Fallen trees littered the ground, alongside long, narrow fissures and massive craters. Within a hundred-meter radius, the area had already been reduced to a scene of utter devastation.
"Is this all CP0 is capable of?" Zephyr cast a disdainful glance at his feet. The agent Akachi lay there soaked in blood, his right arm twisted at a grotesque angle, his breath long gone.
Having dealt with his opponent, Zephyr turned and walked back toward his original position.
"Hand over that girl!"
Two agents in black suits leaped into the air. One thrust forward with a Shigan, while the other delivered a horizontal slash with his blade, both diving down like birds of prey.
"Mosa! Mosa! Mosa!"
Binz's body swirled in a rhythmic dance. A dozen more vines burst through the soil, growing at an impossible rate. They whipped through the air like tentacles, coiling forward to ensnare the attackers.
"Damn, watch out for those vines!"
The two agents were jolted. They hastily performed Geppo, kicking the air to stay aloft as they frantically dodged the dozen vines lashing out at them in mid-air.
"Rankyaku!!!"
One of them swept his leg out horizontally. His sheer leg strength compressed the air, unleashing a blue-white vacuum blade.
Slash—!
The sharp strike managed to sever one vine, only to be stopped dead by a second.
"These vines are too tough!"
The man gasped in shock, but in that split second, more vines had already looped around from behind. Before he could react, several vines cinched tightly around him, binding him fast.
On the other side, the swordsman swung his katana, cleaving through three vines in quick succession. However, their resiliency far exceeded his imagination. The impact of the strike tore open the webbing of his thumb; blood soaked into the black cloth wrapping his hilt and began to drip steadily onto the ground.
"It's useless. You can't escape!" Binz sneered. Suddenly, the surrounding vines shot out like arrows—fast, sharp, and relentless.
Squish, squish, squish...
In an instant, five vines pierced the swordsman's body simultaneously. Blood sprayed as he was skewered and killed in mid-air.
One had to realize that among the nearly twenty agents from the CP agencies involved in this operation, even the weakest was proficient in at least two of the Rokushiki techniques. They were the backbone of the Cipher Pol.
Yet, under the onslaught of dozens of elite subordinates led by Ain, these agents were being driven back step by step. Suffering heavy casualties, they soon left over ten corpses in their wake.
"Ha!"
One agent gripped his sword with both hands, stepping forward with a fierce overhead strike. He aimed to split Ain in two with a savage slash.
"What a vicious strike. So this is a World Government agent?" Ain't brow arched slightly. She pivoted, gracefully evading the thunderous downward blow.
Clang! Clang!
Two sharp metallic rings followed as sparks flew into the air. A long sword went spinning into the sky.
"Die!"
Wielding her twin short swords, Ain had nimbly parried the agent's weapon away. She stepped in, her right blade snapping toward the man's throat.
"Tekkai!!!"
Terrified, the agent dropped into a low horse stance, his body shimmering with a faint, metallic luster.
Shing—!
The short sword flashed. Blood sprayed as Ain effortlessly bypassed the Iron Body defense, tearing a gash across his neck and severing his windpipe.
"Ugh—"
The agent clutched his throat in disbelief, thick gouts of blood leaking through his fingers. His body swayed for a moment before he collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Ain flicked the blood from her blade. Her beautiful eyes scanned the fallen agent as she thought to herself, Every one of them was a Rokushiki user. The World Government truly has no shortage of experts.
"Whoa! So strong! These Government guys are almost all dead!" Olga, still suspended in the air by vines, watched with shining eyes as Ain and Binz showcased their prowess.
Then, Olga fell into deep thought. "If I want to run, I have to find the right opening!"
"Hey, I can hear you!" A black line appeared on Binz's forehead as he shouted a reminder.
"Oh!" Olga snapped back to reality.
Before long, Zephyr approached the battlefield. He looked over the pile of black-suited corpses; the last man had just fallen under Ain's blade.
"Zephyr-sensei!" Ain hurried over.
"Let's go. We can't keep this hidden for long," Zephyr said, waving a hand. His voice was heavy. "We need to make it back to the Clifford Kingdom before the World Government can react!"
"Sensei... are we really bringing this girl back?" Ain hesitated. "If that man gets his hands on the Pure Gold, the world..."
Zephyr raised a hand, cutting her off. He stared at her with a stern, piercing gaze. "Right now, we are nothing more than walking corpses who have lost our purpose. But even walking corpses have their dignity. A world already in chaos won't care if it gets a little more chaotic!"
"I understand!" Ain's expression hardened in resolve.
Without ordering a cleanup of the battlefield, Zephyr quickly led the group out of the coastal woods, leaving over a dozen bodies exposed in the wasteland.
Ten minutes later, Akachi's body twitched.
"Almost... died..."
A voice, so weak it was nearly silent, rang out. Propping himself up with his functional left arm, Akachi struggled to crawl away, swaying unsteadily.
"Must... get the word out... let the... Navy intercept them..."
…
Kingdom of Clifford.
Royal Capital, Nakor.
Central Tower. Rooftop.
Inside a pavilion, Aeridar and Doflamingo sat across from each other.
"I'm going to slaughter those two brats!" Doflamingo's face was livid, the veins on his forehead bulging with fury.
"There's still time. Your SMILE Factory is still capable of producing Artificial Devil Fruits," Aeridar noted calmly. He paused, then asked playfully, "Doffy, who do you think their next target is?"
"Me!" Doflamingo pointed to himself without hesitation. "That brat Law... his target is definitely me!"
Aeridar grinned, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "That's not necessarily true."
Doflamingo frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You should know that Enel captured two of the Straw Hat's nakama. They are currently being transported here," Aeridar said, leaning back with effortless composure. "You don't understand, that Straw Hat kid values his partners above all else. He will definitely come here to save them!"
"You mean..." Doflamingo looked at Aeridar, his eyes narrowing.
"Of course, Law's target is you, but the Straw Hat's target is definitely me!" Aeridar analyzed. "However, their combat power is limited. They can't afford to split their forces, so they will inevitably choose one of us to strike first."
"If they destroy your SMILE Factory, it will inevitably enrage Kaido. And Kaido isn't exactly a reasonable man. Once he learns you can no longer supply the fruits, he'll take his anger out on you. That would achieve their goal of taking you down!"
"Hey... that's not a joke I find funny." Hearing Kaido's name, sweat broke out on Doflamingo's brow, and his expression soured.
"And if they want to get their friends back, or kill me, they have to come here." Aeridar pointed to the floor beneath them, his voice brimming with confidence. "And this place will be their burial ground!"
"I'm going to rip Law's head off with my own hands!" Doflamingo snarled.
"Suit yourself," Aeridar shrugged, chuckling. "Anyway, both of us have the ability to fly. No matter where they strike, we can get there in no time."
"Unless... you get defeated before I can arrive! Fuffuffuffuffu!"
"And why would it be me and not you? Heh heh heh~!"