Underground Trade Port – Sector 2.
"Trebol-sama! Those are the two intruders!" a man shouted, pointing toward a scene of absolute chaos ahead.
Trebol narrowed his eyes. Nearly a hundred family soldiers were currently swarming a samurai wielding dual blades and a square-bodied tanuki. Dozens of men already lay scattered across the ground, either dead or severely wounded.
Fortunately, reinforcements from other sectors were still pouring in, joining the fray and managing to keep the two intruders pinned down.
"Behehehe! It's been a long time since I've seen such interesting intruders!" Trebol chuckled, sniffling back a long trail of snot.
The nearby messenger, looking stressed, sighed. "Trebol-sama, this is hardly the time for that!"
The officers of the Donquixote Family were all incredibly powerful, but every single one of them was eccentric and difficult to handle.
"Behehehe! Leave it to me!"
Trebol stepped forward with confidence, though every movement exuded a sense of wretchedness and filth.
"Waaa—ha—!"
In the middle of the crowd, Chopper let out a strange roar, nimbly taking down three enemies.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flabby, slovenly man approaching. He carried a golden cane topped with a club suit symbol and had two thick strands of snot hanging from his nose. He looked both bizarre and revolting.
"Kin'emon, a weirdo is coming!"
Chopper sensed a wave of danger emanating from Trebol and quickly alerted the man beside him.
Hearing the warning, Kin'emon cut down a Donquixote Family guard before whipping his head around to face the newcomer.
"Behehehe~"
Trebol let out a mocking laugh as he extended his hand. A thick drop of brownish, viscous mucus secreted from his fingertip, and with a flick, he sent it flying straight toward Kin'emon.
Shuu—!
The drop of thick, tea-colored slime tore through the air like a bullet, letting out a sharp whistle before reaching Kin'emon in an instant.
"So fast!"
Startled, Kin'emon quickly raised his blades to parry.
Bang—!
The moment Kin'emon's blade met his chest, the mucus bullet slammed into the steel. A powerful force exploded outward, sending a shockwave rippling through the surrounding area.
Kin'emon felt a massive surge of power, so strong he nearly lost his grip on his swords. Horrified, he blurted out, "What incredible strength!"
"He blocked it!"
"Trebol-sama's attack... was actually stopped!"
"Are you kidding? Trebol-sama is a Top Officer of the Family!"
The Donquixote soldiers gasped in shock, unable to believe their eyes.
Likewise, Trebol was surprised to see his strike fail to repel the opponent. "Nyeh, nyeh! You actually blocked it!"
"Kin'emon!"
Chopper ran to the samurai's side, asking worriedly, "Are you alright?"
"Who is this man? To possess such power with a casual strike... is he an officer of the Donquixote Family?!" Kin'emon shook his head, staring tensely at Trebol.
Trebol looked them over, racking his brain, but he couldn't place their identities. "Who are you? Tell me your names, and I might just spare your lives!"
"Doflamingo's lapdog! Where have you imprisoned Kanjuro?" Kin'emon glared at Trebol, ignoring the question and shouting his own demand.
"Kanjuro?" Trebol blinked, then tilted his head, leaning in uncomfortably close. "Nyeh, nyeh~ who's Kanjuro?"
"Hey! Hey! You're too close!"
Looking at Trebol's approaching face, Chopper's expression twisted in disgust as he yelled out a retort.
"Nyeh, nyeh~ Too close?"
Trebol leaned in even further, his two strands of snot stretching half a meter long.
"Doctor Chopper, look out! Fox-Fire Style: Fire Willow Flash!!!"
Seeing Trebol close in like that, Kin'emon feared for Chopper's safety. He unsheathed his two katanas in a blur of motion.
Due to the extreme speed and his unique technique, the friction against the air caused the blades to erupt into scorching flames.
"A flaming swordsman?!"
Trebol's face paled. He recoiled violently, his body dissolving into a large mass of thick, brownish slime. He traced an arc through the air, instantly repositioning himself over a dozen meters away.
The blades sliced through the empty air, leaving trails of fire that caused the temperature of the room to spike.
Seizing the opening, Chopper leaped into the air. Mid-flight, he transformed into his Heavy Point form, his arm muscles bulging as he brought his hoof-like hands together at his waist.
"Arm Point: Cloven Cross!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Chopper descended. His clenched hooves slammed directly into Trebol's chest.
Boom—!
A dull, heavy impact echoed through the port as a ring of wind blasted outward.
The full force of Chopper's strength poured out like a flood, caving in Trebol's chest and blasting out through his back. Viscous slime splattered everywhere as a massive, gaping hole was torn clean through Trebol's torso.
"I did it!" Chopper cried out in pleasant surprise.
He hadn't expected to kill a Top Officer of the Donquixote Family in a single blow.
"Incredible! As expected of Doctor Chopper!" Kin'emon praised him loudly, his face brightening.
"Trebol-sama!"
The surrounding soldiers stared at Trebol's mangled chest, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in horror. This was a Top Officer! How could he be defeated so easily?
"Nyeh, nyeh~ that was some serious power. I almost died!"
Just as Chopper was basking in the glory of his victory, Trebol's voice rang out again.
"He's still alive?!"
The shock nearly gave Chopper and Kin'emon a heart attack.
The tea-colored mucus in the hole of Trebol's chest began to churn. Within seconds, the cavity was filled, and his body returned to its original, lumpy shape.
Seeing this, the Donquixote soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Trebol!"
"Get back here right now! You've been tricked!"
"You idiot, die!"
At that moment, Sugar's voice broadcasted from the Officer's Tower hundreds of meters away.
"Nani?!"
Trebol gasped, realizing something instantly.
Before Chopper or Kin'emon could process the broadcast, Trebol flew into a rage. "Damn it! I'm furious! Die!"
In the next instant, his right hand transformed into thick slime and lashed out. The mucus elongated into a whip-like tendril, striking Chopper with brutal force.
Crack—!
The attack was too fast to dodge. Chopper was sent flying, crashing into a stack of wooden crates over ten meters away, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
"Doctor Chopper!"
"You bastard! Fire Willow Flash!!!"
Desperate, Kin'emon charged Trebol, his blades wreathed in roaring flames.
Seeing the fire, Trebol's eyelids twitched with a hint of wariness.
"Beta Betton Launcher!!!"
Trebol roared as he fired countless clumps of thick slime from his body. It was like a modern gatling gun; in an instant, the air was filled with mucus bullets.
Kin'emon was only halfway through his charge when the path ahead was completely obstructed. Before he could react, the barrage of heavy slime slammed into him like high-caliber rounds.
Pa, pa, pa, pa...
The impact sent him crashing to the ground, coughing up blood. Worse, the sticky substance pinned him firmly to the floor, leaving him unable to move.
In the blink of an eye, Trebol had neutralized both Chopper and Kin'emon.
He turned immediately, intending to rush back and rescue Sugar.
But at that very moment, a miracle occurred.
Countless golden specks of light began to rise, illuminating the entire Underground Trade Port.
"This is..."
Trebol sucked in a cold breath, a wave of intense dread washing over him.
Those golden lights were rising from the bodies of the toy laborers who had been moving the cargo.