"What happened?" Anne asked, somewhat panicked.
The crowd was in chaos, and people were being trampled every moment. Teach shielded Anne, and before long, they figured out what was happening.
The Blood Scythe Pirates had attacked Sess Island, and the entire harbor had been reduced to ruins.
"Oh no, we have to find Mom first!" Anne cried. Thinking of her mother, she hurried off, taking a shortcut toward the sweet shop.
Anne had grown up here and knew the area very well. They soon reached the sweet shop. There were no customers inside, and the shop was closed. The street was empty, too; everyone had fled.
"Mom!" Anne spotted a familiar figure inside the sweet shop. Her mother kept looking out at the street, as if searching for someone.
Anne ran over excitedly. Her mother came out, tears of joy in her eyes, the worry on her face vanishing at once.
The mother and daughter embraced, overjoyed.
Meanwhile, at the harbor, Anthony came striding through the air. He looked at the ruined port, where all its former bustle had vanished.
The destruction was far worse than Anthony had imagined. Countless people lay dead or injured, and cries of pain filled the air. A wave of anger rose in his heart.
"Hahaha! No one can stop me! Men, kill them! Show no mercy! Kill everyone you see! And the Marines—don't let a single one get away!" Barton laughed. Blood covered him. His scythe flashed, killing a civilian who was struggling on the ground.
"Whoosh!"
Six Powers Secret Technique: Tempest Kick—Windmill!
A figure suddenly appeared before Barton. His right leg turned black as he swung it, unleashing a massive slash.
Barton was a veteran of countless battles. He sensed the attack, but couldn't dodge it. Instinctively, his arms transformed into scythes, both coated in Armament Haki.
The scythes he transformed into were no joke. They had tremendous offensive power, and he had developed them to be harder than steel. Enhanced by Armament Haki, Barton blocked the powerful slash.
"What a troublesome ability." Seeing Barton block the blow so easily, Vice Admiral Anthony's eyes flickered with solemnity. A master of martial arts like this was a real headache, especially one who combined martial arts with an ability.
He had no apparent weaknesses in attack or defense—only his speed seemed lacking.
"But I won't let you keep running wild." Determination flashed in Anthony's eyes. He coated both arms in Armament Haki, then darted in front of Barton. "Steel Fist · Bone Shatter!"
The punch slammed into Barton's abdomen. Anthony's voice rang in Radon's ears as the powerful blow unleashed a terrifying shockwave that spread outward.
"What?" Barton could hardly believe it. His body flew backward for over a hundred meters, carving a path through the ruins before crashing hard into a boulder.
"Damn Marines! Now that was one hell of a punch." Barton got up and shook his head, glaring at Anthony with hateful eyes.
"As expected of a Marine Vice Admiral who's been stationed in the New World for years. You're a lot stronger than those two useless fools from before." A chilling smile appeared on Barton's face.
His hands transformed into scythes, which he pointed at Anthony. Although Anthony was a Vice Admiral, he ranked among the top three in strength among Vice Admirals. Of course, that didn't include the abnormal Marine hero Garp. Anthony wouldn't have been able to guard Sess Island in the New World for over a decade without considerable strength.
"I won't let you continue this." Anthony charged at Barton, his voice low. Barton attacked him in turn, and the two fought fiercely. Their battle shifted across the area, each collision kicking up astonishing gusts of wind. Every second, another house collapsed under the force of their blows.
"Shigan · Black Bear Command!" His Haki-coated arms clashed repeatedly with Barton's scythes. But Barton was a madman, and his strength far exceeded Anthony's expectations. Relying on his powerful defense, he fought by trading injury for injury.
The scythes had tremendous power. Anthony couldn't afford to take a direct hit from Barton's weapons. They weren't ordinary scythes, after all, but the product of a Devil Fruit ability, with special properties such as sharpness and the power to cut through things that greatly enhanced their attacks.
Anthony, however, had his own advantages: speed and a nimble fighting style.
"Lay down your arms, pirates! We've got you surrounded!" A group of Marines rushed over with weapons in hand, facing the Blood Scythe Pirates. One of their officers called out to them.
"Surrender? Hahaha! Who do you think you are, telling us to lay down our arms? Men, attack! The captain said to kill every Marine we encounter!" A pirate leader laughed excitedly, gripping a long sword.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
"Kill those Marines!"
"Blood Scythe · Scissors Decapitation Slash!" On the main battlefield, Barton laughed as his hands transformed into crossed scythes. He gathered Haki and unleashed a swordsman's slash, sending a cross-shaped flash of blood surging toward Anthony.
"Damn it!" At this distance, Anthony couldn't dodge. The blood-red slash was five meters wide, and he hadn't expected Barton to have another move hidden up his sleeve. He could only take it head-on, he thought.
"Six Powers Secret Technique · Iron Body · Armament Haki!" "Secret Technique Rokuogan!" At Anthony's level, the immobility weakness of using Iron Body was no longer an issue. After all, in the future, one CP9 expert in Iron Body would be able to move while using it.
He could only think of one way to deal with it: reduce the slash's power with an attack while strengthening his own defense.
It all happened at once, showing just how deeply Anthony had mastered the Six Powers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The two techniques collided, and the resulting shockwave instantly brought down the surrounding buildings. The battle turned everything within a hundred meters into ruins.
"Cough, cough! I blocked it." Anthony panted. Blood streaked his arms, and a cross-shaped gash marked his chest.
The wounds weren't deep, but Anthony didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment.
"Life Return." Anthony spent his energy rapidly healing his wounds, doing his best to restore himself to peak condition.
"Damn you, Barton! You didn't just destroy my ship—you hurt my men, too!" A pirate wearing a captain's hat roared. He angrily swung his long sword, cutting down two pirates blocking his way before charging at Barton.
"Hmm! What trash are you, daring to challenge me? Die!" Barton sneered. As the pirate charged, he swung his scythe-arm downward. A flash of blood crossed the air, delivering an utterly unstoppable blow.
"Splurt!"
The flash of blood pierced straight through the pirate captain's body. His eyes widened in disbelief as the long sword slipped from his hand. He died with his eyes open.
"Idiot. This world has always been ruled by strength." Barton shouted as he planted his foot on the dead pirate captain. His overwhelming strength filled the other pirates with fear. One after another, they fled in a panic.
But Barton, lost in a frenzy of slaughter, wasn't about to let them escape. His scythe-arms became killing machines, and no one could get away from him. Soon, no one remained in Barton's part of the battlefield. Even the Blood Scythe Pirates kept their distance, afraid he might kill them by accident. They fled elsewhere to kill and loot.
Meanwhile, over by Teach, Anne had reunited with her mother. Just then, dozens of young ruffians and orphans led by Mobius ran over. "Hurry and run! The Blood Scythe Pirates are killing everyone! They're terrifying—they aren't sparing a single person!"
Mobius held a long sword, and the others were armed as well. They seemed ready to fight.
This street was close to the harbor, so staying here put them in serious danger. The Blood Scythe Pirates could catch them at any moment.
"All right, let's go!" Anne knew how dire the situation was. They couldn't fight those merciless pirates.
They headed northwest across Sess Island, hoping to reach somewhere remote and wait for the Blood Scythe Pirates to be defeated.
But there were too many of them, and the pirates soon noticed.
"Captain, there's a group of prey over there. Looks like they're trying to escape." A member of the Blood Scythe Pirates spotted them. "Hahaha, this is funny. My favorite game is cat and mouse." The pirate called the squad leader held a bloodstained sword and watched Anne and the others flee excitedly. "Chase them! Don't let them get away!" He pointed his sword in their direction and shouted to his subordinates with a laugh.
"Oh no, the pirates have spotted us!" One of the boys looked back and saw pirates racing toward them. They were coming straight for the group.
It was bad news, and everyone except Teach felt their hearts sink. They quickened their pace, but how could they outrun a group of powerful pirates?
Most of them were still children. Even with all their hard training, they could only take on a few—or perhaps a dozen—ordinary adults. Anne's mother was just an ordinary person, too.
As the pirates drew closer, Mobius stopped and turned to face them, his long sword in hand. Without looking back, he said, "You run ahead. I'll hold them off and buy you some time." Mobius was resolute. He had already decided to give his life to buy his friends time to escape.
"Mobius, don't! Let's all run together!" Anne called to him.
Mobius shook his head. "You have to survive." Then he charged straight at the pirates. "Brother Mobius, I'm coming with you!" The boys who had stayed behind rushed forward, wanting to help Mobius buy Anne and the others time to escape.
"You..." Anne didn't know what to say. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Hey, hey! Don't be like that. Things aren't at their most dangerous yet. Leave the rest to me." Teach smiled, patted Anne on the shoulder, and slowly walked toward the pirates.
"Teach..." Anne didn't know what to say.
One by one, the boys charged after Mobius. They faced the pirates who terrified them, but not a single one backed down.
"Wahaha! What do you little brats think you're doing, charging at us? Trying to get yourselves killed?" The squad leader sneered at the boys rushing toward him. The others stopped, too, watching the reckless youngsters.
"Pirates, I won't let you take another step!" Mobius stood at the front and shouted. But his body trembled despite himself. Every pirate there had come through killing and battle. The menace they radiated was enough to fill the boys with fear.
"Hahaha, are you joking, kid?" one of the pirates laughed. He suddenly disappeared from Mobius's sight. He's so fast, Mobius thought, but his body didn't react in time. The pirate appeared in front of him and struck him hard with a sweeping kick.
"Mobius!"
"Boss Mobius!" The others cried out in alarm. Mobius had been kicked more than ten meters away. They rushed to his side and stared at the approaching pirate, weapons in hand as they tried to protect Mobius.
"Don't! Run!" Mobius shouted.
Forcing back the urge to vomit, Mobius slowly pushed himself up. He swayed, barely managing to stay upright. Blood trickled from his mouth. That kick had caved in part of his chest, and he could feel that two of his ribs were broken. Still, through sheer willpower, he got back up.
He tried to pick up the long sword lying beside him, but as he bent over, he lost his balance and fell to his knees. Gripping the sword's hilt, he stuck its tip into the ground and used it to steady himself as he stood again.
"Now that's determination, kid." The pirate was surprised to see the Snake-Head Tribe boy stand up even after taking his kick.
He turned to the others and smiled slyly, as if he'd thought of something wicked. "This Snake-Head Tribe kid must be the one you all look up to, right? What do you think will happen if I kill him?" the pirate asked with an evil grin.
The other pirates, including their squad leader, smiled as they watched. They seemed to find it entertaining. Not one of them moved as the pirate toyed with the boys.
"Don't you dare hurt Boss Mobius!" One by one, the boys stepped in front of Mobius and charged the pirate. But they were too weak. A kick, a punch—before long, they were all sprawled on the ground, groaning helplessly.
At last, the pirate reached Mobius. He had held back against the other boys because of his cruel sense of fun. He wanted them to watch the boy named Mobius die, to see the pain and despair on their faces.
The other pirates watched eagerly. They knew how much this pirate enjoyed tormenting his victims, and they wanted to see the same scene.
"Damn you! I'll kill you!" Seeing his companions knocked down one after another, Mobius raised his sword in fury and swung it at the pirate. The man had not killed them, but he had beaten them badly.
The pirate blocked Mobius's sword with his own, then kicked him again. Mobius's body crashed heavily to the ground, and he couldn't get back up.
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