บท 357: Bad timing!
"Boom——!"
Amid the fierce explosions, several luxurious buildings in Mary Geoise collapsed under the shockwaves, raising clouds of dust.
Whoosh——!
A sharp gust of wind sliced through the dust, creating a massive opening. Dozens of figures followed closely behind.
As the battle continued, the World Government's reinforcements arrived. With Nicholas being held up by the Master Assassin, they naturally targeted the other enemy, Dragon. Like a lone lion against a pack of hyenas, Dragon struggled against these attackers. They seemed intent on drawing the battle away from Pangaea Castle to separate Nicholas and Dragon.
Elsewhere, Nicholas clashed fiercely with the CP0 agent known as the Master Assassin.
Unlike the previous minor opponents, this one was truly born to kill.
"Kid, Logia types aren't invincible in the Grand Line..."
With another swift attack, the Master Assassin vanished and reappeared a hundred meters in front of Nicholas.
A prominent cut marked Nicholas's cheek.
"Haki and Seastone can both harm Logia users. You should've felt something strange by now," the Master Assassin taunted, gripping two oddly-shaped daggers from a distance.
"No wonder they call you the Master Assassin. It seems you've actually taken down Logia users before," Nicholas commented, wiping the blood from his face and eyeing the assassin.
This guy's Observation Haki was extremely strong, surpassing even Katakuri's that Nicholas had encountered before. The assassin truly embodied the essence of a killer: striking swiftly and retreating instantly without any foolish attempts at prolonged engagement.
With top-tier Armament and Observation Haki, excellent stealth abilities, a bizarre Devil Fruit power, and those daggers tipped with Seastone, he could easily tear through the defenses of Zoan users. Not to mention, the weapons were coated in poison. If not for Nicholas's high resistance to toxins gained from spending time with June, he might have been in real trouble.
"A poisoned assassin... How rare these days," Nicholas mused, appreciating the professionalism. This was the kind of agent suited for the World Government's dirty work.
Suddenly, something changed.
A gravity field appeared out of nowhere, enveloping both Nicholas and Dragon.
"Mm!?"
The sudden increase in gravity caught Nicholas and Dragon off guard. They knew this ability all too well.
Simultaneously, reinforcements from Marineford reached the scene on the outskirts of Mary Geoise.
"It seems we've arrived just in time."
The sudden gravity field spread across the social plaza.
Not only Nicholas and Dragon, but even the Holy Guard and CP agents were affected, their movements becoming sluggish.
"What is...?!"
The unexpected change alarmed the Holy Guard, fearing another wave of enemies. Instinctively, they looked up toward the source of the voice.
A massive rock, defying gravity, hovered above the social plaza. On top stood a middle-aged man in a purple kimono — the current Marine Admiral, Issho, also known as Fujitora.
Standing beside him was the Marine's chief strategist, Vice Admiral Tsuru.
One by one, elite Marines, donning Justice cloaks, used Moonwalk to reach the edges of the social plaza, staring intently at Nicholas.
The purple gravity field continued pressing down on the entire plaza.
The arriving Marine elite cared little for the increasingly strained expressions of the Holy Guard and CP agents. They were there to support them, after all. A bit of discomfort was a small price to pay.
On the floating rock, Fujitora's blade was unsheathed, emitting a purple glow indicative of gravity control. While he managed to control the battlefield, his Observation Haki extended into Pangaea Castle, sensing several powerful presences within. He slightly opened his eyes, showing only whites.
Why he was using Observation Haki to scan Pangaea Castle was a mystery only Fujitora knew.
With the arrival of Fujitora and the Marine elite, Mary Geoise received a fresh influx of forces.
In just a few seconds, the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for Nicholas and his group.
"Issho, huh..." Dragon muttered, his eyes narrowing as he sighed. "This really isn't a good time."
...
At the Bubble Cable Car Port, a massive hole had appeared in the ground, and a large number of slaves were jumping into it without hesitation.
This was a slide created by Morley with his Push Push Fruit on the Red Line. They knew that using the Bubble Cable Car to escape was unrealistic due to its limited capacity.
So, they created a quick exit. Though the quality of the slide wasn't great and the experience wasn't smooth, escaping Mary Geoise was worth it.
A few minutes later at the Red Port:
Ivankov and Jinbe were both heavily injured and in dire situations.
Jinbe was the first to struggle. Facing the terrifying strength and physique of the giant Megalodon fish-man, Jinbe initially managed to hold his own.
However, as the battle dragged on, using Fish-Man Karate drained his stamina, and he couldn't evade the opponent's attack.
With Haki-covered teeth, the Megalodon fish-man ripped a large chunk of flesh from Jinbe's shoulder.
"Delicious!"
The Megalodon fish-man's eyes gleamed with malice, the blood on his lips making him even more terrifying.
"I was careless...!!!" Jinbe's eyes widened in realization of the severe injury's implications.
"So, it's over then. Reviving Fish-Man pride is our duty!"
Facing death, Jinbe remained calm, thinking of Fish-Man Island, the mermaids on the beach, Queen Otohime, and wondering if Fisher Tiger had completed his mission...
If I die here...
Will someone continue my work to protect Fish-Man Island?
Just as he was about to be torn apart, a tall figure flashed in front of him.
Bang——
The figure's palm struck the giant Megalodon fish-man.
With a sonic boom, the Megalodon fish-man's huge body was sent flying, crashing through several buildings before being buried under rubble.
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