Concern Breeds Chaos, Both Sides Wounded

"Oh? They've caught up with us."

Feeling the biting wind pressure behind him, and the rage that was so different from his calm and collected demeanor during the previous battle, Klein's lips curled into a dangerous smile.

"It seems you're not without 'flaws' after all, you good colonel who loves his people like his own children."

Upon landing, he ordered all his subordinates to rescue civilians, while he used his Paramecia-type Devil Fruit to create puppets to wipe out the pirates, and then came alone to deal with me.

He's really a Guotou 'righteous' guy, so Klein didn't think he'd already lost. As long as he cleverly exploited his opponent's weaknesses...

"It's a pity that all that extra 'hair' was wasted."

Klein's 'Swap-Swap Fruit' can move a certain mass and distance depending on the item that serves as the 'cost', and when used on himself, he must consume a 'part' of himself as the cost.

The good news is that the price can be paid by cutting off hair and nails; the bad news is:

"If we have to fight a few more battles like this, am I supposed to go out with a buzz cut?"

The descendants of the nobility shuddered at the thought of that possibility.

This is driving me crazy!

!

Call out--

The shriek behind him instantly swapped Klein's position with a fingernail! He glanced back at the spot that looked like it had been bombarded by heavy artillery, mourned the fingernail for 0.1 seconds, and then continued rushing towards the civilians.

Be careful...

"Everyone, help bandage the wound!"

"Those with minor injuries can rest on the sidelines, while those with serious injuries will be treated by Second Lieutenant An."

Every naval soldier has been trained in battlefield first aid, and years of combat experience have made them adept at treating external injuries. Even in this Second-generation Marine -generation sailors, simple surgical procedures such as cleaning wounds, suturing, and bandaging are no challenge for them.

What? It's unhygienic to be out in the open like this...

If you're dead, what right do you have to care about hygiene!

Meanwhile, Nami continuously summoned 'Life Azure Flame' which landed on the seriously injured. While it wouldn't provide an immediate cure, it ensured their injuries wouldn't worsen. And just then:

Brush!

A young man dressed in aristocratic attire, with a sunny disposition, suddenly appeared in the crowd. Before the sailors could react, the injured civilians around them screamed in terror.

"Demon!"

"The murderer—"

"Pirate Captain..."

"'Phantom' Klein!!"

"!? Everyone, stand back!"

Having noticed the constantly shifting figure and the frantically pursuing Roman, the beautiful Lieutenant Colonel Isca immediately turned and used Geppo to return. With a loud shout, she swung her military knife, unleashing a Flying Slash towards the opponent's location.

Click!

However, with a soft sound, the sword energy merely left a deep mark on the ground! The pirate captain, the target, vanished without a trace.

"Not bad swordsmanship,"

The elegant voice startled Isca, who instinctively spun around and drew her sword, its sharp edge capable of cutting through metal, slashing towards the source of the sound. However:

Clang!

With a metallic scraping sound, the sharp military knife was grasped by the other party. Before Isca could react, the other party had already kicked the female lieutenant colonel in the waist.

Ah~~

Boom!

Looking at the naval lieutenant commander he had kicked and who had crashed into the ruins of the building, Klein shrugged helplessly.

"It is not gentlemanly behavior to punch and kick a beautiful lady, but unfortunately you are too strong, I can't stop."

Call out--

Puff!

A pure white javelin pierced through Klein's figure in an instant, though it was merely an afterimage.

They've arrived.

Seeing Roman hurtling towards them from afar, his body radiating murderous intent, Klein's expression also turned serious—until the very last moment, the roles of hunter and prey could be reversed at any time.

Hmph, I have to kill him before he realizes he truly cares about Nami! Or force him to leave, otherwise...

Roman, who was rushing towards them, had a sudden thought. The White Puppet Warriors around him, who were killing pirates, immediately turned back, pretending to be 'protecting the civilians to the death'—but in reality, it was just a diversionary tactic.

Very well, it seems the other side is indeed hesitant to act rashly—?!

As Klein plunged into the crowd, he suddenly felt a sense of unease; his intuition told him that he had overlooked something important.

"Protect the civilians! Don't let that pirate captain run rampant!"

As Roman leaped forward, shouting "righteous indignation," the surrounding marines snapped out of their daze and immediately raised their weapons at Klein. However, Klein's name "Phantom" wasn't just due to his Devil Fruit ability, but also to his incredible speed!

With a swift twist and turn, he easily broke through the encirclement of numerous navy personnel. If it weren't for Roman's menacing aura, he might even have had time to slit the throats of these navy men. However:

Think back carefully, why has there always been a feeling of disharmony?

Brush!

As Klein darted through the crowd, the two white puppets suddenly transformed from their rigid 'automatic defense' state into agile ones, their longswords whistling as they fell from the left and right, forcing Klein to activate his 'Swap Ability' once again.

Wrong!

Klein clearly saw that during that pincer attack, the enemy didn't care at all about hurting those nearby! The fierce sword energy barely grazed an injured civilian as it fell. This is hardly the behavior of someone who cares for the people—?

Oh, and that beautiful female lieutenant colonel from before!

Klein suddenly recalled that when he kicked the lieutenant colonel away, the young colonel who was chasing him didn't show much emotional fluctuation, which meant:

"I've been scammed,"

The other party wasn't some righteous person who "loves the people like his own children" or even "loves his soldiers like his own children" at all; it just so happened that someone he highly "valued" was present here...

So who could it be?

As Roman also flew to the chaotic town port, although the navy was doing its best to maintain order and chase after the noble-looking pirate captain, the entire temporary 'treatment point' was still in complete disarray.

Time was of the essence for both Roman and Klein: Roman had to ensure Nami remained unnoticed, while Klein had to find the colonel's weakness before he could get close...

"Mother!"

In the chaos, a little girl threw herself on top of an injured woman, intending to protect her with her small body.

Meanwhile, an orange-haired girl holding a book stood in front of the little girl, preventing the mother and daughter from being hurt by the chaotic crowd.

What a beautiful display of family affection. As the second son of a cunning and treacherous noble family, Klein remained unmoved by this scene. Yet, his feet unconsciously moved in that direction. If you were to ask why, perhaps it was simply envy...

Murderous look!

A chilling killing intent suddenly rushed over!

It was a cold and resolute indifference, mixed with the rage of a dragon whose scales had been touched! As if in the blink of an eye, the harsh winter had arrived, and the bone-chilling killing intent made all the ordinary people here seem to have their heat drained away instantly, and they collapsed stiffly, which immediately quieted down the chaotic 'treatment point'!

The source of the murderous aura was, of course, Roman, who was hurtling towards them at breakneck speed!

The only target of his murderous intent Klein, who was trying to get close to Nami.

Despite feeling the murderous intent emanating from behind that seemed to want to tear him apart, Klein revealed a genuine smile.

Found it.

"Why--!?"

Just as the crowd before her suddenly collapsed from the 'cold,' a blurry figure rapidly magnified in Nami's pupils! Before she could even activate the various techniques of "The Art of the Thief," the figure had already circled behind her, leaving her facing:

Roman rushed at them, his anxiety and anger mingling.

Snap,

The force from behind Nami lunge forward without resistance, and then an arm gently encircled her! A familiar scent rushed towards her, but a cold, mocking voice came from behind her.

"General."

As he pushed his opponent's 'weak point' out, Klein simultaneously activated his true trump card: as the card disappeared, a small silver revolver appeared in his palm, aimed at the orange-haired girl he had pushed out.

This is the latest technology from the North Sea, capable of firing six-element bullets in an instant. And its power is astonishing! Furthermore, the bullet heads are inlaid with indestructible Seastone, ensuring that any ability user will perish at the hands of this work of art.

Of course, Klein couldn't bear to waste such a precious weapon on a mere girl. He speculated:

In an instant, as he grabbed Nami, Roman saw her pull out a revolver. Without thinking, he turned around and used his back to block the attack. However, as the bullet, traveling at a speed far exceeding normal, pierced through his Armament Haki, Roman's expression changed!

This feeling is so familiar—

Seastone!

"General."

At the same time, the other party's mocking announcement rang out.

You're the one who's been checkmated—

Amidst a few splatters of blood behind him, Roman's cold eyes met Klein's pupils! In an instant, in Klein's eyes, an arrogant and domineering aura, like a pale light, instantly engulfed everything about him!

The light was so domineering, it invaded Klein's mind with overwhelming force, like a supreme deity, stirring up his life-threatening fear from the most primal and instinctive level. Faced with such power, all the willpower, perseverance, and emotions he had cultivated seemed incredibly fragile.

Conqueror's Haki - Intimidation

At the same time, Roman held Nami in one arm and threw a punch with the other!

With a punch brimming with rage, Roman's arm felt like steel! His muscles, as if bound together by steel bars, were taut to their limit as he slammed the fist down toward Klein's chest.

Swift as Inazuma and powerful as a mountain collapsing, before the fist even arrived, the force of the punch caused Klein to hear a series of cracking sounds as if his bones were breaking! A fist-shaped indentation appeared out of thin air on his chest! The ground behind him was also shattered in all directions by the terrifying power, turning the surrounding dozens of meters into a fist-shaped crater like a tidal wave.

!!

"Replacement—"

In the critical moment, this man, with blood gushing from his mouth and nose and a ferocious expression, used his last shred of sanity to employ his most precious 'backup plan'.

Brush,

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the entire town shook violently! A huge, fist-shaped crater was carved into the ground by Roman's punch. Inside, there was nothing but a hand, causing Roman was holding Nami in one arm and maintaining a punching stance with the other, to frown.

They ran away?

Looking at that hand, Roman twitched the corner of his mouth.

You really did hold back a trick up your sleeve, you bastard!

Don't let me see you again...

"We've won!"

"Colonel Roman turned his opponent to ashes with a single punch!"

"Oh, oh, oh, the Colonel is mighty! The Colonel is invincible—"

Amid cheers from the nearby navy, Roman swayed to the side and was caught by Nami.

"Doctor! Doctor!!"

Blood spread down her back, staining the word 'Justice' on her back, Nami to panic and forget to even use 'The Art of the Thief'.

"Quick, Roman is injured—"

Tsk, still not powerful enough...