After that, Ward and his crew, filled with dread, grief, and confusion, escaped back to the first half of the Grand Line. They recuperated at the Sabaody Archipelago for a while and decided to find Katrina to get revenge once they had recovered from their injuries.
However, a war broke out at the Sabaody Archipelago when three monsters clashed. Having witnessed the sheer power of true monsters, Ward decided to seek out Aeridar when he released a recruitment notice for his crew. Ward decided he would join Aeridar's crew and use his power to find Katrina.
The world was vast, and trying to find one person on their own would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Aeridar was a new Warlord of the Sea and a young monster. He would surely establish a powerful crew in the New World. With the authority of a Warlord of the Sea, finding someone would be much easier than it would be for them.
Back at the scene.
After getting rid of Gladius, Katrina turned and walked toward Ward. Her face, which was once pale but not without beauty, was now filled with a monstrous, insane expression.
"Heh heh heh... I'll kill you! Blood! I will bathe in your blood! Heh heh heh..." Katrina stared at Ward, her eyes almost crazy, as if she wanted to devour him. She raised her hand and struck down.
"Armament Haki: Black Armored Paper Shield!"
Ward, who was sitting on the ground, was shocked and angry. He immediately used his ability, and countless white papers gathered in front of him, forming a one-inch-thick shield. He also used Armament Haki to harden the shield, making it as solid as black steel.
Thud!
In an instant, Katrina's descending hand turned as black as metal and slammed into the black shield. With a violent thud, the air trembled, and a powerful shockwave erupted, causing the entire shield to concave and crack into pieces.
Katrina's hand, unchanged, continued its descent, striking Ward's chest.
Rumble!
Ward felt a terrifying force from her palm. It slammed him into the ground. He felt as if his bones and organs were shattered, and a mouthful of fresh blood gushed out.
The ground behind him also crumbled, and half of his body sank into it. The shockwave of the impact created a fierce whirlwind, kicking up dust everywhere.
"Die!"
Katrina retracted her hand, saw that Ward wasn't dead, and stomped down again.
"Guh... This isn't good!"
Sensing her movements with his Observation Haki, Ward felt a pounding in his chest. Without time to defend himself, and ignoring his injuries, he instinctively rolled to the side. Just as he rolled away, a foot wearing a white open-toed high heel slammed onto the ground.
In an instant...
Boom!
The ground within a ten-meter radius crumbled. The shockwave formed a visible wave that sent Ward flying. Dozens of cracks quickly spread outward as dust shot into the sky.
"Cough, cough..."
Gasping for air through the dust, Ward endured the sharp pain in his chest and body. Sweat poured down his face as he barely managed to sit up. His white suit was now covered in dirt and blood.
But when he saw the destruction caused by Katrina's stomp, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes. The edge of his lips twitched as he muttered, "If I had taken that hit, I would have died for sure!"
"Heh heh heh... Ward, just accept your death. You can't escape! Heh heh heh..." Katrina turned her head, looking at Ward from not far away, and let out a sinister laugh.
Suddenly, Ward said something shocking. "You're not Katrina, are you?!"
"Hm?" Katrina raised an eyebrow, and the madness and malice on her face lessened slightly. "Why would you think that?"
"Cough... You weren't like this before. No, it's not that you're not Katrina, you are Katrina." Ward's lips bled as he spoke. "Even though the change is so dramatic, you must be her other side, her other personality. A dark side? A split personality?" He added, "And this state of yours must be related to the World Government. You never told me the whole truth!"
"Heh heh heh... So you guessed it."
Although Katrina's face was less insane and malicious, her gaze remained cold. "You remember my full name, right? Elsa Katrina. You even asked me why my last name was so feminine."
"You told me that a nun in a church gave you that name," Ward replied, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"That's right, but I lied to you. Well... not a complete lie. Those are two names. My real name is Elsa, which the nun did give me." A flicker of gentleness flashed in Katrina's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, replaced by malice.
"Katrina... is that you?!" Ward's eyes widened in shock.
"Heh heh heh... Katrina, that's what the World Government named 'me'," Katrina said, a sinister glint in her eyes.
"The World Government? 'You'?" Ward narrowed his eyes.
"Heh heh heh... That's right. The World Government. The dirty World Government!" Katrina's face once again filled with a hateful, resentful expression, which was then replaced by madness. "Die!"
Katrina screamed, taking a step forward. She instantly appeared in front of Ward and punched him.
CRACK!
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a brilliant bolt of lightning sliced through the air and struck Katrina.
"AAAAAAH!"
Amidst the electricity, Katrina let out a gut-wrenching scream.
"What?!"
Ward's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. What was happening? A divine punishment?
"Yahahahaha! You are lucky, mortal, to have received my blessing!"
Another bolt of lightning struck the ground near Ward. A strange man with a white turban, long earlobes, and four large drums on his back appeared. He held a golden staff in his hand, and small lightning bolts danced around his body.
"Who... who are you?" When the electricity dissipated, smoke rose from Katrina's body. She stumbled and almost fell.
"Who are you?" Ward also asked.
"This many people! This smell! This pace!" The newcomer ignored both Katrina and Ward. He looked around and then at the ground. "This is a war! This is what gets my blood pumping!"
"How dare you ignore me!" Katrina, enraged that she was ignored, flashed forward and punched the man.
"Oh? You're uninjured, and you have this speed!" The man looked surprised, but with a flash of electricity, he disappeared.
"He's so fast! He became lightning!"
No matter how fast Katrina was, she couldn't beat lightning. Her punch hit nothing but air, but with her Observation Haki, she had sensed his movement.
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