It didn't take long for Cracker's Armament Haki-enhanced defense to be sliced through.
Zoro finally managed to land three consecutive slashes on Cracker!
"Aghhh! It hurts! How dare you bastards hurt me!" Cracker screamed in agony.
Zoro glanced at the shallow knife wounds on the guy's stomach, and his brow furrowed immediately. Ya's physique is surprisingly tough; after three direct hits, it's only a slight injury, yet this guy is screaming like a banshee...
Zoro's ears picked up an unusual sarcasm in Cracker's cries.
It almost sounded like, You hurt me so much! I need immediate medical attention! Otherwise, the wound might heal!
But Zoro didn't realize that Cracker genuinely had an extreme fear of pain.
Otherwise, he wouldn't constantly hide himself within the biscuit man's sturdy shell, driven by his significant aversion to any discomfort!
"You're distracted again!"
"Iron Body Haki... Demon Wind Foot!"
Sanji unleashed his most powerful technique. While Cracker was still shrieking in pain, Sanji delivered a rapid barrage of kicks to Cracker's face, quickly distorting his features.
It was only after the flurry of kicks ended that they realized Cracker had only sustained minor injuries to his face.
It turned out that Cracker had indeed been hit by Sanji's initial kick, drawing blood. But he had swiftly covered his face with biscuits, successfully shielding himself from the subsequent kicks. The unrecognizable face they had seen earlier was merely a cracked biscuit mask.
"Damn it! It hurts, you bastards!"
Cracker, enraged, swung his massive sword to kill Sanji.
Circles of sword energy emanated from the greatsword, and as Cracker thrust forward, a powerful shockwave of sword energy erupted immediately.
"Waves... Pretzels!"
Bang! Sanji, caught off guard, was struck directly and sent crashing through the cabin.
"Sanji!"
Everyone suddenly tensed.
Chopper and Bepo immediately rushed to check on him and found that Sanji had seemingly managed to avoid a fatal blow to the heart, but the sword energy had grazed his shoulder. Even so, his shoulder was pierced, and blood flowed freely.
"Hmph! As expected, 800 million Berries pirates are tough to beat. They really are powerful!"
Sanji struggled to light a cigarette but was in too much pain to lift his hand.
Chopper immediately stopped Sanji's attempt and, with Bepo's help, supported Sanji back to the Merry.
Everyone was shocked by Sanji's injury.
Fortunately, Chopper was already administering treatment, so it shouldn't be a life-threatening issue.
Carl chuckled and said, "How about it, Sanji? Isn't this the first time you've faced such an expert?"
Sanji gasped, his face pale, and replied, "Mr. Carl, you're truly ruthless. You didn't even save me when I was injured. What if I become useless?"
"If you were crippled so easily, then you were slacking off for the past month or so! Don't you understand why I didn't intervene? That's right, this is the strength of the New World! You need to face it and challenge it! Instead of always relying on Luffy or me, that way you'll never grow!"
Sanji lowered his gaze upon hearing this.
Defeating Cracker would indeed signify growth, but their current strength wasn't quite there yet!
Not long after Sanji retreated, Zoro and Law also found themselves struggling. Soon after, both were also struck by Cracker's attacks. While their injuries weren't severe, the damage was still considerable.
Just as Cracker was about to deliver the finishing blow, Carl suddenly appeared.
His speed was so immense that Cracker hadn't even registered his movement and was caught completely off guard.
Cracker recognized Carl, knowing him as the powerful figure with a one billion Berries bounty who had successfully killed the Golden Lion and defeated Akainu. A bitter taste suddenly filled Cracker's mouth.
It seems today is going to be unlucky, without a doubt!
Carl first looked at Zoro and Law. "How are you two? Can you still fight?"
Law was honest. "I can't beat him now, but I will be able to soon!"
Zoro also nodded. "This guy is just old and started training early. I think his potential is limited and he can't compare to me at all. Give me another month, and I'll cut him down like a chicken."
These two were so irritatingly confident that they almost sent Cracker into a frenzy.
If Carl hadn't been present, Cracker might have truly lost it.
As for Carl, Cracker felt he couldn't gauge his true strength, and even before the fight began, a sense of inevitable defeat washed over him.
It was a feeling of dread he only experienced when facing his own mother!
But why did this man exude such a powerful deterrent aura?
Carl smiled and said, "Alright, the ship is about to sink. I'll take this guy down first, and then you two head back to the Merry."
Zoro and Law didn't object. If they couldn't win, they couldn't win. Unless they felt on the verge of a breakthrough, there was no need to bother Carl for a casual fight.
Cracker saw Carl's determined gaze fixed on him and suddenly became enraged.
"Waves... Pretzels!"
Another powerful swordsmanship technique.
But for the current Carl, such an attack was already child's play.
Carl directly reached out and grasped the tip of the sword. He successfully caught the blade in Cracker's hand just as Cracker was gloating, and all the sword energy instantly dissipated, the rhythm completely controlled by Carl.
"Too weak! You don't even have the qualifications to make me draw my sword!"
Carl casually uttered those hateful words, but it seemed to be the undeniable truth.
Cracker didn't know how to refute at all, because his strongest attack had been effortlessly stopped by Carl with just two fingers. It was simply unbelievable.
But the reality was as such, and denying it wouldn't change anything.
Carl smiled and said, "You took care of our chef, so I'll take care of you. Finger Grab!"
Without warning, the index finger of his right hand pierced Cracker's shoulder. Carl's strike was incredibly forceful, directly shattering Cracker's shoulder blade. If not treated promptly, he would become disabled!
"Ahhh!"
Cracker's eyes widened in agony, but there was nothing he could do.
Carl then casually raised a hand and successfully landed a slap on the back of Cracker's head, knocking him unconscious.
Carl looked at Vivi. "Vivi, I've taken someone prisoner."
Vivi displayed a rare, bright smile. "Thank you, Teacher Carl! Now we don't have to worry about running out of biscuits!"
Everyone was speechless at the interaction between Carl and Vivi. It seemed Carl had saved them not because he was worried about Zoro and Law's safety, nor because of Sanji's injury, but because the little girl Vivi wanted to secure a biscuit producer.
If Cracker had been conscious to hear that, he would have coughed up three liters of blood!
At this point, the Big Mom Pirates' ship had slowly begun to sink, but fortunately, some smaller boats were still afloat on the sea.
Those who had fainted also regained consciousness because of the sinking, and those who had been manipulated by Vivi's drawings recovered as the patterns on their bodies were washed away by the seawater. They immediately scrambled into the remaining boats.
However, no one dared to make any further moves, because even Cracker had been captured.
PS: My eyelids are so heavy, but I want to add another chapter...
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