Sizzle… sizzle…
Streaks of electrical arcs danced within the charred crater. Surrounding it were several blackened corpses—unlucky victims caught in the blast.
"Enel, the God of Lightning!"
Elroy gritted his teeth, glaring up at the mountaintop. The fact that the highest executives of the Chris Investigation Bureau were all there clearly marked this as a trap designed specifically for his side.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the sky was filled with deafening thunder and blinding flashes of lightning. Another thick column of lightning instantly fell.
"Crap!"
Elroy shrieked and, with a flash of movement, swiftly dodged the strike.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Accompanied by the ear-splitting roar, shattered rocks flew everywhere, and the ground gained another charred, deep crater several meters in diameter.
From then on, bolt after bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, directly targeting Elroy and forcing him into constant evasive maneuvers.
While the lightning never hit Elroy once, it did eliminate many more remnants of the Garfield Pirates.
Finally, the remaining Garfield Pirates, having endured a relentless cannon bombardment, managed to struggle up the mountain after half an hour.
However, their force of over a thousand men had been drastically reduced, with less than five hundred remaining and over a hundred wounded.
If it had been just Elroy alone, he would have charged up long ago, but a solo charge was useless; without these helpers, he was likely to be ganged up on and killed.
"Yo, nice to meet you. Thanks for coming!"
Oliver wore a frivolous expression, a mischievous smile plastered on his face.
"Yahahahaha~ We didn't get to spar last time, but this time, this God will show you properly what true speed is!" Enel looked arrogant, his tone filled with disdain.
"Just these guys..."
"I'll slice you all! Slice you all!"
Cavendish was putting on a display of rapidly changing faces, his voice shifting as if he were a crazed psychopath.
"Hmph, a few remnants dare to be so presumptuous!" Ward flapped the wings on his back, his face icy. He held no good feelings for this group, which was associated with Katrina.
"These powerful pirates are indeed fierce!" Nando looked curiously at the four people in front of him. Having spent his time either researching new ships or undergoing Fish-Man Karate training under Jinbe at Fish-Man Island, he rarely got to see such world-famous pirates.
Looking at the four figures blocking the path on the mountaintop, the remnants of the Garfield Pirates stirred with unease.
"Oliver, the Slayer! One of the Big Three is here...!" Elroy forced a grimace, his face sinking. "Two top executives! They really think highly of me!"
As the former First Mate of the Garfield Pirates, Elroy had always collected information on the Chris Investigation Bureau. Oliver, as one of the bureau's 'Big Three' and a world-class swordsman, was naturally on his radar.
As for Enel, he had appeared in the final battle at Aznat Island, where he and Katrina inflicted mutual injury. Although Katrina's rank within the Garfield Pirates was low, her strength was definitely comparable to Ernest and himself. Coupled with the information he had gathered after escaping, Enel was now a high-ranking executive of the Chris Investigation Bureau, and his strength was clearly greater than before.
To Elroy's right, Ernest held his black great axe, remaining silent. Through his helmet, his eyes radiated an intense killing intent, and the battle aura around him condensed further.
"I wish I hadn't agreed to this!" Mordo frantically grabbed his hair, sounding somewhat desperate.
Having avoided being captured by Impel Down, he was well aware of Enel's notorious reputation over the years. From the confrontation with Marine Hero Garp at Water 7 to his participation in the siege of Patrick Redfield, the 'Red Count,' Enel's ferocious reputation had spread even wider. The Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user wielded too much deterrent power.
In the New World, many would rather encounter Marine Admiral Kizaru than Enel, the God of Lightning.
After all, one might survive the former and even have a chance to escape, but being targeted by the latter, given his volatile temperament, generally meant waiting for death.
Shing!
Nagamitsu and Mikazuki Munechika were drawn from their sheaths. Oliver shouldered his twin blades, a flash of scarlet in his eyes.
"Surrender before I cut you down. Maybe you'll still get a chance to join us!"
"Two-Sword Style: Crimson Lotus!"
Swoosh!
A streak of blood-red sword light flashed past. It wasn't one strike, but six!
…
New World. Clifford Kingdom.
The Royal Capital, Nakor, Palace Entertainment City.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!"
A weak voice sounded. The speaker was a man with a thick, bulky physique, the most ridiculous part being his upward-curling, crescent-shaped white mustache, similar to Whitebeard's.
He held a long naginata in both hands, possessed a head of thick blonde hair, had distinct stitched scars on his left eye and neck, and wore overalls suspended by chains. His two thin legs were severely disproportionate to his body.
Edward Weevil!
"Didn't you just eat five whole roasted lambs and five roasted suckling pigs an hour ago? How can you be hungry already?"
A short, wrinkled old woman who only reached his knees leaned on a cane and complained unhappily.
The thin old woman wore heavy red lipstick and sunglasses, donned a leopard-print coat, and was decked out in numerous pieces of jewelry on her body and hands, looking like a female nouveau riche.
Miss Buckin!
Slap, slap, slap, slap...
Miss Buckin rushed forward, striking Weevil's legs repeatedly with her cane.
"Ow! That hurts, Mommy!"
Weevil looked deeply wronged, sniffling periodically, though it was unclear if he genuinely felt pain. Despite being a man with a formidable build, he acted like an imbecile.
"Wait, I'll take you to eat later. I want to try my luck first today!"
After hitting him a few times, Miss Buckin stopped, dug some money out of her pocket, and walked toward the central building, with Weevil meekly following behind.
In the crowd nearby, a man in a black suit and sunglasses watched the figures of Weevil and Miss Buckin.
"It must be him. The man who was gravely injured by Admiral Zephyr but managed to chop off the Admiral's arm!"
"Should we report it?"
"Not yet. If there's a mission, putting aside his strength, we all understand the rules of this place. We can't violate them."
"Then we'll just keep an eye on them for now. It's enough to know their whereabouts for the moment!"
"I heard that Kuzan, who just resigned from his Admiral position, is also here!"
"The higher-ups just told us to temporarily keep an eye on that guy. Don't worry about the rest!"
The men conversed while blending into the crowd, keeping a constant distance from Weevil and Miss Buckin.
"CP agents!"
Andy, wearing a black suit and a gold hoop earring on his right ear, walked out from a side street. He focused his gaze on the few men and muttered to himself, "Is there anything special about that idiot and that old woman?"
He waved a hand, and three men, also dressed in black suits but without sunglasses, walked over.
Andy low-key instructed his approaching subordinates, "Pay special attention to that mother and son, and those few CP agents as well!"
"Understood, Andy-sama!"
The three men nodded with resolute expressions and quickly disappeared into the crowd.