Chapter 103 – Whiskey Peak Becomes a Graveyard in Five Minutes Flat
Tashigi hesitated.
She had no problem cutting down pirates. But bounty hunters… In her old Marine mindset, they were allies—useful for holding back pirates.
Same side, right?
Aike saw the conflict on her face and sighed internally.
Still too much Marine left in her. Not enough "training" yet.
Looks like he'd have to spend extra personal time fixing that.
But for now—he forced the issue.
"If you don't swing that sword today, the next time we fight Marines I'll make you the main attacker."
"You—!"
Tashigi's eyes flashed with anger.
Only to meet Aike's completely indifferent gaze.
Totally different from the gentle, easygoing captain she knew on the ship.
Playtime was playtime. But when it came to allegiance, Aike never joked.
You're on his ship → you drop the Marine code. Or he'd personally beat it out of her.
Kill enough, and the habit dies.
That naked threat made Tashigi bite her lip hard.
Then she steeled herself and followed Kuina into the crowd, Shigure drawn.
"Nojiko, you too. Get some real combat practice with your fruit and Rokushiki."
Nojiko nodded and joined the fray.
In the few seconds Igaram spent frozen,
bodies were already piling up.
Kuina alone had built a small hill of corpses—no one survived a second stroke from her cursed blade, Kōsetsu.
Tashigi was noticeably behind—technique slightly inferior, mindset still holding her back. Only about 60 % of Kuina's kill count.
Acceptable, barely.
Nojiko was the real surprise.
Her raw talent for hand-to-hand seemed even higher than Nami's.
Fishman Karate + Rokushiki flowed perfectly. Her Barrier-Barrier Fruit wasn't just defense anymore—she'd developed offensive applications and seamless combos with physical techniques.
Overall strength had jumped noticeably.
"De… demons!"
"They're all demons! We can't win!!"
The few survivors lost all will to fight. They dropped their weapons and ran screaming.
"Barrier: Prison Realm!"
Nojiko reacted instantly, throwing up walls to block every escape route.
Even if her heart ached a little, she forced it down.
Aike's earlier words hadn't just been for Tashigi.
They were for all of them.
Meanwhile,
Igaram and Vivi finally understood what a 120-million bounty really meant.
Against absolute strength, tricks and traps were jokes.
"Give it to him, Mr. 8."
After a long silence, Vivi—still in her Miss Wednesday disguise—spoke.
She hadn't finished investigating Baroque Works. Alabasta wasn't saved yet.
Dying here accomplished nothing.
The gap was simply too vast.
"Miss Wednesday…"
Igaram knew what the princess wanted.
He handed the Eternal Pose to Aike with shaking hands.
He didn't know if this was right.
But it was the only way to keep her alive.
Aike caught it, tossed it to Nami.
"Careful. Don't drop it."
Nami rolled her eyes and caught it smoothly.
Alabasta Pose secured.
Aike let the two of them live—for now.
The real "trade" would come after the cleanup.
Once the killing started, they'd have no choice.
He turned his attention to the battlefield.
Calling it a battlefield was generous.
Slaughterhouse was more accurate.
In the time it took to talk, Kuina's body count had become a literal mound.
Not a single bounty hunter lasted two strikes against Kōsetsu.
Nojiko blocked every escape.
The survivors broke.
"Demons! They're demons!"
"We can't win!"
They threw down weapons and fled.
Only to slam into invisible walls.
Nojiko's barriers sealed every exit.
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