Chapter 314: Defeating a Sweet Commander!
Smoothie's body was embedded in the tree trunk in a 'great' character shape, the pain from her bones feeling as if they would shatter.
Her body's surface had a fiery, burning sensation, and her sword-holding wrist trembled, almost losing its strength.
After a long, careful stalemate, an opportunity was finally found to land a heavy blow.
"Am I really going to be defeated by a rookie who has just entered the New World..."
Smoothie couldn't help but think, the various injuries on her body making her feel a little dazed for a moment.
Her Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit could drain the moisture from any object she touched. Most opponents who relied on close-quarters combat could be easily defeated as long as she seized an opportunity.
However, although she was a Logia-type with a natural advantage in close combat, the opponent was not arrogant at all.
It could even be said that she was a little too cautious, not giving her any chance to get close.
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Smoothie struggled to pull her body out of the tree trunk. The moment she landed on the ground, a dazzling beam of electric light came at her.
Smoothie immediately jumped to the side, rolling on the ground a few times to avoid the attack.
Boom!
The lightning struck a tree trunk, and wood chips flew everywhere.
Her pupils quickly scanned, and in the dark tree shadows around her, electric light flickered.
"She really doesn't give me a moment's rest."
Smoothie pushed off with her legs and charged out, continuing to weave rapidly through the forest, using obstacles to dodge and block attacks, her longsword continuously scraping across the grass and trees to squeeze out moisture and replenish her own stamina.
Her Observation Haki spread out, searching for Nami's position, continuously closing the distance while dodging.
A long defense is bound to have a breach. Smoothie knew in her heart that even if it was a bit risky, she had to find an opportunity to get close to have a chance of winning.
Nami's figure moved rapidly through the forest, her chest heaving slightly as she panted.
On the surface, she had the upper hand, that was true. But only she knew that victory was not within easy reach.
Her opponent was one of Big Mom's strongest combatants, with a bounty as high as 930 million, who had fought her way out of countless battles.
Powerful Haki, superb swordsmanship, formidable life force and stamina...
Smoothie was very balanced in all her abilities, powerful in all aspects.
Although Nami was suppressing her with her speed advantage, her consumption was not necessarily less than Smoothie's. Even in terms of speed, the other's short-distance burst still posed a great threat to her.
She absolutely could not be careless before the winner was decided.
In a few charges, Smoothie's figure had gradually approached. Her ability erupted, instantly squeezing all the moisture from the air!
Smoothie pushed off with a mighty step, her right arm drawn back at her side, the blade of her sword pointing forward.
"Kasshaku Ryūsui!!" (Juice Piercing Thrust!!)
Her speed surged again with the thrust of the gushing juice from behind. Her figure left an afterimage in space as she advanced straight forward!
Nami made a decisive move and continued to execute her previous tactic. Her body elementalized and she was about to retreat when she was suddenly shocked by the other's movement!
Smoothie's gaze was fixed on Nami. She squeezed the moisture from her own body and gathered it on her sword blade. Before she had even arrived, from a dozen meters away, she thrust her longsword out fiercely!
"Kasshaku Rasen-giri!!" (Vortex Squeeze: Tornado Slash!!)
ZING!!
A high-speed rotating juice tornado combined with sharp sword energy instantly erupted!
Under the strong warning of her Observation Haki, Nami's lightning body quickly separated into two sections at the waist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The spiraling, advancing sword wave pierced through Nami's body, cutting a smooth gash through all the trees in a straight line behind her!
The two bolts of lightning flew backward, merged into one, and re-formed into Nami's figure. She looked at the scene below, her heart still pounding.
Her body was almost pierced through!
"Thunder Serpent!!"
Without any hesitation, Nami immediately gritted her teeth, raised her left arm, and burst forth with electric sparks in a counterattack.
A violent bolt of lightning transformed into a large serpent and bit down fiercely.
However, this time.
Smoothie's eyes were resolute. She actually charged forward without any fear!
Her sword tip condensed a high-pressure juice bullet. Smoothie's Observation Haki was at its peak. She faced the ferocious lightning serpent that was almost in her face and swung her sword rapidly, thrusting out!
"Kasshaku Hyakka Ryōran!!" (Squeeze Slash: Passion Fruit Spear Thrust!!)
Crackle!
The lightning engulfed Smoothie's body. Even with the resistance of her Armament Haki, she couldn't help but show a pained expression.
At the same time, the dense barrage of high-pressure juice projectiles shot out rapidly, completely sealing off all of Nami's escape routes!
As long as she could land a hit and cause even a moment's hesitation in Nami's movements, Smoothie would go all out for a single blow to take her down!
Just at this critical moment.
Nami gripped her Clima-Tact, and with a flash of electric light, she disappeared from her spot.
However, the next moment.
What Smoothie had never expected was that Nami had not chosen to force her way through her attack blockade, but had actually, instead of retreating, advanced and instantly appeared in her face!
She's in close!
She, who had been carefully fighting a war of attrition for so long, had actually taken the initiative to get in close at this moment!!
Compared to Smoothie's disbelief, Nami's pair of eyes were calmly emotionless.
The Clima-Tact in her hand flared with electric light, illuminating her fair face and revealing a hint of coldness.
"Thunder Thermo Lance!!"
Nami gripped the lightning-wreathed Clima-Tact with both hands and swept it with all her might at Smoothie's body!
The Clima-Tact, heated to an extremely high temperature, now contained a power that could even easily cut through steel!
But Smoothie was, after all, a powerhouse who had fought her way out of countless battles. Almost as a subconscious reaction, she twisted her body and lashed out with a bursting whip kick at Nami's waist!
Squelch!!
A spray of scarlet blood flew. A shocking gash appeared on Smoothie's delicate body.
The violent lightning, conducted through the Clima-Tact, erupted, instantly engulfing her!
Bang!!
Almost at the same time.
Smoothie's powerful whip kick struck Nami's waist.
A full-power kick from a Longleg tribesman made Nami feel as if she had been hit by a cannon. Her internal organs shook, and she couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
The two of them separated on contact.
Nami, under this immense force, was like a cannonball, crashing straight into the forest.
Smoothie was also foaming at the mouth. The piercing pain made her feel as if her soul were leaving her body, and she was on the verge of losing consciousness. She could only let her uncontrolled body fall from the sky.
Bang!!
Smoothie crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a gust of wind and dust. Her body was still sparking with electricity.
Not far away, the fallen Nami felt as if her internal organs had been churned into a mess. A strong sense of nausea and dizziness continuously welled up.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Coughing up a few more mouthfuls of blood, Nami supported herself on the ground with trembling hands, propped herself up with a tree trunk, and struggled to stand up. She suppressed the discomfort in her body and looked not far away.
Her blurry vision gradually cleared, and she saw Smoothie also struggling to get up.
"She can still move? After taking such a strong blow head-on..."
"...I really hate you monster-like life forces."
Nami thought with a bitter heart.
If she had taken one of her own moves, she would probably be dead by now...
Thud.
Nami supported her body with her Clima-Tact. Taking advantage of the fact that the other had not yet stood up, her hands sizzled with electric light that coiled around it.
Smoothie stood up unsteadily with her sword stabbed into the ground, her figure swaying.
She still had a lot of stamina, but the terrifying wound on her body made her forehead break out in a cold sweat. The numbness that spread throughout her body even deformed her movements.
"Moisture..."
"More moisture..."
Looking up at Nami, who was already preparing to charge up an attack, Smoothie's sword, stabbed into the ground, also began to squeeze out moisture.
After a quiet few seconds.
A dazzling lightning suddenly flashed in the dark forest!
Crackle!
Nami held a giant energy spear, tens of meters long, condensed from lightning.
The terrifying power it contained was heart-pounding. It even overflowed with thick bolts of lightning that continuously ravaged the surrounding trees and exploded on the ground!
Nami puffed out her chest and took a deep breath. She gritted her teeth and, with all her strength, threw it!!
"Indra's Spear!!"
Swish!!
Before Smoothie's almost desperate eyes, the spear of lightning pierced through the sky and instantly appeared before her!!
Rumble!!!
A terrifying energy exploded in the forest. A violent impact made even the earth tremble intensely!
It emitted a dazzling light as if it would destroy everything!
Until the light gradually dimmed, the forest also slowly quieted down.
Looking again at the site of the explosion, the trees had been uprooted and razed to the ground. The earth had turned into a scorched land.
The only thing still standing was a Clima-Tact, stuck diagonally in the ground.
Smoothie, covered in blood, lay motionless within it, white smoke coming from her mouth, her eyes rolled back. She had clearly lost consciousness.
"...Hah... hah."
Nami panted heavily, her body still in the posture of having just thrown the spear. It wasn't until she was sure the other could no longer stand up...
...Puff.
Nami let out a long sigh of relief and, with her legs giving out, she collapsed. She leaned her head back against a tree trunk, her eyes full of fatigue, and a dry smile appeared.
"Finally..."
"...I won."
Far away, several kilometers away, also in a forest.
Cannon fire and smoke continuously rose. Hundreds of biscuit soldiers with swords and shields were in a fierce battle with two figures.
"What's going on?!"
The commotion from the huge explosion in the distance startled Franky, who was in the middle of a fight. He subconsciously turned his head to look.
"Hey, Usopp! What's the situation over there?!"
"Hissatsu Midori Boshi: Dokuro Bakuhatsu So!!"
Boom!!
A skull-shaped cloud of pink explosion rose up. The immense power shattered the several biscuit soldiers at the center, and the aftershock of the impact also sent several nearby enemies flying.
After forcing back the surrounding biscuit soldiers, Usopp looked in the direction of Franky's gaze and quickly spread out his Observation Haki to investigate.
Although his Observation Haki didn't have the super-large-area coverage like Nami's, in order to coordinate with his sniping ability, he had specially developed the ability to concentrate his Observation Haki in a single direction to extend its range.
He soon sensed a familiar presence in the distance.
"It seems to be Nami!"
"She should have already dealt with her opponent!"
Usopp shouted quickly, then turned back to continue dealing with the enemies that were continuously charging up.
"So it was Nami. She's ridiculously strong now."
Franky grinned upon hearing this, then turned back and said, "We have to step it up too, Usopp. Let's hurry up and deal with this guy who's hiding his head and showing his tail."
"That's easier said than done."
Usopp's face showed difficulty. He used both his guns, continuously firing at the biscuit men before him, and said:
"I want to, but these damn things are way too hard! I don't have that many Skull Exploding Grasses!"
The defense of these tall, square soldiers was ridiculously strong.
The bullets he had that could cause effective damage were few and far between, and he had almost used up his most powerful Skull Exploding Grass.
Sometimes, after the other had coated himself in Armament Haki, even the damage caused by the Skull Exploding Grass was limited.
Most importantly!
Usopp retreated to dodge a slash from a biscuit soldier and cursed through gritted teeth, "That bastard won't even come out and fight us!"
His Observation Haki could sense Cracker's position, but the other was always using other biscuit soldiers for cover, only occasionally seizing an opportunity to launch an attack.
The two of them were now covered in wounds of all sizes. Several times, they had almost been taken down by the other in one hit.
It was a good thing there were two of them who could cover for each other. If it were a one-on-one fight, they would probably have been defeated by now.
"Are you in despair, Long Nose?"
Cracker, hiding behind a biscuit soldier, grinned.
"I am a Biscuit-Man who ate the Bisu Bisu no Mi. I can create biscuits indefinitely to make soldiers and control them to fight for me."
"Just like this."
Clap! Clap!
Cracker clapped his hands and summoned pieces of biscuit, which, under his control, turned into powder and slowly gathered into a new biscuit soldier.
"Because I'm very afraid of pain, I even hate getting shots. So I have them fight for me. In other words..."
"...my combat power is infinite!"
Cracker said proudly. After replenishing his new soldier, he jumped into a biscuit soldier and mixed himself in.
"Damn it!"
Seeing new soldiers being replenished, Usopp gritted his teeth in anger. "This will never end!"
A leading biscuit soldier, under Cracker's control, charged up, the longsword in its hand, imbued with Haki and shining black, spinning at high speed!
"Roll Pretzel!!"
"Get back, Usopp!"
Franky shouted and rushed up, crossing his thick, steel arms in front of him to block in front of Usopp.
Ding!!
The high-speed spinning blade, like an impact drill, struck the iron arms, sending a shower of sparks.
"This guy's Haki is so strong!"
Franky gritted his teeth and resisted, his feet scraping the ground as he was pushed back continuously.
Bang! Bang!
Usopp pulled back and leaped backward, firing two shots at the biscuit soldier's arm.
Franky took the opportunity to flick his arms upwards and deflect the other's sword, then took a step forward and assumed a boxer's stance.
"Franky Metal BOXING!!"
Bang!!
The biscuit soldier didn't have time to block with its shield, which was compressed to a higher hardness. It was hit heavily in the chest by Franky's full-power punch, and the biscuit directly exploded into fragments.
"Hey, Usopp! Is there any way to help me find that guy and hold him for a moment!" Franky shouted.
He then opened the mechanism on his shoulder and launched two rockets. His feet didn't stop moving. As he retreated, he fired the rockets at two charging biscuit soldiers.
"Franky Destroyer Cannon!!"
Boom! Boom!
Firelight accompanied by smoke and gunpowder rose up. The explosion stopped the two biscuit soldiers.
"It's not as simple as you say! It would be fine if I could lay out a plant field! I can only try my best!" Usopp shouted in response.
The other's soldiers were too numerous. He had tried to lay out a favorable field like he had against Izo before, but it was quickly cut down by the large number of biscuit soldiers.
Sensing Cracker, who was constantly weaving among the biscuit soldiers, hesitation flashed in Usopp's eyes. He gritted his teeth and shouted:
"As long as I can catch him for a moment, right! Are you confident!"
"Don't you worry."
A corner of Franky's mouth lifted. "I guarantee I'll crush him to bits."
(End of chapter)
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