Bang!
Allen's crystalline armor shattered under Rosen's Haki-infused punch, the force piercing through his body and demolishing the building behind him.
"Cough… cough…" Allen stared at Rosen in disbelief. This was the captain of the Dawn Pirates—the former Shichibukai? Wasn't he far too strong?
He had once clashed with Moonlight Moria, another Shichibukai, and they had fought to a draw. Even when he failed his ambush at the Valos Fortress, he believed it was only due to circumstances, not a lack of strength.
So when he recognized Rosen earlier, he instinctively linked him to that same title—former Shichibukai.
But now, after just a few exchanges, he fully realized the vast gap between their power.
His crystal magnetic field had no effect on Rosen, a Logia user. The refracted beams and concentrated light from his crystal shards were weaker than lasers, and though the glare could blind ordinary opponents, it was useless against someone with Observation Haki.
Even his burrowing ability, derived from his crystal's reflective nature, was suicidal against Rosen's desert—once underground, he'd be buried alive in quicksand.
And his multi-layered crystal defense couldn't withstand Rosen's sheer physical power. In short, Allen's so-called invincible Crystal Fruit ability was completely countered by Rosen's powers.
Combined with his inferior strength, he was being utterly crushed. At this rate, one small mistake would mean his death at Rosen's hands.
Too strong. The enemy before him was simply too strong—and his assassination techniques couldn't even come into play. His greatest advantage was stealth and killing from the shadows, yet the king had ordered him and the assassins to charge head-on with the three thousand elites.
The king… had truly grown old.
Bang! Rosen's kick snapped several of Allen's ribs. "For a royal bodyguard, your strength isn't bad. Your fruit development's decent too. But today… is still your death day."
"Everyone dies eventually. Living this long was already a gift." Allen wiped the blood from his mouth, slammed his hands on the ground, and activated his power. Countless crystal spikes erupted upward—only to be shattered instantly as Rosen stomped them into dust, summoning sand spikes to impale Allen from all sides.
"Crystal Defense—Twenty Layers!" Allen's body radiated dazzling light, layers of crystals forming around him in every color.
But under Rosen's relentless assault, the layers shattered one after another, falling like glittering shards of broken glass.
"Impossible! Allen can't lose!" The king's face twisted in denial. For years, Allen had annihilated his enemies with ease, accomplishing every mission.
Yet now, he was being crushed by Crocodile. The king, regaining a sliver of reason, frantically ordered his troops to support Allen—but even a layman could see it was useless. Rosen would finish him soon.
Desperately, the king looked toward Raymond, hoping for a turn—but their situation wasn't much better.
"What's this? Not every Blue Sea human is so strong after all," Enel sneered, watching Duke Raymond twitch and stagger after being struck by a thunderbird.
His arrogance was in full bloom, already forgetting his past defeats.
Barefoot, Enel advanced slowly, tapping his golden staff against his back-mounted drums. Bolts of lightning cracked from his fingertips, forcing Raymond backward, shrinking his area to move.
"Worm… Discharge! Ten Million Volts!" Enel growled as soldiers charged toward him. With a flick of his staff, arcs of lightning exploded outward, electrocuting dozens instantly.
"You're joking… A Goro Goro no Mi user?!" Raymond's face contorted. He had thought Enel would be easier to deal with, but was instead completely overpowered. A Logia—worse yet, the Lightning Fruit, one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in existence—and this man was Rosen's subordinate?!
Crocodile was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
"Lord Raymond!" Colson cried out, seeing his commander in peril. If not for the countless soldiers diverting Enel's attacks, Raymond might already be dead. But at this rate, defeat was inevitable.
"You've got time to look away?" Hathaway's voice cut through the chaos. Her Haki surged as she slashed down—Colson barely dodged, but dozens of his mirrored projections shattered. His real body took the blow, leaving a deep gash across his torso.
"Omniform Annihilation Cannon!" Colson yelled, retreating rapidly. The air shimmered as countless duplicates appeared in the sky, each one of them another "Colson."
Every step he took left a new clone behind—his latest ability, Perfect Reflection. Each reflection possessed a fraction of his power, and he could create up to a hundred at once.
All one hundred drew identical handheld cannons and fired simultaneously. The barrage engulfed Hathaway in explosions.
"The firepower's impressive," Hathaway said coldly, stepping through the flames unscathed, her body encased in hardened Armament Haki. Her icy gaze sent chills down Colson's spine.
What kind of monster was this woman? She wasn't even a Devil Fruit user—yet her swordsmanship and impenetrable Haki could withstand a hundred cannons?
"Explode! Ground Bounce Detonation!" Mr. 5 yelled excitedly. He had invented a new move—channeling explosive energy through his jumps. Each landing released a shockwave that expanded outward, detonating everything in range.
He leapt ten meters high, and a ripple of compressed air spread out from the impact—massive explosions followed, clearing swathes of soldiers in an instant.
"Godspeed Splinter!" Daz Bones sliced through the ranks with twin transparent blades. As he swung, each blade split into dozens of smaller, faster ones, skewering hundreds of soldiers like a storm of steel.
Natalie, Valentine, Migs, and Robin each fought in their own way. Though less spectacular, they held off groups of enemies, creating openings for Rosen and the others.
Before long, the battlefield's center was cleared—a massive ring of devastation surrounded by corpses and unconscious soldiers. Despite the endless waves of troops, the Dawn Pirates held their ground easily.
"How… how is this possible?! How can they be so strong? They're just a pirate crew!" The king's furious roar echoed across the field. "Useless! All of you are useless! Kill them! Kill them all!"
If this continued, his life was in real danger.
"We can't go on like this," Raymond growled, gritting his teeth. "It's time to use our trump card."
(End of Chapter)