"This corpse is Billy the Mad Dog, with a bounty of 36,000,000 Berries!"
"Marina the Poisonous Scorpion, bounty 43,500,000 Berries, this woman is still breathing!"
"Found him, Holton the Iron Hand, bounty 58,000,000 Berries!"
"…"
As Cross charged forward, one pirate after another, each with a bounty in the tens of millions, was either cut down on the spot or severely wounded and taken prisoner by the Marines.
Immediately, the morale of the Marines following Cross surged. They were eager to personally apprehend some pirates with bounties over ten million. Thankfully, they still retained some sense, not believing they could accomplish what a monster could.
"Ram Horn!"
On a street full of ruins, a bald man, heavily muscled, three meters tall, and dressed as a boxer, burst out of a house that had been blasted by cannon fire.
He moved with a butterfly step, rapidly closing in on Cross. When they were less than two meters apart, he suddenly bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and explosively leaped forward, throwing a ram-horn style hook punch.
"Tekkai!"
Cross's expression remained unchanged. A barely visible shimmer flickered across his entire body.
Boom—!
The next second, the bald man's fist landed heavily on Cross's head. With a dull thud, a strong gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust that spread outwards. The ground beneath both their feet instantly cracked, forming a spiderweb of fissures.
"800 Doriki…"
Cross tilted his head, squinting at the man opposite him. He softly said, "Flo Willis the Boxing Maniac, with a bounty of 62,000,000 Berries… Is that all your punching power amounts to?"
"Nani?!"
Flo Willis looked terrified, staring at his fist in disbelief. He knew his punches could kill even sea beasts in the ocean, yet he hadn't even scratched this guy. Were they a monster?!
The next second, Cross looked mockingly at the man in front of him. Kagehide in his hand turned into a cold flash, like a white bolt of lightning streaking through the air. With one swift cut, he pierced through the boxer pirate's body, pinning him to the ground.
"Pfft—!"
Willis lay on the ground, his face contorted in horror. The sharp pain in his chest made him involuntarily cough up a mouthful of blood.
Then, Cross, his expression unchanged, pulled Kagehide out of Willis's body, flicked his wrist once, and shook the blood from the blade.
"As expected of Cross-sama, he's truly amazing!"
"Even a man with a 62,000,000 Berry bounty was no match! He's as strong as a monster!"
"To be so powerful as a mere rookie, he's sure to become a man like Vice Admiral Borsalino in the future!"
"…"
The surrounding Marines swarmed forward, seizing the severely wounded Flo Willis the Boxing Maniac, then exclaimed in sincere admiration.
Cross waved his hand, saying indifferently, "Alright, no need for flattery…"
Vwoom—!
Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted, turning Cross's vision into a vibrant red illusory space. A violent gale rose out of nowhere, sweeping across the sky and ground, making the very air tremble.
Thump, thump, thump…
The next moment, the surrounding Marines collapsed as if struck by a heavy blow. Their eyes rolled back, and they fell unconscious like wheat fields swept by a strong wind.
Gasparde, Masterson, and the others also felt as if their brains had been hit by a heavy hammer. They gasped for breath, sweating profusely, stumbling to their knees, barely avoiding passing out.
"Wh-what is this…?"
Gasparde shook his head, trying hard to clear his mind.
"You've got to be kidding me… This level of Conqueror's Haki… Why would it appear in the first half of the Grand Line…?" Cross's expression turned grim, his eyes fixed on the direction of the East Port.
His face shifted several times, then he rapidly dashed towards the East Port's defensive line, not even bothering with the unconscious Marines.
With that level of Conqueror's Haki, there wouldn't be many people left standing in the entire pirate town, so Cross didn't need to worry about their safety.
Soon, Cross reached the shore of the East Port. All he saw were burning building ruins, large and small shell craters dotting the streets, and hundreds, even thousands, of pirates and Marine soldiers with rolled-back eyes, all lying unconscious on the ground.
Then, Cross saw Rear Admiral Strawberry kneeling in the middle of the street ahead, his face pale, propped up by his katana with one hand. Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin, falling in small drops onto the ground.
"Huu… huu…"
As if hearing movement, Strawberry struggled to lift his head. He happened to see Cross arriving and cried out in terror, "Quick… run… get off this island…!"
"It seems too late, Rear Admiral Strawberry!" Cross said with a wry smile.
Because he felt as if he was being watched by some terrifying monster, as if even the slightest movement would result in a terrifying, storm-like attack.
Cross's gaze shifted, and he noticed a tall, thin white-haired man standing in front of Rear Admiral Strawberry.
His eyebrows were crimson, and a golden chain hung from the corner of his mouth, revealing a sinister smile. He had white hair braided into two pigtails that hung over his shoulders, wore a plum-colored shirt and blood-red trousers, black leather shoes with gold trim, and a wide blood-red cape with a plaid pattern lining it. Around his neck was a blue rose, and in his hand, he held a slender, bat-handled umbrella, exuding a noble and distinguished aura.
The moment he saw the man, Cross's expression drastically changed. His pupils suddenly constricted to pinpricks, and he swallowed hard.
"I didn't expect to have the honor of meeting such a great figure on a small island like Gurri Island…"
Then, Cross's face darkened, and he said, word by word, "The legendary Redfield, Red the Aloof!"
That's right, the man before his eyes was none other than the legendary great pirate famous even before the Great Pirate Era, a man with titles such as Red the Aloof, Red Count, and Redfield the Solitary.
Patrick Redfield was a being so powerful that he alone stood on par with figures like Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard Edward Newgate.
But why would such a man appear in the first half of the Grand Line? Why would he appear on tiny Gurri Island?
"Hehe~ I didn't expect there to be a kid like you in the Marines who could remain conscious under my Haki. That's quite rare!" Redfield's face showed a hint of interest as he curiously sized up Cross. "You, too, possess the qualities of a king, don't you?!"
Redfield's single sentence exposed the fact that Cross also possessed Conqueror's Haki.
"Compared to your appearance, Redfield-sama, that's not important!"
Cross narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on Kagehide, and asked in a deep voice, "Redfield-sama, do you intend to stop our Marine operation?"
"Ha?!"
Redfield said with some surprise, "Are you… questioning me?"
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