Diamante

In Loguetown, the rain had stopped, but dark clouds still blanketed the sky. Carlos had basically finished purchasing supplies; only Loguetown's specialty liquor remained. The factory that produced it was on the outskirts of Loguetown, so Carlos still had to head over there.

It was not far, and Carlos had no intention of using Kamui to travel. That would have been far too wasteful. Using Kamui consumed a considerable amount of Pupil Power and physical strength, while walking there would take only one percent as much stamina.

Normally, the farther one went toward the outskirts of town, the fewer people there should have been. But with the Great Age of Pirates underway, many of Loguetown's men had eagerly formed groups and set sail, while Pirates from elsewhere had gathered here. There were not many fewer people on the outskirts than in the town center, and it was rather chaotic. Fights could be seen from time to time.

Carlos had no intention of meddling, letting them fight to the death as they pleased. But sometimes, even when one sat quietly at home, disaster still fell from the sky...

Carlos was walking along the main road in a fairly good mood when, as he passed an alleyway, three figures suddenly rushed out. No, more accurately, they flew out—the kind of flying that came from being kicked. The three men sailed through the air and crashed toward Carlos.

That was not all. A white flexible sword shot through the air like a snake, accurately and viciously piercing the three men midair. It skewered all three of them like candied hawthorns, blood spraying through the air.

Carlos's face darkened. I can run into this kind of crap just by walking down the road?

Though displeased, Carlos moved swiftly to avoid being dragged into it, getting hit, or being splattered with blood. The instant the white snake-like sword pierced the three men, he moved. Before the blood could fall, Carlos had already leaped into the air, kicking repeatedly and sending all three men back into the alley.

Tap, tap!

Crisp footfalls rang out as Carlos stepped on the air, changing direction to evade the spraying blood before landing steadily on the ground.

"Bastard, you were the one who kicked those three pieces of trash back, weren't you?" A man wearing a fur-trimmed hat, with two markings on his face and a bloodstained red cloak, dressed like a tribal native, stormed out of the alley. Looking down at Carlos from above, he loudly demanded an answer.

He was not looking down on Carlos in attitude, but literally in height. The man was at least seven feet tall, considerably taller than Carlos.

Carlos raised an eyebrow. Oh, he had run into someone familiar. Wasn't this Diamante, one of the highest-ranking officers of the Donquixote Family?

Interesting...

"So what if I was? And what if I wasn't?" Carlos asked playfully.

He was not someone who went looking for trouble, but neither had he ever feared it. After being out for so long, he had yet to truly fight anyone. Doflamingo would make a decent opponent.

Although Doflamingo's forces were currently stronger than his, they had only just gotten started. They were still scraping by in the North Blue. Carlos had no reason to fear him. Once he returned, it would not take long for his own forces to catch up. That was the confidence his personal strength gave him!

"If you weren't, get lost."

"If you were, you have two choices. First, I kill you. Second, you pay up." Diamante crossed his arms, and the limp white sword in his hand turned into a straight, sharp rapier as he spoke coldly.

"Tsk, tsk... As expected of an officer of the Donquixote Family. You really are overbearing..."

"I was merely returning the favor. You weren't hurt either."

"You want my life and my money? Heh heh heh... Fine. Defeat me, and you can have whatever you want."

"You don't know what's good for you. Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!" Diamante sneered, slashing the sharp rapier in his hand toward Carlos's head.

He was extremely confident in his own strength, and he had the Donquixote Family backing him. He had no impression of Carlos at all, which meant he was no big shot. Thus, Diamante had nothing to fear!

Carlos smiled faintly. His left hand formed an eagle claw and glowed with golden force as he reached directly for the rapier descending from above.

Diamante sneered and increased his strength. Let's see me chop that claw right off...

Clang!

A metallic ring sounded out. Under Diamante's astonished gaze, Carlos's left hand firmly caught the sharp rapier, while his right claw shot out like lightning, grabbing directly for Diamante's heart.

He had originally intended to grab Diamante by the throat, but because of the height difference, he could not reach it without jumping. He could only aim for the heart instead.

Diamante hurriedly pulled his cloak in front of himself. Though it looked flimsy, the cloak was actually made of steel, created through his Hana Hana no Mi ability.

Screech, screech...

Carlos's eagle claw dug into the steel cloak, sparks flying everywhere. A hint of a smile appeared on Diamante's face, but in the next instant, golden light flared from the claw. With a crack, the steel was forcibly crushed, and the claw plunged straight for his heart.

Diamante immediately released his sword and retreated. Fortunately, he had pulled back in time and avoided having his heart torn out, though five bloody gashes were still left across his chest.

After only one exchange, Diamante had been injured. He realized that he had likely encountered a real tough opponent today. He was wary, but not afraid. After all, he was not alone—behind him stood a family that had already made a name for itself in the North Blue!

"Call for reinforcements quickly. Otherwise, you won't be able to escape my hands today!"

Carlos grinned. His eyes transformed into a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and force burst from both claws as he twisted the rapier into scrap metal before casually tossing it aside.

"A Devil Fruit ability?" Seeing Carlos's eyes turn into such strange eyes, Diamante felt a chill run through his heart. Surprise and wariness filled his voice.

"That's right... I hope you're still alive by the time your Boss gets here!"

Soru!

As soon as he finished speaking, Carlos moved, shooting forward in an instant at an astonishing speed. He was using one of the Rokushiki techniques he had only recently learned.

To deal with Diamante, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan combined with his own strength was more than enough. There was no need to activate the Mangekyo. Using the Mangekyo against Diamante would be giving him too much credit. Besides, he could activate it with a mere thought at any time, so there was no need to worry about being caught off guard.

"So fast!"

Diamante was startled and instinctively dodged to the side. At the same time, he pulled out a spare rapier from his pocket and flung it out. The rapier tore through the air, winding and twisting like a snake as it stabbed into Carlos's heart.

Diamante was delighted, only to suddenly see the Carlos before him burst into more than a dozen pitch-black crows that scattered in every direction. He inwardly cursed, realizing something was wrong. Then his body was abruptly sent flying, crashing into a house and leaving several cracks in the wall.

Pfft...

Diamante slumped to the ground and could not help spitting out a mouthful of blood. Taking one of Carlos's heavy kicks head-on was not easy to endure. Diamante was fairly strong; an ordinary Pirate would already have been dead.

Army Flag!

Diamante already knew that he had unfortunately provoked a true expert. He did not dare hold anything back, pressing both hands against the ground. The earth immediately began to shake violently, the tremors so intense that it was impossible to stand steadily.

Taking advantage of the instant Carlos was troubled, Diamante hurriedly fired the Donquixote Family's special signal flare. He then looked toward Carlos, only for his soul to nearly leave his body. Carlos had already used Geppo, striding through the air toward him. The shaking ground and the fluttering had no effect on him whatsoever.