Chapter 177: Kizaru: Dammit, I Talk Too Much!
Bang!
The main door of the auction house was kicked open, slamming heavily onto the central stage below.
When Reiner entered, the rows of tiered seats in the venue were already strewn with bodies.
The lavishly dressed sellers and the fully armed guards were all, without exception, foaming at the mouth with their eyes rolled back.
Swish!
The curtain of the auction stage was pulled open, and one figure after another rushed out, crying and shouting with joy.
"I almost bit my tongue off to commit suicide!"
"Waaah!! I wanna go home!"
"I'm never being a pirate again!"
The people, their slave collars already removed, scrambled towards the main door behind him.
As they passed the fallen nobles and rich merchants, they didn't forget to give them a couple of vicious kicks.
"Disgusting bastards!"
"Go to hell!"
Was this done by Rayleigh using Conqueror's Haki?
Reiner mused silently, walking against the tide of people.
He ignored them, simply looking around, searching among the fallen crowd.
Finally, at a so-called VIP seating area with a better view, he saw two figures wearing bubble helmets.
An older man, his cane fallen on his body, and beside him, a woman wearing a veil.
Saint Rosward and his daughter, Saint Shalria, had completely fainted.
Ignoring everything else, he casually grabbed the two of them and threw them onto the falcon's back.
With one punch, he smashed open the ceiling of the auction house and flew straight towards the coast, riding his undead.
Along the way, the entire lawless zone had exploded into chaos.
The news of Zoro cutting down a Celestial Dragon had spread quickly. Knowing that an Admiral was coming, the pirates gathered on the island were all desperately trying to escape.
The falcon streaked across the sky. Reiner silently took out his Den Den Mushi.
Buru-buru-buru~~
Buru-buru-buru~~
Click!
After calling for a while, the Den Den Mushi was finally answered.
The person on the other end seemed to be struggling to even answer the call. The moment it connected, a hurried voice came through.
"Hey, Reiner! How are things on your end? Boom!! Hurry and come to Grove 50!"
The Den Den Mushi mimicked the other's curly eyebrows, its expression grave as it shouted, and the sound of explosions could be faintly heard.
The situation doesn't look good. Reiner didn't say anything unnecessary. They had definitely been intercepted and were in a bitter fight.
"I've got them on my end! I'm on my way back! You guys hold on!"
"As fast as you can! We're being held up!"
Click!
The Den Den Mushi went silent. Sanji hadn't gone into detail; he had probably immediately thrown himself back into the fight after hanging up.
"Grove 50, huh?" Reiner didn't hesitate. After changing direction, he immediately flew towards their location.
At this time, under the Yarukiman Mangrove of Grove 50, the entire ground was riddled with craters. On a patch of ravaged lawn, raging fires were burning everywhere.
"Beep-beep-beep!!"
"Identifying... identifying..." The malfunctioning mechanical voice was intermittent.
In two giant, cracked pits, lay two Pacifistas, covered in blood and occasionally sparking with electricity.
Their outer shells were shattered, revealing the mechanical bodies underneath, intertwined with flesh and skin.
"Are they also cyborgs? This kind of war machine can actually be mass-produced. I'm out of cola," Franky said, gritting his teeth as he struggled to get up from the ground.
Beside him, Nami was also panting heavily, tightly gripping her Clima-Tact to support herself. "Finally... done. These guys are too tough."
They had been attacked right after they encountered the enemy.
Luffy and Sanji were in a stalemate with that guy carrying an axe, while she coordinated with the others to fight these two iron lumps.
Their tough bodies and superb hand-to-hand combat skills, coupled with the powerful laser beams, had once made it difficult for them to fight back.
Until a short while ago, Perona found Zoro and the other two and brought them over.
Soon, just as one was opening its mouth to fire a laser, Usopp shot a bomb into its mouth. Coordinated with Franky's Coup de Vent, they finally took one down.
The other, under her constant lightning strikes, seemed to have been short-circuited. Chopper's all-out Kokutei finally brought it to the ground.
Although the battle had only lasted a short while, every move was made with all their might, and everyone's stamina was draining rapidly.
"Next is to help Luffy and the others." Her gaze fell upon the fierce battle in the distance.
That watermelon-headed guy in the red loincloth could actually fight Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all at once. His strength was simply absurd.
Unbeknownst to her, Sentomaru was also secretly shocked by the strength displayed by the Straw Hat crew.
Born with divine strength, he could wrestle with bears as a child. After years of training, his mastery of Haki was far beyond the three before him.
He had thought that before old man Kizaru arrived, he alone could defeat the Straw Hat crew. He hadn't expected to be fighting them for so long.
Rumble!!
"What's happening!"
Just then, the neighboring grove shook violently, causing the ground here to tremble as well.
Sentomaru subconsciously looked over, his face filled with disbelief at the scene before him.
A giant Yarukiman Mangrove tree was actually separating from the Sabaody Archipelago?!
"The War Ogre has separated the island! Nami-san, you guys go first! Go start the ship! We'll hold them off!"
Seeing the situation over there, Sanji immediately shouted to the others who were about to come and help.
Nami's gaze hesitated for a moment, then she replied with determination, "I understand! You guys be careful!"
With that, she elementalized and was the first to fly towards the shore. The others followed.
They didn't have much stamina left. Staying behind might even drag the others down. They could only trust them.
"Don't even think about running!"
Sentomaru raised his giant axe and was about to charge forward to intercept!
"Diable Jambe: Mouton Shoot!"
"Ashigara Dokko!"
A leg, burning like magma, swiftly attacked. Sentomaru let out a low shout, charging up a palm strike to meet it!
Bang!!
Before the foot and palm even made contact, a dull impact sound exploded in the air. The powerful shockwave immediately sent Sanji flying!
Then he easily swung the giant axe, a whistling sound cutting through the air as it smashed fiercely towards the charging Zoro!
Clang!!
The blades met, creating a huge shower of sparks. Zoro gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. His body sank, and the ground under his feet instantly shattered.
"Nigorizake!"
As his muscles bulged, a surge of power immediately flowed into his arms. With a mighty lift, he sent the giant axe flying.
Sentomaru's figure stumbled back, and he had just steadied himself on one foot.
"Luffy!"
"Coming!"
Luffy's eyes were wide with anger as he instantly appeared in front of the opponent. His two arms, stretched far back, retracted at high speed, hammering down on the massive Sentomaru below!
"Rubber Jet Bazooka!!"
"Busoshoku: Tekkai: Gō!"
Bang!!
A dull impact sound, accompanied by a strong shockwave, spread out, pressing down on the grass on the ground in a ripple.
Sentomaru slid back a dozen meters, his feet plowing two clearly visible trenches in the dirt.
"It's useless! I am the man with the world's strongest defense! You can't defeat me!"
Sentomaru spread his legs, stuck his axe in the ground, and using the technique of projecting Haki, he continuously slapped his palms forward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of impacts struck Luffy's body out of thin air as he pressed forward. The intense pain forced him back again.
Sentomaru's expression was grave. He had thought they were just a bunch of rookies who had gained their current bounties through the influence of the Enies Lobby incident. It seemed he had underestimated them; he alone couldn't stop the Straw Hat crew.
Why isn't that old geezer here yet, damn it!
What Sentomaru didn't know was that Kizaru was now not far away, just three groves over. But he couldn't come anymore.
"Yare yare~~, I surrender."
Atop a mangrove tree, a slender man in a yellow-and-orange striped suit raised his hands, his sleazy face speaking in a frivolous tone:
"Don't be rash, Black Snake Reiner. It wouldn't be good if the gun went off by accident."
And in front of him, a blond man stood on a falcon's back, facing him.
The reason a Marine Admiral was forced to surrender was, naturally, the Celestial Dragons being held at gunpoint below Reiner's feet.
"Now, withdraw your troops."
Reiner spoke coldly, his eyes fixed on Kizaru, his index finger on the pistol's trigger, ever vigilant of the other activating his ability.
Just now, on the way to Grove 50, a golden flash had flown past. He had barely reacted.
"..."
Using the Celestial Dragons' lives as a threat? Kizaru was silent for a moment. Under his orange-tinted glasses, his brow furrowed, his gaze indecisive.
He certainly couldn't let anything happen to the Celestial Dragons. However...
Could his speed be faster than the opponent's reaction time?
Forget it. He didn't dare to bet on it.
Kizaru's sleazy face spoke again, testing the waters, "I don't really trust pirates. If I withdraw my troops, are you sure you'll let them go?"
"I won't."
Reiner sneered. Harming a Celestial Dragon and killing a Celestial Dragon made no difference.
If he let them go, the World Government wouldn't just say, "The people are fine, so let's forget about it this time."
Not killing them would be a waste. Only a fool would let them go.
When Zoro cut down that Celestial Dragon, it was already a fight to the death. So why let them go?
To kill a Celestial Dragon, you don't need a reason!
"Yare yare, you're making this difficult for me."
Kizaru's gaze became grave. "If you don't intend to let them go, then they can't be called hostages."
"And then? You make a move, forcing me to fire, and a pirate tearing up the deal after you leave. Are they the same? Cut the crap. Now, withdraw your troops," Reiner's tone remained flat.
Should I withdraw or not? Kizaru stood motionless, once again falling silent. His mind was in turmoil, but in truth, he already had the answer.
To act regardless of the Celestial Dragons' safety, forcing the other to fire, and then the Celestial Dragons die... first, that choice was definitely out, because he couldn't escape responsibility.
The other used the Celestial Dragons to threaten me to withdraw my troops, so I could only let them leave. There was no problem with that explanation. No one could blame him.
As for the other saying he wouldn't let them go, who knew what the other had said?
When he reported back to his superiors, he could say that the other had initially promised to let them go, but after leaving, he broke his promise and killed the Celestial Dragons. Then the responsibility wouldn't be on him, right?
After all, for pirates, going back on their word is normal!
Maybe I should just do that? Or think of another way?
Kizaru was still a bit hesitant. He glanced towards the distant coast.
Three of the Straw Hat crew were fighting Sentomaru; the others were already prepared to escape.
If he delayed any longer, the other party would really be gone. There was no time for him to negotiate properly.
"It's still a bit difficult for me to withdraw my troops just like this. At the very least, you have to promise to let them go, Black Snake Reiner. Otherwise, it can't be considered a negotiation, but just a simple threat."
Kizaru shifted his gaze back to Reiner, then glanced towards the coast, gesturing:
"Since it's just a simple threat, can I also take your comrades as hostages? If you make a move, I'll take them—"
He was only halfway through his sentence when Kizaru's pupils constricted. His Observation Haki saw an unbelievable scene!
Bang—!
A gunshot rang out!
A spray of blood flew into the air. Saint Shalria's forehead was instantly pierced by a bullet!
Swish!
A golden flash of light instantly appeared.
Just as Reiner began to move his gun towards Saint Rosward...
Kizaru had already activated his ability and erupted, instantly arriving in front of the other!
A long leg shining with golden light whipped towards Reiner's head at a speed indistinguishable to the naked eye!
What can I do if she's already dead! This bastard is so ruthless! Kizaru acted decisively. He could only take the opportunity to save the other Celestial Dragon!
Just then!
Clang—!
A sudden cold light flew out from behind Reiner, chopping down at the golden leg!
"What is this thing!!"
Swish!
The condensed golden light instantly dissipated and flew backward, re-forming into a human shape on a tree branch in the blink of an eye.
Kizaru looked at Reiner with lingering fear, and at a rift that had opened out of thin air behind him, from which a pitch-black longsword protruded.
What the hell is this?!
So the sneak attack failed? Reiner looked coldly at Kizaru. He thought he could land a sneak attack with a sword while the other was flustered.
As expected of an Admiral.
What damn difference is there between having two Celestial Dragon hostages and one!
Reiner's eyes glinted fiercely, his tone becoming colder. "Is there any need for more nonsense? You know there are no other choices."
"I promise you!!"
Kizaru shouted hurriedly. That shot just now had scared him. He was really afraid the other would go crazy!
What was the point of catching the Straw Hats! If another Celestial Dragon died, it would be over!
This lunatic!
"I have ways to sense your presence. Don't even think about following me. I'll dump her corpse after we leave. No one will know what happened here."
A cold smile lifted a corner of Reiner's mouth. The implied meaning was self-evident.
Enough is enough. He was also afraid Kizaru would go crazy.
"..."
Kizaru was silent for a moment, then took out his Den Den Mushi and made a call.
Buru-buru-buru~~
Click!
"Old man! Where the hell are you? If you don't come soon, the Straw Hat crew will get away!!"
"Well~, I can't make a move. Retreat, Sentomaru."
(End of chapter)
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