Grove 12.
"Guomu Gomu no… Cannon!"
"Six Hundred Pound Phoenix!"
"Diable Jambe: Mutton Shot!"
Clang, clang, clang, clang…
Bang, bang, bang, bang…
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
"Cloven Rose!"
"Hissatsu: Atlas Comet!"
"Strong Right!"
On a stretch of flat ground, a Pacifista was locked in fierce combat with the Straw Hat Pirates. Lasers, slashes, and shockwaves flew wildly, scarring the surrounding terrain and sending shattered rock flying everywhere.
The Pacifista truly lived up to its name as the culmination of Dr. Vegapunk's years of research, a genuine lethal weapon for the Marines. A single unit had cornered the entire Straw Hat crew, pushing them to the brink.
It could be said that a lone Supernova pirate was simply no match for a Pacifista. For pirates with bounties below 100 million Berries, this was an overwhelming force; three Pacifistas were enough to subdue three captains.
After a long, brutal fight, the Straw Hat crew finally managed to batter the Pacifista beyond repair, causing it to crash to the ground, scrapped.
However, Luffy and the others were completely exhausted, their stamina clearly drained.
Of course, upon seeing the internal wiring and parts of the Pacifista, the Straw Hats realized something was wrong. Franky pointed out that it might be a special type of cyborg.
"Not bad, huh? You actually took down a Pacifista."
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Who's there?"
Luffy's group, resting on the ground, were startled and immediately went on alert.
They saw over a hundred burly, dark-skinned men with fierce expressions and armed with swords and guns, slowly approaching the Straw Hats in a semi-circle formation.
Leading them was a massive, armored man over three meters tall, who carried a colossal axe on his back.
"Straw Hat brat, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Backan took a step forward, grinning ferociously. "To be targeted by our Chris Pirates, and you still dare to swagger around so openly, you're certainly arrogant!"
"The Chris Pirates!"
"You're Diego Backan?!"
A chill of horror ran through the Straw Hats.
"Damn it, why now?" Luffy and the others looked dismayed.
"I'm actually quite happy you stole from that bastard Enel!" Backan's tone abruptly shifted, his voice rising. "However, you really are only the third person who dared to provoke our Chris Pirates like this!"
"We're doomed! Doomed! Doomed! We're going to die this time!" Usopp and Nami cried, clutching their heads.
Nami, especially, wished she could return the gold, but it had already been sold and spent. She couldn't give it back even if she wanted to.
"Relax, the Captain gave orders. I won't kill you. Just giving you all a memorable lesson will suffice." Backan licked his lips, flashing a bloodthirsty smile.
"Such intense bloodlust and aura!" Zoro's face darkened slightly.
"You all step back. I can handle this myself."
Backan waved his hand, and Nazwe and the others wisely retreated dozens of steps.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Luffy warned, not letting the enemy's gesture make him underestimate the situation. From the very first moment he saw Backan, Luffy had felt an intensely strong sense of danger.
"You have pretty sharp senses."
Backan sneered, stomping his foot, cracking the ground. His massive body charged straight at them.
"Gear 2!"
Luffy squatted into a horse stance, touching his right fist to the ground. Using his legs as pumps to generate steam, his skin immediately turned pink, and steam poured off his body.
"Diable Jambe: Premier Hachis!"
Sanji twisted his body, spinning at high speed. When he stopped, his back leg was already glowing incandescent red from the heat. Then, he exploded forward, his crimson right foot flying straight toward Backan's chest.
"Get lost!"
Backan didn't bother dodging, punching out with one hand.
Clang!
Before Sanji could kick Backan, the fist had already landed on his abdomen.
"Pugh~"
The tremendous force instantly made Sanji vomit blood, and his entire body was sent flying sideways.
"Sanji!"
Luffy cried out in alarm, his body instantly vanishing from the spot.
He reappeared a moment later to Backan's right, just a short distance away.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
Swoosh! Crack!
The ground suddenly exploded, scattering shattered rock, as if a pit had appeared out of thin air.
"Good speed!"
Backan focused his head, but he was already right in front of Luffy, grabbing his shoulder.
"How is that possible?!" Luffy's expression changed.
"Get down!"
Zoro yelled, swinging his three swords. Instantly, three sword waves materialized into blue-white slashes, forming a giant, phoenix-shaped sword wave.
"108 Pound Phoenix!"
"Break!"
Backan roared, slamming his empty left hand forward in a downward sweep.
Thwack!
The air trembled. An invisible shockwave blasted out, shattering Zoro's flying slash.
"Nani?!" Zoro was stunned. "My slash didn't work?"
The next moment, Backan tightened his grip on Luffy's shoulder and used one arm to forcibly slam Luffy down into the ground.
Thud! Rumble!
The earth shook, and the ground cracked open, instantly forming a large crater where Luffy was pressed deep into the soil.
"...Augh!"
As if struck by a massive blow, Luffy immediately coughed up blood, staining the ground red.
"Luffy!"
"How could this happen? Isn't he rubber?!"
Nami and the others were horrified. In a single exchange, Sanji, one of their main fighters, had been knocked away, and Luffy had been hit so hard he vomited blood. This enemy was terrifying!
"Luffy!"
Zoro cried out, rushing forward anxiously, trying to rescue Luffy.
"A swordsman, huh… Rusting his sword should be a memorable enough lesson!" Backan grinned savagely, releasing Luffy with his right hand, preparing to intercept the blades empty-handed.
"You bastards, that was a nasty hit!"
Suddenly, a voice, clearly annoyed, rang out, momentarily stopping everyone's actions.
"Who is it? Is it another enemy? Where is that voice coming from?" Usopp shrieked, looking around frantically with a face full of dread.
"Up there! It's up there!"
Chopper looked up and saw two figures on a branch of a nearby Yarukiman Mangrove tree, pointing and shouting upward.
Boom!
Following the call, the two figures leaped directly from the thick, sturdy branch. The ground shook upon their landing, kicking up a strong gust of energy and dust.
"You look totally pathetic, PX-4! Building a Pacifista like you costs as much as an entire battleship!"
"Honestly, how am I supposed to report this to that Punk bastard, huff!"
As the dust settled, the figures revealed were Sentomaru, holding a giant axe, and another Pacifista.
"Aahhhhh!"
"Another Warlord!"
"C-Could that be the real one?!"
Seeing the appearance of the Pacifista, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook shrieked in terror.
"Marines…"
Backan looked at Sentomaru and the Pacifista behind him, demanding, "Axe-Head, you're from the Marine's Science Unit, aren't you?!"
Seeing the apparent Marines arrive, Nazwe and the others swarmed forward, nervously confronting Sentomaru.