A few moments later, Captain Lunta of the Marine surveillance ship arrived at Rosinante and Law's location with more than thirty G-5 Marines.
"I'm Captain Lunta from G-5 Branch. Who are you two?" Lunta asked with a stern expression.
"You're finally here… cough… cough cough… cough cough cough…" Rosinante let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground, immediately breaking into a violent cough that brought up blood.
"Captain, I'm Lieutenant Rosinante of Marine Headquarters. I was an undercover spy in the Donquixote Pirates. This is my proof!"
"An undercover spy in the Donquixote Pirates?!"
Lunta's expression was a mix of surprise and disbelief. He eyed Rosinante skeptically. "Do you have any proof?"
"Captain, if I'm a spy, how could I possibly be carrying ID to prove my identity?" Rosinante said with a wry smile.
"Meoww~"
Suddenly, a meow rang out, causing Lunta and the Marines to turn their heads.
"You're too slow, meow~"
Bastet jumped out of the large crater, her tone full of dissatisfaction.
"Ah, Bastet-san, what are you doing here?" Lunta exclaimed, hurrying over to greet her.
"Cross told me to protect this big biped and this little biped. I just knocked out two bipeds who attacked me!" Bastet explained lazily, pointing a small paw at the crater behind her.
"So it was Commodore Cross's orders…" Lunta looked surprised, then glanced into the crater behind Bastet, spotting a knocked-out figure inside.
"Wait, this person is…"
"That's Gladius! There's also Buffalo further back. They're both members of the Donquixote Pirates!" Rosinante staggered over, limping, and looked at the unconscious Gladius in the crater with a complicated expression.
Law, standing nearby, remained impassive and remarkably aloof.
"Bastet-san, did you handle this?" Lunta asked respectfully.
"If it wasn't me, you think it was you, biped? Meow~" Bastet said in an annoyed tone while licking her ruffled fur.
"Of course not! I just meant, 'well done, Bastet-san!'"
Lunta grinned, completely unbothered by being called a "biped." He crouched down and whispered, "By the way, I caught a bluefin tuna over five meters long out at sea. When we get back, would you grace us with your presence and have a taste?"
At the mention of a five-meter-long bluefin tuna, Bastet's eyes lit up, and she nearly drooled.
Fortunately, she managed to maintain her composure. She gave a haughty nod, and with a small paw, she patted Lunta's foot. "Since you've invited me so sincerely, I suppose I'll give your fish a try!"
Rosinante and Law stared at the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
Hey, hey, hey… you're a Marine Captain! You're groveling to a cat!
Unaware of what Rosinante and Law were thinking, Lunta, delighted by Bastet's response, stood up and shouted, "Quickly, capture both of these Donquixote Pirates! Use Seastone chains! Don't take too long, Bastet-san will get angry!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Bastet-san, we'll hurry!"
"Let's go, men, move it!"
The Marines' morale soared. They cheered as if Bastet agreeing to eat the fish on their ship was a momentous honor.
Rosinante and Law exchanged glances, a shared look of bewilderment on their faces.
They never expected that a talking cat would have such a high standing in the Marines.
....
"Penta-Chromatic String!!!"
"Overheat!!!"
"Super Shock Whip!!!"
"One-Sword Style: Flying Edge of Divine Fire!!!"
"One-Sword Style: Divine Cremation!!!"
"Mushussu!!!"
Within the ruins of the town on the Half-Wall Mountain, Cross and Doflamingo were locked in another fierce battle. Their figures crossed back and forth, moving up and down, left and right, with a speed that the average person's eyes couldn't follow.
Flames mixed with immense power wreaked havoc on everything around them. At the same time, invisible, fine strings sliced through the stone ground as if it were paper, leaving behind deep, jagged cracks all over the town.
Clang—!!
Suddenly, the ear-splitting clang of metal echoed as a clash of two Conqueror's Haki emanated a series of red and black lightning bolts, unleashing a fierce gust of wind that spread in all directions, sweeping across the sky and the ground.
Doflamingo's face was pale as he was sent flying dozens of meters back. His feet hit the ground, but he couldn't stand firm, forced to retreat further and further until he finally stabilized himself a thousand meters away.
"Hahahaha! You can't hold on anymore!"
Cross, wreathed in fiery ribbons, laughed maniacally and pursued his opponent. The Shuusui in his hand drew a perfect arc through the air, cleaving down at Doflamingo's head.
Clang—
With a grimace, Doflamingo raised his hand, pulling several sharp and tough strings to block the blade of the Shusui. As the two powers collided, more red and black lightning bolts erupted, sending a scorching wind that blew away the thick snow on the streets, revealing the scarred cobblestone pavement underneath.
In the next second, five of the tough, thin strings snapped under the force of Cross's blow, and the Shusui's blade fell with a sudden motion.
Fortunately, Doflamingo dodged just in time, only feeling a blistering gust of wind graze past him.
Rumble—!!
The ground instantly tore open, creating a deep hundred-meter-long fissure.
"Athlete!!!"
Doflamingo, using his dodging motion, twisted his body to get to Cross's side. He delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, and from his black leather shoe, eight razor-sharp strings shot out.
Whoosh...
Boom!!!
Cross's body, along with the building behind him, was instantly bisected by the explosive, sharp force.
Cross's upper body was thrown into the air, while his lower body remained standing. Yet, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound, which remained a dark, charred black.
"He dodged it!"
Doflamingo's expression darkened when he saw this. Without a second thought, he retreated backward.
But a second later, Cross's two halves fused back together. The sinister grin on his face remained unchanged as he roared, "Babylon!!!"
Craaaaak—!!!
A blinding flash of lightning illuminated all of Miniön Island. A thick lightning bolt, as if a bolt from the heavens, came crashing down, striking the retreating Doflamingo head-on and leaving a charred crater in the ground.
"Mushussu!!!"
Cross didn't stop, continuing to command Marduk to attack. Four lightning bolts, in the form of the Mushussu, swiftly raced through the air before diving down into the scorched crater.
Instantly, a brilliant blue-white light erupted as if a terrible power was unleashed deep underground. A low, muffled roar echoed, causing half of the mountain to tremble violently and a shocking network of cracks to appear on its surface.
Pere pere pere… Pere pere pere…
Suddenly, as Cross was still focused on Doflamingo, a Den Den Mushi in his pocket began to ring, causing him to frown. He reached into his coat and took out the incessantly ringing snail.
Click.
"Moshi moshi, this is Cross!"
"This is Tsuru. I have arrived at Minion Island!"
The Den Den Mushi gave Tsuru's voice.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!