Chapter 121: The Rescue of Mont Blanc Cricket and Perona (Part 2)
"Thud"
"Thud"
The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground.
Black Gramps threw Mont Blanc Cricket and Perona into the basement of his hideout.
"Hm?" Black Gramps made a sound of confusion, "Why is she unconscious again?"
Perona was thrown to the ground, not making a sound.
Mont Blanc Cricket understood that Perona's spirit was no longer in her body. If Black Gramps discovered that, it would be troublesome. To dispel Black Gramps' suspicion, Mont Blanc Cricket spoke up, "She's just a young girl, and you knocked her out with a stick. You've been carrying her on your shoulder, her blood flow must have been interrupted. It's completely normal for her to faint again."
"Heh, looks like you're really concerned about her?" Black Gramps sneered, "Soon, you'll be the one worried about yourself!"
"Since she's fainted, let's start with you for the interrogation."
"You're Mont Blanc Cricket, the one with a bounty of 25 million Berries, right? I've seen your bounty poster. I didn't expect you to join the Eric Pirates. But I wonder if your endurance has improved."
"Pah, no matter what method you use, I'll take it." Mont Blanc Cricket spat a mouthful of bloody foam, responding with disdain.
Black Gramps showed a cruel smile, picking up a long whip from the nearby weapon rack and dipping its end into water...
"Is this the place?" a man asked.
"Yeah, I saw him enter this building and haven't seen him leave since." The sniper from the rooftop replied.
The group of bounty hunters followed Black Gramps but dared not get too close, fearing being noticed by him. They sent the best sniper to hang back at a distance, keeping an eye on things until the sniper contacted them through the Den Den Mushi.
To be safe, they called for a few more bounty hunters, forming a group of about twenty. On average, each person would get five or six million Berries, which was a significant amount for ordinary people.
"Surround the building. Don't let him escape!" The big-bellied man was good at organizing, and the group followed his lead, setting up ambush points outside the building. As soon as Black Gramps dared to come out, they could launch a surprise attack.
"Snap"
"Snap"
The sound of a whip striking flesh came from beneath the building, likely from the basement.
The small team of bounty hunters looked at each other.
"Is he… using a whip?" the big-bellied man asked uncertainly.
"Probably," Long Snake Monster licked his lips, "And it's no rumor that Black Gramps has a habit of torturing his enemies. I was once his accomplice and saw him cruelly kill a fugitive."
"Heh, what a sick hobby…" The big-bellied man grimaced.
"Click" The 'thief,' skilled in lockpicking, opened the door to Black Gramps' hideout.
…
"Dingling..." A bell tied to a rope at the top of the basement started ringing.
"Hmm?" Black Gramps paused, looking up at the ceiling.
He saw several ropes passing through the basement ceiling, each tied with a bell, and the one ringing indicated that something was wrong with the front door.
"Tch, how dare they interrupt my interrogation, and from the front door no less. They really don't know when to quit."
Black Gramps dropped the whip, grabbed a spiked club from the nearby weapon rack, and turned to look at Mont Blanc Cricket, who was badly beaten. "You're lucky. I'll deal with the intruders first, then come back to question you and see if you're still talking tough."
He stomped up the wooden stairs, making a loud sound with every step.
"Are they here?" The invading bounty hunters quickly aimed their weapons.
Just as the footsteps neared the entrance to the basement.
"Boom"
Suddenly, a cloud of lime dust burst from the ceiling above the living room, showering everyone, and the room was filled with white dust.
"My eyes!"
Caught off guard, the bounty hunters squinted, as the lime and tears caused a burning sensation in their eyes.
"Thud! Thud!"
Two heavy blows were heard, as two invaders were knocked to the ground by Black Gramps' spiked club.
A few bounty hunters, squinting through their swollen eyes, saw someone wearing a gas mask, hiding their face beneath it.
"You scoundrel!" Long Snake Monster cursed. Black Gramps had set up a trap in his hideout. How cunning.
"Heh, same to you. You guys showed up with so many people. What do you think you're doing?" Black Gramps sneered.
Long Snake Monster shouted angrily, "Duh, you just took our prey. This time, we'll take yours!"
"Heh, now you can't see, your combat ability is down by more than thirty percent, and you still dare to talk big? You're asking for death!" Before Long Snake Monster could finish his sentence, Black Gramps rushed toward the nearest bounty hunter, who was holding his eyes, and struck him with the club, crushing his skull.
The red and white liquid from the club mixed together, and pieces of the shattered skull and blood splattered everywhere, making the onlookers gag.
"Ambush!"
"Shameless!"
The surrounding bounty hunters cursed loudly.
"I admit I'm shameless, that's true~" Black Gramps grinned, "But what's your excuse for bullying the few with your many? You must have more men outside, right? But in such a narrow space, your advantage in numbers won't help you here."
Black Gramps' words made everyone uneasy. Despite his shamelessness and pettiness, there was a reason he had been able to be a bounty hunter for so long without ever getting caught. He was incredibly cautious and careful.
But he was also greedy and lustful. Whenever a big opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't hesitate to seize it.
The big-bellied man quickly thought of something and shouted, "Quick, get out!"
At that moment, a voice pleading for mercy came from outside, "Help! We won't do it again! Please spare us!"
The bounty hunters, rushing outside, immediately halted in their tracks. It was the voice of the bounty hunters who had been left outside to lay the ambush.
Then, everything went silent. The silence was unnerving.
Long Snake Monster suddenly wrapped his arms around himself and said, "Hey, do you guys feel cold all of a sudden?"
Hearing this, Black Gramps' pupils dilated. The Eric Pirates' captain, who was notorious for killing the Celestial Dragons, and the "Ice Queen" Esdeath, who was famous for executing Celestial Dragons and killing many kings and nobles of allied nations, were well-known.
Her ice powers were heavily exaggerated in the papers, but it was said that she even possessed strength comparable to the Navy Admiral Aokiji (though the paper had exaggerated her powers).
The corner of the room began to freeze, the ice spreading across the walls, doors, ceiling, and floor, eventually freezing the entire room together.
"Uh..." One of the bounty hunters trembled, voicing what everyone feared to say, "Could it be Esdeath?"
Black Gramps didn't respond. He dashed toward the basement, using Eric 's companions as human shields to escape or trade for his life. It was better than having no trump card left.
Outside, Esdeath, using her Observation Haki, sensed the movements inside. She instantly froze the entrance to the basement with a thick layer of ice.
"Bang!"
Black Gramps' spiked club struck the ice, leaving only a white mark on the hardened surface. The ice didn't even budge.
Black Gramps froze in place.
"Bzzzzz"
The sound of electricity crackled from outside the room.
Blue lightning shot through the house, turning the bounty hunters standing in the middle into ashes.
The other bounty hunters, seeing the people they had been standing with turn into ash in front of their eyes, immediately lost the will to fight. All that remained was the thought of running, but Esdeath's ice blocked their path.
"Yo, who's the one who captured my lovely companions?" Eric stepped through the hole he created in the wall. Though he spoke a smile , his words were filled with killing intent.
"It was him!" The remaining bounty hunters all pointed in unison at Black Gramps, who was wearing a gas mask.
"…" Black Gramps was speechless, but he suddenly saw Perona, floating behind Eric .
"So that's how you exposed yourself. I didn't expect your spirit form could leave your body…"
Black Gramps dropped his hands and let go of the spiked club, adopting a resigned posture.
Then, he suddenly turned and ran toward the other hole that Eric had blasted open.
After a couple of steps, his lower body became stuck. Even though his upper body had momentum, he didn't fall. Looking down, he saw his legs frozen to the floor.
Perona's spirit form passed through the floor of the first floor and merged back with her body.
(END CHAPTER)
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