"He's not dead, is he..."
Uvogin scratched his head awkwardly.
For a user like this, Chrollo would want to capture him alive to steal his ability. If he accidentally killed him...
"The Boss will be pissed..."
He hoisted the unconscious Lucci onto his shoulder and carefully tossed him in front of Chrollo.
On the other side, Nobunaga saw that his companions' battles were all over and decided not to drag things out any longer.
With a move called "Nobu-Style: Earth Coil," he trapped Kaku in a pillar of earth that shot up into the sky, rendering him immobile.
With that... all members of CP9... were defeated.
Seeing this, Chrollo quietly put away his comic book.
Good thing I put that serious literature cover on it. Didn't get caught. I'm so smart!
He stood up slowly, a smile on his face, and was about to reach out to touch Lucci to steal his ability when...
His hand suddenly froze—
The relaxed look in his eyes vanished completely...
Replaced by unprecedented gravity!
Something big was coming...
He raised his head and looked towards the end of a certain direction, his expression extremely serious.
"Things just got complicated—"
---
Still hiding in the bushes, Buggy watched this battle that was far beyond his league...
His legs were shaking, and the thought of retreating had already sprouted in his mind.
"These people... how could someone like me possibly reap the benefits from a fight between monsters like them—"
"I should get out of here first..."
He gritted his teeth, forced a strained smile onto his face, and turned back to his subordinates:
"Alright boys, they're done here. Let's withdraw for now..."
He was about to turn and slip away when his little brothers grabbed him.
"Captain Buggy, why are we retreating?"
"Because..."
"Because..." Buggy laughed dryly.
He couldn't exactly say he was scared!
"Oh! I get it!"
One subordinate suddenly had an epiphany: "Captain Buggy just can't bear to kick them while they're down!"
The other subordinates also showed expressions of realization, then looked at Buggy with worshipful eyes once again:
"So merciful!"
"Yeah—"
"Captain Buggy not only has an invincible heart but also mercifully spares his opponents!"
"Buggy! Buggy! Mighty! Mighty!..."
"Gyahahahaha—"
"Exactly! That is the case!"
Just as Buggy was happily preparing to retreat,
A flash of light zipped past,
And Captain Buggy ran smack into a chest.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—" Buggy straightened his red nose, which had been knocked crooked, and looked up angrily.
"Who is it—who dares to block the Great Buggy's path!"
In the next second, upon seeing who it was, his eyes bulged out of their sockets, his tongue tied in a knot, and his frightened soul flew out of his body—
"Ki... Ki-Ki-Kizaru—!!!"
Borsalino brushed past him, lightly patted Buggy on the shoulder, and quipped:
"My name doesn't have that many 'Ki's in it, you know~"
The subordinates watching from the side were shocked beyond belief—
Our Captain... can actually converse as an equal with a big shot like a Navy Admiral!
Even... even a Navy Admiral has to actively make way for Captain Buggy!
"So... Captain Buggy is actually such an incredible figure?" The subordinates shed tears of emotion.
Even Admiral Kizaru has to show him respect... Is this the deterrent power of the Red Nose?!
"Captain Buggy... he must be willing to stay in a place like the East Blue just for our sake!"
"Yeah, Captain Buggy's fame is enough to resound throughout the entire Grand Line!"
"He's so great!"
"This era shall be named 'Red Nose'—"
"You said it—"
"Mighty... Mighty..."
After hearing his subordinates say this, Buggy realized that neither Kizaru nor the guy with the 700 million berry bounty... seemed to have any intention of attacking him!
Doesn't that mean... I really suppressed both of them with my own 'powerful deterrence'?!
In an instant, Buggy felt confident again!
"Why should I run—"
"I am the man who will become the most vicious pirate in history—"
Buggy was full of momentum, hands on his hips:
"Gyahahahaha—"
"We'll stand right here and watch these two rats fight it out—"
"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy..."
---
Kizaru—Borsalino.
One of the Three Admirals of the Navy, user of the Logia-type: Glint-Glint Fruit (Pika Pika no Mi), representing the World Government's highest combat power!
As soon as he appeared, he gave everyone an unparalleled sense of oppression—
The smile on Chrollo's face vanished instantly.
The man before him wasn't a declawed beast like Shiki the Golden Lion, but a top-tier existence who truly stood at the pinnacle of this sea!
Chrollo's aura surged uncontrollably all over his body as he braced himself fully.
He didn't dare relax for even a second.
He had just used his [Visual Eye] to check Kizaru's stats... and they were terrifying.
[Borsalino]
[Stats: Strength: 86 / Agility: 97 / Intelligence: 92 / Stamina: 89]
[Logia-type: Glint-Glint Fruit]
[Abilities: Armament Haki (Top Tier), Observation Haki (Top Tier), Taijutsu (Top Tier), Swordsmanship (Great Swordsman)...]
He's basically an all-rounder warrior. This is ridiculous!
Best not to fight... Chrollo thought silently.
He didn't think for a second that he could win in a fight right now. And because of the Glint-Glint Fruit's ability, once a fight started...
Whether they could even escape from Kizaru, who possessed the speed of light, was an unknown variable.
However, Kizaru's stance was ambiguous. He was known for his "Unclear Justice," and no one knew what he was really thinking...
Chrollo decided to try talking first...
"Admiral Borsalino." He plastered a smile on his face and greeted him cautiously.
"Are you just passing through? If we've disturbed your fun, we can leave right now."
Bonney also looked grave. She stared deeply at the old man with the wretched smile in front of her, revealing a complex expression completely inconsistent with her age:
"Ki... Kizaru..."
"Oh~ Bonney-chan~ Long time no see~" Borsalino pursed his lips, greeting Bonney casually first.
Then he walked towards Chrollo, looking at him with interest and making an exaggerated expression:
"Oh my, oh my~ So scary~ Are you the captain of the Phantom Pirates~"
His gaze shifted to Lucci in Chrollo's hand.
"I'm not just passing through, you know~ Entrusted by the World Government... I came specifically for you."
"I can't just let you kill all the members of our precious intelligence department like this~"
"Otherwise, the World Government will throw a tantrum~"
After speaking, he sighed to himself.
Actually, he didn't want to fight either...
But the evacuation route the enemy chose just happened to be near him. Talk about bad luck!
Why did that cabaret club have to open in such a remote place!
He couldn't just watch Lucci and the others get killed by the enemy.
He wouldn't be able to explain that to the higher-ups...
Plus, Bonney was here...
"Tsk... what bad luck~"
He half-squinted his eyes and looked at Chrollo:
"Hey there, brother~ How about we make a deal~"
"You release Lucci and the others, hand over that giant ship and Bonney, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything and let you go. How about that~"
"......."
The smile on Chrollo's face slowly faded.
"Looks like negotiations have failed..."
Chrollo suddenly sprang into action—
"Members—"
He crouched down in an instant, pressing his palm to the ground. A square dimensional door appeared. It was the [Fourth-Dimensional Mansion].
"Retreat, everyone—!!!"
The Spiders' figures flickered, jumping into the door one after another.
"Oh~" Watching this, Kizaru looked surprised:
"A dimension-based Fruit ability~"
"Can't let you run away just like that~"
Whoosh—
A yellow flash zipped by...
Chrollo stopped what he was doing and looked at him expressionlessly.
At this moment, Kizaru was floating in mid-air, clutching Bonney by the neck. He turned his head to look back at Chrollo, his face indifferent.
Bonney's long legs struggled furiously in the air,
But no matter what, she couldn't escape Kizaru's grasp.
...