[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
"Louise," her body gleaming with white light, and the overwhelmingly domineering Amatori Biba clashed high above the Vallière estate in an even match.
Bolts of white lightning shot endlessly from her wand.
Amatori Biba, relying on Observation Haki and the intangibility of his Logia ability, evaded with ease.
For he had already realized that these bolts of white lightning were far from ordinary.
Though they carried no heat, they could annihilate Armament Haki itself—
At that moment, "Louise" noticed that all her friends and kin below had already passed through the "Gate" she had opened.
Only Saito still remained, gripping "Derflinger" tightly, staring at her with deep concern.
Around him, Merraid, Mashiro, Levi, and the other members of CP8 could only watch him helplessly.
Around Saito was a magical barrier left behind by Brimir.
No matter what abilities or methods they used to attack, they couldn't shake it in the slightest.
[Swish!]
At that moment, "Louise" turned into white light, disengaging from the battle, and in the blink of an eye slipped into the barrier, appearing before Saito.
"It's time for us to go!"
"Y-yes, right!" Saito nodded repeatedly, muttering inwardly: Louise like this is so cool—completely different from her usual self.
Elsewhere—
Amatori Biba landed on the ground, glaring coldly through the barrier at the two figures retreating into the Gate of Light.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
The CP8 members exchanged uncertain looks until Merraid finally asked.
From their perspective, since Louise's group had already escaped the spatial lock of the Teigu Shambhala,
There was no way to stop them from opening the "World Gate" and traveling to another world.
"Withdraw the Eight Gates Golden Lock first."
Amatori Biba's mind drifted back to what "Louise" had said to him in the sky:
[Please inform the World Government's high command that neither I nor Louise harbor any intent of rebellion. Once our business on the continent of Falmart is concluded, we will return of our own accord and serve the World Government.]
Meanwhile, outside the Vallière estate—
The moment "Louise" and Saito stepped out of the Gate, their expressions froze.
They had expected to see Sage Mimoza, Lady Karin, Tabitha, and the others struggling desperately to resist a siege by men in black.
But now—it was unexpectedly quiet. Or rather, deathly silent.
Sage Mimoza, Lady Karin, Tabitha, Hodolew, and the others—
At this moment their entire bodies were bound tightly by countless blood-red threads, collapsing helplessly to the ground.
They seemed to lack even the strength to speak.
Their eyes were filled only with despair, fear, and worry.
And standing behind these friends and kin—
Was a man impossible to ignore.
His slicked-back silver hair gleamed, a blue gem dangling from his left earlobe.
On his sharply defined face, he wore crimson-tinted glasses, yet even they could not mask the sharp, icy gaze beneath.
He too was dressed in a black suit, paired with a blood-red tie.
Dozens of cold, merciless black-clad men stood behind him, encircling the entire scene.
Their eyes, utterly devoid of warmth, fixed upon the two of them.
At that moment, the Eight Gates Golden Lock barrier shrouding the estate behind "Louise" and Saito vanished.
The elite CP8 members under Amatori Biba also revealed their figures.
But the instant they saw this man, their eyes flew wide open.
"Captain Laskey!!!"
Even Amatori Biba's expression shifted, a flush of shame rising in his heart.
Not only had he failed to complete the mission—he had forced this CP9 captain to step in and clean up the aftermath.
Yet at the same time, he felt a measure of relief.
At least the mission hadn't collapsed into complete irretrievable failure.
Possessing "Louise," Brimir realized from their expressions and tone that the man called Laskey before him—whether in status or in strength—stood above Amatori Biba.
Of course, it was mainly Laskey's overwhelming aura and the sharp gaze he cast over that pressed down on Brimir's heart with unprecedented force.
And not only that.
Behind Laskey stood two men in black.
Each exuded a presence no weaker than Amatori Biba's.
One of them, whose build looked relatively normal, his skin somewhat dark, held a sniper rifle leveled directly at him.
By reason alone, firearms should not have posed any threat to Brimir.
Yet the pitch-black muzzle gave him an inexplicable unease.
The other man, however, was abnormally massive, nearly 3 meters tall by estimation.
From beneath his suit, silver-gray fur covered his bare skin.
Murderous intent surged from his body, flooding out through those terrifying eyes stripped of all whites.
He was clearly not human.
"You…"
"Louise" tried to speak.
But Laskey had no interest in wasted words.
He believed Amatori Biba had already said what needed saying.
Why should he waste his breath?
As for introductions, there would be time for that later.
In the blink of an eye, Laskey became a streak of blood-red light, flashing to appear directly before "Louise."
A single blood-colored finger, condensed with force and Haki, whistled sharply through the air as it stabbed toward her brow.
Fast—so fast it was beyond comprehension.
Saito at her side had no time at all to react.
And "Louise," the target, didn't even have the chance to raise her wand.
She could only, through sheer instinct, release power from within to form a white-glowing magic barrier before her.
Only then did she manage to barely block the incoming blood-red strike.
At this moment, her right hand finally rose.
From the tip of the wand, white lightning burst forth again—powerful enough to decompose both energy and matter down to atoms.
[Bang!]
The spot on Laskey's body that was struck instantly gaped open with a bloody hole, and in the next moment, his entire form exploded into a billowing scarlet mist.
Only then did Saito finally move.
He swung the "Derflinger" in his hand, carving a long diagonal slash through the blood mist.
But in the very next second, he was shocked to see "Louise" suddenly hurled forward.
Then, at last, his ears caught up—an earth-shattering boom thundered through the air.
His not-so-large frame was flung hard to the ground by the shockwave from the sonic blast.
It had all happened far too quickly.
By this time, the two men in black had already flashed forward, restraining Saito.
"Ahh, partner, what now? This isn't looking too good!"
Held in the hands of the CP8 members, Derflinger's crossguard bounced wildly up and down, letting out a scream indistinguishable from that of a living man.
Saito had no time to pay Derflinger any attention.
He struggled wildly, trying to shove away the CP8 agent pinning him down, while his anxious gaze fixed desperately on Louise in the distance. His voice cracked as he shouted hysterically: "Louise!"
"Don't hurt her! We have no ill will toward the World Government!"
"Louise!!"
At the same time—
Laskey, his entire body wreathed in blood energy, blood-red bat wings unfurled behind him, stepped forward in polished black leather shoes until he stood over Louise, who lay on the ground, her face twisted in pain.
Blood trickled from the corner of the girl's lips, dripping onto the soil beneath her.
Most importantly—her eyes had returned to normal, the faint white glow within them gone.
"Ah—! It hurts! Saito! Saito, where are you?!"
Awakened by the agony flooding her body, Louise wailed and sobbed, desperately searching for Saito's figure.
"To take my full-force kick and come away with only light injuries… So this so-called Founder of Magic really does have extraordinary strength."
Laskey frowned slightly as he looked over Louise's wounds.
And according to the intelligence he had reviewed beforehand, Brimir at his peak was considerably stronger than him.
But it didn't matter—what once was, was past. The only thing that concerned him now was the completion of his mission.
With a subtle flick of his finger, the blood at Louise's lips slithered like a living serpent, winding tightly around its owner.
"Take them all to Judicial Island!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Laskey's order, the CP8 agents moved in.
They quickly shackled Saito, Louise, and the others with seastone handcuffs and ankle irons.
...
"Looks like I overestimated this Brimir."
Inside an eerie green-hued alternate space—
Imu stood upon the unseen air itself, looking down coldly at Louise and the others, who had been successfully captured.
The girl who had caused trouble out of willfulness and naivety now wore a face full of terror and panic, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes as she kept crying out for Hiraga Saito.
And the reason Imu was here—
Naturally, it was to strike if Louise attempted an escape.
At the same time, he had to remain wary of the greatest "cheat" hidden within her.
The Founder of Magic—Brimir!
Still, he hadn't expected things to unfold this smoothly.
Of course, that owed much to the foresight of Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Lord of the Path of Peace, who had been sent to this world in advance.
"Yeah, I thought he'd be more impressive. What a disappointment."
Behind him, Garp shook his head helplessly.
"In that case, you can head to the Nuclear Weapons World."
"Once news comes from the Underworld, they will enter the Falmart World."
"At that time, just watch from the shadows. Unless absolutely necessary, do not intervene."
Without turning his head, Imu issued the order to Garp.
"I understand."
Though he disliked the command, Garp still nodded obediently in agreement.
Then, passing through a "Gate" opened by Oimo, he left.
"Lord Imu, what about Louise?" Stussy asked softly.
"Send Louise to Eternal Hell first. Question her about the entire sequence of events, and then have someone talk with that Brimir."
Imu was somewhat intrigued by this Brimir.
Based on the original novels, there was still a God of Void behind him…
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