Chapter 65: One-Sided Battle (Part 1)
"Wait… it's not Aokiji?" Gasparde, who had been watching the approaching figures across the ice, realized that the Marine Admiral wasn't among them. 'Could I have guessed wrong?' he questioned himself in confusion.
Admirals typically stood proudly at the bow of their warships, appearing openly at the frontlines. They symbolized the Navy's strongest combat power—and its face, its justice.
Gasparde snatched up the Den Den Mushi and contacted the other three captains. "It's not Admiral Aokiji! To use such a powerful Devil Fruit must've drained her energy—gather all our strength and eliminate them now! Don't let them take us down one by one!"
The other three captains weren't fools. They had been stunned by the supernatural display, but had now recovered. They all agreed to strike together and eliminate this threat. If they succeeded, it would greatly boost their reputation, raise their bounty, and even attract more subordinates. It might even lead to becoming a Warlord.
The bloodthirsty pirates were quickly organized by their captains. Most disembarked to engage the enemy directly, leaving behind a minimal crew to fire cannons—although due to position and angle, only the forward cannons could fire on the approaching foes.
"Ara, they're not running away, but actually coming toward us? Looks like they're not afraid of you after all, Esdeath-~"
"Good. If they're all in one place, it'll be easier to wipe them out. Saves me the trouble of chasing them across the ice." Esdeath ignored Kurumi's teasing. Her only thought now was to slaughter every last one of them.
The pirates had no idea their enemy was far more terrifying than Aokiji.
Eric issued the first command. "Support's on you, Kurumi. Stay in the rear and keep firing. The rest of us will engage them up front."
"Leave it to me," Kurumi raised her left hand to the sky. "Zafkiel!"
A massive clock face appeared behind her, causing chaos among the enemy ranks. "Another Devil Fruit user?! What kind of ability is this?" Gasparde's expression darkened.
"Aleph (First Bullet)!"
Black energy streamed from the clock face's "I" mark into her twin pistols. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four rapid shots—one each for herself, Eric , Akame, and Esdeath—speed-enhancing bullets. Though reluctant, she still gave Esdeath the boost.
The pirates, seeing Kurumi shoot her own allies, looked confused. 'What? Are they fighting among themselves? Why shoot your own team?'
Esdeath, highly attuned to her body, flexed her wrist and instantly felt the change. "So that's how the acceleration feels… Not bad, Tokisaki Kurumi."
"Hmph, don't flatter yourself. You're still my enemy."
"Ah, I know. But Eric still belongs to me, and I'm not handing him over." Esdeath replied coolly, giving Kurumi no chance to fire back. With one hand on her military cap and the other gripping her western sword, she charged at the pirates.
Kurumi resisted the urge to shoot Esdeath herself. She stomped once. "City of Devoured Time!"
A red-and-black domain spread outward. Weak pirates collapsed immediately, overwhelmed by fatigue.
The captains, stronger than the average grunt, felt the debuff's pressure but managed to push through with sheer strength.
"Strategist" Wode Aziz narrowed his eyes. "That girl must be the source of this debuff. Eliminate her first and we regain our numbers."
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Barefoot Nides sprinted across the icy ground, unfazed by the cold, and flanked Eric and Akame to charge straight at Kurumi.
"Ara ara, looks like I've been underestimated." Kurumi smiled and vanished from Nides' view.
"She's gone!" Nides stopped, only to hear, "I'm over here~" from the side.
Bang!
A rifle bullet slammed into Nides' right arm with massive kinetic force, blasting him backward as blood sprayed.
Mid-air, Nides twisted his body, caught the ice with his left hand, and dragged himself to a stop. Bloodshot eyes locked onto Kurumi as he launched himself again.
Kurumi disappeared once more. This time, Nides frantically scanned left and right, trying to predict her position. But the voice came from above. "Oops~ You guessed wrong."
She appeared above him, stomped hard on his back, and pinned him to the ground. Click—the barrel of her rifle pressed against the back of his head.
"Ara, will you surrender or die?"
Silent as ever, Nides tried to slash at her with his clawed left hand.
"Good day."
With just those parting words—Bang!—Kurumi pulled the trigger, blowing Nides' head apart.
"Damn it, how is a gunslinger this good at close combat?!" Wode Aziz cursed internally, watching his ally die.
Gasparde remained expressionless as he watched. He had bigger problems: Esdeath stood in front of him now. Just facing her, he could feel her killing intent pressing down like a physical force.
On her charge over, she had effortlessly sliced down two foolish pirates who got in her way. Now she stood before Gasparde, who seemed like the strongest of the bunch.
"You don't look like the others. Let's see if your strength can entertain me."
Her aura didn't scare Gasparde—in fact, his eyes lit up with excitement. "Then let's see which of us is stronger."
Having eaten the Candy-Candy Fruit, Gasparde was immune to bullets and swords—unless hit with a special powder that solidified his body. With this power, he had run rampant in the first half of the Grand Line. Only the Warlords could truly threaten him.
"Oh? Confident, are we?"
Due to their height difference, Gasparde could only see the lower half of Esdeath's face under her cap—her lips curved into a crescent smile. "Then I won't hold back."
As soon as she finished Speaking, her sword slashed upward from below. Gasparde usually didn't bother dodging, but something deep inside told him to back away—just in time to avoid being disemboweled.
Still, a long gash ran diagonally from his left side to his right chest. Blood dripped from Esdeath's sword as she spoke coldly, "So your strength comes solely from your Devil Fruit? How boring. A dull ability. A dull battle. A dull opponent."
Gasparde's eyes widened with rage. His huge mouth opened in a furious roar. "You'll regret saying that!"
His arms transformed into green lances made of hardened candy, and he stabbed both toward Esdeath.
(END CHAPTER)
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