The approaching figure was tall and slender, moving with a confident, almost playful gait.
She had short, stylish golden hair that framed a charming, heart-shaped face with dark, expressive eyes.
A constant, knowing smile played on her lips.
She wore a bright yellow, wide-brimmed hat tilted at a jaunty angle, complemented by large, lemon-slice-shaped earrings that dangled playfully.
Her dress, also a vibrant yellow, was short and patterned with more lemon slices, perfectly accentuating her proud, curvaceous figure.
The ensemble was completed by elegant white high heels that instantly highlighted her straight, pale, and very long legs.
And, despite the clear weather, she carried a distinctive parasol with a yellow and blue striped pattern.
This was, Lancelot noted with detached appreciation, a very fashionable woman.
Her entire presentation was designed to leave a deep, memorable impression.
He recognized her instantly.
This was Baroque Works' Officer Agent, "Ms. Valentine," whose real name was Mikita.
Within the shadowy Baroque Works organization, this woman even had her own dedicated fan club among the lower-ranking agents, a testament to just how highly her looks were rated.
Lancelot couldn't help but frown.
He truly hadn't expected that those guys back in the Holy Land, the rivals of his father, would actually get involved with a small time organization like Baroque Works, especially not for a matter in the East Blue.
And to even send Officer Agents over… this was escalating faster than he'd anticipated.
He then deliberately turned his head, looking toward a dark corner on the opposite side of the street.
His Observation Haki had already detected another presence hiding there, attempting to remain unseen.
Most importantly, he knew Baroque Works always operated in pairs.
If one Officer Agent appeared, the other was definitely nearby.
"Tsk tsk... quite alert, aren't you!"
The figure in the corner, realizing he had been spotted, let out a strange, guttural laugh as he stepped out from the shadows.
This man looked like a bizarre rock singer reject.
He wore a heavy, dark blue trench coat over a bare chest, strange goggles perched on his forehead, and baggy, striped pants.
His hair was styled into two prominent, horn-like tufts.
There was no need to guess.
This was Ms. Valentine's partner, Mr. 5, whose real name was Gem.
Lancelot's eye twitched slightly.
These two... while not particularly strong in terms of overall combat ability or Haki... possessed Devil Fruits that were, on paper, incredibly powerful.
Each one, if properly developed, could be devastating.
Mr. 5 was a Paramecia-type Bomb-Bomb Fruit (Bomu Bomu no Mi) user.
He could make any part of his body explode without harming himself, even the boogers he flicked.
The very air he blew from his mouth could serve as timed explosives.
He was completely immune to gunpowder and explosion attacks, having once casually swallowed one of Usopp's "Fire Stars."
Comparing him to the Doflamingo Family executive Gladius, their explosion-based abilities were quite similar.
If Mr. 5 had properly trained and developed this Devil Fruit ability, how could he possibly be weak?
Yet... this guy just went around flicking explosive boogers.
It was, Lancelot thought with disgust, a monumental waste of potential.
Ms. Valentine, with her Paramecia-type Kilo-Kilo Fruit, could freely control her body weight, ranging from a mere 1 kilogram up to a crushing 10,000 kilograms.
She could float as lightly as a feather, avoiding attacks, or suddenly suppress enemies with astonishing, bone-breaking weight.
However, this was only what was shown in the anime.
To put it plainly, Lancelot reasoned, this ability was fundamentally about changing her own density.
But density didn't just determine weight; it could also drastically affect hardness.
If she could train her ability to make her body's density match that of, say, Supreme Grade steel... then her physical defense would definitely rival that of Diamond Jozu, Whitebeard's Third Division Commander.
This ability, in the entire world, had amazing potential.
But what happened? How did she utilize this incredible power? She only developed it to perform the ridiculous move, where she would float above enemies and then crash down on them with 10,000 kilograms of force.
What kind of nonsense was this? Another criminal waste of a potentially top-tier Devil Fruit.
'Maybe', Lancelot mused fleetingly, a predatory glint in his eye.
'I should experience her power personally sometime? After all, this girl is really good-looking.'
Mr. 5 slowly walked up to stand beside Ms. Valentine, his expression arrogant and dismissive as he looked down his nose at Lancelot.
"Hand over the three billion Berries," he said, his voice flat and devoid of any respect. "Do that, and we'll spare your life..."
Lancelot: "..."
'If Crocodile himself were here today', Lancelot thought, 'he might have the qualifications to make such a demand.'
But you? A man who developed a super-powerful Devil Fruit ability into nothing more than weaponized nose-picking? What qualifications do you have?
"Soru..."
Lancelot instantly disappeared from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Mr. 5, his fist cocked back.
"Kick Bomb (Leg Burst)!" Mr. 5 reacted surprisingly quickly, having likely faced high-speed opponents before.
Using the power of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, he lashed out with a powerful kick aimed at Lancelot's chest, intending to detonate it on impact.
The power was quite impressive, carrying the force of a small cannon shell.
But could Lancelot possibly let him succeed?
Soru...
Lancelot vanished from his original position once again, flickering instantaneously to appear at Mr. 5's side.
Before the agent could retract his explosive kick, Lancelot swept a powerful, Tekkai-reinforced kick into Mr. 5's exposed left ribs.
"Bang!"
Under the immense, focused force, Mr. 5 was sent flying sideways like a broken doll.
He crashed hard against the thick stone wall of a nearby shop, the impact collapsing a section of it inwards in a cloud of dust and splintered wood.
"Ten-Thousand Kilo Guillotine!"
Meanwhile, Ms. Valentine had already activated her ability, lightening her body to float effortlessly into the air above the fray.
Seeing her partner instantly taken down, she reacted immediately.
She instantly increased her weight to the maximum ten thousand kilograms and aimed a devastating, gravity-powered axe kick straight down at Lancelot's neck.
How could such a straightforward, telegraphed attack possibly succeed against him?
After all, Lancelot possessed Observation Haki and had long since detected her positioning and intent.
With a simple, contemptuous sidestep, he easily dodged Ms. Valentine's crushing attack.
CRASH!
Ms. Valentine's leg slammed hard into the stone street where Lancelot had been standing.
Under the tremendous, focused force of ten thousand kilograms, the ground exploded upwards, creating another large, deep crater in the Loguetown pavement.
Ms. Valentine's face paled as she felt a sudden, chilling gaze upon her.
She slowly, fearfully, turned her head and met Lancelot's eyes.
He was looking down at her from above, standing casually beside the crater she had just created, his expression cold and unimpressed.
"Gulp..."
Ms. Valentine couldn't help but swallow hard.
They were far too close now.
She was still grounded from her attack's impact. If Lancelot launched an attack, she wouldn't be able to dodge at all.
As if to confirm her terrifying thoughts, in the next instant, Lancelot raised his leg and delivered a swift, powerful kick aimed at her exposed side.
Dodging was definitely impossible.
With no other choice, Ms. Valentine crossed her arms in front of her, bracing for the impact, perhaps attempting a desperate, partial Tekkai equivalent through sheer density.
"Crack..."
But the moment Lancelot's foot made contact with her arms, an intense, shattering pain shot through them, rendering them instantly powerless.
The next second, Lancelot's foot broke through her flimsy defense and slammed hard into her chest.
She felt a sharp, agonizing pain, followed by the sickening certainty that her ribs were broken.
Then, she was sent flying backward, tumbling end over end through the air.
"Bastard... Nose Fancy Cannon (Booger Bomb)!"
On the other side of the street, Mr. 5, staggering out of the rubble, finally managed to stand back up, blood trickling from his mouth.
Enraged, he launched his signature, disgusting attack.
He flicked a booger, imbued with the power of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, sending the small, explosive projectile flying toward Lancelot.
"Damn... he actually used that move!" Lancelot was utterly speechless, disgusted and vaguely insulted.
Swish...
The cursed blade, Sandai Kitetsu, was instantly drawn from its sheath, faster than the eye could follow.
A faint, green, demonic light flickered in Lancelot's eyes.
"Demonic Aura: Demon Slash!"
A single, sharp, compressed flying slash, infused with a hint of dark energy from the cursed sword, shot out.
BOOM!
It accurately sliced the incoming booger clean in half, detonating it harmlessly in mid-air.
The slash, however, continued unabated, its momentum unchecked, heading straight for the shocked Mr. 5.
That's right—after advancing to the rank of Sword Master, Lancelot could now unleash powerful, precise flying slashes.
This was the hallmark of true mastery.
"Thud..."
Mr. 5 had absolutely no time to dodge.
The demonic slash struck him squarely in the chest, creating a wound so deep it nearly cleaved him in two.
Blood gushed out violently. Soon, his entire body was stained red, and Mr. 5 slowly collapsed to the ground, his life fading fast.
But just as Lancelot moved in to deliver the finishing blow, a hole suddenly appeared in the ground beside Mr. 5.
A gloved hand reached out from the hole, grabbed Mr. 5's collar, and pulled him down into the earth.
The hole then closed up as if it had never been there.
"Huh?"
Lancelot was somewhat surprised.
After a moment's thought, recalling the Baroque Works Officer pairings, he instantly realized who must have saved Mr. 5.
It could only be Miss Merry Christmas, Mr. 4's partner.
She possessed the Zoan-type Mole-Mole Fruit (Mogu Mogu no Mi), which allowed her to transform into a mole and dig tunnels underground for combat and escape.
Lancelot immediately turned his gaze to look in the other direction, where Ms. Valentine had landed in a heap.
Sure enough, she too had vanished, leaving behind only a faint depression in the ground and the lingering scent of disturbed earth.
They had escaped.