"Jiahahaha! Whitebeard's era ended two years ago! Come at me all at once, you remnants of the old era!"
Kid's arrogant laughter echoed through the empty banquet hall.
Purple sparks crackled from his hands as he unleashed a powerful magnetic force, manipulating countless swords, spears, halberds, firearms, and ammunition to form a metal storm that raged wildly across the hall.
Dozens of Whitebeard Pirates were forced back into the corners, including several division commanders and even some of Kid's own men, like Killer.
"That bastard, I really want to rip his mouth off!!"
"Just a rookie, yet he talks so arrogantly!"
Looking at the incredibly arrogant Kid at the center of the storm, "Water Buffalo" Atmos and Speed Jil gritted their teeth in anger but were helpless to do anything.
Though they didn't want to admit it, Kid was indeed very strong, and even Killer and the others possessed outstanding strength.
Marco and Jozu had gone after Black Leg Sanji, while Vista and the others had gone with Kin'emon's group to find Kurozumi Orochi. The two of them alone were truly no match for Kid.
Just then.
A man appeared, wearing an open suit jacket that revealed his sturdy, dark-haired chest, wielding dual rapiers.
"Eustass Kid, one of the rookies who made a name for himself over the past two years. Not bad at all, to think even the two of you couldn't do anything against him."
Hearing the familiar voice from behind, the Whitebeard Pirates' faces lit up with joy, and they all turned to look.
"Flower Sword" Vista, his handlebar mustache curling upward and a smile revealing his bright white teeth, walked in from deep within the corridor.
Behind him followed several other division commanders: Izo, Blamenco, Rakuyo, and Namur.
"Vista? Why are you guys back?"
"And Rakuyo and Izo too!"
"Great! Hurry up and teach him a lesson, Vista!"
Seeing Vista appear, the pirates in the hall couldn't help but feel excited despite their confusion.
"Kurozumi Orochi was taken down by the Demon Lion Pirates. We found out when we arrived, so we came to regroup with you all."
"We didn't expect you guys to already be fighting over here. What a major miscalculation," Vista and Izo said respectively.
Then, Vista turned his gaze toward Kid in the center of the hall, curled his lips into a smile, and said, "I heard everything you just said. You want us to come at you all at once, right? Then don't blame us for bullying you with numbers."
"I don't care how many of you there are! Watch me slaughter every last one of you!"
Kid shouted with a mocking expression. Spreading his ten fingers, he released a powerful magnetic force and thrust his hands forward, manipulating all the metal to sweep toward Vista and the others!
"Magnetic Storm!!"
Countless weapons shot forward. Facing the dense barrage, Izo's eyes darkened as he swiftly drew a pair of flintlock pistols from his waist!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Izo pulled the triggers in rapid succession. The muzzles spat tongues of fire as a storm of bullets poured out, incredibly using the pistols with the effect of a machine gun!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every bullet accurately struck the incoming weapons, shooting them down. Although many swords and blades still slipped through, he had torn open a gap large enough for the others to break through.
"Let's go!"
Vista shouted. Pushing off the ground, he dashed forward at top speed, continuously swinging his dual rapiers to deflect all the incoming weapons!
Blamenco, Rakuyo, and Namur grabbed their weapons and quickly followed.
"Rose Rondo!!"
Vista took the lead, breaking through to within a dozen meters of Kid. With a shout, he unleashed a spiraling flying slash.
Clang!!
The sword aura transformed into countless bright red rose petals fluttering in the sky as the sharp slash advanced at extreme speed!
Kid's gaze sharpened. His Observation Haki had already sensed the power of the attack. Not daring to be careless, he curled his fingers, drawing the surrounding metal to converge and form a shield in front of him!
Slash!!
A cold light flashed by, and the metal shield was easily torn in half like tofu!
Kid's expression changed in shock. In that critical moment, he instinctively dodged to the side.
The slash grazed past, sending a spray of blood into the air. The sharp sword aura left a bloody gash across his chest just from grazing him.
'What powerful swordsmanship...!'
Kid gritted his teeth, secretly alarmed. If his reaction hadn't been fast enough, that single sword strike might have already decided the battle. He quickly turned his head to look.
"Don't underestimate the lethality of a swordsman, rookie," Vista grinned. Leaping into the air above Kid, he raised both swords high and brought them slashing down together!
"And don't you underestimate a Devil Fruit user, old man!" Kid roared with a fierce grin. He immediately raised his hand toward the opponent's dual swords, focusing his magnetic force into a single point and unleashing it with full power!
Hum!!
An invisible force acted upon the descending swords. Vista felt an incredibly sluggish resistance, and the blades couldn't stop trembling.
Bzz! Bzz!
Purple sparks flashed violently. The dual swords came to a sudden halt less than ten centimeters from Kid's palm, unable to advance another inch no matter how hard Vista pressed down.
"Magnetism: Reflect!!"
Kid roared angrily, and the magnetic force erupted once more. Vista gritted his teeth and gripped his swords tightly, but he and his blades were blown away together.
At that moment, the other three commanders arrived, launching attacks simultaneously from the left, right, and front!
Blamenco, the Pocket-Pocket Fruit user, leaped high from the front. Reaching into a pocket on his chest out of thin air, he pulled out a giant wooden hammer and smashed it down with an angry shout!
"Take this hammer, you bastard!!"
Kid instinctively reached out his palm, intending to use his magnetism to repel the attack, only to suddenly realize the giant hammer was made of wood. He hastily crossed his arms to block instead!
Bang!!
The immensely heavy giant hammer crashed down hard. Kid gritted his teeth and took the blow head-on, feeling his arms go numb. The ground beneath his feet shattered, and his legs sank directly into the floor.
"Fish-Man Karate!"
The Eighth Division Commander, the Fish-Man warrior Namur, glared fiercely. His webbed feet slid rapidly across the ground, taking advantage of Kid blocking the giant hammer to dash forward swiftly.
He clenched his fist at his waist, arriving at Kid's side and striking out fiercely!
"Shark Brick Fist!!"
"Don't even think about it, bastard!"
Kid gritted his teeth and let out a low shout. He forcefully freed one hand and aimed it at his opponent. His magnetism erupted, using the metal buttons on his clothes as bullets and firing them!
Bang!!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The fist, imbued with the secret art of Fish-Man Karate, solidly struck Kid's chest, sending him flying on the spot.
Several metal buttons also hit Namur, piercing his flesh and drawing blood.
Before the airborne Kid could land back on the ground, Rakuyo had already moved into position behind him. Gripping an iron chain connected to a spiked flail, he swung it in a few wide circles and hurled it fiercely!
The flail, originally only the size of a wooden barrel, rapidly expanded in mid-air under Kid's astonished gaze, becoming massive!
The giant flail howled through the wind. It even had a ferocious face growing on it, which opened its terrifying maw and bit down viciously on Kid!
'A Devil Fruit weapon?!'
Kid's expression changed. The thought had barely flashed through his mind before he was heavily smashed into the ground by the flying giant flail the very next second!
Boom!!!
The earth shattered, countless cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb. Crushed stones flew in all directions, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that filled the air.