Tomioka's figure appeared at the entrance of the adjacent street, and his gaze immediately locked onto the two individuals locked in intense combat.
The shigure in Tashigi's hand carved out arcs of light, continuously clashing with Ms. Doublefinger's thorny fingers, producing a rapid clanging sound.
Now, her steps were steady, her breathing, though rapid, was not disordered, and every block and counterattack seemed unhurried.
In fact, her swordplay subtly carried a serene power, forcing Ms. Doublefinger to constantly change positions, making her appear somewhat passive.
Tomioka merely observed from his spot, yet Ms. Doublefinger caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye—that black-haired figure that sent a chill down her spine.
She leaped backward, performing several consecutive flips, quickly creating a sufficient distance between herself, Tashigi, and the more distant Tomioka.
Fear and annoyance flashed across her face as she remembered her bald partner, muttering under her breath, "Why did it have to be me who ran into him... Mr. 1... I told him to just stick with me..."
Tashigi also temporarily stopped, breathing slightly heavily without turning around, simply holding her sword horizontally in front of her, maintaining a vigilant stance, her voice carrying a complex emotion.
"Pirate...! You... you've arrived..."
"Mm."
Tomioka responded calmly, his gaze sweeping over Ms. Doublefinger, "They are enemies of this country."
"I know..."
Tashigi's voice deepened, carrying her inherent Marine conviction, "You, and them, are all targets for our arrest."
She tightened her grip on the sword hilt, as if to emphasize something, or perhaps speaking to herself: "I'm stronger... than before..."
"I see."
Tomioka's gaze fell on her sword-wielding hand, "Just now, your swordplay wasn't as disorganized as before."
A bitter smile touched Tashigi's lips.
Only... only that? She had put in so much sweat, and the only evaluation she received was that her swordplay had become organized.
But she quickly shook off this disappointment, her eyes regaining their firmness, and she turned to Tomioka, saying solemnly, "But I, I will definitely defeat you later!"
Just then, an explosion came from the next street, accompanied by rising smoke.
Tashigi's heart tightened, remembering Captain Smoker's ashen face and almost unsteady posture at Rain Dinners earlier.
Cooperating with a pirate? Captain Smoker would definitely not agree, but... his current physical condition... She dared not think further.
"If possible..."
With a plea that didn't belong to a Marine, but solely to Tashigi, "Please go help Captain Smoker... I can handle things here, he's a bit weak right now..."
She paused, and though it violated Marine regulations, she almost gritted her teeth as she said, "In that case, during our time in Alabasta... we will temporarily not attempt to arrest you."
Listening to this strange conversation between a Marine and a pirate, Ms. Doublefinger immediately felt she had seized an opportunity.
She suppressed her fear of Tomioka, forced out what she considered a friendly smile, and said to Tomioka, "Hey, you're a pirate too, aren't you? There's no reason to help them!"
"Let's take care of these two Marines together, and I'll recommend you to the boss to join our plan. He's also a pirate, we should help each other, it's about time we dealt with the Marines together."
Tomioka didn't even spare her a glance, simply saying to Tashigi: "Alright."
Immediately after, his figure moved, and he ran towards the direction of the explosion.
"Don't ignore me!!!"
Watching Tomioka, who was already out of sight, Ms. Doublefinger trembled with rage, her chest heaving violently. Her previous fear of Tomioka was now replaced by an immense sense of humiliation.
She had been completely treated as air!
Then she turned back, glaring intently at the still-vigilant Tashigi, letting out a twisted laugh:
"I can't believe you refused him? How foolish! Well, then I'll have to treat you 'nicely'!" With that, she made up her mind, forcefully stabbing her sharp thorny fingers into her own body.
"Thorn Therapy!"
In just a moment, her muscles visibly swelled, her figure grew a few inches taller, and she exuded an even more dangerous aura.
That monster went to find Mr. 4 and them, they definitely won't last long... I must quickly deal with this glasses-wearing Marine and go meet up with the boss... or... maybe just leave directly... Tashigi watched the changes in her opponent, took a deep breath, and warned herself:
Calm down. Especially at times like this, you need to be calm. Aimless slashes are useless. You must see clearly to have a chance to defeat her.
"Sea Urchin Thorns!"
Ms. Doublefinger shrieked. Her blue, spiky hair stood on end, transforming into a thorny ball covered in sharp spikes, accompanying her charging figure.
A giant sea urchin thorny head began to charge directly at Tashigi!
Tashigi's eyes were focused. The moment her opponent was about to collide, she suddenly crouched, lowering her center of gravity, and the shigure in her hand drew a semicircular arc from bottom to top!
"shigure: Arc Slash!"
The blade cleverly followed the momentum of Ms. Doublefinger's charge, using her own strength to flick and guide her!
"Ugh!"
Ms. Doublefinger felt an irresistible force change her direction. Her entire body was uncontrollably thrown into the air, soaring over Tashigi's head, and then crashing heavily onto the ground behind her with a dull thud.
Effective... no problem!
She could feel that although her opponent's strength and speed had increased, for some reason her movements had become unnatural, and this was precisely where the opportunity lay.
Ms. Doublefinger scrambled up from the ground, covered in dust. She glared fiercely at Tashigi, her eyes growing even more vicious:
"Very well... I can't hold back anymore. Next, your face might also suffer, little girl!"
"Thorn Meteor Hammer!"
Her two arms transformed again, the extending thorns becoming thicker, and their ends also covered in sharp spikes. Her entire arm resembled a meteor hammer that could be swung freely.
Ms. Doublefinger knew she couldn't drag this out any longer. As soon as that guy returned, she definitely wouldn't be able to escape.
Here she comes!
Tashigi was fully concentrated, her eyes fixed on Ms. Doublefinger's every move.
Wait until she gets closer... wait for the moment she swings her arm... Ms. Doublefinger's figure rapidly enlarged in her pupils as she roared and raised her arms, beginning to smash down!
Now!
Tashigi shifted her feet, her body drifting sideways, while her shigure slashed out rapidly, grazing the side of the arm!
Clang!
The force numbed her arm, but she quickly rotated her blade, sending out a clever force that guided the momentum of the thorny arm in the wrong direction.
Ms. Doublefinger felt her full-power attack hit nothing but air, and the immense inertia caused her body to stumble forward uncontrollably.
"shigure: Water Surface Slash!"
Tashigi didn't miss this opportunity. She used her waist to power a full-body rotation, and the shigure in her hand carved out a perfect and sharp horizontal slash, accurately cutting across Ms. Doublefinger's waist and abdomen!
"Pfft—!"
The sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh rang out.
Ms. Doublefinger groaned in pain, her movements completely distorted, finding it difficult to even stand steady.
Tashigi tightened her grip on shigure, pressing her advantage. Her blade flashed like a sudden downpour, landing on Ms. Doublefinger's body parts that hadn't transformed into thorns... After a series of slashes, Ms. Doublefinger finally couldn't hold on, collapsing to the ground with numerous wounds, her body slowly returning to its original state.
She looked up at Alabasta's hazy sky, panting heavily, and murmured in disbelief, "A little girl with glasses... can she really have such strength...?"
Tashigi stepped forward. She knew that such a description of her image had also circulated among her colleagues. She didn't answer, silently took handcuffs from her waist, and put them on her.
Ms. Doublefinger looked at the serious female Marine and suddenly smiled, "Little girl, besides catching pirates, is there anything you want to do?"
Tashigi's movements paused for a moment. She looked up, her gaze passing through her glasses to the distance, her tone firm: "To become stronger... so I can reclaim all the famous swords from the hands of evil people."
Ms. Doublefinger was stunned for a moment at her words, then let out a low laugh, a complex and hard-to-understand meaning in her laughter.
"Is that so... My dream is to open my own bar..."
Her voice gradually lowered, carrying a hint of longing and confusion, "I hope I still have that chance."