"Hey, since we're in an alliance, let's join forces against the enemy first! One Navy, one opponent, let's take them down! Hawkins!"
Before the two could respond, Apoo shouted first.
What alliance? He didn't know. Logic says they should fight together.
But the pressure now is immense.
The Ice Ghost antidote Lord Queen gave him was taken away, and now he's being held by the two of them. It seems like a three-way brawl, but those two clearly aim to take him down first.
The pressure is indeed overwhelming.
Having an extra helper now will surely ease a lot of the pressure.
As for later...
Once Hawkins clashed with the two, he planned to escape.
The situation is too chaotic now to discern clearly.
Although he is Kaido's subordinate, his loyalty is not very significant.
Pirates, only talk about loyalty when strong; once they weaken, they can be backstabbed at any time.
Drake shook his head at this point: "Don't talk nonsense. There's no evidence proving I'm Navy; I've always been a pirate. As for Apoo, he wants to escape in the chaos; I'm just stopping him. I accept your proposal, but we should catch Apoo first."
Apoo had previously speculated about his identity, but now is absolutely the wrong time to admit it.
Until the conclusion comes, he remains a pirate.
Now is also an opportunity; since they stand opposite Kaido, all usable forces must be utilized.
Catch Apoo first, don't let him run around speaking freely!
"You are! Hahahaha! Enemy! Hahahaha!" Killer said amidst laughter.
"Hmm?"
Hawkins looked over in surprise, "I don't recall you being someone who laughs unnecessarily, and that laugh seems quite forced... Have you eaten an Artificial Devil Fruit?"
As he spoke, his mouth grinned, his bland expression revealing mocking and ferocious smiles: "How...pathetic! A guy like you can have a connection to my fate, so strange!"
"Eek hahaha!"
Killer shrieked, leaping into the air, with scythes in hand spinning rapidly, diving down, arms slashing.
"Blade Sound Strike! Hahahaha!"
Slice!
Hawkins seemingly didn't react at all. As Killer dove and slashed, then quickly jumped up, two huge gashes appeared on both sides of Hawkins' chest, causing him to stiffen slightly.
"Damn!"
Apoo yelled, instinctively wanting to pound his chest.
Drake's mouth curled up, and he tightened his grip on the axe, preparing to throw it at Apoo.
Thought they were tricky ones, but resolved so quickly!
Such a high bounty seems just to taint from disasters, having done many things against the public, yet the actual strength isn't worth a ...
Clang!
The long sword transformed into a Rice Straw Whip, swiftly stabbing toward Killer in midair. Killer tried to defend with his scythes but was smacked powerfully downward.
The sudden attack halted their actions, making them turn to look.
The gashes on Hawkins' body seemed nonexistent as he recovered; behind him, lying in the cavity were two people with gashes in their chests, spraying blood.
On his chest, two Straw Dolls with gashes in their chests also appeared.
Thump...
The dolls fell, smoke rising from them, and Hawkins slowly lifted his head, looking at the fallen Killer, saying: "Good speed."
Those stabbed, due to eating Artificial Devil Fruits, had strong vitality, not dying easily, and Hawkins planted Scarecrows on them casually.
"If I recall, I resolved along the way...133 people, plus the ones lying down but not dead, 1, 2, 3...16 people, a total of 149 people in my domain, so I have 149 lives."
Hawkins raised his long sword, retracting the Rice Straw Blade, transforming back into a long sword, "You need to inflict 149 major wounds to truly hurt me."
The Straw-Straw Fruit's Stand Ability is truly unsolvable, not targeting those powerful with Haki, allowing others to take the fall.
With enough stamina and people, he can wear anyone down.
Troublesome!
Drake's eyes darkened, gripping his weapon. His surroundings changed and expanded, quickly transforming into Human-Beast form.
Dragon-Dragon Fruit·Ancient·Allosaurus Form!
He crossed his weapons behind, blasting the airwaves, diving while swinging both weapons fiercely forward.
"X Hunting Ground!"
Buzz!
Killer, lying on the ground, jumped up again, charging towards Hawkins from another direction, scythes spinning once more, shrieking like a beast as they descended upon Hawkins' head.
"Beheading Tornado! Hahahaha!"
149 times?
Let's try Multi-Attack!
Hawkins quickly glanced at the two of them, smirking, as his body twisted like a willow in the wind, sliding past Drake's attack while thrusting his long sword into the ground, propping up against Drake's rapier and axe.
His head and body continually swayed, rapidly dodging Killer's swift attack from above.
"Kami-e."
Dodging several successive attacks, the long sword in the ground exploded with straw tips, curling one by one like a spear, stabbing at the two of them.
"Rice Straw Hand-Prepared Blade."
Clang clang clang!
Drake and Killer retreated quickly, utilizing the leverage to dart back, dual-wielding weapons to strike rapidly against the stabbing straw tips, sparking wildly.
"Boom!!"
Apoo startled, also quickly retreating, pounding his chest, exploding a straw tip stabbing at him.
"Hey! Aren't we teaming up!"
"You didn't act. Let's fight together."
Hawkins raised the long sword upwards, sending the extending straw shooting upwards.
"Scrape!"
Apoo suddenly grabbed his chest, causing vacuum explosions at Hawkins' waist, resembling waist severance.
Bang!
Another man separated at the waist.
Hawkins remained unaffected, his eyes on the Straw Whip shot at the peak, gently twisting the sword hilt, saying softly: "Scatter, Rice Straw Thousand Needle."
At the peak, the straw exploded like fireworks, cascading countless straw tips, indiscriminately scattering upon everyone present.
Though straw, transformed from the sword, inherently possessed the sword's attributes, merely separated.
Drake's body covered in Haki, his knees lowered slightly, bracing against the continuous stabbing straw tips as he prepared to advance.
Whoosh!
At this moment, gusting fiercely from above, lifting his head to see, an iron rod filled with coffin nails descended violently.
Boom!!
The scattered straw tips unwittingly converged, forming a cloaked straw demon, smashing Drake into the floor, creating a hole.
"Sonic..."
Killer similarly covered in Haki intending to attack, being constantly struck by straw tips, couldn't advance, relying only on spinning scythes to block attacks.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
Apoo, however, dodged while perpetually pounding his chest, causing explosions to erupt on the attacking straw and on Hawkins himself, yet he couldn't resist the rain of falling straw. These straws intertwined into a net filled with spiky nails, enduring the explosions Apoo caused, firmly netting him in and penetrating his body.
"Your survival rate..."
Smoke from explosions dispersed, revealing Hawkins' intact physique, still showing that elegant appearance and posture, even releasing the sword grip, letting it suspend in midair, as he drew out Tarot Cards.
He drew some, sticking them on the straw extending from his thigh, casting a glance before smiling at them:
"Leaning on me, aren't you?"
After two years of training, 870 million bounties, not a joke!
Among the Seven Stars, Marika is the cook, indispensable; Renedia is the shipwright, young.
However, if excluding these significances, given the environment to exercise his abilities, he is the true first among the Seven Stars!
Given time, he can even challenge Weevil!