The long whip passed through Perona's body, hitting nothing.
Kalifa witnessed this bizarre scene, and her previous momentum instantly diminished. She was momentarily distracted.
At that moment, three Negative Hollows swept past cheerfully.
Kalifa immediately lost her will to fight, falling from the air onto the beach, sinking into extreme despair.
"Horohorohorohoro!"
Perona, having performed exceptionally this time and single-handedly defeated Kaku and the other four, became more arrogant than ever. She deliberately flew in front of Kalifa to mock her.
"Stop playing around."
Reddy picked up the long whip Kalifa had dropped and tied up Kaku and the others, who were still in their despairing state.
Since Kaku and the others were not Devil Fruit users, seastone handcuffs wouldn't work on them.
Before long, the effects of the Negative Hollows wore off.
When Kaku saw that even Kalifa had been defeated, he smiled bitterly. "Why did you come?"
Kalifa remained in her despairing state and ignored him.
Reddy chuckled.
In the original story, Rob Lucci and the others shared a close bond.
After Lucci was defeated and severely injured by Luffy, Kaku and the others were also beaten by the Straw Hat Pirates one after another. It was Blueno, despite being heavily injured, who desperately used his Devil Fruit powers to rescue everyone.
For this reason, Kaku and the others, who were relatively less injured, even worked odd jobs to earn money for Lucci's treatment.
"It's time to end this."
Reddy turned his gaze to the other battlefield.
At this moment, Borsalino was still at a disadvantage, being suppressed by the five clones.
Due to the nature of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he hadn't suffered any obvious injuries, but traces of blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Clearly, the five clones, strengthened to their limits, had put immense pressure on him.
Reddy snapped his fingers.
The five clones went all out.
The battle instantly became even more intense.
The clones, with their emotions suppressed by the control chips, paid no heed to whether they would be injured.
Every time Borsalino counterattacked, the clones would trade injuries, willingly taking a hit just to inflict some damage on him.
The situation was completely reversed.
Soon, Borsalino could no longer defend himself and was struck by Pyo's whip-like kick, sending him crashing onto the beach like a meteor and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The sea breeze quickly dispersed the dust.
Borsalino lay sprawled in a large crater, seemingly unconscious.
The four clones, Mon and the others, immediately took positions at the four edges of the crater, while Pyo continued to block the airspace above.
"How terrifying."
Borsalino lay at the bottom of the crater, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression still as lazy as ever.
"Hmm?"
Reddy frowned.
He was now certain that the clones with a genetic rating of LV13 were slightly inferior in strength to Borsalino. It took five clones working together to gain the upper hand.
However, Borsalino's current behavior gave him an uneasy feeling.
"Is this still not Kizaru's full strength?"
Borsalino's strange performance left Reddy deeply puzzled. It seemed like they had won, but also like they hadn't.
"My mission is to capture you."
Borsalino slowly stood up from the bottom of the crater.
Reddy's expression darkened, and he snapped his fingers.
The five clones instantly erupted, charging at Borsalino from all directions.
"I'm being underestimated, huh."
Facing the onslaught of the five clones, Borsalino's eyes suddenly changed.
The next moment.
A blinding light erupted, making it impossible to see.
Reddy raised his hand to shield his eyes, murmuring softly, "It seems my clones are being underestimated too."
The clones were real humans with their own thoughts, though they usually prioritized Reddy's commands above all else.
The blinding light did momentarily rob everyone of their vision, but for clones who had mastered Observation Haki, the impact wasn't too severe.
But the next second!
The five clones were sent flying.
The light came suddenly and left just as quickly.
When Reddy sensed the blinding light fade, he lowered his hand and his expression changed instantly.
Kizaru, are you not playing fair!
Each of the five clones was now being pursued by two Borsalinos.
The ten Borsalinos looked as if they had been carved from the same mold. Their clothing, the Ama no Murakumo in their hands, even their signature sly smiles were identical, making it impossible to tell which was the real one.
The situation was instantly reversed again!
The strength of these clones exceeded Reddy's expectations.
Any one of the clones could barely hold their own against a single clone, but with two working together, the clones were momentarily at a disadvantage.
"You shouldn't lose focus during a fight."
Countless light particles gathered in front of Reddy, forming Borsalino, who delivered a swift kick to his side with blinding speed.
Bang!
Reddy was sent flying like a cannonball for over a hundred meters, only stopping when he crashed into a reef on the beach, embedding himself into the rock.
"Ara?"
Borsalino, seeing the flames burning on Reddy's back from afar, scratched his head in frustration. "You've actually fused with the Lunarian genes. What a headache."
For him, knowing about the Lunarians wasn't surprising.
Reddy pulled himself free from the reef, equally frustrated.
Borsalino's sudden use of clones had completely turned the tide.
In the long run, his clones would undoubtedly come out on top, but in the short term, they were being suppressed by two light clones and wouldn't be able to break free anytime soon.
With the Lunarian genes, he didn't have to worry about injuries, but without speed, wouldn't he just become a punching bag?
"It seems this is as far as we go."
Reddy murmured softly and snapped his fingers.
On the other battlefield.
The ten light clones had already separated the five clones.
At this moment, Mon suddenly changed tactics, enduring attacks from two light clones and using the momentum to create distance. He then opened a door and retreated inside.
The next moment, the door opened in front of Kaku and the others.
Kaku and the others paled, not even getting a chance to speak before Mon grabbed them and threw them through the door one by one. He then grabbed Blueno and tossed him in as well.
When he reached for the unconscious Lucci, a laser suddenly struck his chest.
Mon staggered back half a step but quickly steadied himself, grabbing Lucci and throwing him through the door.
Borsalino's smile disappeared.
He had miscalculated!
He had thought a single laser would be enough to repel the clone, but the latter had only taken half a step back to neutralize the laser's impact.
Borsalino turned his gaze back to Reddy.
At that moment, a door suddenly opened in the air behind Reddy.
"Are you faster than light?"
Before Borsalino's words faded, his body dissolved into light particles, reforming in front of Reddy. He delivered another swift kick, aiming to pull Reddy away from the door.
But a tall figure suddenly appeared, blocking the kick.
Borsalino's expression darkened.
Such a sturdy body!
Reddy had already displayed the Lunarian genes, so Borsalino wasn't concerned about whether Reddy would be severely injured or even killed. He held nothing back.
But he hadn't expected Mon's body to be so incredibly tough, making him wonder if Reddy had somehow stolen Big Mom's genes and fused them with Blueno's to create this clone.
With Mon blocking the kick, Reddy retreated through the door.
Soon, Mon, his right fist coated in Armament Haki, forced Borsalino back and then retreated through the door as well.
As the door disappeared, Reddy gave Borsalino—and the ten light clones—a deep look. "Thank you, Borsalino. You've made me truly realize my lack of strength."
"Next time, you'll become my collection."