"Cough, cough..." The three of them, led by Reise, were swept by ten tornadoes of sand, leaving them covered in wounds. Although they had managed to slash through many of the swirling sand curtains, the tornadoes, now nearly blood-red, were incredibly powerful. The massive tornado had already killed many Marines, dyeing much of the sand red.
"Whoosh!" Rosen's figure suddenly vanished, holding a sword made of yellow sand. However, this sand sword was different—it was infused with golden sand and copper, combining the strengths of both materials.
Ordinary sand was easy to compress and shape, abundant and versatile, while the addition of golden sand and copper gave it greater toughness, sharpness, hardness, and resistance to impact. Rosen had given this new, superior sand a simple name: Golden Sand!
The Golden Sand Sword flashed through the raging tornado, and a Rear Admiral, unable to react in time, was pierced through. Golden sand spikes burst from his body, killing him instantly.
"Austin!!" Reise, the base commander, roared in fury. Training a Rear Admiral was a costly endeavor, and not all attempts were successful. Over the years, he had only managed to train three. Now, Rosen had effortlessly killed one of them, driving Reise to the brink of madness.
"Die!" Reise closed the distance to Rosen in an instant, slashing down with his sword. Rosen formed a desert barrier with his Golden Sand, and Reise's Haki-infused blade struck it.
No sparks flew; all the impact was absorbed by the Golden Sand. One of its components, golden sand-copper, had properties similar to non-Newtonian fluid, dispersing the force unless it was concentrated enough.
"Bang!" After blocking the attack, Rosen kicked Reise, sending him flying dozens of meters away.
"Commander Reise," Ben said, clutching a massive wound on his chest inflicted by the sandstorm. Fear was evident on his face.
"Whoosh!" Before they could speak further, Rosen attacked again. The ground around them turned into sand ribbons, snaking toward them like serpents. The dense, intricate sand ribbons were overwhelming.
However, Reise and Ben used a combination of Kami-e, Soru, and Geppo—three of the Rokushiki techniques—to dodge the attack.
"Marine officers aren't so easy to deal with," Rosen frowned. Although he was stronger than Reese, Reese was no weakling.
Rosen could suppress him and hold a significant advantage, but he couldn't kill him quickly. Rosen estimated that only an Admiral-level fighter could swiftly take down a seasoned, pure-strength Vice Admiral-level opponent like Reise.
After a few powerful attacks, Rosen concluded that things were about to get more complicated. Still, he needed to eliminate Reise, even if it took some time.
But just as Rosen prepared to launch another fierce assault, his expression suddenly turned grave. His body exploded into sand, merging with the surging desert beneath him.
The moment Rosen's body disintegrated, a cold figure appeared where he had been standing. The figure's punch missed, but the sheer force of the blow caused the ground nearby to collapse.
Rosen's figure reformed not far away, his expression grim. It seemed he had picked the wrong day to act—luck was not on his side.
"Shichibukai, Crocodile!" Erik, covered in Armament Haki, glared coldly at Rosen. Beside him, two more figures quickly appeared: Kuma and Vice Admiral Oniel.
Even with Rosen's modest Observation Haki, the overwhelming presence of these individuals was unmistakable. Erik and Kuma were nearly as strong as him, while the other, though slightly weaker, was still a force to be reckoned with.
Oniel was only slightly weaker than Reise, making him a formidable opponent. To make matters worse, an entire squad of elite Marines was approaching from a distance.
"This is bad!" Rosen realized the situation was dire when he failed to eliminate Reise quickly. But he hadn't expected Erik to arrive so soon.
Unbeknownst to Rosen, Erik had already been on his way with Kuma before the battle even started. Along the way, due to the frenzied attacks from the Landians, Erik had called Oniel to investigate the cause.
Now that the situation was under control, Erik didn't mind others knowing. As long as they could capture the immortal beings, even Fleet Admiral Sengoku's objections would be overruled by the Five Elders. The lives of a few Landians were insignificant in comparison.
"Commander Erik, arrest Crocodile! He has violated the Shichibukai agreement. We have the authority to arrest or kill him!" Reise's face lit up with relief. The brief encounter had made it clear that he was no match for Crocodile. A prolonged fight would likely end in his death. With Erik's arrival, along with Kuma and Oniel, the four of them together could easily take down Crocodile.
"Though it might be unnecessary, I'll ask one more question. Are you all aware of what's happening here?" Rosen remained calm, though anger simmered beneath the surface. He needed to confirm whether Kuma was involved.
In Rosen's understanding, Kuma, as a Revolutionary Army officer, shouldn't support the Marines' actions. If Kuma had truly become an enemy, combined with the Marines' current high-level combatants, Rosen was in serious danger.
"What?!" Oniel and Kuma were stunned. They looked up and saw the Landians hanging in iron cages not far away. Oniel's expression darkened, but he restrained himself. Kuma, however, was visibly shaken. He turned to Erik and asked, "What's going on here?"
Rosen, seeing Kuma's reaction, had a rough idea of the situation.
"It's a special operation authorized by higher-ups," Erik replied indifferently.
Kuma silently removed his gloves, revealing the paw pads on his palms. He held a book in his left hand, placing his gloves on it and pressing them down with his fingers.
For a moment, he nearly unleashed a Ursus Shock to obliterate Erik and Reise. But with so many Marines present, exposing himself would ruin everything he had worked for.
Though Bartholomew Kuma's face remained expressionless, his heart was filled with rage and guilt. Perhaps the Landians' plight was his fault. It shouldn't have come to this.
"Oniel, Kuma, let's take down Crocodile together," Erik said without hesitation. To him, Kuma was a loyal ally, and Oniel had no choice but to comply.
Whatever happened within the Marines was ultimately a matter for the Marines and the World Government. Crocodile had openly attacked Marine officers, violating the Shichibukai agreement. They would capture him first and deal with the rest later.
With that, Erik charged at Rosen, followed closely by Reise and Rear Admiral Ben, attacking from both sides. Oniel hesitated for a moment before drawing his sword and joining the assault.
Kuma, however, lingered for a while before slowly making his way toward the battlefield. As he walked, he raised his hand, compressing the air around him step by step.
As a user of the Paw-Paw Fruit, Kuma's paw pads could repel attacks, including physical strikes and even intangible things like pain and fatigue. He could also create air shockwaves and bombs capable of covering an entire island, or send enemies flying on a "trip."
He was an exceptionally powerful Devil Fruit user and the prototype for the Pacifista cyborgs. By this point, he had likely undergone significant modifications.
"Simple and direct. I like it. If I die here, I won't have any regrets," Rosen grinned, a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Your arrogance ends now," Reise slashed at Rosen, but Rosen's Golden Sand Sword unleashed a horizontal sandstorm, engulfing Reise and Ben. However, Erik had already closed in on Rosen.
(End of Chapter)
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