Scrape… scrape…
Vivi, who had been kneeling on the ground, jumped up at Nami's inquiry and ran quickly toward Nami and Merry.
To her, these two suddenly appearing girls could not possibly be ordinary. The unconscious Miss Valentine lying nearby was proof enough.
For Vivi, their ship was right behind them. If she seized the chance, she could have escaped by boarding it.
Of course, she wasn't the kind of person to survive by pushing others into the abyss.
Sensing that Nami and Merry were clearly unusual, Vivi immediately warned Nami:
"They're Baroque Works assassins, they have the Bomb Bomb Fruit's power!!!"
"Oh?"
Nami glanced at Vivi, curious as to why she was revealing this information now.
Although, honestly, it didn't really matter to them whether she had the info or not.
Still, seeing the firm determination in Vivi's eyes, Nami subtly nodded in recognition.
Then, her gaze shifted back toward Mr. 5, her eyes gleaming as if calculating something.
"Really… truly…"
Mr. 5, repeatedly ignored, suppressed his fury.
Finally noticing that he had their attention, he exhaled sharply from his nose, releasing two thick, black smoke-like breaths.
The sunlight reflected off his black sunglasses, sending a glare straight toward Nami and the others as he bellowed in rage:
"You… how dare you… ignore me!!!"
"Absolutely intolerable!"
He suddenly drew a deep breath and shouted again:
"Die! Breeze Breath Bomb!"
With his roar, a massive cloud of mysterious gas erupted from his mouth, aiming directly at Nami and the others!
Thanks to the Bomb Bomb Fruit, all the air he inhaled became explosives, detonating without warning.
A deadly, unavoidable attack, at least for most pirates on the Grand Line.
…
"Hahaha! Die!!!"
Mr. 5 thrust his hands forward, seemingly controlling the gas bombs.
He wasn't a fool.
Anyone capable of easily defeating Miss Valentine couldn't possibly be simple.
So he unleashed his ultimate technique, aiming to wipe out everyone, including Vivi, in a single strike.
As for his partner within the blast radius? She could only hope for survival.
…
The fruit's power activated instantly. The air transformed into explosive energy, detonating immediately.
BOOM!!!
At Whiskey Peak's port, in front of the Going Merry, a massive blaze erupted, accompanied by clouds of dust and black smoke.
The Bomb Fruit was undeniably powerful; even its basic breath attack could cause a large-scale, devastating explosion.
Of course, a powerful fruit still needed a skilled user.
Mr. 5 had completely wasted the potential of such a fruit.
Nami decided this premium fruit should belong to someone who truly needed it.
…
As the black smoke slowly dispersed, Mr. 5, who had been nonchalant with hands in his pockets, paused mid-step.
His legs recoiled uncontrollably, yet he forced himself to stand firm.
Why? Because the massive explosion he had just caused, the towering smoke, had been effortlessly scattered by a sudden, powerful gust of wind.
Through the wind, Nami, Merry, and Vivi stood unharmed.
Mr. 5's pupils, widened in shock, revealed the whites beyond his sunglasses.
That strike was his full power!
The blast radius, intensity, and density were all at his maximum control.
Yet, despite his all-out effort, it had no effect.
This didn't make him a coward, it was a basic survival instinct.
Disbelief overtook him. He raised a trembling hand, pointing at the unharmed trio.
"No… no… impossible!!!"
"How can you be completely unharmed?!"
"That… that was my maximum explosion!!!"
"Impossible! Who… who are you people?!"
Even as the amassed bomb gas destroyed Miss Valentine into charred remains, his primary targets had survived.
The sight was terrifying.
The strongest attack he could muster had failed utterly.
Mr. 5's thoughts raced, how could he survive against these people?
But Nami had no intention of giving him that chance.
…
"You said 'breeze,' right?"
Stepping through the remaining ash and smoke, Nami advanced toward Mr. 5, who continued to retreat.
Each step sank slightly into the soft soil left by the explosion.
Her pale, graceful arm rose with each step, index finger pointing directly at Mr. 5.
"You just said 'breeze,' didn't you?"
Continuing forward, her voice carried a hint of anger:
"You weakling… daring to use a wind technique… what an insult to the sky!"
Suddenly, a mysterious magic array appeared on Nami's wrist.
Complex runes formed, intertwining like they had consciousness, wrapping her arm.
The moment the magic appeared, the air stiffened.
With only her fingers extended, she restored normal airflow, controlling the entire island's atmosphere like a conductor.
Her runed arm stirred a visible vortex above.
The wind twisted, compressed, and formed a small but powerful tornado.
The vortex hit Nami's magic array, which purified it, transforming raw wind into controlled, immense energy.
Gradually, the power shaped into a massive transparent dragon claw.
With Nami's arm raised, the terrifying claw soared high, radiating a presence like a real dragon, overwhelming Mr. 5.
…
Though the incantation and manipulations were complex, the entire process took barely the time of a few sentences.
Behind Nami, Merry observed calmly:
"Oh! It's Nami's standard opening move!"
Having watched the crew's countless training sessions, Merry knew everyone's usual techniques.
…
Protected by Nami's gale, Vivi was awestruck.
She whispered, stunned:
"An… opening move!?"
"Yes!"
Little Merry explained enthusiastically:
"An opening move… is a technique used before a serious fight, to test the opponent!"
She pumped her tiny fist, affirming:
"That's right, no mistake!"
Even her casual tone carried a force that shook Vivi to her core.
"This… this… what power… is this?!"
The dragon claw solidified, radiating intense blue light.
The glare pierced Mr. 5's sunglasses effortlessly.
Blinded, he tried to defend himself, flailing weakly.
Nami couldn't help but chuckle.
The dragon claw slammed down.
Mr. 5 let out a final, desperate shout:
"No!!!!"
Time seemed to freeze.
The energy silenced everything around.
Then, a violent storm erupted.
WHOOSH!!!
The terrifying winds struck, ripping the terrain, and Mr. 5's body was obliterated, flesh scattering like crimson butterflies.
Even nature itself seemed to bow to Nami's power.
…
After a moment, the storm subsided.
The port lay in ruin, with chasms gouged into the ground.
Even Vivi, untouched by the attack, shivered in awe.
This power had completely rewritten her understanding of the world.
…
Nami lowered her arm; the magic runes faded.
The air calmed, leaving only the battered port.
…
"Nami, what about the flying guy?"
Little Merry pointed to the charred Miss Valentine, a victim of Mr. 5's misfire.
Nami shrugged, dismissive:
"Since they're all from the same organization, we'll leave them all in one place…"
"Oh!"
Merry nodded knowingly and approached Miss Valentine.
In front of Vivi, Merry crouched and placed her hands on Miss Valentine's head.
Click!
Rising again, her expression unchanged, innocent as ever.
Killing, to her, was as simple as eating or drinking.
Her radiant smile froze Vivi's heart, a sudden chill overtaking her courage.
Baroque Works were villains… but these two seemingly sweet girls were no angels either.
Nami grabbed Merry's hand, ignoring Vivi's anxious gaze.
To the crew, only their mission mattered.
Vivi's sudden shout stopped them:
"Wait!!!"
Summoning all her courage, Vivi knelt before Nami and Merry, trembling, tears streaming:
"Please! Please!!!"
"Save the Kingdom of Arabasta!!!"