As Minos's blade flashed, gash after gash was cut across Momotaro's body. Although his powerful Armament Haki meant the wounds only sank slightly into his flesh, Minos believed that if this dragged on, he would definitely be the one to win.
In fact, he had the Golden Scales and that Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit to thank for this. They had greatly improved both his strength and Armament Haki before the battle. Otherwise, Minos's attacks would probably have amounted to little more than scratching an itch for Momotaro.
Momotaro wildly swung the massive axe in his hands. His eyes grew wider and wider in battle, his breathing became increasingly ragged, and he spun the axe around himself like a tornado.
Yet Minos seemed to be dancing within that tornado, turning into nothing but an afterimage. Every so often, his blade flashed, and thin lines of blood sprayed out.
Momotaro's attention was entirely fixed on Minos. With his less-than-sharp mind, he had completely forgotten about Baby5, who was frantically destroying the ground.
With no one stopping her, less than half a minute passed before a thunderous boom rang out and Baby5's attacks finally blasted through the ground.
Minos did not want to waste any more time on Momotaro. Who knew when other Marines or Kizaru might arrive? Given Momotaro's physique and Haki, there was no way Minos could defeat him without spending over a dozen hours grinding him down. He did not have that kind of time to waste.
In a flash, Minos grabbed Baby5, and the two jumped straight down through the hole they had blasted open.
Momotaro roared, "Don't think you can run! I'm the man known as the Bronze Wall, Iron Fortress!" He then jumped down after them.
...Only to get stuck in the middle of the hole like a cork, sealing the entire opening tightly. His body was twice as large as the hole, and no matter how hard he squeezed, he could not force his way through.
"Eh? D-Damn it! If I'd known, I would've eaten fewer servings of Sea Beast Ribs at lunch!" Momotaro muttered blankly.
...Though judging by his size, even if he had started starving himself yesterday, he still could not possibly have fit through that hole.
Beneath Punk Hazard's experimental base lay an enormous cave carved out by seawater erosion. At that moment, Dr. Vegapunk, escorted by two masked agents, was heading toward a submarine.
With a series of thunderous crashes, Minos and Baby5 blasted through the outer wall and finally found their target. The two agents exchanged a glance and charged at them without another word.
Blade light flashed. Minos had assumed the two agents would be fairly strong, but the moment they fought, he discovered that they were probably inferior even to those CP9 agents proficient in the Six Powers. He cut them down in just a few moves.
On second thought, Minos understood. With Kizaru, a Marine Admiral, and the Science Guard Corps assigned to protect him, Dr. Vegapunk would normally never face any danger. Those two agents were likely there more to monitor him than protect him, so naturally, they did not need much combat strength.
As for Baby5, she raised her foot and fired a shot. A bullet the size of a fist exploded against the submarine with a boom, and Vegapunk immediately obediently raised his hands.
Minos glanced at Dr. Vegapunk. On the surface, the doctor looked no different from an ordinary human. He wore glasses, his hair was slightly messy, and he looked like a typical researcher.
Minos did not know whether this guy was the real one or a clone he had created. But no matter what, he should be pretty important... right?
Yet Minos's Observation Haki gave him a faint sense that he was facing some monstrous flood or beast. Through the National Arts' Path of Utmost Sincerity, which granted foreknowledge, the greatest trait Minos had developed in his Observation Haki was the ability to sense danger. This was an entirely different path from seeing the future or reading minds.
Now, Minos could sense that Vegapunk himself did not seem to harbor any ill intent, but the aura around him still made Minos tremble.
"This Dr. Vegapunk seems just a tiny bit stronger than I expected... This feeling has already surpassed Katakuri!"
"I seem to have forgotten something... Scientists in the pirate world aren't weak at all!"
However, Baby5 noticed nothing. She smugly stepped forward. "You're the person in charge of this scientific base, right? You're our hostage now!"
Vegapunk gave a French Military Salute while slightly shrugging. "Fine, I surrender. What are you planning to do? Kidnap me?"
"No, Dr. Vegapunk." Minos swallowed slightly and shook his head. "You only need to be a hostage. Once we've achieved our goal, we'll return you to the Marines."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Vegapunk's eyes at those words. "I see. You want to use me to negotiate terms with the Marines?"
Minos remained silent. He vaguely felt that Vegapunk's relationship with the Marines and the World Government was likely quite complicated. Perhaps the reason this guy had not simply killed them was because he wanted to present himself before the Marines and the World Government as utterly helpless.
Knowing that was one thing, but since Vegapunk wanted to put on an act, Minos could not have wished for anything better. Otherwise, if Vegapunk noticed anything wrong, Minos felt he could just call it GG.
"Dr. Vegapunk, you should have a Den Den Mushi that can contact Admiral Kizaru directly, right? Can you tell him to stop fighting immediately?"
Minos spoke directly. Katakuri and his two brothers were no pushovers, and Kizaru was not at his peak yet. They might be at a disadvantage in the short term, but there was absolutely no chance they would be easily defeated.
Vegapunk nodded, reached into his sleeve, took out a red Den Den Mushi, and dialed the number.
After a while, no one had answered. Vegapunk shrugged. "That Kizaru guy probably picked up the wrong Den Den Mushi again?"
"You aren't messing with us, are you? How could anyone pick up the wrong Den Den Mushi?" Baby5 asked skeptically. Minos, however, fully believed Kizaru was capable of something like that. He promptly took out his own Den Den Mushi and called Katakuri.
"Hello! Captain Katakuri, tell Kizaru directly that Vegapunk is in our hands now!"
Hearing thunderous sounds from the other side of the Den Den Mushi, Minos hurriedly spoke. Only after a moment did Katakuri's panting voice come through. "All right, I understand."
After a while, the sounds of fighting outside gradually ceased. Minos simply took Vegapunk and walked out of the base.
As for Baby5, she carried a large pack on her back, filled with Vegapunk's research materials.
Before you continue