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Chapter 71: Chaos
Almost everyone was struck dumb by the sudden scene.
Their gazes darted back and forth between the two high-level agents who had been sent flying and the straw-hatted boy who had suddenly appeared, their minds completely blank.
Where did this monster come from?
He had just casually sent Mr. 5 and Miss. Valentine, who had displayed such overwhelming strength moments ago, flying!
"Yo, it's Luffy. You're just in time..."
Zoro's expression relaxed slightly when he saw the newcomer. He was about to explain the complicated situation when he met Luffy's eyes, which were burning with rage.
Zoro's heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling.
As expected.
"Zoro, I will never forgive you!"
Luffy roared in anger, his fists pulling back as he gathered strength.
A short time ago, he had been woken up by the sounds of fighting outside.
After leaving the house, he saw townsfolk lying all over the ground.
Every single one of them bore a familiar sword wound.
As soon as he arrived at the center of the crowd, he saw the scene of Zoro holding the blue-haired girl, whose hair was identical to Ganyu's, in a tense standoff with all the "townsfolk."
Luffy understood everything in an instant.
This guy. He must be doing this, cutting down these townsfolk, because the food and drinks from yesterday's hospitality weren't good enough.
"Bastard Zoro, let's settle this!"
"Huh?"
Zoro looked baffled, having no idea what he was talking about.
He turned his head to Vivi beside him and asked, "Do you have any idea what this guy is saying?"
Vivi was still reeling from the shock of seeing the two high-level agents defeated in an instant. Hearing his question, she just shook her head numbly.
"Gomu... Gomu no..."
Luffy, however, had already finished building up his power. Blinded by fury, he threw both fists at Zoro with no reservation!
"Are you out of your mind!"
In a flash, Zoro reacted, raising his two swords. He used the flat sides of the blades to block Luffy's rage-fueled Gomu Gomu no Rocket.
His body shook violently, and he slid backward uncontrollably under the brute force, his feet digging two deep trenches in the ground.
"Calm down, you idiot. Just listen to my explanation..."
Cold sweat dripped from Zoro's forehead. Taking that blow head-on had made his arms numb. It required just as much strength as facing that Marine Colonel back in Loguetown.
But this was different. He had absolutely no intention of fighting this idiot.
"Shut up! No matter what you say, I'm going to send you flying for betraying their kindness!"
The enraged Luffy wouldn't listen to a word. He unleashed his fists, which blurred into hundreds of afterimages in the air.
Gomu Gomu no... Gatling!
"You're actually serious!"
Zoro had seen this move far too many times. In the past, it was used against enemies like Bucky, Kuro, and Arlong.
To use it on him now, it was clear this kid was genuinely determined to kill him.
"In that case..."
Zoro's own temper was flaring. He snapped his third sword into his mouth, his body suddenly dropping low, and all three swords struck out at once.
"Then don't blame me!"
A slash, delivered with the backs of his blades, burst forth and shot straight at Luffy!
"Urk!"
Luffy took the hit square in the chest and cried out in pain as he flew backward.
But even as he was sent flying, his rubber arm suddenly stretched out, and a fist slammed hard into Zoro's face.
"Clang!" "Boom!"
The two flew backward in opposite directions.
One crashed through a thick wall, while the other directly collapsed a crumbling house.
However.
The silence lasted for only a second.
"Luffy!"
"Zoro!"
Under the mixed gazes of fear and confusion from the crowd.
The two shot out from the collapsed ruins as if they were completely unharmed. Like two human cannonballs, they crashed into each other once more!
They moved and clashed at high speed across the ground. Everywhere they passed, craters were blasted into the earth, and the remaining walls were torn down as if they were made of paper.
This fight had erupted too suddenly, and too inexplicably.
A pirate captain with a 30 million beli bounty was actually fighting his 15 million beli crewmate.
The battle scene was like two wild beasts fighting to the death. The exaggerated shockwaves it created kept anyone from daring to get close.
"Wh-What in the world is going on?" Vivi was also in a state of utter confusion, her mind unable to process it.
Wasn't that swordsman just negotiating a deal with her?
How did he end up in a life-or-death battle with his own captain just moments later?
"P-Princess..." Just then, an extremely weak voice sounded from beside her.
Vivi quickly turned her head at the sound and was overjoyed to find Igaram struggling to sit up, supported by Miss. Monday.
His face was scorched black and mixed with traces of blood. He looked absolutely miserable.
"Igaram! Are you okay?" Vivi rushed to his side, her voice choking up.
"Koff... koff..."
Igaram coughed violently, enduring the severe pain as he used all his strength to speak.
"Princess, now... now is a good time to escape! You... you take this..."
He tremblingly took a Log Pose from his coat and pressed it into Vivi's hand. "This is an Eternal Pose to Alabasta. Quick, return to the kingdom at once!"
"Okay, let's run away together now!" Vivi took the Eternal Pose and nodded forcefully.
An Eternal Pose was a permanently saved version of a Log Pose, capable of pointing to a specific island forever.
Because of this, such a Log Pose was exceptionally precious. Even they only had this one.
"No..."
Igaram shook his head with difficulty, his gaze shifting to Mr. 9, who had approached him at some point. His lips moved.
"Princess, I just asked Mr. 9. He is willing to escort you back to the kingdom. You two take the Eternal Pose and leave here immediately!"
Vivi glanced at Mr. 9, quite moved. Even after learning her true identity, this partner still chose to help her.
But she quickly realized something was wrong and looked at Igaram urgently.
"Then what about you? Igaram? What will you do?"
Igaram fell silent and did not answer.
"Princess," Miss. Monday, the nun beside him, answered for him, her voice firm, "We will, of course, stay behind to cover your escape!"
"N-No, you'll die if you stay! If we go, we go together!" Vivi refused without a second thought.
Right at this moment of dispute.
A hand reached out and snatched the Eternal Pose from Vivi's grasp.
"Hmph! None of you are leaving today!"
The one who struck was Miss. Valentine, who had just been sent flying by Luffy's punch.
She threw the only remaining Eternal Pose to Alabasta onto the ground.
Then, under the horrified gazes of Vivi and the others, she ruthlessly stomped on it!
SNAP!
The one and only Eternal Pose instantly shattered into a pile of fragments.
"What... what have you done!!"
Igaram and the others were so furious at this development that their eyes looked ready to split, nearly spitting fire.
"Hahahaha! Now let's see where you can run!"
Miss. Valentine pointed at the faces filled with despair and anger, letting out a triumphant, piercing laugh.
After laughing her fill.
She opened her umbrella, her body leaping lightly into the air, floating once again until she was hovering directly above Princess Vivi.
"Right now, I'm going to crush this princess to death right in front of you!"
She shrieked her declaration, her body beginning to plummet as her weight instantly skyrocketed to its maximum!
"You dare!"
Although Igaram and the others were filled with grief and rage, they would never sit by and watch the princess be harmed.
The muscular Miss. Monday reacted the fastest. She grabbed Vivi and tried to carry her out of the drop zone.
Igaram and Mr. 9 raised their weapons, aiming at Miss. Valentine in the air, preparing to provide intercepting fire.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two violent explosions rang out almost simultaneously behind them!
Igaram and Mr. 9 had no time to react before they were sent flying by the shockwaves. They slammed heavily onto the ground, completely incapacitated.
"You should watch your back during a fight, Mr. 8."
Mr. 5 walked calmly out of the billowing smoke, wisps of smoke still curling from his fist.
"10,000 Kilo Guillotine!"
At the same time, Miss. Valentine let out a sharp cry from the air.
Her two long, pale legs spread wide, crushing down with immense force onto the neck of Miss. Monday, who had just saved Vivi and had no time to dodge!
Thud!
The nun was caught off guard. She only had time to push Vivi away before she herself was driven into the ground, forming a large crater.
In an instant, the situation had taken a drastic turn.
Only Vivi remained, along with Mr. 5 and Miss. Valentine, still standing.
Vivi's eyes trembled violently as she stared in disbelief at the hopeless scene before her.
In just a moment, Igaram, Mr. 9, and Miss. Monday had all been defeated.
"Gem, use your ability to finish her. And then we'll go..." Miss. Valentine slowly stood up, restraining Vivi who was trying to escape, and said resentfully, "and kill those two arrogant brats!"
"Goodbye, Princess." Mr. 5 raised a hand high, explosive power brewing in his palm, and brought it straight down toward Vivi's head!
Vivi closed her eyes in despair.
But.
The expected explosion and agony never came.
A slender hand, covered in white frost, had moved faster than Mr. 5's. It silently came to rest on his shoulder.
"Kchachacha..."
A crisp freezing sound suddenly rang out!
Mr. 5's raised hand froze in mid-air. His entire body, at a speed visible to the naked eye, was eroded and covered by a layer of frost.
He turned into an upright ice sculpture.
A young girl with a hair color similar to Vivi's, and a pair of small black-red horns on her head, walked out slowly from behind Mr. 5.
She stepped past him and walked over to the terrified Miss. Valentine.
The girl raised her red-purple eyes and said flatly, "Let her go."