"Damn it!"
Without hesitation, Kid immediately swung both his mechanical arms inward, intending to crush the bastard who dared approach him!
In response, Meiser simply infused his fists with Haki and delivered two powerful punches to either side.
"Clang!"
"BOOM!!"
Kid: ???
Watching his mechanical arms shatter once again, Kid was utterly dumbfounded.
"You... you—"
"Shut it!"
Meiser didn't give him a chance to finish. He immediately coated his foot with Haki and delivered a brutal kick straight to Kid's torso.
"BAM!"
"Guh—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed out as Kid was sent flying like a cannonball back toward where he had just charged from.
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
This time, the crater he created was even bigger.
"Huh, felt like I kicked something weird just now," Meiser muttered, frowning.
"Kid!"
Seeing their captain crash into the crater, Killer and the others rushed over, their faces filled with concern.
Meiser paid them no mind. Instead, he turned to Galette and asked, "Galette, if we kill this guy, can we get his Devil Fruit?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Killer's eyes turned ice-cold. He glared at Meiser with murderous intent, wishing he could flay him alive.
This bastard actually had the audacity to covet his brother's Devil Fruit?
Seeking death!
"When a Devil Fruit Ability User dies, their power will indeed reincarnate somewhere in the sea," Galette explained, shrugging. "But whether we can obtain it depends entirely on luck. No one knows where the fruit will reappear."
"It might be nearby, or it might be somewhere far out at sea."
Everyone wants a powerful Devil Fruit, but the problem is... even if you kill the user, there's no guarantee you'll get it. You might just end up handing it to someone else.
That's why... people generally don't hunt Ability Users.
Unless, of course, there's a grudge or a conflict.
"I see," Meiser said with a sigh. "That's a shame."
He actually thought the Magnet-Magnet Fruit was quite useful. Even if he didn't eat it himself, he could give it to Franky, the Cyborg.
The guy had the brains to turn himself into a Cyborg—he was no fool.
Given time, he might even unlock the fruit's full potential.
"Heh, you could always kill him first and see if you get lucky?" Galette teased. "Of course, I could also help you look for it."
If Meiser wanted it, she was willing to mobilize all her resources to track it down.
Who knows? She might just secure the fruit in the near future.
"Yeah, that's true," Meiser nodded.
Either way, killing the guy first was the right move.
Well, for all he knew, the bastard might already be dead.
"Hey, Kid! You okay?!"
"Captain!!"
"Shut the hell up!"
Kid snarled, his face twisted in fury. "I'm not dead yet."
As he spoke, he forced himself to his feet and glared venomously at Meiser in the distance. "Damn Ninja... you almost killed me just now..."
If it weren't for his last-minute idea to use magnetism to counter the opponent's attack, that kick would have knocked him out cold!
This guy's strength truly exceeded his expectations.
"But... why does my magnetism weaken rapidly upon contact with his fist... What kind of Devil Fruit user is he?"
"Not bad for someone with a bounty over 300 million berries," Meiser remarked. "In that case, let's continue."
"Are you mocking me?" Kid said coldly.
"I never said that."
"Whatever," Kid replied. "Though I should thank you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered the Magnet-Magnet Fruit's special application."
If not for that punch, he wouldn't have thought to use magnetism defensively.
"So what?" Meiser said calmly. "Discovering a new way to use your Devil Fruit Ability—what difference does it make?"
He refused to believe this guy could manipulate magnetic fields to that extent.
"That calm demeanor of yours is really pissing me off..." Kid glared at Meiser before taking a deep breath to steady himself.
"Oh? You've calmed down?"
"Anger changes nothing. I know that much," Kid said, glancing at the sword at Meiser's waist. "Speaking of which, you're a ninja... Why aren't you using your signature techniques? You don't fight with your fists, do you?"
Though he wasn't sure if Meiser was the type of ninja who used Release Techniques, ninjas weren't supposed to rely on hand-to-hand combat—at least, not according to popular lore.
"That's my business."
Crack.
The words made veins bulge on Kid's forehead.
Does he think I'm not worthy...? What an arrogant bastard!
"Fine. Don't blame me if you die."
Kid prepared to strike, but before he could activate his Devil Fruit Ability, something came flying through the air.
"Whoa—"
"Huh?"
"What's that?"
Kid stared in confusion as the object drew closer. Was there any vehicle on Sabaody Archipelago that could fly this fast?
"Is that... a Flying Fish Motorbike?"
Meiser was surprised. Wasn't that Duval's crew's signature ride? What were they doing here?
Wait... The person riding it... That's Nami!!
Why was Nami with them?
"Hey, Meiser!!" Nami shouted from the Flying Fish Motorbike. "We've got trouble!"
Hearing her, Meiser frowned.
"Trouble?"
Had a Marine Admiral come to hunt them down?
Galette also furrowed her brow, standing up from the tree root and walking toward Meiser.
Soon, the Flying Fish Motorbike descended, and Nami leaped off.
"Hey, Meiser, we've got a problem," Nami said urgently.
"Calm down. Explain slowly," Meiser said. "Did a Marine Admiral come after us?"
"Tch."
Kid scoffed at the suggestion.
A Marine Admiral hunting them down?
As if he was worth the effort.
Even if his bounty was 400 million, it wasn't worth sending a Marine Admiral to hunt him down.
Meiser ignored the guy. While fighting was important, his crewmates mattered more!
"It's Merry and Camie—they're missing," Nami said anxiously. "They might be sold as slaves. Come with me quickly; we need to find them."
Hearing this, Meiser's expression darkened instantly.
"Kidnapped?"
"What the hell was that idiot Luffy doing?!"
How could two people get kidnapped with that idiot around? What exactly was Luffy doing?!
"I don't know either, but now's not the time to dwell on that," Nami said. "Let's hurry."
As she spoke, Nami signaled the Flying Fish Motorbike in the air to come down and pick them up.
"Sabaody Archipelago is indeed notorious for slave trading," Galette said as she approached. "If you're not careful, you could easily get snatched and sold."
After a pause, Galette added apologetically, "Meiser, I'm sorry. I don't have an intelligence network here—mine is spread across the New World. They don't operate much on Sabaody."
This was why she had immediately sent her subordinates to search for the Straw Hat Pirates after coming ashore.
"It's fine. No need to apologize," Meiser replied.
This wasn't her responsibility, and since there was no way to get intel, there was no reason for her to apologize.
"Should I contact my brother—"
"No need. I have a way," Meiser said.
His first thought was to reach out to Shakky and see if she could track down Merry and Camie. Given her intelligence capabilities on Sabaody, it shouldn't be a problem.
Hearing this, hope flashed in Nami's eyes. It was a relief that he had a solution!
"Hey, you think you can just leave?!" Kid glared coldly at Meiser. "I never said you could go!"
As he spoke, Kid raised his hand and magnetically launched a dagger straight at the Flying Fish Motorbike above.
Loll yelped in alarm, swerving just in time to dodge the attack.
Then, baring his shark-like teeth, he roared, "You bastard! That was dangerous!"
If he'd reacted even a second slower, his flying fish would've been toast! Losing it now would be disastrous.
Kid merely smirked in response, saying nothing.
"I don't have time for this right now," Meiser said, turning to Kid. "If you really want to fight, I'll come back and settle it after handling this."
"No way," Kid shook his head. "What happens to your crewmates is none of my concern."
"Either defeat me or get taken out by me."
As he spoke, Kid raised his right hand, gathering scrap metal.
Meiser's face darkened. "If that's how it is—"
"Leave him to me."
Hearing Galette's voice, Meiser paused and turned to her. "You—"
"I told you, I'm not just a pretty face," Galette said with a smile. "I might not be able to help with intel, but... stopping this guy? That I can do."
"Big talk!" Kid spat out, "With just you?"
"Enough, I can't be bothered with your nonsense... Just die already, all of you!"
"Whoosh~"
A makeshift spinning top made of scrap metal appeared in Kid's hand, then spun at an incredible speed as it charged toward the three of them.
"Magnetism Spin Burst!"
The moment he launched his attack, Galette's hands began producing a large amount of butter, which she then flung forcefully to the side.
"Butter Flowing Wall!"
"Bam!"
The spinning top's trajectory shifted rapidly upon impact, sliding slickly off to the side before being flung away!
"What?!"
Kid was stunned as he watched the woman deflect his attack.
If that Ninja could block his attack, fine—but why could this seemingly frail woman do the same?
However, Galette paid no attention to Kid. Instead, she smiled at Meiser and said, "See? I'm not just a pretty face."
"Whoosh~"
"BOOM!!"
As Galette finished speaking, the deflected attack crashed into the ground with a deafening explosion.
The shockwave blew her cape upward, making her look genuinely impressive.
"So strong..." Nami stared at Galette in shock. "Who are you?"
Was this a new friend Meiser had just met?
"Me?"
"I'm Meiser's fiancée~" Galette said with a smile. "You must be the Cat Burglar, right? Nice to meet you."
Nami: ???
Fiancée?
Meiser had a fiancée?
"It's a bit complicated to explain. We'll talk about it later," Meiser said before glancing at Galette. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Of course."
Galette raised her hand, coating her fist in Armament Haki. "Don't forget, I can use Haki too."
Perhaps sensing Meiser's lingering concern, she added, "Also... if we're counting the time, my brother should be arriving soon."
"So you can go handle your business without worry. Leave this place to me."
Hearing this, Meiser paused.
"Katakuri—"
Then there really shouldn't be any problems.
Galette's strength didn't seem weak, and with her brother—whose bounty exceeded a billion—here as well, taking down Kid wouldn't be an issue.
Still... Was Galette just showing off? He didn't want her getting hurt for his sake.
Thinking this, Meiser said, "You're not just trying to act tough, are you?"
Understanding his concern, Galette nodded firmly. "Trust me!"
Meeting her resolute gaze, Meiser fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Without hesitation, he hoisted Nami onto his shoulder and leaped toward the Flying Fish Motorbike in the air, landing precisely on Loll's vehicle.
"As expected of a Ninja," Loll remarked in awe.
Even while carrying someone, he could jump that high... His leaping ability was truly astonishing.
"Bastards, who said you could leave?!" Kid roared.
As he spoke, the iron fragments on the ground began trembling—clearly, he intended to use them to attack the flying fish and knock them down!
"I said, your opponent is me!" Galette declared:
"Butter Restraint!"
Several rings made of butter swiftly flew toward Kid and his crew.
These were special butter rings created by her Devil Fruit Ability—once ensnared, the victim would fall under her control.
If she could capture everyone in one go, there'd be no need for her brother to intervene.
"Tch."
Kid clicked his tongue and quickly retreated to create distance.
Though he didn't know the exact effects of this ability, he had no interest in testing it firsthand.
After all, using his own body to experiment with an enemy's power would be downright foolish.
However, while he dodged, his subordinates weren't so lucky.
"Huh?!"
"W-What the hell is this?!"
Mick stared in horror at the butter rings now clamped around his wrists.
"Dammit, I can't break free!"
As he spoke, his arms were suddenly forced above his head, and his body began moving against his will.
Mick: ???
What... what was happening to him?
"You damn woman, what did you do?!" Kid roared.
"You'll find out soon enough," Galette sneered. "Come... here."
The next moment, the restrained Mick actually began moving toward her.
Kid: ???
"Hey, Mick, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Captain, I can't move!" Mick panicked. "I can't control my body at all!"
"It won't budge..."
Kid's expression darkened. What kind of bizarre Devil Fruit Ability was this?
As Kid pondered, Killer lunged forward, slashing at the butter rings with his blade.
"Schlick—"
The sharp blade passed cleanly through the butter—but failed to sever it.
Killer: ???
"What the hell is this thing?"
Killer was baffled. His weapon couldn't cut through it?
Seeing Mick still being dragged forward, Killer gritted his teeth, sheathed his weapon, and grabbed Mick's body, forcibly holding him back.
Galette wasn't fazed. She'd only wanted to demonstrate her power.
Glancing at Meiser and the others, who had fled quite a distance, a smile crept onto her face.
"I guess... this counts as helping."
"Tch..."
Kid clicked his tongue again. The enemy was already out of his attack range—even if he wanted to chase down the ninja, it was impossible now.
In that case... he'd just have to eliminate this annoying woman first!
With that thought, Kid barked, "Killing her will teach that damn ninja a lesson!"
"RAAH!!"
His crew roared in response, brandishing their weapons as they charged at Galette.
Yet, faced with this onslaught, Galette remained utterly calm, even lowering her hands casually.
Kid: ???
What... was she doing?
The next moment...
"Brother!!!"
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!!"
The instant Galette's voice rang out, Katakuri's massive frame landed before her with a thunderous impact.
"You... what do you think you're doing to my dear little sister?!"
Katakuri glared coldly at Kid, his eyes brimming with icy killing intent!
At this moment, Katakuri was burning with fury in his heart.
Not only because Meiser had rejected his adorable little sister, but also because this rookie before him dared to attempt to kill his sister!
He couldn't touch Meiser for now, so... he'd vent his anger on this bastard before him instead.
Witnessing this scene, Meiser murmured to himself: 'So this... is Katakuri—'
Now that the man had appeared, he could finally set his mind at ease. With that, he withdrew his gaze and left the area with his companions.
As for crossing blades with him?
That could wait for another time!
"And who the hell are you?"
Kid frowned at Katakuri, showing no fear despite the man's massive stature.
After all... he'd encountered plenty of oversized idiots along his journey, and they'd all ended up defeated before him in the end.
Strength had nothing to do with height, when it came down to it.
"Captain, I know him!" The flame-spewing man stared at Katakuri in shock. "He's from a Four Emperors Crew—Katakuri, with a bounty of 1,057,000,000 Berries!"
Why would someone of his caliber... appear here?!
Shouldn't they be staying in the New World?!
"Four Emperors Crew?" Kid froze momentarily before breaking into an excited grin. "Even better!"
"To encounter someone like you without even needing to go to the New World... this is perfect!"
At this moment, Kid had already marked Katakuri as his stepping stone.
After all... for a man destined to become the Pirate King, mere Four Emperors were nothing to fear.
"What a... hopelessly reckless rookie."
Galette looked at Kid as if he were an idiot. Did this fool not understand what a single-digit billion bounty represented?
This was their Pirate Crew's second-in-command!!
"Galette, fall back," Katakuri ordered.
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Galette promptly retreated, leaving the battlefield to her elder brother.
Once his sister had withdrawn, Katakuri coldly addressed the crowd before him: "All of you... come at me together!"
Meanwhile, at Auction House No. 1's location—
"Today's haul is quite bountiful." Peterman narrowed his eyes. "Hope they fetch a good price."
After speaking, Peterman glanced at the auction house's back door and decisively headed toward it.
The staff recognized him immediately, smoothly opening the door to let him through.
After so many collaborations, they were all thoroughly familiar with each other.
"Oh?"
"Peterman?"
Vic, who handled slave transactions, gave the man carrying two sacks a curious look. "You've got... goods to sell?"
"Right." Peterman nodded. "I'm not too late, am I?"
"Well, you're certainly not early." Vic remarked. "Today's auction is about to start."
"As long as it hasn't begun yet."
Peterman set the sacks down. "Go ahead, inspect them."
"Ah, today's special—we've got Giant Race slaves. Your goods might not sell for much..." Vic's words trailed off as he caught sight of what spilled from the sacks.
"Is this... a Merfolk?!"
Vic looked at Peterman excitedly and said, "Where did you get this? This is premium stuff!"
So many years had passed, and the Fish-Man race had only appeared a few times in their area. How could Peterman have gotten his hands on one?
"This is a secret," Peterman said. "Vic, don't go breaking the rules."
"Ahahaha, of course not!"
After speaking, Vic glanced at another sack and asked, "Then this... is also Merfolk?"
"No."
Peterman opened the sack, revealing the small figure inside. "This little one has pointed ears, seems like some special race, so I grabbed her along the way."
"Why isn't she moving?" Vic frowned.
"Dead?"
Peterman wasn't someone who didn't understand the rules—what was going on this time?
"No, she's alive," Peterman said.
"Then what's the situation?"
"Just unconscious," Peterman explained.
"Don't let her small size fool you—she's quite strong."
"To prevent her from making noise and ruining things, I had to knock her out first."
"But don't worry, she'll wake up in half an hour at most."
"Half an hour, huh..."
Vic calculated the time, then nodded. "Hmm, should be enough."
"Alright, then we'll leave it to you~"
"Relax, this isn't our first time working together. You'll be satisfied~"
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Clearly, they were brimming with confidence about the Merfolk they'd acquired this time...
Beside Merry, Camie watched her unconscious friend, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Would anyone come to save them?
For a moment, Camie felt utterly hopeless.
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