"Everyone, disperse immediately! Your actions have seriously obstructed the city's public traffic and commercial order!"
The captain leading the guards wore a cold expression as he abruptly raised the musket in his hand, its barrel pointed toward the sky.
Bang! Bang!
Two piercing warning shots exploded in the sky, instantly drowning out the clamor of the marching crowd.
The captain shouted harshly, "This is your final warning! Disband the march immediately, or you will be forcibly arrested for disturbing public order!"
Faced with the guards' real guns and live ammunition, the marchers who had still been shouting moments ago visibly stirred. Fear showed in many people's eyes, and their steps began to retreat involuntarily.
It seemed this farce was about to be quelled.
However, Crocodile, who was sitting off in a nearby corner, had a sharp gleam flash through his eyes at that moment.
"Trying to end it just like that? Heh, that won't do. The stage hasn't seen blood yet..."
Crocodile bit down on his cigar. Beneath his pitch-black coat, the middle finger of his hidden left hand hooked ever so slightly toward the air.
The power of the Sand-Sand Fruit activated!
A thin wisp of windblown sand, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, crept silently along the ground and instantly coiled around the wrist of a young guard at the very front of the crowd.
To onlookers, it only seemed as if the guard's hand had slipped because of the blazing sun. But in reality, an irresistible force of sand had forcibly pressed down the barrel of his gun.
Bang!!!
A gunshot far duller and heavier than the earlier warning shots exploded in the crowd without the slightest warning.
Fire spat from the muzzle, and a lead bullet tore through the air.
Pfft!
At the very front of