Just then.
A series of rapid and chaotic footsteps echoed from the mouth of the alley.
"Quick! It's right over there!"
"The loud noise from just now came from here!"
"Protect the civilians! It might be a pirate invasion!"
Dozens of Marine soldiers dressed in white uniforms and holding muskets rushed into the alley.
Leading them was an officer with the rank of Lieutenant.
When they saw the scene in the alley clearly, everyone couldn't help but gasp.
Blood covered the ground, walls had collapsed, and there was the hideous corpse of a monster split in two.
And then there was that terrifying man, holding a giant black blade, standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
"Don't move! Put down your weapon!"
The Lieutenant suppressed the fear in his heart and raised his flintlock, aiming it at Abel.
The Marine soldiers behind him also raised their guns one after another, their dark muzzles forming a defensive line of death.
"That little girl is still in his hands!"
"Dammit, what kind of monster is this? And what's with those corpses on the ground?"
The soldiers whispered, their palms gripping guns slick with cold sweat.
This was Marineford!
The Headquarters of the Marines!
For such a violent incident to occur in broad daylight, and right in the residential area!
Abel turned his head slightly, looking at these soldiers who were acting as if they were facing a great enemy.
There wasn't a trace of panic on his face; instead, he showed a hint of displeasure at being offended.
"Mortals."
He softly spat out those two words.
In the next second, the giant black blade in his hand dissipated into the air.
But this didn't make the Marines relax their guard; instead, they became even more tense.
"I'll say it again! Hands behind your head! Squat down!"
The Lieutenant roared, his finger already hooked on the trigger.
Abel ignored the Lieutenant's warning, stepped forward, and walked straight toward the Marine encirclement.
"Fire!!!"
The Lieutenant no longer hesitated and decisively gave the order.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dense gunshots echoed in the narrow alley, and white smoke from the gunpowder instantly filled the air.
Dozens of lead bullets shot toward Abel like raindrops.
The little girl was so scared she closed her eyes and covered her ears.
However.
A terrifying scene occurred.
Those lead bullets, powerful enough to punch through wooden planks, actually made the sound of clashing metal when they hit Abel's bronze-colored skin.
Clang, clang, clang!
The deformed bullet heads fell to the ground one after another.
On Abel's body, not even a white mark was left behind.
"This... how is this possible?!"
"Is he a monster? He didn't even use Haki he blocked bullets with just his physical body?!"
The Marine soldiers retreated in terror, their hands trembling as they tried to reload.
Abel stopped, looked down at the bullet heads by his feet, and frowned slightly.
"Weak insects, do you only know how to use such ridiculous toys?"
He slowly raised his right hand, and the void vibrated once more.
A double-handed greataxe, even more massive than the previous blade, emerged from the void.
A terrifying killing intent erupted like something physical, instantly sweeping through the entire alley.
In the face of this killing intent, those trained Marine soldiers actually felt their legs go weak, unable to even stand steadily.
"Stop!"
Just as Abel was prepared to start clearing out these "insects," a majestic roar descended from the sky.
Thud!
A figure landed heavily between the Marines and Abel, kicking up a gust of air.
The dust cleared.
A man wearing a coat of Justice, with a mohawk and a spider tattoo on his face, appeared before everyone.
Marineford Vice Admiral, Onigumo!
He had been patrolling a nearby training ground and rushed over immediately after sensing the commotion here.
Onigumo looked at the monster corpses on the ground, his pupils shrinking slightly.
His expression instantly became incredibly gloomy.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Abel opposite him.
Instinct told him that this man was extremely dangerous.
"Who are you? Did you bring this monster here?"
Onigumo gripped the twin swords at his waist, and the hair on his back moved like tentacles, gripping six other sabers.
Eight-Sword Style!
Faced with the Vice Admiral's questioning, Abel only gave him a cold glance.
"Who I am is not important."
Abel rested the giant axe on his shoulder, his tone as arrogant as if he were reciting a divine decree.
"What is important is that I am helping you clean up trash."
He extended a finger and pointed at the two halves of the corpse on the ground.
"This kind of inferior creature infected by the 'Blacklight Virus' if not handled in time, even a single drop of blood could turn this island into a dead city."
"Blacklight Virus?"
Onigumo keenly caught the unfamiliar term.
"What is that? And who exactly are you?"
Abel did not answer directly.
He turned around, his back to Onigumo and the group of Marines, and looked toward the distant fortress building that symbolized the highest authority of the Marines.
"Listen well, mortal."
"I am Abel, Captain of Mobile Task Force Omega-7 of the SCP Foundation."
"I have only one purpose for being here."
Abel's voice suddenly became bone-chillingly cold, carrying an intense killing intent.
"To hunt down the traitor who escaped from the Containment Site that joker in the red tight suit."
"S... C... P?"
Onigumo repeated those three unfamiliar letters.
His brow furrowed tightly.
As a Marineford Vice Admiral, he considered himself to have a thorough understanding of these seas.
But this name was unheard of.
"Is that an abbreviation for some pirate crew? Or some underground assassin organization?"
The saber in Onigumo's hand shifted slightly, the blade reflecting a frigid, cold light.
"Mobile Task Force... Omega-7... Since you dare to cause trouble at Marineford, no matter what organization you belong to, don't think you're leaving today."
Hearing this, Abel stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned around.
Those gray, lifeless eyes looked Onigumo up and down, as if looking at an ant baring its fangs at a dragon.
Then, he laughed.
It wasn't a hearty laugh, but an extremely contemptuous sneer filled with a sense of the absurd.
"Ha..."
Abel shook his head, the iron chains around his neck rattling with the movement.
"Then again, I shouldn't have expected much from you natives."
He raised his hand and pointed to the azure sky above.
"Your vision is wrapped by this layer of atmosphere, bound by this narrow ocean."
"For a low-level civilization that hasn't even connected with galactic civilization, and doesn't even understand the concept of 'containment,' explaining the grandeur of the Foundation is like pearls before swine."
These words were extremely grating.
Although the surrounding Marine soldiers didn't quite understand terms like "galaxy" or "civilization," they understood "native" and "low-level" perfectly well.
One by one, their faces flushed with anger, and their fingers gripped their guns until they clicked.
Onigumo's face turned so dark it looked like it could drip water.
As a Marine Vice Admiral upholding world justice, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
"Nothing but nonsense."
Onigumo gave a cold snort, the hair on his back suddenly dancing as the six sabers plus the two in his hands instantly formed an attacking stance.
"Since you refuse to tell the truth, then go to the interrogation rooms of Impel Down and take your time making up stories!"
Killing intent exploded.
Abel, however, acted as if he didn't even see the blades pointed at him.
He waved his hand disinterestedly and turned to leave.
"Move aside, mortal."
"I still have to go hunt that damned red joker; I don't have time to play house with you."
"If the 'Memetic Pollution' and 'Blacklight Virus Strain' carried by that traitor aren't recovered in time, this planet of yours..."
At this point, Abel paused, his tone carrying a cold disregard for life.
"Will most likely need a reboot."
Having said that, he stepped forward, treating the Marine encirclement as if it were nothing.
This condescending attitude completely enraged Onigumo.
"You want to leave? What do you think Marineford is!"
"Stay right here!"
Onigumo roared, and the ground beneath his feet shattered.
Soru!
His figure instantly vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already above Abel's head.
Eight sabers covered in pitch-black Armament Haki wove together into an airtight web of death, descending upon Abel.
"Eight-Sword Style: Surprise Attack!"
The air was torn apart, letting out a piercing shriek.
This one strike was enough to instantly shred a medium-sized warship.
The surrounding Marine soldiers couldn't even see Onigumo's movements; they could only see that fleeting cold light.
However.
Abel, at the center of the blade web, didn't even raise his head.
Just as the blades were about to touch his skin.
Buzz
Space trembled.
Abel's left hand reached back casually.
From the void, a black tower shield as thick as a city gate emerged out of thin air.
Clang!!!
The eight sabers slashed heavily against the tower shield.
Sparks flew in all directions, and the sound was like thunder.
A terrifying impact spread outward from the two of them as the center; the surrounding walls were instantly shaken down, and debris flew everywhere.
Those Marine soldiers who were close were directly blown away by the shockwave.
"What?!"
Onigumo's pupils constricted violently.
He blocked it?
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Astonishment Points +56 from the Marine Lieutenant!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Astonishment Points +200 from Onigumo!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Astonishment Points +120 from the onlookers...]