Beware, He's Behind You

Chapter 34: Careful, He's Behind You

"That size, that appearance... no mistake, it's the Beasts Pirates' Plague, one of the Three Calamities!"

Cole's eyes widened in horror.

Looking at the agile, plump figure in the sky, Roy's expression grew serious. "Kaido's right-hand man, Plague, Queen. Cole, watch the ship next. I'm going in."

Under Cole's fearful gaze, Roy's figure flickered, and he appeared in the sky above the transport ship.

"Hey, kid, you were the one who used Flying Slash just now, right? When did the World Government get another young Great Swordsman?" Queen stared at Roy with interest, looking at his young face. "Why don't you join our Beasts Pirates! It feels like a waste to kill you when you're so young."

The sudden recruitment left Roy utterly confused. "Hey, hey, you're not joking, are you? I'm an official of the World Government. What reason would I have to become a pirate with no security?"

"Oh!"

"You rejected me? Well, I was just saying. Since you refused, then die!"

"Plague Bomb."

Most pirates fight without honor. One moment they're trying to recruit you, the next they're launching a shameless sneak attack.

Clang!

A sword covered in Armament Haki deflected the incoming Plague Bomb.

"A sudden sneak attack? Is this the spirit of a Yonko's crew?"

Whoosh!

A slash was directed straight at Queen's position.

Bang!

A sturdy arm covered in Armament Haki crushed the slash.

"You'll know if we have spirit soon enough! I'm a pirate, isn't a sneak attack normal? Kid, you're going to die!"

"Spark Queen."

Beams that could explode consecutively were fired from his eyes.

Seeing the pinkish-purple light about to strike, Roy activated "One Sword Style: Sonic Blade Slash." He transformed sound waves into blades and unleashed them along with a Flying Slash. This was Roy's own powerful technique, a modification of Zebra's skills.

Boom boom boom!

Consecutive explosions raged in the stormy sky above the sea.

"Oh, interesting sword skill, but how many can you block!"

"Wind Fist."

His mechanical arm swung rapidly, unleashing a dense flurry of punches towards Roy's head.

Clang clang clang!

Fierce punches rained down on Roy. Simultaneously, the sword in his hand, covered in Armament Haki, parried the attacks as they came.

"Heh heh, kid, your Haki is pretty good." Queen's figure flickered. "But that's not enough to survive!"

An ordinary swordsman, facing Queen's near top-tier Haki-infused attacks, would likely have their sword and head shattered. But Roy not only managed to block his attacks, he even left scratches on Queen's mechanical claw.

"My Haki? Heh heh, Queen, there's plenty more to shock you."

"One Sword Style: Wave Burst Cutter." Concentrating the power of sound and Haki, Roy leaped high, gripped his sword with both hands, and brought it down heavily on Queen.

Clang clang clang!

The two figures in the sky exchanged blows. On their respective decks, the Marines and pirates watched, dumbfounded. They were facing one of the Three Calamities under a Yonko, and Roy was fighting him to a standstill. Was this a case of the Three Calamities being all show, or was Lord Roy simply too strong? Of course, this was just a half-joking thought.

It's important to remember that everyone present wasn't some rookie just sailing into the Grand Line.

They looked up at the battle unfolding in the sky.

Whether they were Marines, pirates, or members of the World Government, they all understood the immense value of the fight before them.

As a renowned pirate powerhouse on the seas, the number of lives lost to Queen was practically countless.

The reason the Three Calamities were called the Three Calamities...

...was because the lives lost at the hands of those three individuals were comparable to any major natural disaster.

So, the scene unfolding now wasn't because Queen had grown weaker, but because Roy's strength was truly immense.

Dodging a claw strike from Queen, Roy immediately followed up with a slash to his chest.

As Roy swung his sword, he also unleashed a Sonic Laser on Queen.

Crack!

Roy's sudden surprise attack achieved a certain result.

Queen's headphones, worn on his ears, were instantly pulverized by the Sonic Laser.

"What is this? Are you a cyborg like me?"

He picked up the damaged, smoking headphones from his head.

Queen was clearly intrigued by how Roy was able to unleash that killing blow.

As a scientist, the desire to explore the unknown was a crucial quality.

From their earlier exchanges, Queen had already noticed that Roy's slashes were different from those of ordinary swordsmen.

As for what was different, Queen was now filled with a desire to explore.

"Am I being treated like a lab rat?"

He looked at Queen's eyes, filled with exploration and greed.

"The energy accumulation should be about complete. Alright, let's descend!"

"Meteor Noise."

The invisible energy sphere in the sky compressed and then suddenly expanded.

As the sound waves expanded, they formed a destructive force like a meteor bombardment, and then directly plummeted towards Queen.

The sudden onslaught of noise made everyone on the ship feel dizzy and disoriented.

Even more deadly was that, while their heads spun, a fatal sense of crisis forced them to tense up.

"Nani? What is this?"

The sudden sense of crisis made Queen's entire body tense up.

Armament Haki immediately coated his entire body.

Observation Haki allowed him to clearly perceive the destructive power descending from the sky.

Boom!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

As the Sound Lightning from the sky violently struck Queen and the surrounding sea...

...the sky-high spray was shattered into fine rain, which then fell onto the decks of both the World Government and pirate ships.

"Boss Queen!"

The terrified voices of the pirates echoed incessantly on the pirate ship.

He casually wiped the seawater splashed on his face.

Looking at the mist filling the sky and the empty sea...

"Where did Plague go? Did Lord Roy defeat Queen?"

As Cole scanned his surroundings and found no sign of Queen...

...before he could even let out a cheer of joy, the nascent delight in his eyes instantly turned to shock.

"Lord Roy, be careful! He's behind you!"