The white-cloaked leader grimaced. Appearing on the battlefield while such a fierce war was raging was hardly a wise move.
His gaze grew even colder as he stared at Chopper, whose actions had completely defied his expectations. He had never imagined that a mere pet like Chopper could possess such immense strength.
At that moment, the man was clutching a sheet of paper tightly in his fist. Ignoring the surrounding explosions completely, his eyes turned frigid as he watched Chopper slowly stand back up. He gradually unrolled the paper.
It was Chopper's bounty poster.
"This is the strength of a pirate with a 100-Berry bounty? Hm?!"
As members of the World Government's direct intelligence agency, they naturally knew everything about each member of the Straw Hat crew. The moment they had laid eyes on Chopper, they had treated him with utter disdain.
After all, what use could a piece of trash with a hundred-Berry bounty be? He was nothing more than a crew pet, not a primary combatant.
Yet reality had delivered a harsh slap to his face.
A single swat from this monster had sent him spitting blood. He had barely managed to withstand it, and even his mask had been shattered. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
In his fury, the white-cloaked leader spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. The strike from Chopper's Monster Point had hit him dead in the face, inflicting severe injuries.
"Die!" the white-cloaked leader shrieked, slowly raising both hands. "Flying Finger Pistol!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Chopper's massive body could not possibly dodge such an attack; he was a sitting duck!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mid-air, the white-cloaked man's Flying Finger Pistols suddenly exploded.
A figure dropped down right in front of them, declaring, "I am a member of the Straw Hat Pirates! If you want to lay a hand on my crewmate, you'll have to get through me first!"
"The former Warlord, 'First Son of the Sea' Jinbe!" The white-cloaked man's face darkened.
"Let's go!"
In an instant, the three of them struck together, moving fast as lightning. One lunged to attack Jinbe first, keeping him too occupied to look after anyone else.
Another charged toward Chopper. The Straw Hat crew gasped in shock, and Sanji immediately rushed over to help.
"His target is Nico Robin!" a voice suddenly rang out.
Almost the exact moment the words sounded, Sanji shifted his movement, redirecting his path straight toward Robin. He did not hesitate for a single second.
This reaction genuinely stunned Bael. He had called out the warning in the heat of the moment, and to be honest, even he felt it would be too late. Yet Sanji's reaction speed was nothing short of incredible!
Sure enough, just as Bael expected, one man was genuinely holding back Jinbe, while another had lunged toward Chopper, though he only exchanged a single clash before preparing to withdraw. The third man was rushing at extreme speed toward Robin.
However, Sanji instantly blocked his path.
Meanwhile, the man who had attacked Chopper was blown away by a massive flying slash.
A purple glow flickered in Zoro's eyes. Radiating a chilling aura, he pursued the man immediately.
"Three Sword Style... Purgatory Onigiri!"
Blood splattered across the sky.
The white-cloaked man was cut down by Zoro's single strike. Before the man could even hit the ground, Zoro's icy voice drifted from his lips once more.
"Black Rope Dragon Twister!"
The violent, spinning slash unleashed countless blades, drawing sprays of blood with every cut. Finally, Zoro's sword came to a halt right at the man's neck.
With a sharp slice, the head was severed from the body!
"Chopper, are you alright?" Zoro quickly sheathed the Wado Ichimonji. He walked over to Chopper, his face filled with concern.
"Zoro..." Chopper reverted to his brain point and approached Zoro, pointing at the white-cloaked men. "They want to capture Robin..."
"Yeah... Don't worry, that damn cook is with her," Zoro said, his gaze turning increasingly cold as he noted the two bloody wounds on Chopper's body. "Chopper, rest here for a bit. Wait for me."
With that, Zoro glanced at Usopp.
"Leave Chopper to me!" Usopp said hurriedly.
Looking at the blood-drenched Chopper, Usopp's vision blurred for a moment, and his grip tightened around his weapon. His friend had been severely wounded right in front of him!
It had been two years... and yet this kind of thing was happening again... No! They had changed!
"No one touches us, and no one is taking Robin away!" Usopp's eyes turned resolute.
"As for me... I'm a demon from hell. A spirit playing in the mortal realm..." Zoro murmured, holding two of his swords as he walked slowly toward the white-cloaked man facing Jinbe.
That man was none other than the leader whom Chopper had struck!
In a corner of the battlefield, a look of shock surfaced on King's face.
The blade in his hand was broken!
The moment Chopper had cried out in pain earlier, Zoro's momentum had abruptly shifted. His flying slash had unleashed such a powerful aura that it had actually shattered King's sword in a single blow.
Even King still felt a lingering sense of dread from that aura. Because of that, he hadn't pursued Zoro immediately.
As King reflected on this, Zoro had already dashed forward, his dual blades tearing through the air as he slashed at the white-cloaked leader.
"What?!" Having just traded blows with Jinbe, the white-cloaked man hastily dodged the moment he saw Zoro.
Boom!
The flying slash cleaved through the air, striking a corner of Onigashima. Unsurprisingly, the entire section was instantly severed.
"You should know the consequences of harming our crewmate, right?" Zoro spoke slowly.
"You're... Roronoa Zoro!" The white-cloaked leader's expression changed. Zoro's recent attack gave him a highly dangerous feeling.
Why was the Straw Hat crew entirely made up of such troublesome monsters?!
Before he could process it further, his eyes locked onto something else and he froze. A severed head was slowly rolling out from behind Zoro's heel. The face was covered by a familiar mask!
"What?! You killed one of our men?!" The man's eyes widened, staring at Zoro in utter shock.
"Just a piece of trash. If he's dead, he's dead... and you'll be joining him shortly," Zoro's lips curled into a slight smirk.
Rumble!
Right then, a violent tremor suddenly echoed from the sky above.
"Kaido!!"
Along with the tremor came a resounding roar.
It was Luffy!
The Straw Hat crewmates were all startled. The voice undeniably belonged to Luffy.
Atop Onigashima, Luffy had entered Gear 4. With one fist imbued with Ryuo and the other wrapped in Advanced Conqueror's Haki, his fighting spirit burned fiercely.
Standing tall beside him were Ace and Yamato.
Kaido's breathing was ragged, and a trace of fresh blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, the preceding battle had not been easy for him.
"Yamato! Are you truly going to side with these outsiders and raise your weapon against your own father?" Kaido's gaze grew progressively grave. He could still handle the combined strength of Luffy and Yamato.
But Ace's power was a massive threat to him.
With these three joining forces, he couldn't see a single glimmer of hope. If Yamato could just hold Luffy back for him and let him fight Ace one-on-one, he wouldn't be afraid at all.
When it came to a duel, Kaido of the Beasts, the "Strongest Creature," had never feared anyone!
"Our ties are severed from this day forward!" Yamato shook her head with absolute resolve. The moment those explosive handcuffs had gone off, she had made up her mind.
No matter what, she would become Kozuki Oden!
Any lingering notions of parental affection could no longer bind her.
"Kaido, let's fight again!" Yamato swung her iron club, lunging forward to strike at Kaido.