"Damn it!"
Dingman had no time for hesitation. With a mere raise of his hand, he controlled the hundreds, even thousands, of thumb-sized blood spheres floating around him. They rapidly shot out, transforming from spherical to conical as they flew.
"Blood Rain Arrows!!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Amidst the dense tearing of air, countless blood cones, like a torrential downpour of blossoms, struck the dozen or so mud-and-rock tentacles, instantly riddling them with dense pockmarks.
However, these blood cones were too small; while they might have been somewhat effective against ordinary targets, they were insufficient against these mud and stone tentacles, causing little damage and completely failing to stop their descent.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Boom!
Seven or eight mud-and-rock tentacles, each over ten meters long, twisted as if enraged, slamming heavily into the ground, emitting continuous thunderous crashes.
They pounded the once beautiful green grassland into a series of craters, sending the surrounding Marines and pirates scrambling to escape from this dangerous zone.
At this moment, Dingman swiftly weaved through the wildly flailing mud-and-rock tentacles, a perilous dance on a tightrope. From time to time, he swung his long scythe, Gyakurin, forcefully cutting down any obstructing tentacles.
"Damn it, I can't even dodge these demonic things' pursuit!" Dingman cursed under his breath, stealing a glance at Cross not far away. He muttered, "This brat is certainly not simple. He definitely has Observation Haki too!"
"Hahaha~ You're the one who's not simple, your Observation Haki is quite refined!" Cross laughed heartily upon hearing Dingman's words, teasing him.
Dingman's face darkened. He noticed the surrounding mud-and-rock tentacles attacking more fiercely and precisely, making him feel somewhat overwhelmed for a moment.
"Hoo—"
"Blood Moon Crescent!!"
Suddenly, after taking a deep breath, Dingman fiercely raised his scythe, Gyakurin, and swung it. A crimson crescent moon instantly appeared, sweeping outwards in a fan shape, obliterating all the mud-and-rock tentacles, cutting them cleanly in half.
Rumble—!
The upper halves of all the mud-and-rock tentacles crashed heavily to the ground, creating a rumbling sound.
"As expected of someone who can work for the Charlotte Family, you do have some skills!" Cross snorted lightly, quietly tightening his grip on Kagehide.
"Hoo—"
At this moment, Dingman let out a long sigh, then looked grimly at the still twitching and writhing mud-and-rock tentacles on the ground. He couldn't help but curse under his breath, "What are these damned things? Are they alive?"
Whoosh—!
As he spoke, he suddenly turned around, swinging his long scythe. It sliced through a gargoyle that had ambushed him, cutting it cleanly in two as if it were butter.
"Don't get distracted! I'm still here!"
Suddenly, Cross roared and shot forward like a cannonball. His high-speed movement enveloped him in a whistling gale of compressed air, and in an instant, he closed in on Dingman.
"You brat, you're looking for death!" Dingman gritted his teeth in anger, raising his scythe, Gyakurin, without hesitation and ruthlessly slashing towards Cross, as if unleashing a crimson crescent moon.
"Blood Cut!!!"
Clang—!
In an instant, the scythe and the katana clashed, sending out conspicuous sparks. A fierce, white shockwave erupted in a circular pattern, like a raging storm, kicking up a thick cloud of earthy dust. The ground beneath their terrifying power spontaneously caved in, forming a crater several meters in diameter, filled with dense spiderweb cracks.
"Armament Haki..." Dingman stared at Cross in disbelief, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
Cross also looked at Dingman with a surprised expression, saying, "I didn't expect someone who's constantly active in 'Paradise' to also have such proficient control over two types of Haki. I thought you only had Observation Haki!"
It turned out that in this clash, both had unexpectedly used Armament Haki, intending to break the other's weapon, only to find that their opponent also possessed Armament Haki.
"I should be the one who's surprised!" Dingman gritted his teeth, his voice low, "For someone your age to have such proficient control over both Armament Haki and Observation Haki... Doflamingo from the North Blue was the same. Are all brats this powerful now?"
"So you've met that pink bird too, huh? If you somehow manage to leave here alive, remember to tell him next time you see him that I, Amphitrite Cross, am still coming for his head!" Cross grinned, his tone menacing.
The next second, Cross and Dingman both took a step back simultaneously, then charged at each other again, rapidly swinging their weapons and clashing together.
Clang-clang-clang—the metallic ringing continuously echoed in their ears, and surging waves of force spread outwards.
On the shore, Jabra leisurely stepped off the warship, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he watched the fierce battle between Cross and Dingman from a distance. Then he turned and asked, "Shouldn't we help?"
Who's-Who touched his slightly swollen face, grumbling with a cold snort, "Dealing with pirates is their Marine duty. Don't bother with that bastard!"
"Alright, then let's bypass the battlefield and check out the warehouse!" Jabra said indifferently, "According to CP7's surveillance, the goods are still inside the warehouse and haven't been moved!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Who's-Who's expression was grim as he walked off to the side.
"Hey~ Don't you dare order me around, you bastard!" Jabra shouted in dissatisfaction, but still followed closely.
The two swiftly bypassed the ongoing battle between the Marines and the Blood pirates, heading deeper into the forest.
The islands of the Sabaody Archipelago were small, so their scope wasn't very large. Thus, the two quickly emerged from the forest and arrived at the edge of the town.
"Scythe, report cargo location, over!"
"Scythe reporting, will fire signal flare for guidance, over!"
"Understood, over!"
"Scythe reporting again, warehouse guarded by a Blood pirate executive and dozens of pirates, over!"
"A Blood pirate executive, huh... Who is it? Over!"
"The opponent is Throat-Slasher Dinelli, bounty 115,000,000 Berries. Please proceed with caution, over!"
"We understand, over!"
Click~
Who's-Who hung up the Den Den Mushi and put it back in his pocket.
"Honestly, this is my first time encountering an opponent with a bounty over 100 million. It's quite exciting!" Jabra said with a smile.
"Once we take care of that monster, let's see how that bastard Lucci can act so arrogant in front of me!" Who's-Who said excitedly.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a red signal flare shot into the sky. After exploding, the fireworks formed the symbol of the World Government, hanging high in the sky.
"Doesn't look too far. Let's go!" Jabra glanced at the signal flare's location, called out to Who's-Who, and then ran ahead.
"Damn it, don't order me around!" Who's-Who's face darkened, and he quickly followed.
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