"Dad, Mom..."
Robby saw the two people surrounded and murmured, then couldn't help but shout, "What's going on, why are you here?!"
Those who suffer from cold syndrome have no consciousness; it's common knowledge among the people living here that cold syndrome means death. Apart from the body existing, there's no other connection, just an instinctual repetition of daily labor.
But now, they've actually deviated from their usual behavior and actively came here, making Robby feel uneasy.
"Heh heh heh, why are they here... That's a good question. And you, little brat, even though you escaped from here, you dared to come back. Never mind, you'll become like them too."
A voice resounded from the top of the cave, "Capture them!"
The miners surrounding them moved in unison, but the Demon Race reacted faster. Although they outnumbered them six or seven times, when these people acted, each figure disappeared, turning into afterimages.
"Rankyaku!"
"Finger Gun!"
Some people flashed aside, kicking up slashes, while others suddenly appeared in front of the miners, fingers extended, plunging into the miners' bodies.
Whether it was the swirling vacuum slash or the fingers with bullet-like power, they felled the miners around them with just one hit, reducing the surrounding crowd by one-tenth.
"Oh my, our people aren't that easy to handle."
Marika stood at the center, looking up at those in the caves and smiled, "As for you, I will also find you out. From the time the Pirates were established, no one has ever hindered our plans."
Even if Sage had been caught in Impel Down once, the plans were always smoothly executed.
No one can destroy their plans.
No matter what, Sage's desire for Mother Steel will be accomplished.
The Demon Race has trained to this point, relying on strong physical qualities and skills, many have at least learned two of the Six Styles.
Otherwise, Sage wouldn't have swapped positions and let them come to complete the plan this time.
They are different from ordinary pirates, with a minimum guarantee of being 'superhuman' who understand all Six Styles, and if they could measure it by power level, each one's minimum would be at least 1000.
So most of the time, the Demon Race is in training, participating in no activities except usual plundering.
Being allowed out is Sage's decision to also give them experience upon reaching the New World.
"Heh heh heh, not surprising for a race that's caught the boss's attention, truly strong... but can you really succeed?" The voice from the cave showed not a hint of surprise.
Hearing this, Marika abruptly looked down at the miners who had just been knocked down by the Demon Race. Those using Finger Gun were about to continue attacking, but suddenly their ankles were tightly grabbed by a hand.
Those defeated miners one by one reached out their hands and quickly stood up, clinging to the Demon Race's bodies, locking them tightly. Even though they were ordinary people, once clinging on, the force they displayed made it so that the Demon Race couldn't move initially.
In front of them, the miners had already raised their mining picks and iron shovels...
The remaining Demon Race using Rankyaku weren't affected, but when they wanted to act, they found that the ones they had knocked down earlier now stood up, forming a human wall, evidently to cut them off.
It's too late!
Puff puff puff!
Just when their weapons were about to strike the Demon Race's heads, strands of black hair pierced through like snakes, stabbing through the miners holding the Demon Race, the powerful momentum sending them flying, crashing into the attacking miners, piercing them as well. The black strands were like long spears, permeated with the bodies of the enemies.
Marika's hair danced wildly, resembling the ancient legend of Medusa, with every strand's tip covered in Armament, enhancing its power.
The freed Demon Race dispersed and surrounded Marika once more, while the remaining ones again used Rankyaku, sending pale blue slashes towards the obstructing human wall, knocking them down.
"Something's not right..."
Marika's eyes widened slightly, staring at the stabbed miners, "The hardness is off..."
The feedback from the Life Return-controlled long hair wasn't the texture of a normal human body!
Though the blood flowing from the pierced ones was still red, it felt different... something Marika had encountered before.
Though not quite strong enough, it indeed resembled a Peacekeeper!
The extended hair split into a strand, slicing open one miner's chest with surgical precision.
Chi!
The skin, once cut, still oozed blood, but what lay beneath wasn't flesh but layers of metallic sheen!
Seeing this, a gleam appeared in Marika's already widened eyes, "Hair Binding·Needle Ksitigarbha!"
The pierced strands exploded entirely, causing the skewered miners to erupt into blood mist, bursting into fragments from the inside.
Thanks to Sage's training, their path to becoming stronger wasn't just through pure Haki, it also encompassed other elements.