Chapter 146: The Sniper's Gambit and the People's Wrath
On the northern edge of Dressrosa, near the groaning steel suspension bridge, Commander Skylark was a picture of focused calm. She knelt on one knee, her custom sniper rifle steady in her hands as she tracked the high-speed aerial target. The cacophony rising from the city—the shouts of freed toys, the screams of battle—was her signal. Lieutenant General Ian's instructions in the Dream World had been explicit: the mass reversion of toys was the starting pistol for their full assault on the Don Quixote officers. The time for restraint was over.
She exhaled slowly, her finger applying gentle pressure.
Thoom!
An incendiary round screamed towards the sky, its target the duo of Buffalo and Baby-5.
"Tch, a sniper," Baby-5 muttered, her arm already morphed into a massive cannon as she peered through her own scope. "Buffalo, evasive action! Incoming fire!"
The man with propeller-like hair scoffed, banking easily in the air. "A shot like that will never touch us! Baby-5, lock on her position. She fired first; we return fire tenfold!"
As Buffalo maneuvered, Skylark on the ground simply stood up and slung her rifle over her shoulder.
"They seem... rather weak. Was that overkill?" she murmured to herself, a faint hint of disappointment in her voice.
Baby-5 saw the Marine sniper seemingly stand down. Is she giving up? The thought was fleeting, replaced by confusion as the bullet she'd dismissed sailed past them and struck a single, drifting leaf.
Then...
BOOM!
A colossal fireball erupted in the air where the leaf had been, the concussive blast and searing heat engulfing them completely.
"Gah! What was that?!"
"Ugh!"
Buffalo, caught directly in the blast, took the full force. His flashy feather coat was set ablaze, his hair singed black. With a choked cry, he lost control and plummeted to the ground, crashing in a heap and falling unconscious.
Baby-5, shielded by her quick transformation of her arms into a durable shield, fared slightly better. She landed hard behind Buffalo's prone form, shaken and smoldering.
"Buffalo! Are you alive? Wake up!" she shouted, scrambling to her feet. Her eyes wide with fury and confusion. "It didn't even hit us! How?! What kind of bullet was that?!"
Spitting out her cigarette, which had miraculously stayed in her mouth, she glared at the distant Skylark. "Damn Marines! If you're a sniper, you should be weak in close quarters!"
Transforming her arms into two massive, wicked scythes, Baby-5 charged, closing the distance with explosive speed. "I've got you now, little Navy girl! Weapon Transformation: Scythe Girl!"
The giant blades swept towards Skylark, aiming to cleave her in two.
But in Ian's unit, no one was allowed to have a single weakness.
"Dark Water," Skylark stated calmly.
A sphere of absolute darkness, a miniature black hole, materialized in front of her. Baby-5 felt a terrifying, irresistible gravitational pull, yanking her off her feet and dragging her directly towards the sniper's outstretched hand.
"My ability... it's gone! What is this black thing? It's not Seastone... I still have my strength, but I can't fight it!" Baby-5 gasped, utterly bewildered.
Now at point-blank range, Skylark pressed the muzzle of her rifle against Baby-5's abdomen. A single twitch of her finger, and an explosive round would turn the Donquixote officer's insides to pulp. For someone without Armament Haki, it was a death sentence.
"Damn Donquixote lackey, unhand Skylark Lando!"
"Everyone, attack! Protect our friend!"
THWACK! BOOM! CRUNCH!
"Ugh!"
A swarm of Tontatta warriors, having arrived at the scene, launched a furious assault on the disoriented Baby-5. Their tiny fists packed the force of giants, and battered from the fall and the sudden gravitational pull, Baby-5 couldn't withstand the barrage. After a few brutal hits, she collapsed, unconscious.
"Warriors of the Tontatta Tribe, please, that's enough!" Skylark called out, stepping forward. "By the order of Lieutenant General Ian, we are to advance on the Royal Plateau immediately! The time to rescue your captured kin is now! Secure these two prisoners and follow me!"
As she took command, two distinct chimes echoed in her mind, a sound only she and Ian could hear.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating Buffalo, "Donquixote Family Officer" and user of the Superhuman Rotation-Rotation Fruit!]
[Reward: 250 Enhancement Points!]
[Current Points: 3976!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating Baby-5, "Donquixote Family Officer" and user of the Weapon-Weapon Fruit!]
[Reward: 350 Enhancement Points!]
[Current Points: 4326!]
In the bustling food district, the wide streets had become a river of rage. The number of reverted toys was staggering. Among them were seasoned gladiators, proud warriors, and hardy travelers who had come for the coliseum. Now freed from their plastic and metal prisons, the memory of their humiliating servitude was a fresh, burning brand on their souls.
Their first and only thought was vengeance.
With a unified roar that shook the very foundations of the district, this newly formed army of the wronged turned their collective fury on the Donquixote Family guards. Swords, fists, and raw, unadulterated hatred clashed against the panicked defenses of the family. The torment was over. The reckoning had begun.
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