Van Auger observed the golden sniper rifle in Victor Shaw's hands and was surprised.
Its attack power and effective range weren't much weaker than his own rifle, "Chiliu."
No wonder it was a weapon once used by the Celestial Dragons.
Each of these extravagant firearms had been handcrafted by master artisans whose entire family lines were pledged to guarantee their perfection.
Absolutely flawless.
Through his beyond-visual-range scope, Van Auger noticed something peculiar.
Some fishmen were risking their lives to drag the injured back to safety.
Instead of going for lethal headshots, he began firing with calculated precision wounding instead of killing buying precious time for their forces to close in on Victor Shaw's command.
But part of Van Auger's decision wasn't just tactical.
A thought had crept into his mind.
He wanted to learn: Just how far away could Victor activate his banishment ability?
"Your Majesty," he said casually while firing, "Arlong's heading for the sea."
Victor peered through his golden telescope, calm as ever.
"Let him," he replied, a faint glint of obscure brilliance flashing in his eyes.
It wasn't just Eric who was curious about Victor's power.
Even Van Auger, normally indifferent, had the same question.
Nobody not even his closest allies truly understood the full range or conditions of Victor Shaw's Banishment Ability.
That unknown made them all a little uneasy.
Even Van Auger... felt a trace of fear.
"I'll do my best," he muttered.
Now fully focused, Van Auger ignored the hiding fishmen and aimed directly at Arlong, who was sprinting toward the sea with murderous rage.
Hatchan and Kuroobi were pinned behind rubble, unable to move due to Auger's relentless accuracy.
As the fleet crept closer, Arlong exploded in fury.
With a mighty roar, he launched himself toward the sea.
He was determined to destroy the Goa Kingdom's warships with his own hands.
"Your Majesty! I can't hold him!"
Van Auger fired rapidly, but Arlong deflected each bullet with his massive serrated blade.
He was seconds away from diving into the water.
"No matter," Victor said softly.
He calmly turned and fired the main cannon of the luxurious flagship.
BOOM!
The cannon roared, but mysteriously the shell vanished the moment it left the barrel.
And then
Before the stunned eyes of Eric, Van Auger, the guards, and all present
Victor Shaw leapt high and landed directly on the invisible cannonball, riding it through the air like a projectile.
"Are you serious?! What kind of crazy power is this?!"
Eric's brain short-circuited.
FWOOOOM!!
Victor shot through the sky, his cape fluttering as he hurtled toward Cocoyasi Village.
Elsewhere, in a hidden corner of the village...
"Nami! Nojiko! Look! Someone's flying!!"
Genzo shouted in shock, eyes wide and bulging.
"Stay down!" Nami hissed, pulling his head down behind cover with Nojiko.
But she peeked up anyway.
"He's riding a cannonball?!"
Nami squinted, her sharp eyes fixed on the figure cutting through the air.
Golden and white cloak billowing in the wind elegant, unstoppable.
Victor Shaw.
Even Nojiko was dazzled.
"So cool... so graceful…"
"What the hell?! Is he some kind of Devil Fruit user?!"
Arlong had just leapt into the sea when he spotted the airborne figure.
He didn't care.
He dove smoothly into the water, aiming to obliterate the fleet with his underwater assault.
But just before his serrated snout touched the sea surface
A chilling voice echoed above.
"Hey, Arlong... did I say you could enter my waters?"
Victor Shaw extended his right hand.
A transparent field shimmered around Arlong.
And in the blink of an eye
Arlong vanished.
No splash. No ripples.
Just... gone.
Victor vanished for a moment, too.
The next second, the invisible cannonball smashed directly into Arlong Park, blasting open the gates of the so-called Dragon Empire.
Victor reappeared in the sky and crashed down onto the shoreline, slamming into the ground with explosive force.
BOOM!
Dust flew. Earth cracked.
A deep crater opened beneath him.
Victor stood slowly, brushing dirt from his cloak.
"I still need more training in physical combat."
"If I want to master Haki... I'll also have to learn the Six Powers."
He flicked his cloak clean and leapt gracefully out of the crater.
"Where's Arlong?! Did he go into the water?!"
"I didn't hear a splash!"
"There were no waves he just disappeared!!"
"Catch that human!"
"He must be some kind of Devil Fruit user!"
One of the fishmen hiding behind the buildings muttered nervously as the sniper fire suddenly ceased.
With renewed courage, the fishmen burst out of cover and charged at the lone human standing in the middle of the village.
"Get out of there, you idiot!"
Inside a nearby shelter, Nami and Nojiko watched in horror.
Why had this guy thrown himself into the middle of the Arlong Pirates' stronghold alone?
Why couldn't he wait for the fleet to land and launch a coordinated attack?
"An empire? With barely a hundred fishmen?"
Victor Shaw sneered as the mob of fishmen charged toward him.
He turned his back to them completely unfazed then casually raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
"RUN!!"
Nami and Nojiko could no longer stay hidden. Seeing his reckless move, they leapt from their shelter and screamed out in panic.
But then
Something unbelievable happened.
The vicious fishmen sprinting toward Victor suddenly vanished, one by one, right on the road.
Gone without a sound.
"Were you calling for me?"
Victor turned around and looked at the two young women one with fiery orange hair, the other with deep blue his eyes full of amusement.
He hadn't expected anyone to rush out and yell for him to flee.
Didn't they fear the Arlong Pirates would retaliate?
That kind of reckless kindness and courage… impressed him.
If he were in their shoes, he wasn't sure he could have done the same.
"W-Where did they go?!"Nami stared in shock, eyes wide and trembling.
She remembered the rumors.
Could it be…?
The man standing before them was he truly the "Exiled King"?
The terrifying yet legendary ruler of the Goa Kingdom?
"Wanna see where they went?"
Victor smiled faintly and pulled out his gleaming golden flintlock rifle.
He lifted it with ease and fired.
Bang!
Nami and Nojiko flinched from the sudden shot.
But in the very next moment, one of the vanished fishmen reappeared mid-sprint and collapsed to the ground, blood splattering in all directions.
Dead.
A perfect shot.
"How many more do you want to see?"
Bang!
Another fishman appeared and dropped like a sack of bricks.
Both had been taken down by flawless headshots.
Neither had even seen it coming.
"Y-You… are you really the Exiled King?"Nami clutched Nojiko's hand tightly, her voice shaking.
"Are you… His Majesty?"
Victor calmly reloaded his golden flintlock and smiled.
"I am Victor Shaw and from this moment on, Cocoyasi Village and the entire Konomi Kingdom belong to me."
He blew on the barrel of the gun and snapped the chamber shut.
"Now then are you choosing the gun or the knife?"
He turned his gaze toward Nami and Nojiko, deadly serious.
"W-What?" x2They both froze.
"I'm asking," Victor said, voice steady, "are you here to help us destroy the fishmen or are you their accomplices?"
He had already noticed the Arlong Pirates tattoo on Nami's arm... and a distinct mark on Nojiko's body as well.
"No!! Please, Your Majesty! We're not part of the Arlong Pirates!"
"Nami she was forced! Arlong made her join!"
Nojiko cried out in desperation, throwing her arms around her sister, shielding her.
"He… he killed our mother!"
Tears spilled from her eyes as she held Nami protectively, heart pounding with fear.
She was terrified Nami would be mistaken for an enemy and executed on the spot.
Nami's eyes trembled with a mix of fear and defiance.
"Don't hurt my sister!!"
"I'm not part of the Arlong Pirates! I'm not!!"
She shoved Nojiko away, pulled out a small dagger, and with trembling hands, stabbed at the tattoo on her arm.
"I'm not one of them…"
She dug into her skin, clawing and slashing at the hateful mark, blood spilling down her arm as she sobbed.
"I'm really not...!"
Tears poured from her eyes.
Just then
A strong hand gently reached out and caught her wrist, halting her self-inflicted pain...