"Do you want to switch?" he asked Lily.
That short guy didn't seem weak, Hawkins couldn't see Haki, but he knew Lily had Haki. The speed and strength of that little man seemed to match Lily's Haki.
Handling it himself might be more suitable.
That level of strength... couldn't escape his ability.
Hiss!
Lily swiped the White Thunder to the side, slicing open the chest of a civilian rushing in, causing him to fall to the ground. She coldly said, "No need."
Her gaze flicked to Tonya and said, "There's nothing to feel sorry about. Sage said that those who resist are enemies. When encountering enemies, Pirates have their own way of dealing with them. But Sage also said..."
She raised her thin sword towards Tonya, her originally cool eyes turning like ice, flashing a cold gleam.
"Pirates also have a sense of justice!"
Tonya's expression froze, a bead of cold sweat dripped from his forehead, subconsciously wanting to stretch out a hand to block.
Hiss!!
The extended hand was cut off at the root. Tonya's gaze was stunned as a splash of blood burst out in front of him.
He took a few steps back, extending another hand to cover his bleeding throat. He subconsciously looked towards the blond woman with her back to him, began to smile, but his expression froze and he collapsed to the ground.
"Extreme Thunder Black."
Lily swiped the White Thunder again; the sword blade was already covered with Haki. She turned her head and said, "The bounty of a pirate worth over a million isn't as weak as you think. Your body techniques compared to Sage are far inferior. If you haven't seen him, you're just a frog in a well looking at the bright moon. Once you see him, you'll understand what real power is!"
Sage didn't train in vain; besides being able to pinpoint their specialties and provide targeted training advice, he occasionally joined in to practice with these officers.
Willpower must increase, but battle experience can't be overlooked.
Especially for a physical expert like him, even one mistake can result in a big loss.
Like this Defense Captain, his body techniques may be strong, but to Lily, who's seen stronger, his body techniques can only be described as decent.
In a normal battle, Lily might be dodged by him, unable to decide the victor quickly.
But as long as speed is fast enough and power is great enough, in that instant, one can decide the victor before the opponent is prepared!
Lily is a swordsman; she relies on the sword. Even if this short guy's body can temporarily block her slashing, he cannot resist the power of her meticulously coiled Haki.
So victory can be decided with one sword strike.
She raised the White Thunder and shouted, "The one who ordered you is already dead! That command is useless now; all retreat!"
Once the person issuing orders is taken down, perhaps these civilians can retreat...right?
Yet, the crowd of people seems not to have heard Lily's words. Instead, they surged forward, desperately charging, refusing to relinquish their attack. Despite the Pirates' onslaught, they wouldn't stop, even with fear written on their faces, as if knowingly rushing to their deaths.
"Humph, you don't understand."
Holding a giant hammer, the Defense Captain struck Pearl, licking his lips, and laughed, "Our orders are absolute. Even if the King dies, they'll still heed them!"
"Third-class villagers can only do the lowest work, earn the least money, and live in the outermost slums. If they want a good life and more money, they have only this option!"
"Second-class civilians can only do middle-class jobs, live in small houses slightly more inside. They also want to live like upper-class people. Even if they themselves cannot achieve it, for their children and loved ones, they're willing to do so."
"Only citizens like us, first-class citizens, hold absolute power, enjoy the best food, live in the biggest houses, and have the most respectable jobs. Such status, they won't attain even after a hundred years of hard work. Now...as long as they kill you Pirates, or be killed by you Pirates, their deaths will give them the power and money!"
He laughed heartily, "Such things are rare; they're willing to die for it, and... what luck for me! Tonya is dead, great, now I can be the General Commander! Hey, Gramer, you won't compete with me, right?!"
"Doesn't matter, I'm not interested in that kind of stuff."
Punching Bellamy and bouncing back again, Gramer shouted, "But the main credit for taking down the Disaster Pirates is mine. You want power; I want fame!"
"OK!"
Lager stabbed his heavy hammer down and laughed loudly, "Get caught in the tide of people!"
The number of civilians continued to grow, whether they were lowly workers in these bustling high-rises or from the outer slums, all gathered at the port like a flood.
As the numbers surged, Pirates began retreating. Some even took advantage of the chaos to flee outright.
They were already restless; now sensing something amiss, leaving was the best choice.
Some departing Pirates were Pirate Captains themselves, taking a dozen familiar Pirates with them, withdrawing in chaos and slipping into the Kingdom's interior.
Others, previously joined from Bridge Kingdom, had made enough money and lost their Captain, were also considering departure; now seemed the opportunity.
And some, like Roshio...
Directly withdrew, reached Death Star, intending to set sail and escape.