Capone Bege's Advance

Although many people had already died in the chaos of battle before this, such as Izo, the 16th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Supernovas "Mad Monk" Urouge, Chinjao, the great pirate "boss" with a bounty of over 500 million at his peak, and Gecko Moria, the former Shichibukai, this was the first time that such heavyweight figures as the Marine Headquarters Admiral had died, let alone two of them.

Whether it was the chaotic and noisy battlefield or the tumultuous sea outside, everything fell silent instantly after witnessing this astonishing scene.

"Should we say Nightmare was meticulous or vicious? He even laid a trap for that kind of monster that had lost its mind. Being personally plotted against by Nightmare, Aokiji's death was not unjust, but it's a bit of a pity."

"Indeed, if Aokiji hadn't let his guard down because of Akainu's appearance, he wouldn't have died here unless Nightmare himself intervened or he was attacked by three or more people of the same level."

"Even high-ranking figures like the Admiral of the Marine Headquarters are starting to die in battle. It seems the war has reached its climax, and the outcome will be decided at this moment!"

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the two fallen Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, a short man with a cigar in his mouth and his hands in his pockets silently sneaked into the depths of the God's Temple.

"A bunch of idiots. Instead of confronting those monsters, they should be thinking about how to sneak in."

"However, this is fine too. The honor of personally severing the Nightmare's head will be mine. This is exactly the result I want, not those meaningless processes!"

Once inside the God's Temple, Capone Bege's steady, powerful steps became aggressive and restless. There was no way around it; the supreme honor was right before him, and perhaps only the dead could remain calm in such a situation.

Seeing Nightmare's body lying on the cold stone bed, Capone Bege felt a surge of excitement mixed with trepidation and fear. If Nightmare were to suddenly open his eyes at this moment, it would be more terrifying to him than the most horrible ghost story in the world!

This is definitely turning from an action-adventure movie into a supernatural horror movie!

However, the thought that he had been frightened by a "dead man" who was about to become a victim of his gun filled Capone Bege with shame and anger. He then grinned and pulled the trigger of his Fire Pistol.

"I prepared this Seastone Bullets for you the moment you set sail, Nightmare. Die in peace!"

Bang!

The cone-shaped bullet trailed a long, brilliant spark, like a dazzling meteor streaking across the night, and struck Nightmare's forehead directly, much to Capone Bege's hopeful gaze.

Bite!

To Capone Bege's astonishment, the Seastone Bullets struck Nightmare's forehead and bounced off without leaving even a trace of black scorch mark, as if it had struck not human flesh and blood, but an indestructible diamond.

"This is impossible, this is impossible..." In a fit of shock and anger, Capone Bege fired more than a dozen bullets in a row, only stopping in a daze when he emptied the magazine.

Bullets strong enough to pierce steel couldn't even scratch Nightmare's skull, let alone shatter it. His smooth, jade-like forehead seemed to mock his overestimation of his abilities, filling Capone Bege with both anger and immense fear. Even Seastone Bullets, the bane of all Devil Fruit users, couldn't penetrate Nightmare's outer skin. Was this monster truly an enemy he could defeat?

"How could a human body possibly do that? Could it be that the people of the Dreamland Kingdom aren't insane...? Is Nightmare really a god walking on the earth? No, that's not right. How could such an unkillable monster be a god? He's more like a demon that crawled out of the abyss!"

Just as Capone Bege was filled with anxiety, he suddenly realized an even more serious problem.

"No, I didn't install a silencer on the pistol. I wanted them to witness the moment I killed Nightmare, but I've already fired more than a dozen bullets. Why is there no sound from the outside?"

"Furthermore, although I am arrogant, I would not be so inflated as to infiltrate and assassinate a monster like Nightmare by myself. Besides, stealth assassination has never been my forte, so how could no one have noticed my movements?"

Thinking of this, Capone Bege broke out in a cold sweat. He was certain that he had been outmaneuvered by some hidden force.

"Who... who's there?" Capone Bege looked around in surprise and uncertainty. Suddenly, a masked figure emerged from the darkness, and the swirling halo in the eyes beneath the mask was striking.

"You are... that person named Hitomi from War Zone One!" Capone Bege tried hard to recall information about the enemy, but unfortunately found nothing, and his fear intensified. "Did you control my mind and cover up my whereabouts?"

"Looks like you've finally realized something's wrong. Not too stupid, huh?" A detached voice came from behind the mask, exuding an air of authority yet giving off a sense of entitlement. Even Capone Bege subconsciously thought that this was Masked Man should speak.

"Actually, I just amplified your inner desires and then slightly concealed your presence."

The Masked Man's simple explanation made Capone Bege gasp. These were two completely unrelated abilities. Could this guy also possess two different abilities, like Blackbeard who made a brief appearance two years ago?

Thinking of this, Capone Bege's eyes burned with desire. If he could also obtain this demonic power, the Pirate Kings would surely be his!

"Ha, what a repulsive look. Is this a consequence of amplifying your desires before?"

"Pupil's" words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Capone Bege's head, instantly sobering him up. The other party was a terrifying monster who could control him without him even realizing it, and had also shown amazing killing methods in the previous elimination rounds. He was definitely not the kind of enemy without the ability to kill directly. Under these circumstances, the most important thing was to escape this vortex alive.

"What exactly is your purpose in luring me into this place?" Capone Bege tried to stall for time while secretly moving backward, revealing cannon barrels protruding from the dark opening of his body.

Seemingly oblivious to Capone Bege's subtle maneuvers, "Hitomi" continued, "My purpose... was naturally to test the true strength of this so-called World's Strongest. Unfortunately, you are far too weak, so weak that I couldn't even scratch you. In the end, I had to personally intervene. If I had known this would happen, I should have chosen a stronger pawn from the start..."

Capone Bege's lips twitched inwardly. He was now a pirate with the title of Supernovas and a bounty of 300 million, so he couldn't be considered weak... But when he thought about how he had fought so hard but still couldn't even penetrate Nightmare's skin, he couldn't help but feel sad. He was really a disgrace to the Supernovas.

Just as Capone Bege was wallowing in self-pity and questioning his existence, "Hitomi" spoke again, "So, a piece of trash like you has no reason to exist in this world. You'd better die sooner rather than later."