"Honestly, as the captain, I can't even get a decent opponent."
Rod cast a bored glance around the battlefield.
Law was fired up for a fight for once, and his opponent was the Donquixote Family—the demons of his past. Rod really couldn't bring himself to steal his fight.
More importantly, after their exchanges just now, Rod could tell that although Gladius was strong, Law should be able to beat him with room to spare.
Nia and that dachshund were battling fiercely over there. Zoan Devil Fruit users sure could take a beating. The guy was no match for Nia, but he'd somehow held on this long without going down for good.
Still, he looked like he was about to fall any second.
As for the other members of the Donquixote Family, most of them had already been taken down thanks to Pekoms, Shakky, and Bepo.
Of course, Gladius had helped with that. His several explosions had taken out quite a few of his own men.
"Huh? Grey, why are you lying on the ground too?"
Rod looked curiously at Grey, who was sprawled off to the side.
"You're not even hurt."
"Ha ha..."
Grey gave an awkward grin.
"I'm pretending to be down, so no one will pay attention to me."
"You're remarkably honest about being a coward."
"What else can I do? I'm just a helpless scientist who can't hurt a fly!"
Grey suddenly grew agitated. He leaped up and pointed at the two fierce battles still raging nearby.
"I was wrong. I should never have gone to Minion Island in the first place. If I hadn't gone to Minion Island, I wouldn't have boarded your ship. If I hadn't boarded your ship, I wouldn't have..."
"Since they don't need me on this battlefield anymore, I'll go look for the Donquixote Family's treasury."
After glancing at Law's fight, Nerl put away his weapon and called to Grey.
"I'm in. From the information we gathered earlier, the Donquixote Family is probably the biggest weapons supplier in the North Blue. They might have plenty of interesting weapons."
"Sounds great!"
Grey, who'd been muttering to himself moments ago, sprang back to life in an instant. Looking thrilled, he followed Nerl toward the back of the estate.
"Damn you! You really don't take me seriously at all!"
Even in the middle of the fight, Gladius had noticed what Nerl and Grey were doing. Seeing them completely ignore him and head straight toward the back of the estate, the veins on his forehead bulged. A boundless rage nearly overwhelmed him in an instant.
"Full Body Explosion!"
Gladius's body swelled like a balloon.
After using this move, his whole body would keep expanding. When it exploded, the force was far greater than that of his ordinary attacks.
More importantly, when his body exploded, it would fire a million explosive hairs. They would pierce through anything in their path, and his hair was also coated in a potent poison that could paralyze anyone instantly.
I'll finish them all off with this!
The thought flashed through Gladius's mind. The next moment, his body was about to explode.
"ROOM—Conductor's Baton!"
Sensing the danger of the attack, Law immediately activated his power. First, he moved Gladius to the farthest edge of his ability's range. Then he swung Kikoku, slicing the entire main building apart and sending it flying toward Gladius to block him off from everyone else.
"It won't stop me!"
With a roar from Gladius, his body swelled to its limit. A deafening blast followed, and a terrifying explosion swept across the entire town.
The shock wave destroyed more than ninety percent of the town's buildings almost instantly. Countless nearly invisible poisonous hairs shot in every direction with the blast. People collapsed one after another, groaning helplessly, unable even to stand.
"That was close. I nearly got hit. Were those things all hair?"
Nia patted her chest, relief showing on her face.
She'd been close to the explosion, but that wasn't the dangerous part. The hairs shooting in every direction were the real threat—at least, that was what her sixth sense told her.
"Good thing I had you, you scrawny dog!"
Nia patted Manudo's head, looking quite pleased.
The instant the explosion went off, she'd pinned Manudo down and used him as a shield.
Fortunately, despite being so scrawny, he'd blocked all the hairs flying toward her.
Glancing at the countless hairs stuck in his body and the wounds they'd left behind, Nia felt relieved—and a little disappointed.
The fight hadn't been enough!
"Sorry, I missed a few."
Rod gave an awkward grin as he looked at Grey, who was lying stiffly on the ground.
His swordsmanship still wasn't good enough. He hadn't managed to block every hair that came flying at them.
"I..."
Grey's mouth twitched.
He'd been hiding at the very back, so why were the people in front of him all fine while he was the only one who'd gotten hit?
"What were you going to say?"
Rod stepped a little closer.
"I was wrong. I should never have..."
"Enough. Shut up."
Ignoring Grey's murderous glare, Rod forcibly closed his mouth. The paralysis poison had left Grey unable to control his facial muscles, and he couldn't even open his mouth to speak again.
"Don't worry. This poison isn't fatal."
Nerl examined him briefly before speaking.
"At most, it'll paralyze him for a while. Of course, if he doesn't get help, that's another matter."
"Can you handle it, Law? If not, I'll take over."
Rod yelled at Law.
"You've got to be kidding. I only need a minute to end this."
A flicker of irritation crossed Law's eyes.
I'll have to go all out. Otherwise, those guys will never stop giving me grief.
Gladius's move really is a pain to deal with. At least Bepo and the others weren't caught in it.
Law glanced at Bepo and the other two from the corner of his eye, his expression turning wary.
A short distance in front of him, Gladius had recovered and was rushing toward him.
If I let this guy keep using that move, things will get ugly.
The shock wave from that explosion just now was more than Bepo and the others could withstand. If they took a hit from it at close range, their physiques wouldn't save them from serious injuries.
And then there was Grey, who was practically an ordinary person.
Then...
"ROOM—"
The blue sphere spread across the battlefield once more.
Feeling the field of Law's ability envelop his surroundings, Gladius's eyes flashed with ferocity.
He hadn't expected Trafalgar Law, who'd betrayed the family, to grow this strong. Law's ability in particular was an incredible nuisance.
Still, even if Law could use his power to dodge all over the place, dragging the fight out would only work in Gladius's favor. From Law's performance, it was clear that using his Devil Fruit took a heavy toll on his stamina.
And compared to his advantages in evasion and mobility, Law hadn't shown anything special when it came to attacking.
The moment Law tries to close in, that'll be the end of the fight!
A faint red glimmer flickered in Gladius's eyes.
Now!
A chunk of rubble vanished in front of Gladius, and Law appeared right before him.
With an ability like that, he's still choosing to attack head-on? How naive!
A murderous glint flashed in Gladius's eyes. He swung both arms, which swelled in an instant.
"Black Feather Arm Cannon!"
He expanded his arms to their limit, then, at the moment of the explosion, fired the sturdy armor fragments covering them along with the blast. No one had ever escaped this attack unscathed!
"Heartbeat Shock!"
Law tossed aside Kikoku and thrust out both hands. Ignoring Gladius's swinging arms, he pressed his thumbs to Gladius's chest before the explosion could go off.
A terrifying jolt of electricity burst out. Gladius's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness instantly. His swollen arms quickly returned to normal.
Thud—
Gladius collapsed limply to the ground. Just as Law had said, the fight was over in under a minute!
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