A sea of fire spread through the ghost town, melting large patches of snow and setting many houses ablaze. Thick black smoke shot into the sky. Even with the continuous snowfall on Minion Island, it couldn't stop the fire from spreading.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blazing streets, the deafening clash of metal made eardrums throb. Cross, wielding Shusui like a blade of fire, moved with ghost-like speed. He clashed with Diamante for several moves, and on the third strike, he severed the red iron staff in his hands.
"Wha—" Fortunately, Diamante was quick enough to dodge, barely avoiding being sent to the ground along with his broken weapon.
"Damn it, who the hell are you?!" Diamante was a mix of shock and rage. He still couldn't figure out who this demon-like figure was.
Cross grinned and reminded him, "We've met before, a few years ago on a coast in the Lvneel Kingdom."
"Lvneel Kingdom..." Diamante's face fell in shock as he blurted out, "You're Amphitrite Cross?!"
As soon as the name was mentioned, the other Donquixote Family members understood who the man in front of them was and why he was so powerful. In recent years, he was the most famous Marine star, having killed numerous pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions and even daring to clash with the Big Mom Pirates in the New World.
But what was this demonic form?
"It doesn't matter if you're a Marine or from the World Government. You've offended our family, so you'll pay with your blood! G—" Lao G struck a 'G' pose and roared furiously, "Jio-Ken Ultimate Secret Technique: Battle Insurance Fist!!!"
As soon as he said that, Lao G's body suddenly swelled. His physique and muscles exploded in growth as if they were being inflated, instantly turning him into a muscular strongman. A fierce aura erupted from his body.
"Die!" Lao G roared. He vanished from his spot with a single step, moving so fast that ordinary eyes couldn't see him, and he appeared in front of Cross as if out of thin air. He threw a full-force punch, and Cross dodged by tilting his head.
The terrifying, invisible force from the punch smashed through a broken brick wall behind him, creating a basin-sized hole without damaging anything else. This was a testament to the strength and speed of Lao G's punch, which was far stronger than before.
But in the next second, Cross threw a punch. He clenched his left fist and slammed it into Lao G's abdomen with lightning speed. A terrifying force erupted in an instant.
Bang—
A dull thud, like a muffled thunderclap, spread out with a fierce gust of air.
"Wa-huagh!" Lao G's eyes widened in pain. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward like a cannonball, turning into a black blur in the air.
Boom, boom, boom...
In an instant, Lao G crashed through several houses, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Lao G!"
"How is that possible?!"
"The strongest state of Lao G was taken out in one hit!"
"..."
The Donquixote Family executives gasped in shock, their expressions a mix of horror and disbelief.
Cross didn't stop after sending Lao G flying. He charged again toward the closest person, Diamante.
"One Sword Style: Hawk Assault!!"
"Vipera Glaive!!!"
Diamante was both shocked and enraged. He took out another rapier. Its slender blade extended out like a swimming snake due to his Flutter-Flutter Fruit ability.
Clang—
In an instant, Cross and Diamante crossed paths in a flash of lightning, and a visible ring of fire ripples burst in the air.
"Damn it, this can't be..." Diamante's expression was twisted, his eyes filled with terror. His rapier snapped with a crack.
Sss—
In the next second, Diamante's eyes rolled back. He let out a "Wah!" and coughed up blood. His chest clothes tore open, and crimson blood spurted from a deep, bone-exposing wound. He fell backward, completely unconscious.
"That's enough, you bastard! Overheat!!!" Suddenly, Doflamingo, with a furious expression, appeared in the air. He pointed at Cross and fired a thick, hot string from his palm.
"You're really getting in the way!" Cross glared with his crimson eyes. He swung his fiery longsword, and with a clang, he knocked the hot, thick string aside.
But in the next second, the thick string, which was like a whip, was controlled by Doflamingo and struck at Cross again. Cross glanced at it and immediately shot into the sky, creating a fierce gale. The street below was hit by the hot, thick string.
RUMBLE!!!
With a loud crash, the street was torn apart as if by a giant katana, and a deep crack more than a dozen meters long appeared.
"Don't you dare escape! Beto Launcher!!!" Trebol cried out in a mix of shock and anger, launching many chunks of brownish mucus from his body. They rained down densely on Cross in the sky, making a whoosh whoosh whoosh sound.
At the same time, Señor Pink, Gladius, and Machvise, who had just caught up, fired their rifles and pistols at the sky. A flurry of bang bang bang gunshots echoed continuously, like popping beans.
"One Sword Style: Shockwave!" Cross looked down from the sky. He casually swung his sword, creating a fierce, hot sword wind.
Rumble—
Instantly, the violent, scorching sword wind swept through like a hurricane, clearing away all the attacks coming from below.
Doflamingo's expression was grim as he chased Cross closely. He spoke in a vicious tone, "Don't get too ahead of yourself, you little brat!"
"This is called youthful arrogance!" Cross retorted without a hint of politeness. He ignored Doflamingo behind him and headed straight for the Donquixote Family members below.
"You bastard! Whip White!!!" Doflamingo cursed in a fit of rage. He knew what Cross was doing. He extended his arm backward and fired dozens of nearly invisible strings from his palm. They intertwined to form a thick, hair-like column of strings, which he then whipped fiercely toward Cross.
Whoosh—
Rumble!!
A thick, hot whip descended from the sky. It grazed Cross's body and extended for hundreds of meters, slicing an abandoned spire on the edge of the town in half. The top of the spire, nearly ten meters tall, crashed down and hit the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"You pink flamingo, you fell for it!" Cross let out a wild laugh. He immediately turned and lunged at Doflamingo. With Doflamingo's shocked expression, he swung the fiery Shusui.
In an instant, Doflamingo felt the scorching sword wind rushing towards him. He instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, letting the fiery longsword strike his arms, which were hardened with Armament Haki.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion echoed, and flames erupted, creating a powerful air current.
At that moment, Doflamingo felt as if it wasn't a sword hitting his arms but a heavy hammer. The tremendous force came at him like a raging sea, and his body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
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