"Pfft..."
Diamante was severely wounded, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The sword that had nearly reached Mr. 3 halted abruptly.
His entire body froze in place.
If not for his exceptionally robust physique, he would likely be dead already.
Because that explosion had actually originated from inside his body.
No matter how powerful someone might be, their internal organs remained vulnerable.
Thus, even though the explosion wasn't particularly violent, it felt as if a knife were constantly churning in his abdomen.
The pain exceeded what an ordinary person could endure.
Yet, Diamante stubbornly endured it.
Not only did he endure it, but he even straightened his posture, refusing to keel over.
If not for the blood at the corner of his mouth and the wisps of black smoke carrying the scent of roasted meat emerging from his mouth, one might not believe the explosion had occurred inside his body.
His gaze now was exceptionally sharp.
He stared intently at Mr. 3, then seemed to realize something and turned to look at the bartender.
The bartender was naturally Mr. 5, who met Diamante's gaze with a somewhat smug expression.
"The rules have been established, so they must be followed. Besides the Celestial Dragons and the Marines, no one else matters here... Not even your Donquixote Family."
Diamante gritted his teeth. "You're seeking death..."
"Seeking death? Us?" Mr. 3's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a fierce glare.
He then shot a meaningful look toward Mr. 5.
Mr. 5 immediately understood, snapping his fingers and uttering softly, "Explode..."
"BOOM..."
Another muffled explosion sounded from within Diamante.
The moment it detonated, Diamante's stomach swelled grotesquely, like that of a pregnant woman about to give birth.
But it quickly returned to normal.
"Pfft...!"
But the next second, Diamante spat out another mouthful of blood.
However, this time was vastly different from before—because this time, the blood he vomited actually contained fragments of his internal organs.
Clearly, Diamante's injuries had worsened.
At this moment, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his mouth hung wide open.
Not just blood, but thick black smoke also billowed out from within.
Even his eyes appeared unfocused, but they quickly regained their sharpness through sheer willpower.
However, when he looked at Mr. 5 now, his gaze had completely changed.
He wasn't stupid—he already understood that his life was now in this guy's hands.
If Mr. 5 wished, he could end Diamante's life in an instant.
After all, if he could make Diamante's body explode twice in succession, he could surely make it explode many more times.
Though Diamante had no idea how the other was accomplishing this.
Mr. 3 looked at Diamante and said, "Now, can we have a proper talk?"
Hearing this, Diamante shifted his gaze to Mr. 3. Clearly, this one held a higher position than the one who had injured him.
Naturally, he was no simple character either.
Diamante's expression grew solemn, and he scrutinized Mr. 3 carefully.
Finally, he said coldly, "Talk about what?"
Mr. 3 smiled upon hearing this. "About the toll fee, of course!"
Diamante narrowed his eyes. "Are you really planning to make an enemy of our Donquixote Family?"
"No, no, no..." Mr. 3 denied it, then added, "Let me correct you—it's not that we want to make an enemy of your Donquixote Family. Rather, your actions just now were hostile toward us, and even toward the Celestial Dragons. Besides, I'm merely someone carrying out tasks for the Celestial Dragons. So, don't make things difficult for me. Pay the toll fee, and I'll let you leave immediately. That would be best for both of us."
"Heh... Hahaha!" Diamante laughed again, but when he stopped, he looked at Mr. 3 and said,
"Fine... But, my Berries are on the ship."
Mr. 3 waved his hand dismissively.
"That's not a problem. I'll send someone with you to retrieve them."
After saying this, Mr. 3 scrutinized Diamante for a moment.
"However, I must warn you in advance—don't try any tricks. Otherwise, we'll simply choose to kill you outright."
Diamante nodded.
"After you..." Mr. 3 gestured toward Diamante.
Diamante glanced at Mr. 3, then swept his eyes over the distant Mr. 5, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.
However, he concealed it well.
In the end, as if truly coerced, he walked toward the port with an expression of unwillingness.
Mr. 5 stepped out from behind the bar and was about to follow.
But Mr. 3 stopped him. "You're the key to controlling him. You can't get too close. Just to be safe... you only need to ensure you can detonate the booger explosives inside his body. Under that condition, the farther you stay from him, the better."
Mr. 5 thought about it and realized this made sense. So he nodded.
Only then did Mr. 3 stride forward to follow.
One in front, one behind, Diamante and Mr. 3 soon arrived at the port, while Mr. 5 trailed far behind.
Diamante glanced at Mr. 3, then swept his eyes over the distant Mr. 5, his gaze narrowing slightly.
Finally, with a burst of strength in his legs, he leaped into the air and landed back on his pirate ship.
"Thud..."
Before Mr. 3 could follow, a gunshot rang out from the pirate ship.
"Not good..."
Mr. 3's expression changed drastically as he immediately realized the severity of the situation.
He turned to look at Mr. 5 in the distance...
Clearly, this shot was aimed at Mr. 5. After all, Diamante wasn't stupid—he naturally understood who posed a real threat to him.
As long as Mr. 5 was eliminated, Diamante would be saved.
"Whoosh..."
But at that moment, an okama suddenly emerged from the side.
This was none other than Mr. 2, the strongest among them.
That's why Mr. 3 had hidden him and Miss Goldenweek, who possessed special abilities, in the shadows as a precaution.
"Hah..." Mr. 3 couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Because at the last moment, Mr. 2 had successfully saved Mr. 5, stabilizing the situation and preventing a turnaround.
Meanwhile, a sexy woman in a maid outfit stood at the ship's bow.
If Lancelot were here, he would immediately recognize this as the number one pirate maid, Baby 5.
The perfect maid that every pirate fan wanted to have.
From her high position, she looked down at Mr. 3, as well as Mr. 2 and Mr. 5 in the distance, coldly stating.
"How dare you attack the Donquixote Family? You all deserve to die." She then turned to the side.
"Buffalo!"
"Gust: Matasaburo..."
Another person emerged and stood beside the woman.
He then rapidly spun the propeller-like hair transformed from his head and shot up into the sky.
After reaching a certain height, he launched a high-pressure storm attack toward the ground.
The powerful wind pressure could penetrate multiple cloud layers and still cause significant damage upon reaching the ground.
His target remained Mr. 5.
At the same time, Mr. 5 was enraged and roared, "Explode for me...!"
"BOOM..."
A violent explosion occurred near Baby 5 on the pirate ship.
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