List's Terrifying Mental Power; Borsalino Makes His Move
A rhythmic melody filled the battlefield, and even during the fighting, some people were drawn to the music, their movements slowing slightly.
And just like that, they were instantly seized upon by the members of the Night Pirates, who found their openings and attacked directly. Some were lucky enough to react in time and hurriedly defend and dodge, while others lost their lives.
Compared to the navy, the members of the Night Pirates were somewhat used to it, because music was often played on Beast Island. In addition to their regular training, they also had to practice music. As the Night Pirates' exclusive band, fighting was not their responsibility; training was simply to make them stronger and more capable of self-defense.
Although the music was very pleasant to listen to, they were able to suppress their curiosity.
The music that rang out amidst the sounds of slaughter quickly drew the attention of the entire battlefield.
The camera focuses on these young musicians, with List, at the head of the group, his fingers dancing rapidly across the keys.
Even though she was nervous, she didn't show it, immersing herself in the performance and showing her best side.
After all, this is arguably the world's largest stage, a rare opportunity.
During their year with the Night Pirates, these ordinary children underwent a transformation, and even being on the battlefield did not affect their performance.
People grow up very quickly, and besides, they are pirates now, and members of the Night Pirates, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
Unexpectedly, the crew of the Night Pirates are so bold as to perform music on the battlefield.
Some people couldn't help but immerse themselves in the music of the Night Pirates, as well as the sounds of battle on the battlefield.
However, some people were extremely angry, namely some marines. Looking at the band on the battlefield, they thought the Night Pirates were really too arrogant. They actually had someone playing music to entertain them while they were fighting. Didn't they have any sense of crisis? They really didn't take the marines seriously at all.
The navy soldiers stared intently at them, and one by one, their comrades were killed by members of the Night Pirates, falling to the ground. The music didn't sound pleasant to them; in fact, it was extremely jarring.
"Die, you arrogant bastards!" a marine roared as he quickly approached the Night Pirates' band.
His words and actions swayed many marines toward this band, which they considered utterly wicked.
The ordinary members of the Night Pirates did not stop them, but their eyes flashed with a look of anticipation.
Surrounded by naval forces, the band remained remarkably calm during their performance, demonstrating their faith in List's power.
They also knew of List's power, but the navy was unaware of all this; List was a mystery to them.
The musician, who holds the title of "cadre," may look somewhat frail, but given his membership in the Night Pirates, how weak could he be?
Some of the more cautious marines, not blinded by anger, watched the scene with concern. Seeing the expressions of the Night Pirates, they sensed things weren't going to go so smoothly. Why wasn't anyone stopping them?
Navy personnel tried to dissuade them, but it was no use; they had already taken action.
Everyone watched this scene, anticipating how the Night Pirates would respond.
The members of the Night Pirates did not stop them; in fact, they even kept their distance. Therefore, the only one who could intervene was the rather mysterious musician List.
What's mysterious is List's strength and abilities; after all, given the intelligence in this world, List's family background and identity have long been exposed.
The members of the Night Pirates had all experienced List's abilities, and they were vast and somewhat terrifying. While controlling the area of his abilities was not a problem, List could not pinpoint a specific person within that area.
This is a characteristic of his ability; unless it's a single-target attack, List naturally employs a wide-range attack strategy when facing these naval forces.
Once inside this area, even with List present to weaken the local forces, they would still be affected, and they certainly didn't want to endure that mentally torn, brain-splitting pain any longer.
Many sailors harbored a fear of List because they had all experienced List mental impact and suffered minor psychological trauma. Some took two months to fully recover, leaving a psychological shadow in their hearts.
Just like Teach's Conqueror's Haki, which focuses on a single point, in addition to its mental attack, it emphasizes mental pressure. While List's mental impact lacks the oppressive feeling, it is far more powerful in terms of mental damage than Teach's.
Because of this, Teach also limited List's ability to use his abilities freely.
Even he felt a sense of danger from the power of List's abilities, especially since List's physical enhancement greatly increased his ability to withstand mental pressure, thus rapidly strengthening his own mental strength as well.
To prevent his mental strength from growing too quickly and reverting to its previous state, List needed to suppress the growth of his mental strength while training his physique, but even that was unsustainable.
Because of the nature of his ability, as time goes by, List's mental state will become increasingly terrifying, unlike those mental Devil Fruit abilities that require training one's mental strength.
Finally, List made his move. He glanced at the marines, and a terrifying, substantial, and eerie gray spiritual power erupted from his body, directly bypassing the performers around him, without stopping his actions.
Gray mist spread rapidly in all directions, transforming into a powerful mental storm that swept in. It sounded like the Kikoku and howls of wolves, extremely piercing. One by one, the marines collapsed to the ground in pain, clutching their heads.
All the marines within the area collapsed in a short span of three seconds. The marines, who had been in pain, seemed to become completely powerless and no longer moved. However, their expressions remained unchanged, and their movements did not seem to change. Their entire bodies became stiff and cold.
It seemed as if nothing had happened; all around was silent, and the navy within the range of the mental storm had all lost their vitality.
The members of the Night Pirates, witnessing this scene, swallowed hard, still shaken. They were dead just like that. They clearly remembered what their captain, Teach, had said: being killed by List's ability meant dying on a spiritual level, in other words, a collapse of the soul. Without a soul, one was nothing more than a walking corpse.
The others looked at List with great apprehension. The powerful individuals had all realized that List was a terrifying Devil Fruit User. List had undoubtedly become someone they needed to take seriously.
After all, the strangeness of mental abilities certainly goes beyond this.
Katakuri looked at List and couldn't help but think of his mother, Big Mom, the Queen of Totto Land. The effects of List's abilities were somewhat similar to those of those whose lives had been taken by Big Mom.
However, List's attack was on the soul, causing it to collapse and die.
Big Mom, on the other hand, goes even further, directly seizing your soul and, at the same time, taking away your life force, or lifespan. Those who die at Big Mom's hands lose both their soul and life force, their corpses turning directly into mummies or even powder.
However, List's mental attack was exceptionally powerful. Among these naval personnel were over a hundred, including elite naval officers of Commodore rank, but they could only withstand List's mental storm for three seconds.
Looking at List in his formal attire, they felt a sense of dread; he was like a demon in human skin.
After this battle, no one dared to approach List and his group again; this single move was something they couldn't withstand.
One by one, naval officers died, including admirals, Commodore, and Rear Admiral.
The atmosphere at Marine Headquarters was extremely heavy. Everyone present, watching the video, had grim expressions. As a naval officer, who could possibly have a pleasant expression upon seeing this?
These were all soldiers of their navy, including many mid-level combatants who were extremely valuable.
"This can't go on any longer, or we'll be wiped out." The most rational figure in the Sengoku suppressed his anger; he knew he had to make a decision.
As a user with the ability to Buddha Form, Sengoku possesses a kind of divinity, which can also be called Buddhahood.
Sengoku clearly understood the good and bad of things, but as a naval officer, he had his own stance. For the benefit of the navy and the World Government, there were some things he would still do even if he knew they were bad.
That's why, under the World Government's orders, he would order the destruction of Ohara. He knew that these archaeologists posed no threat to the World Government and had no power, but he also knew that if information about the Ancient Weapon fell into the hands of other ambitious individuals, the world would descend into chaos. To prevent this from happening, he would do it even if there was only the slightest possibility.
That's why he ordered the killing of all the pregnant women on an island in the South China Sea that year.
Even if it's a child, even if he has pirate blood, it's incredibly foolish to blame a child for the crime.
Sengoku understood this, but his stance was that of the Navy and the World Government, so even knowing it was a wrong decision, he was willing to do it.
In everything, just look at the final result.
Sengoku had already made up his mind. He opened the Den Den Mushi and said, "Borsalino, make your move. While Teach and Rediat are away, we can't afford to wipe out all these marines. If we suffer losses, it will be too great."
These naval officers, especially the high-ranking Rear Admiral Commodore, are selected from among thousands and trained by the navy with a great deal of resources.
"Oh dear, are you sure this is a good idea? I'm under a lot of pressure; these are all monsters." Borsalino sighed as he heard Sengoku's voice coming from the Den Den Mushi. It had finally arrived. He had a premonition about this, and seeing the scale of the battle only reinforced that feeling.
"I don't have confidence. Facing so many powerful individuals, and besides, won't the other pirates intervene?"
"No, don't worry." Sengoku was quite certain, but worried that Borsalino might not put in the effort, he added, "No matter the outcome, I'll give you a three-day vacation this time."
"Okay." Upon hearing about the holiday, Borsalino perked up and hung up the phone decisively.
This left the officers and soldiers at the Marine Headquarters speechless and somewhat helpless.
Borsalino glanced at the pirates elsewhere, then took action, his body transforming into a golden light and appearing directly on the battlefield.
The golden light condensed directly into Borsalino's figure, immediately attracting the attention of many people.
"It's Vice Admiral Borsalino!" Upon seeing Borsalino's arrival, his familiar abilities, and this powerful support, the morale of the Navy began to rise again.
Many marines were thrilled, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope. After all, the Night Pirates were simply too strong. Their powerful combat strength, even with their numerical advantage, still made it almost impossible for them to raise their heads.
"I have absolutely no desire to fight, but could you do me the honor and let my comrades go?" Borsalino didn't make a move; instead, he seemed more inclined to have a conversation.
"I'm very sorry, but the captain has decided to leave all the participating marines on this island. You probably don't want to be one of them." A flash of blood appeared, and Lafitte's figure appeared in front of Borsalino. He smiled, appearing Gentleman, but the blood-stained sword and the strong bloody aura emanating from him made it impossible to tell how many people he had killed.
"Oh? Are you sure?" Borsalino asked with a smile, his body already prepared for action, as officers appeared around him, targeting him.
The sword-wielding Xiouyapufu had butterfly wings growing from his back, and his body was spotless, without a trace of blood.
Kos had already raised his gun and aimed it at Borsalino. Borsalino felt a sharp gaze and a cold glint behind him.
A tangible mental tentacle, carrying immense threat, condensed from List's body, stretching hundreds of meters in length, aimed at Borsalino, and split into three—the limit of List's control. From this mental tentacle emanated mental fluctuations like the wailing of Kikoku, forcing Borsalino to be cautious.
Nelson also made a move, wielding a knife and using Geppo to ascend into the air, his eyes fixed on Borsalino.
In the blink of an eye, Borsalino had already been targeted by the five officers of the Night Pirates and was about to face their Night Pirates attack.
Even Borsalino's expression turned serious. The greatest threat to him was not List, who possessed terrifying mental attacks, nor the hidden gunman Kos, but rather Nelson, who was the weakest among them.
He had no way to resist Nelson's ability; even his Haki couldn't withstand it, making it impossible to defend against. Although he could roughly see the range of Nelson's ability, it was still difficult to avoid because Nelson's ability was spatial, appearing without warning and even difficult to detect with Observation Haki.