Chapter 140: Home Of Vampires
Boom!
With Kahn's declaration of war, the battle began.
A golden laser shot out, creating a moderately large mushroom cloud, marking the official start of the war.
It struck the Thriller Bark on the east coast of Onigashima, and from the massive monster mouth that opened, rows of identical figures marched out in perfect formation.
These figures were identical in size, appearance, and even clothing. They wore blue one-piece combat uniforms with the "Cross Guild" Celestial Dragon emblem on their left chests. Each figure stood over 2.5 meters tall, with eyes glowing a bright scarlet.
This was the "Replicator Legion," the second division of the "Cross Guild."
As these replicators emerged from the Thriller Bark, the sound of machinery echoed as their right arms transformed into finely crafted steel blades.
Their other hands raised, and from the barrels in their palms, golden beams of laser light formed and shot out, targeting the pirates who had been drawn by the loud noise of the falling island ship.
Blossoming mushroom clouds filled with flames illuminated the night sky above Onigashima.
Behind the Replicator Legion were the Kuja warriors, no longer wearing their revealing outfits but clad in the same combat uniforms as the replicators. Snakes of various types and sizes coiled around their bodies, with quivers full of arrows strapped to them.
Following the replicators and the Kuja warriors were bandaged zombies, along with the strong and weak who had lost their shadows—all mere cannon fodder for the war.
Once the cannon fodder, soldiers, and warriors were dispatched, the high-ranking members of the "Cross Guild" entered the battlefield.
"Hehehe... Kaido, I'll make you pay twice over for the pain you caused me back then."
The first to appear was Gekko Moria, a pirate captain of the "Cross Guild" and leader of the "Thriller Bark Pirates," who had joined the battle alongside the Kuja Pirates.
Gekko Moria looked up at the two dragons fighting in the sky, first showing reluctance, then seething with hatred and madness: "I will kill all your subordinates so you can feel the agony of losing every one of your companions!"
With that, Gekko Moria released a swarm of bats, then used the power of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit to swap places with his shadow, effectively teleporting himself.
But his bats were too small and weak.
Compared to the enormous bat behind him, they were like ordinary animals next to a Mythical Zoan.
A huge dark purple bat flew out of Thriller Bark at lightning speed, quickly soaring over the first and second divisions of the "Cross Guild," heading straight for the skull-shaped mountain on Onigashima.
But while Sonia was fast, Boa Hancock was faster.
Although Sonia flew ahead, by the time she reached the skull, she saw two figures clashing on the rooftop of Onigashima.
Those two figures were Hancock and King, the Flame Calamity, who had once fought without a clear victor.
If you rewind to just a minute earlier, you'd see Hancock still on the Thriller Bark.
Through her keen senses, she teleported a few times to reach the rooftop of Onigashima.
Reacting to the loud noise, she swiftly appeared before King, who was already watching the rooftop and, without a word, delivered a powerful lightning-infused kick.
Seeing the two battling from a distance, Sonia didn't intervene but instead transformed into her hybrid form, disappearing into the night sky with blinding speed.
This wasn't teleportation—it was sheer velocity.
Kahn chose to fight Kaido at night not to honour the original Sun God versus Azure Dragon, and it certainly wasn't for Gekko Moria's hordes of zombies and shadowless cannon fodder either.
Kahn chose to fight at night to ensure the defeat of the "Beasts Pirates" with minimal casualties.
Sonia's strength varies significantly between day and night. During the day, she is as strong as a high-ranking officer. But at night, her power escalates to an entirely different level. If her strength were measured by her bounty, Sonia's daytime power would guarantee a minimum bounty of one billion berries, possibly up to 1.5 billion. At night, however, her minimum bounty would remain one billion, but with the potential to approach two billion.
This may seem exaggerated, but it's because the night is the domain of vampires, where Sonia thrives.
Currently, the "Beasts Pirates" are the weakest of the three ruling forces in the New World. The gap between them and the "Big Mom Pirates" and "Whitebeard Pirates" has widened significantly, especially after Kahn's interventions.
As for the current state of the "Beasts Pirates," their power is greatly diminished. Besides Kaido and King, Jack, who was one of the All-Stars in the original timeline, is still just a seventeen-year-old boy. Who's Who, whose strength is close to that of an All-Star, is still imprisoned in Impel Down. Queen, the second strongest All-Star, was killed years ago.
In other words, two of the original "Beasts Pirates" powerhouses are gone, and one has yet to reach his potential.
With King occupied by Hancock, Sonia's opponents are ordinary officers like Sasaki and the young Jack, along with a few barbarians—failed creations of ancient giants purchased by Kaido from Punk Hazard using his World Government connections.
While these enemies are formidable and rank among New World captains, they are nothing compared to an Emperor's right hand, whose strength is second only to the most powerful. In the face of Sonia's overwhelming power, those without strong Haki are easily defeated.
Only Gekko Moria, Sonia, and Hancock, three of the Shichibukai and powerful captains, emerged from Thriller Bark. No other top officers or commanders were present.
Meanwhile, the focus shifts to Wano Country, neighbouring Onigashima.
A mahogany ship, the "Perfume Snake," had docked on Wano's coast before Thriller Bark landed, pulled by two large snakes.
This ship is Hancock's personal vessel, and after it docked, a group of people disembarked.
Leading the group were the top officers and commanders of the "Cross Guild." Among them were Nico Robin, the "Devil Child" and one of the highest-ranking officers, and Monet, the "Snow Woman," serving as the ship's doctor. Alongside them were Mary, Perona, and Sugar, who held regular officer roles.
Yes, only these five women.
Including the two strongest top officers in Onigashima, Kahn brought just seven personal maids to this battle.
Kuina, Koala, and Baccarat remained on Amazon Lily, under the protection of Scarlett.
The seven maids were divided into two groups.
Hancock led Sonia and the majority of the Kuja warriors on the main battlefield at Onigashima.
Robin led Monet and the others, along with a small group of Kuja warriors, on a mission to take down Kurozumi Orochi and his allies in Wano.
By the way, the Perona accompanying Robin is just her astral form—her physical body remains in Mary's castle.
Perona is currently the strongest in the team, with Monet and her younger sister, Sugar, not far behind.
Monet, as the elder sister, has excelled, and Sugar, though younger, has not disappointed Kahn. After just two years of Kuja training, with Koala as a peer, Sugar, who has been trained as a warrior, has developed a sharp mind, much to Kahn's satisfaction.
In order to secure victory, Kahn granted the Childlike Fruit to Sugar ahead of time.
With its formidable mid-range and high-end combat power, the "Cross Guild" is now a force to be reckoned with.
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