"Ahhh!"
Nami let out a sharp cry of pain as she slammed hard against a stone pillar behind her. Her Clima-Tact flew from her grasp, clattering twice against the ground as it skidded over ten meters away.
"You are...!"
Robin's pupils constricted. Watching Aranea Highwind land atop one of the pillars, she took two fearful steps back. Her arms crossed over her chest, slender fingers slightly splayed. Her signature combat stance.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Nami rubbed her spine, which felt like it was about to shatter. She forced herself up and glared at Aranea standing on the pillar, snapping angrily, "Who is that? Which woman is this now?"
"Nami, be careful," Robin warned. "She is the Female Dragon Knight of the Immortal Pirates, Aranea Highwind. She's a pirate with a bounty of over 300 million berries."
The moment Nami heard the name "Immortal Pirates," her face paled; the "300 million" that followed nearly made her collapse again. "300 million?! That's more than ten times Luffy's!"
At this moment, she was still unaware that the bounty on Luffy's head had already reached 100 million.
A sudden realization flashed through Nami's mind. "Wait... could it be that the ones fighting the Government for territory are the Immortal Pirates?"
"It certainly seems so," Robin replied. Her usual calm smile was gone, replaced by a tense, solemn expression. She knew exactly what level of enemy stood before them.
Nami felt like crying. She cursed Luffy a thousand times in her heart; if that idiot hadn't meddled in others' business, or if she hadn't let greed get the better of her after hearing the legend of the Golden Bell, then maybe...
"Would you mind not wandering into someone else's guard zone during working hours?"
Aranea stood with one hand on her hip, looking exasperated as she scanned the three women below. When her golden eyes landed on Raki, they narrowed slightly. "Shandia... I gave you a final warning when I let you go last time, didn't I?"
Raki pulled out an Impact Dial as a weapon, her face filled with resolve. "The land beneath your feet belongs to us. We only want back what is ours."
"This land belonged to someone else before the World Government was founded eight hundred years ago, too. I don't see anyone asking for them to give it back."
Aranea really wanted to retort like that, but she ultimately shook her head. Talk was cheap; it was better to settle this the pirate way.
Leaping down from the top of the pillar, Aranea spread her hands. "Then there's nothing more to say. Let's do this, or better yet, you can try to run."
"Robin, let's go!"
Nami wasn't necessarily afraid of death, but she knew the opponent was on a completely different level.
Robin replied coldly, "Nami, she has flight capabilities. We can't outrun her. We have to fight!"
"Twist!"
With those words, Robin activated her Flower-Flower Fruit ability. Two arms sprouted from Aranea's armored shoulders, grabbing her neck and snapping it backward.
Whoosh!
The expected sound of breaking bone never came. Just as Robin intended to snap Aranea's neck in one go, Aranea's body turned into gas.
"Ah!"
Robin let out a cry of pain. Nami and Raki turned to see the long sleeves of Robin's leather jacket seemingly scorched away by something. The fabric dissolved, revealing her arms which were clearly injured, the skin blistered and raw.
Aranea's body gradually reformed from the gas. She chuckled softly. "Physical attacks are useless against elementalization. I am a Logia-type Steam-Steam Fruit user. What you just touched was a gas as corrosive as acid."
Aranea walked toward Robin step by step. "I see. You can sprout organs on others, but if those organs get hurt, you take the damage yourself. Every ability is a double-edged sword, right?"
Suddenly, Nami swung her Clima-Tact at Aranea's head. But far from elementalizing, she didn't even break through the visor on Aranea's face. There was only a crisp clink as the mask deflected the blow.
Aranea caught the Clima-Tact between her index and middle fingers, smiling. "Little sister, if you aren't the combat type, it's best to stay in the back and play support!"
With a flick of her fingers, Aranea tossed Nami directly into the air.
"Don't you go near them!"
Raki struck out boldly, releasing the energy from two Impact Dials. She aimed the openings at Aranea, unleashing a shockwave powerful enough to punch a hole through a steel plate.
BOOM!
A large hole was blasted through Aranea's torso, but within two seconds, it was filled with gas and restored to normal.
"Like I said, I'm a Logia. That kind of move is useless."
Aranea spoke with an exasperated tone. Suddenly, she extended her right hand. "Jet Swirl!"
Hiss—!
The sound was like a boiling kettle. Caught off guard, Raki was completely engulfed by the rushing white steam. She didn't even have time to scream. Robin and Nami could only faintly see her silhouette collapsing within the white mist.
The steam cleared to reveal a puddle on the ground.
"Sorry, but I gave you two chances already. If I let you go again, the Captain will dock my pay."
Aranea withdrew her hand. On the ground remained only Raki's barely recognizable clothes, with a pool of liquid slowly seeping out from within.
"Raki..."
Nami covered her mouth, her face frozen in terror. Then, she saw Aranea turn her gaze back toward Robin.
"Robin!"
Nami struggled to her feet, snatching up her Clima-Tact. She thought to herself: If she's gas, then...
Thinking quickly, Nami swung the Clima-Tact forward. "Thunder Ball!"
"Hm?"
Sensing a strange presence with her Observation Haki, Aranea turned. She saw countless soap bubbles rushing toward her, crackling with sparks of electricity.
"I see. Using those against gas is actually a pretty good idea."
By the time Aranea finished her sentence, the bubbles were less than half a meter away, set to hit her in less than a second.
However, just as Nami's face lit up with a smile, thinking her attack was about to land, Aranea vanished. She reappeared directly in front of Nami, leaning down to whisper into her ear:
"But you're too slow, little sister."
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