Boom!!
Almost the instant Daz Bones stepped aside, a long spear of swirling yellow sand shot out from the passageway, crashing violently into the paper wall.
The barrier instantly dented.
Then it buckled.
Finally, it shattered.
The sand spear displayed astonishing destructive power, piercing completely through the paper wall before continuing straight toward Lafayette without losing any momentum.
Lafayette reacted the moment the barrier broke.
He planted one foot on the ground and leaped backward to create distance while simultaneously drawing his cane sword.
With a swift thrust, he unleashed a razor-sharp flying slash.
Boom!!
The spear-shaped slash collided head-on with the incoming sand spear.
Sand exploded into the air.
Violent shockwaves rippled outward.
Both attacks detonated simultaneously, scattering sand and compressed air throughout the casino.
Tap... Tap...
As Lafayette landed several meters away, figures began emerging from the passageway one after another.
The hardened wax covering the floor served as their footing as they steadily walked out.
"It's the President and the officers!"
"Great! The President is here!"
"You bastards are finished! Surrender while you still have the chance!"
Seeing Crocodile and the senior agents appear, the exhausted Baroque Works members immediately regained their spirits.
Some even began shouting arrogantly at the War Pirates.
Slash!
Blood sprayed across the floor.
Before the man who had been shouting could finish his sentence, a member of the War Pirates cut him down without hesitation.
Without any orders from Kaito, the pirates never slowed their assault.
They continued systematically killing the remaining Baroque Works members one after another.
"I'm here to help!"
Bentham had only just emerged from the passage when he saw the devastating casualties and the desperate situation throughout the casino.
His expression immediately darkened.
With an angry shout, he charged toward the nearest member of the War Pirates.
"He's mine."
The lower half of Smoker's body transformed into billowing smoke.
The moment he saw Bentham move, Smoker's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, he left the formation immediately after Lafayette.
Propelled through the air by his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Smoker shot across the battlefield.
He appeared beside Bentham almost instantly.
"White Blow!"
Raising his fist, Smoker launched a powerful punch wreathed in smoke.
"What?!"
Besides being the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit, Bentham was also a highly skilled martial artist.
Although he lacked Observation Haki, he still noticed Smoker's sudden appearance immediately.
Surprised that his opponent could transform into smoke, Bentham swiftly dodged the incoming attack.
Boom!!
Smoker's fist smashed directly into a nearby slot machine.
The machine exploded into countless pieces upon impact.
"Swan Fist—Magnificent Swan Dance!"
After avoiding the attack, Bentham didn't hesitate.
His movements became graceful, almost like a ballet performance.
Spinning elegantly, he launched a powerful kick toward Smoker.
The smoke exploded apart.
Seeing that Bentham's kick wasn't coated in Armament Haki, Smoker didn't even bother dodging.
He simply allowed the kick to pass through his elemental body.
As expected, Bentham's attack struck nothing but smoke.
His kick was completely ineffective.
In the next instant, Smoker's body reformed.
Without giving Bentham time to react, he retaliated with a powerful whip-like punch.
Boom!
Bentham hastily crossed both arms in front of himself.
Even so, the tremendous force behind Smoker's punch blasted him backward.
Like a cannonball, Bentham crashed through one of the casino walls.
A massive hole exploded outward as he was sent flying outside the building.
Smoker's lower body immediately transformed back into smoke.
Without the slightest pause, he pursued Bentham out of the casino, continuing their battle beyond the walls.
The clash between Smoker and Bentham naturally drew everyone's attention.
However, the focus of both sides quickly shifted toward the remaining opponents.
Particularly Crocodile.
The moment he emerged from the passageway with the Baroque Works officers, his gaze immediately settled on Kaito and the others standing calmly at the casino entrance.
Among the officers, Zala—who handled Baroque Works' intelligence—recognized them first.
A flash of surprise crossed her eyes.
"Boss!"
"They're the War Pirates!"
She immediately identified Kaito and his companions.
It wasn't strange that Zala recognized them.
On one hand, intelligence gathering was one of her primary responsibilities within Baroque Works.
On the other hand, Kaito's crew had long since ceased to be unknown pirates.
Especially Kaito himself.
Although news of his battle against Kuzan hadn't spread, his previous accomplishments—combined with his bounty of 350 million Berries—had already earned him the title of one of the Grand Line's greatest rookie pirates.
"I know."
Crocodile remained completely unmoved by Zala's warning.
Calmly puffing on his cigar, he simply issued his order.
"Go."
"Get rid of them."
To Crocodile, a so-called super rookie pirate meant very little.
After all, he had once challenged the strongest man in the world.
Compared to that, pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions simply weren't worth his attention.
"Understood."
"Leave them to us."
"The War Pirates... I think I've heard that name before."
"But since they've come looking for trouble..."
"We'll kill them."
"Heh... This should make for some decent entertainment."
The senior officers of Baroque Works had enough confidence to attempt stealing an entire kingdom.
Naturally, none of them feared a confrontation.
The moment Crocodile gave his order, every officer immediately sprang into action.
Among them, Daz Bones moved first.
His fierce gaze locked directly onto Lafayette.
Apparently, he still couldn't let go of the fact that his attack had failed to cut through Lafayette's paper wall moments earlier.
However...
Battle wasn't something where one could simply choose any opponent they wanted.
Just as Daz Bones charged toward Lafayette—
A figure suddenly rushed ahead of him.
Two flashes of sword light streaked through the air.
Two razor-sharp slashes descended directly toward Daz Bones.
Clang!
Boom!!
Daz Bones' expression darkened.
Forced to abandon Lafayette, he immediately shifted his attention to the new challenger.
Both of his arms transformed into gleaming steel blades as he raised them to block the incoming attacks.
Brilliant sparks exploded upon impact.
Visible shockwaves spread across the ground.
The floor beneath Daz Bones' feet cracked apart under the tremendous force.
Unable to withstand the impact completely, he was driven backward several steps by the ferocious sword strikes.
"Sorry."
"Your opponent is me."
Holding Yubashiri in one hand and Sandai Kitetsu in the other, Zoro grinned confidently at Daz Bones.
His face was filled with unmistakable arrogance.
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