steel as he prepared to break free from Robin's restraint.
But in that instant.
A gunshot rang out, sharp and thunderous.
The other CP agents instinctively dropped to the ground for cover. Ginil's expression changed dramatically.
The shooter's target was him.
Just as he tore free from Robin's arms, a bullet pierced straight through his forehead. In an instant, half his skull exploded like a smashed melon. Bone fragments and blood splattered in every direction.
The five remaining agents and Isa froze in horror. They had never expected Ginil to be eliminated so decisively.
After landing the shot, Alvin did not fire again immediately.
Instead, he aimed the muzzle of his rifle toward the large tree where Isa was hiding. From their reactions earlier, he had already determined that among the seven, only Ginil and Isa possessed Observation Haki.
As long as Isa was eliminated, the others posed little threat.
The five agents lying on the ground did not dare to move. Isa, equally terrified, remained frozen behind the tree.
Another gunshot echoed.
Their hearts jumped violently.
The bullet struck the trunk of the tree shielding Isa, splintering wood and sending chips flying.
Isa's face turned pale.
She had never imagined that this man would target her next. She had not even secured her position as mayor yet.
She had to escape.
In the next moment, she made her decision and burst forward at full speed, sprinting toward the edge of the forest.
Seeing this, Alvin's eyes sharpened.
"Six Fleur: Bind," Robin whispered.
Six arms suddenly bloomed from Isa's legs, locking tightly around them like shackles.
"I surrender!" Isa screamed in panic.
But as the words left her mouth, Alvin had already pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck directly into her left chest.
Her eyes filled with disbelief. She could not comprehend how he could be so cold and decisive, even toward a woman like her.
Moments later, she collapsed into a pool of blood like a flower losing its petals.
The remaining five agents were overwhelmed with terror. Their will to fight collapsed completely. Abandoning the mission, they fled in panic.
But with the seamless coordination between Alvin and Robin, none of them escaped.
One by one, they were eliminated within the depths of the forest, their bodies left beneath the towering trees and lurking beasts.
Soon, the forest fell into an eerie silence.
Even the wild beasts remained quiet, as if sensing the heavy killing intent lingering in the air.
At last, Alvin and Robin relaxed slightly. The immediate crisis had been resolved.
Robin looked toward Alvin, her expression soft and radiant like sunlight in spring.
Both of them leapt down from their trees.
Alvin slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder and walked toward Robin with a proud smile.
"Well, Robin? Not bad shooting, right?"
"Mm."
"Extremely impressive. Although I assisted, being able to eliminate a target with a single shot from that distance is truly remarkable," Robin replied sincerely.
Alvin laughed.
"I'm a sniper. Your Devil Fruit ability restrains enemies perfectly. Our coordination is flawless."
At that moment, he looked almost childlike in his excitement.
The ambush had been a perfect demonstration of long range assassination tactics.
"Should we leave now? Killing agents of the World Government will cause serious trouble," Robin said seriously.
"No."
"Even if they send reinforcements, they will not arrive quickly. Once we set sail, they will not be able to catch us."
He grinned.
"So Robin, it is time to collect the spoils of war."
"Spoils of war?"
"That's right. Yesterday I saw that Zelas's residence was overflowing with wealth."
…
"Eh???"
...
Read advance chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.