"Why would you lead them here?!" Carina shrieked, her voice tight with anxiety as she glared at Cavendish. "Are you trying to get us all caught?"
The beautiful pirate struck a pose, brushing a hand through his magnificent blonde hair as if he were on a stage. "Ah, but of course not. I was afraid you hadn't noticed our predicament, so I came closer to inform you personally." He flashed a dazzling smile. "Besides, there might be some of my dear fans among those Marines. As an idol, I simply cannot turn and flee at the first sight of my adoring public. Think of the scandal!"
Carina rolled her eyes so hard she nearly strained a muscle. She gently patted Carrot, who was watching the scene unfold with wide, curious eyes. "Just ignore him."
"Kotatsu, let's move to the other side," she commanded.
As they began to reposition, a dark shape whipped through the air toward them. With lightning-fast reflexes, Kotatsu spun around, his claws extended in a blur of motion. He swiped at the object, shattering it instantly.
They all turned to the source of the attack. Two bizarre figures in black suits were approaching slowly. One was built like a Kabuki actor, with a mane of long white hair and a metal khakkhara staff in his hand. The other was comically round, from his body to his head, with light green hair and, most strikingly, a large zipper over his mouth.
They were Kumadori and Fukuro of CP9.
"Yoyoi!" the Kabuki-esque man, Kumadori, declared in a theatrical tone. "To so easily resist a probe from my staff… this magnificent feline is no simple beast!"
"Are you underestimating the enemy? It is but a pet. Chapapa!" the round man, Fukuro, replied, his voice muffled by the zipper.
Carina watched the two perform their strange crosstalk routine as the Marines began to close in. Just as she was about to act, a tremendous crash echoed from Jerry's direction, followed by the sickening sound of splintering wood and a muffled groan.
The sudden noise drew everyone's attention.
They saw Jerry, seemingly having been sent flying, lying amidst the wreckage of the Celestial Dragon's carriage.
"Jerry!" Carrot's eyes widened in alarm, and she made a move to rush over.
"Carrot, wait!" Carina's arm shot out, holding her back. Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the scene. "Don't be impulsive. Let's see what he's playing at first."
Compared to Carrot's frantic worry, Carina was an island of calm. Though she and Jerry bickered constantly, she knew better than anyone that the fisherman wouldn't be defeated so easily. Jerry was groaning in pain, yes, but she could just make out the shape of another person pinned underneath him.
"Quickly! Rescue Saint Croft!" the butler shrieked, his face pale with terror.
The CP0 agent looked just as shocked. He was certain his attack hadn't landed with enough force to send Jerry flying like that. It was as if his opponent had suddenly launched himself backward at astonishing speed.
"Ahem…" Jerry coughed, clutching his chest dramatically. "You're slandering me! It was clearly you who knocked me into him! Don't think you can shirk the blame just by raising your voice!" His voice was weak, laced with manufactured pain.
As the CP0 agent opened his mouth to refute the outrageous claim, Jerry staggered to his feet. He pointed a trembling finger at the masked man, his eyes widening in feigned realization.
"Oh! I see it now! You must be dissatisfied with your Celestial Dragon master! You used me as a weapon to take your revenge!"
With Jerry no longer covering him, everyone could see Saint Croft. The World Noble's face was swollen and bleeding, his protective bubble was shattered, and he was completely unconscious.
The sight made the CP0 agent's heart seize. He knew, with absolute certainty, that he was doomed. His face twisted into a mask of rage and desperation.
"Aaargh! I'll kill you!" he screamed, rushing forward hysterically. Though consumed by fury, a sliver of rationality remained. He caught sight of Vice Admiral Gion on the street. "Vice Admiral Gion! This is a major incident—an attack on a World Noble! Help me capture this pirate!" He knew that capturing Jerry was his only, minuscule chance of survival.
"Finger Pistol!"
His fingers, hardened like steel, stabbed toward Jerry. But the expected impact never came. A sly smile flashed across Jerry's face as he stumbled backward, "dodging" the attack. He fell right on top of the unconscious Saint Croft, using the momentum to secretly drive a sharp elbow into the World Noble's ribs.
The fresh wave of pain was enough to jolt Saint Croft awake for half a second. He let out a miserable scream before passing out again.
"Everyone, together! Get him off of Saint Croft!" the butler yelled, leading the charge. The rest of the followers, snapping out of their shock, pounced on the tangled heap like a pack of wolves.
WHAM! BAM! THUD!
A chaotic dogpile ensued, a flurry of fists and feet where no one could see who was hitting whom. A moment later, under the stunned gaze of the CP0 agent and Vice Admiral Gion, who had arrived nearby but couldn't intervene in the mess, a terrified shout came from the pile.
"Stop fighting! The pirate is gone!"
"What? Then who did we just beat up?"
The followers scrambled back, revealing a single, portly figure lying on the ground, beaten to an unrecognizable pulp.
"Oh, my! Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Jerry's voice echoed from a nearby rooftop. He stood there holding a Video Den Den Mushi, its large eye blinking as it recorded the scene. "I knew you were all upset with him, but this is just cruel. The world, I tell you, it's really going downhill!" he chided, adopting the tone of a concerned, morally superior bystander.
"You… You monsters! What did you do to my brother?!"
Princess Sabrina, who had been in a daze, finally snapped. Her face contorted in rage as she pulled out her own pistol and, without hesitation, began firing at her own followers. They didn't dare resist, simply crouching with their hands over their heads, praying for her to run out of bullets before she aimed at them.
Jerry took the opportunity to glance at the other battlefield. Carrot was now locked in combat with Kumadori, while Carina and Kotatsu faced off against the round Fukuro. The Marines were fanning out, their intent to surround and capture them all clear.
"Hey, Cavendish! Wake up!" Carina yelled, tossing a piece of fruit she'd pulled from her pocket at the posing pirate. "We have to break out of here!"
Hearing this, Fukuro unzipped his mouth. "Wake up? You cannot escape! Surrender the blueprints for Pluton at once! So that we may return and complete our mission, chapapa!"
He immediately zipped his mouth shut again, his round eyes wide with horror. "Oops! I think I may have let something slip!"
The street fell silent.
Jerry's eyes lit up. Before anyone else could react, he shouted from his rooftop perch, his face a mask of theatrical shock.
"What!? How did you know I have the blueprints for Pluton!?"
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