"Monster! Don't get cocky!"
"You're just a measly test subject!"
"Let's go, everyone!"
"..."
The members of the Forest Wolf Unit were furious at Alux's arrogance and charged forward, determined to stop his advance.
The battle instantly turned into a furious brawl. Soldiers on their calf-sized Forest Giant Wolves charged forward, only to be met with a brutal counterattack the very next second.
Despite being a failed, out-of-control experiment, Alux was still the magnum opus of top-tier scientist Ganshi. The artificial Ant-Ant Fruit granted him the innate abilities of an ant: the strength to lift objects over 400 times his own weight. With the added propulsion from the wings on his back, his speed was almost impossibly fast.
In a flash, Alux reached out, and a Forest Wolf Knight, running at over 50 meters per second, was abruptly stopped by his single hand.
"What?!"
The knight was shocked and quickly swung his long blade at Alux.
But as soon as he swung, he felt a sudden weightlessness. Alux had lifted both him and his wolf mount over his head with both hands.
Then, a moment of disorientation.
Alux threw the knight and his wolf mount.
Thump, thump, thump...
Ahead, several rushing Forest Wolf Knights saw a black blur rapidly enlarging in front of them. Before they could even react, they were hit by their incoming comrade, and they and their wolves were knocked over, their bones shattering.
Bang, bang, bang... Bang, bang, bang...
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
From all directions, high-caliber firearms and shoulder-mounted rocket launchers fired at Alux in a barrage of concentrated fire.
But in an instant, Alux tore through the fierce hail of bullets and killed his way into the rapid response unit.
One punch blew a head apart.
Another punch caved in a chest.
One kick folded a strong Forest Giant Wolf in half into a "V" shape.
Alux could both keep up with the Forest Giant Wolves while running at high speeds and kill them or their riders with a single punch. The milky-white chitinous shell on his body could even repel high-caliber lead bullets and rocket-propelled grenades.
Although the Forest Wolf Knights were charging into battle one after another, and more were constantly arriving from other parts of the island and the base, the battle was a one-sided massacre. Nothing could stop Alux's advance.
"Squad 2 has more than half casualties!"
"Squad 6 is wiped out!"
"Commander Jones's head was blown off!"
"Squad 9 is dead!"
"Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
"..."
The surviving Forest Wolf Knights harassed Alux from a distance with their guns and cannons while calling for reinforcements with their Den Den Mushi.
The distance from the vast forest in the middle of the island to the secret port on the coast was over twenty kilometers. Out of the 500 members of the rapid response unit, at least 300 had arrived, but more than 250 had been killed along this long, bloody path.
Suddenly, the view in front of Alux opened up. He saw the vast blue ocean and felt a cool, salty sea breeze, which snapped him out of his killing frenzy.
"The coast... the port. Found it!"
Alux shook his dazed head, his eyes quickly scanning the area. He soon spotted a large group of buildings a few hundred meters to his right.
Without a second thought, he charged toward the port.
Weeng! Weeng! Weeng! Weeng!
A piercing alarm echoed through the port. The stationed Marine forces were already prepared for a fight.
A giant, nearly twenty meters tall, emerged from the port. He wore reddish-brown half-armor, a metal jaw plate engraved with the Marine symbol, and held a double-edged greatsword two-thirds his own height.
"I am Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Naitar! I'll stake my honor on justice; I will not let a criminal like you escape!"
Vice Admiral Naitar roared fiercely and charged with great momentum toward Alux.
Every test subject sent to the Hive base was a criminal selected from Impel Down. Each had committed murder, robbery, and many other crimes. Even if they hadn't been sentenced to death, they were meant to spend their lives in prison.
"Kakakaka~ Let's see you try, you big oaf!"
Alux cackled, his aura growing more chaotic. The four wings on his back flapped rapidly, lifting his body into the air and bringing him closer to the giant Vice Admiral.
"Die!"
Naitar let out a fierce roar and swung his double-edged greatsword down at Alux.
The over ten-meter-long greatsword was imbued with a terrifying force, producing a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air.
"Flying Ant Fists!"
However, Alux didn't dodge. Instead, he sped up and clenched his fists, launching a punch that collided with the greatsword.
Clang!
The small fist and the massive iron sword collided, producing a sound like metal clashing against metal.
At the same time, a visible shockwave spread out from the two, followed by a fierce gust of wind that swept in all directions like a shockwave, lifting a layer of the soft sand. Some of the nearby Forest Wolf Knights were also knocked off their feet by the fierce wind and rolled over a dozen meters away.
"You've got to be kidding... he's matching a giant in strength?! No, he's even stronger than the giant!"
"What kind of monster did Ganshi-san create?!"
"Damn it, a monster like that is something we can't possibly stand against!"
"..."
The large number of Marines and surviving Forest Wolf Knights watching were shocked when they saw Vice Admiral Naitar stagger back several steps after the clash, clearly having lost the advantage.
"How is this possible..."
Naitar stared at his trembling right hand, his face showing a look of disbelief. He couldn't believe that he, a giant, had been outmatched in strength by a little guy under five meters tall.
"Is that all you've got, giant? Kakakaka~"
Alux grinned ferociously. After a brief stretch, he shot forward like a fired arrow.
"Heavy Thunderous Slash!"
At that moment, Naitar took a deep breath and exhaled thunderously. He swung his sword at Alux with lightning speed.
Clang!
The sound was like a sword striking a steel block. It sent Alux flying like a baseball.
Whoosh—
Rumble!
Alux became a black blur, flying hundreds of meters and making a sharp, whooshing sound in the air. He crashed into the dense forest like a cannonball, breaking several trees and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
However, just as the onlookers began to celebrate, a broken tree flew out of the dark, dense forest.
Whoosh!
It flew like a giant bolt, striking Vice Admiral Naitar in the chest with incredible speed.
Thump!
Naitar didn't even have time to dodge. He was knocked to the ground and almost knocked out.
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