The immense force was spun outwards, and the vortex of slashes forced Mr.1 and Ms. Doublefinger to retreat half a step.
As the vortex dissipated, Tomioka's figure solidified again, maintaining the finishing pose of his sword swing.
"This guy…" A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Mr.1's cold eyes. "The guy in the intel wouldn't be him, would it? He's not old at all…"
"Doesn't matter, let's just take him down first!" Then Ms. Doublefinger's arm transformed into sharp thorns again, stabbing towards Tomioka!
The three of them plunged into a full-blown melee! Sword light and thorns wildly intertwined and clashed!
Tomioka found himself in an extremely passive position.
He had no choice but to heighten his breathing, his eyeballs darting rapidly, predicting attacks coming from two directions. Various forms of Water Breathing seamlessly switched in his hand; at times, he used Striking Tide, at others, Twisting Whirlpool.
But two fists are no match for four hands, especially since Tomioka now only had his left hand. If it were the Tomioka of old, the two opponents before him would be no problem at all.
However, the current Tomioka had lost his most powerful right arm, and his body had not fully recovered from that horrific battle.
His haori was sliced in several places by thorns, and his arms and cheeks were scratched by the sharp sword winds.
During a brief lull after a fierce clash, Tomioka panted slightly, looking at the two who had been relentlessly launching deadly attacks at him, and suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of confusion and gravity:
"Actually, I don't understand… why must we fight with such disregard for our lives right now?"
Ms. Doublefinger froze at his words, then let out a mocking chuckle: "Heh… naive fool! If you want to blame someone, blame that princess on your ship! Who told you to get involved with her and get caught up in this trouble!"
Princess Vivi… the turmoil of the kingdom… the pursuit by Baroque Works… fragmented information connected in Tomioka's mind.
"I… understand…"
He fell silent for a moment, the last trace of doubt vanishing from his eyes, leaving only cold resolve. Persuasion was useless now; the current situation was a fight to the death.
He took a deep breath, and his entire body's muscles instantly adjusted to optimal condition.
Tomioka leaped back a step, then lowered his stance, like flowing water poised to strike. The next moment, he shot forward!
His steps crisscrossed, his trajectory like a river, his speed increasing with each stride! The surging water around him converged forward, intensely concentrating on the Blade in his hand!
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!!!"
The water flow gradually condensed into a roaring dragon's head along his path of advance!
Tomioka charged directly in front of Mr.1 with a single leap, then used the immense power brought by Constant Flux to slash at Mr.1's chest!
What?!
Mr.1's pupils constricted. The slash from the man charging at him made him feel an unprecedented threat! But he still firmly believed in his Dice-Dice Fruit ability, roaring as he crossed his arms to block!
"It's useless! My body is the strongest steel!"
Crack!!
Mr.1's proud steel defense was forcibly breached for the first time by Tomioka's focused slash!
A ferocious wound suddenly erupted across his crossed arms and chest!
"Ugh!"
Mr.1 let out a pained groan, his body unable to remain standing. He dropped to one knee with a thud, his face filled with shock, an expression of disbelief.
"No… impossible… my body…"
Meanwhile, Zoro, slowly recovering to a standing position from the tree roots nearby, watched in a daze.
So, it really is possible to cut steel… But just as Tomioka used Constant Flux to strike Mr.1, a vicious glint flashed in Ms. Doublefinger's eyes! She seized this opportunity to use her Spike-Spike Fruit ability again.
"Got you! Thorn Flail!"
Her arm transformed into the sharpest thorns, seizing this fleeting chance, and struck like a flail! It fiercely pierced Tomioka's left shoulder!
A sharp, intense pain instantly shot through him, Tomioka's body stiffened slightly, and his face paled by half.
And in that fleeting moment when all four on the battlefield were panting and their movements were delayed.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Several tiny but incredibly fast dark figures, accompanied by whistling sounds, shot out from the dense forest in the distance, precisely landing in the center of the battlefield!
"Nose-Slime Fantasy Cannon! Super Chain Shot!"
Bang bang bang—!
Violent explosions erupted one after another without warning! A ferocious shockwave blasted towards the already precarious four!
"Cough!"
Tomioka was violently thrown back by the blast, crashing heavily to the ground. The wound on his left shoulder was fiercely pulled, the intense pain almost making him grit his teeth.
Amidst a cloud of smoke, the battlefield was in chaos.
Just as they hadn't recovered from the dizziness and pain of the explosion, a sinister voice, twisted with good at, drifted from the distance:
"Wax skin~!"
The next moment, a large amount of viscous, specially made white wax liquid surged forward!
"What the hell is that?!"
"Mr.3!!!!!"
Zoro's furious curse and Ms. Doublefinger's shriek were quickly swallowed by the tidal wave of wax, while Mr.1 was still wondering why he had been cut down by a swordsman.
Tomioka's gaze fell on Zoro, not far from him. He saw that Zoro hadn't fully recovered, but the white wax liquid was already rushing towards him!
With almost no time to hesitate, he endured the tearing pain in his left shoulder, inhaled deeply, and then poured his last remaining strength into his feet.
With a "bang!"
The ground beneath his feet shattered, and his figure shot forward! He grabbed Zoro by the collar, using all his strength to violently throw him outwards!
"You—!"
Zoro didn't react at all, only feeling a huge force, and his entire body flew backward uncontrollably.
And at the exact moment he pushed Zoro away, the wave of white wax liquid completely engulfed Tomioka's figure. He could even feel the sticky sensation, and his body gradually became unable to move.
Mr.3's wax liquid solidified at an astonishing speed. In just a moment, three white wax figures, frozen in struggling poses, appeared on the spot.
Zoro was flung far away, and the last thing he saw in the air was Tomioka completely covered in wax, the arm that had thrown him away finally solidified into a resolute posture, as well as Mr.1 and Ms. Doublefinger's equally frozen wax figures not far away.
"Gi…" Zoro's roar was cut short by a dull thud. His head slammed against a rock after he landed, and his vision went black, losing consciousness.
Mr.3's figure slowly emerged from the dissipating smoke. He pushed up his glasses, looking at the brutal battlefield, or rather, the battlefield covered in wax, a malicious smile spreading across his lips, and he sneered in disdain.
"Tch, did a lucky rat escape… But it doesn't matter."
His gaze greedily swept over the three art collectibles, priceless to him, especially the final expressions of shock on Mr.1 and Ms. Doublefinger, and he smiled with satisfaction.
"The most important prey is already in hand."