Summoning his forces for a decisive battle was one thing.
But Andrew had no intention of sitting idly by and waiting for Kaito Arisawa to arrive.
As Kaito advanced closer to Iron Fist headquarters, attacks became increasingly frequent.
Snipers.
Ambush squads.
Even suicide units—men with bombs strapped to their bodies, submachine guns in hand, attempting to drag Kaito and his men down with them.
None of them succeeded.
Kaito didn't even need to move.
Robin reacted instantly.
Arms bloomed in midair, snapping necks, twisting limbs, detonating bombs before they could reach their target. The Flower-Flower Fruit eliminated the attackers before they could close the distance.
Each wave was crushed.
Finally—
The headquarters of the Iron Fist Gang came into view.
Like Kaito's former estate in Rumtown, Iron Fist headquarters was built as a manor.
But in scale and luxury, it far surpassed his old base.
Lavish architecture.
Expansive grounds.
And in front of it—
A sea of black suits.
Thousands.
Even if only Lovisa's local forces had been gathered—and even if not every single one had arrived—there were at least six to seven thousand men assembled before the manor.
Not all of them were official Iron Fist members.
Many were peripheral street enforcers—low-level thugs with questionable loyalty and mediocre strength.
But cannon fodder had its uses.
That was why they had been called.
Zheng—!
Kaito did not wait for Andrew to step forward.
He did not deliver a speech.
He did not negotiate.
He drew his golden saber.
Then he slashed.
Boom—!!!
The Golden Slash Wave erupted like a storm.
Massive.
Blinding.
Terrifyingly fast.
Before the Iron Fist members could even react, the wave had already reached the manor grounds.
The explosion of force thundered across the city.
Though Kaito had deliberately reduced its cutting cohesion, the Slash Wave was still like a raging hurricane.
Men were flung into the air.
Bodies tumbled backward.
Blood sprayed.
The formation collapsed instantly.
And the slash did not stop there.
It tore straight through the manor buildings behind them.
Walls shattered.
Roofs collapsed.
Stone and timber exploded outward.
Dust and debris filled the air like a battlefield engulfed in smoke.
"AHHH—!"
Screams rose from the wreckage.
The once-grand manor was reduced to chaos in a single strike.
Kaito lowered his blade.
His voice was calm.
"Those who resist will be killed without mercy."
"Move."
"Kill—!!!"
"Charge!!"
"Let the captain see what we can do!"
The war erupted instantly.
Bunier and the former Iron Fist members showed no hesitation. In fact, they were fiercer than anyone.
Newly defected men had something to prove.
They roared and surged forward from both sides of Kaito, Robin, and Mangu, crashing into the scattered Iron Fist ranks.
The War Pirates, in contrast, advanced with discipline.
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Gunfire rang out in controlled succession.
After closing the distance, the War Pirates formed three firing lines.
One line shot.
The next advanced.
The third reloaded.
Alternating volleys poured into the enemy ranks.
Dozens fell instantly.
Those who had survived the Slash Wave barely managed to scramble for cover, flattening themselves against the ground in terror.
Some attempted to resist.
Some dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Some simply froze.
"Damn it!"
From the shattered ruins of the manor, a massive figure shoved aside broken stone and timber.
Andrew.
Dust-covered.
Blood trickling from his forehead.
His eyes burned with fury.
He had planned to make his entrance after Kaito arrived.
He had not expected that arrival to come in the form of devastation.
His heart pounded.
That slash—
He hadn't even clearly seen what happened before the destruction began.
Fear flickered through him.
But rage quickly swallowed it.
"Bunier!! I'll kill you myself, you traitorous bastard!!"
Andrew exploded forward.
His obese body moved with shocking speed, like a hunting cheetah.
His first target—
Bunier.
Bunier was at the frontline, firing his machine gun into the chaos when Andrew closed the distance.
Only when the shadow loomed over him did Bunier realize what was happening.
His expression changed.
Too late to dodge.
Too late to fire.
He released the gun and threw both arms up to block.
Boom—!!
Andrew's fist struck like a cannon.
The sleeve of Bunier's arm shredded instantly.
Muscles rippled violently beneath the impact, waves of force traveling through his body.
Bunier screamed as he was launched more than ten meters backward, crashing across the broken courtyard.
Andrew's massive physique was not fat.
It was muscle.
The name "Iron Fist" came from him.
Those fists had crushed countless enemies.
Though Bunier had been a major cadre, his strength was clearly inferior.
In a single blow—
He was heavily injured.
Andrew stood there, breathing heavily, fists clenched, killing intent blazing in his eyes.
Across the battlefield—
Kaito watched calmly.
The real confrontation had begun.
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