Watching Genos recover from his injuries in the blink of an eye and charge at him again, Mr. 5 grew slightly more serious.
He had already learned about it from the intelligence reports, but seeing it with his own eyes was still astonishing.
That terrifying recovery ability.
"Yahahaha! Try a taste of my attack—10,000 Kilogram Guillotine!"
As a sharp, shrill voice rang out, a figure dropped from the sky, one long, straight leg slamming down hard.
She stopped abruptly at the last moment, but the blow from above still struck Genos.
Crack—
Genos heard his bones break.
Boom!!
After striking Genos, the heavy kick slammed into the ground, smashing a huge crater into it. Having delivered the blow, Ms. Valentine floated back up, spinning her umbrella and wearing her usual nasty smile.
"This guy has declared war on our company. It's fine to kill him right here, isn't it?"
"Of course!"
Mr. 5 stuck a finger up his nose, rolled a booger into a ball, then aimed at Genos and flicked it with all his might.
"Snot Fantasy Cannon!"
When he saw the booger flying at him, Genos showed a startled expression for the first time. Enduring the intense pain in his shoulder, he swung the axe in his hand up in front of himself.
I absolutely can't let an attack this disgusting hit me!
Boom!!
The moment the axe in Genos's hands collided with the booger, a terrifying explosion swept through everything, completely engulfing him.
"No matter how strong his recovery is, he won't have time to heal from an explosion like that."
Mr. 5 wore a faint smile as he watched the man disappear into the blast.
He was a powerful fighter from the Grand Line. Dealing with a mere nobody from one of the Four Seas would be a piece of cake.
"Mr. 11!"
While the battle raged up ahead, a man with the Baroque Works insignia tattooed on his chest secretly found Mr. 11 and handed him a box in a furtive manner.
"What's this?"
Mr. 11 looked at the shifty-eyed man in confusion.
The man wasn't much to look at, but he was quick-witted and resourceful. He was one of the people Mr. 11 had found especially useful while handling business in the North Blue.
Still, with the battle at such a critical point, what could he possibly have to report?
"It's Zombie Man's dog!"
The shifty-eyed lackey hunched over, rubbing his hands together as he spoke with a smarmy grin.
"That guy has no family and no friends. He only has this dog for company. If we use it to threaten him, he'll have no choice but to accept our terms."
"You really are full of schemes!"
Mr. 11 gave the lackey an approving look, then shook his head with some regret.
"But it's too late. Our goal now is to kill him!"
"Huh?!"
Mr. 11 reached out and patted the stunned lackey on the head, promising him, "I've seen what you can do. From now on, you'll work for me."
"It would be my honor!"
The lackey looked delighted. At last, all his hard work lately had paid off!
"Then, what about the dog..."
"Get rid of it."
Mr. 11 waved a hand dismissively.
Hearing his answer, the lackey nodded, then carried the box away, planning to sell the stolen puppy to the restaurant next door.
At least he could trade it for a bottle of wine. Mr. 11 loved drinking.
Mm—
Just as the lackey turned and walked into a narrow alley, a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness and clamped over his mouth. A chop to the back of his head followed, and he lost consciousness at once.
"Did you knock him out for good?"
Nerl voiced his doubts as he looked at the lackey lying there with foam at his mouth.
"How could I? I controlled my strength."
Rod took the box from the lackey, set it down gently, and glanced at the unconscious man before clenching his fist slightly.
He still wasn't quite good enough at controlling his strength.
"This dog's been drugged."
Rod opened the box. Inside lay a pure-white puppy, apparently fast asleep.
"After all, they were planning to use it to threaten its owner. If they killed it outright, it wouldn't be much of a threat."
Nerl glanced toward the three who had resumed fighting in the street, then looked back at Rod.
"What do we do now?"
Rod stood up and watched the man who was still fighting relentlessly against two opponents. No matter how badly he was injured, he recovered quickly. A glint lit up Rod's eyes.
"Obviously, we make him one of our companions!"
"I knew it."
Nerl nodded slightly.
Whether they were challenging the Shichibukai or conquering the seas, a handful of people alone couldn't do it.
They needed companions!
And the "Zombie Man" fighting in the distance was clearly someone Rod had his eye on.
Boom!
Another violent explosion rang out. When the smoke cleared, Mr. 5 once again saw the fierce glint in Genos's eyes.
Mr. 5 instinctively took half a step back, an indescribable feeling rising in his heart.
What kind of Devil Fruit ability was this?!
Whether his arms were blown off, his bones shattered by a kick, or his internal organs crushed until he spat blood, the man before him could recover in an incredibly short time and attack them again, without tiring.
Ms. Valentine floated in midair without saying a word, her expression grim.
Over the past few minutes, she had hit him again and again, broken his bones again and again, and been shaken more than once by his fearless attitude.
"Attack together! He's only one man, and all he can do is recover quickly. He's not that strong in a fight. Let's take him down together!"
Realizing that even the two Chief Commanders didn't seem able to defeat their opponent, Mr. 11 shouted. As his voice fell, dozens of people carrying all kinds of weapons emerged from several taverns nearby. Baroque Works insignias were visible on different parts of their bodies.
"Die, monster!"
"Charge!"
"Take him down!"
"..."
With shouts ringing out, dozens of Baroque Works members charged at Genos, swinging their weapons.
"Stay by my side for now. Once that Zombie Man has been worn down a little, we'll join in. No matter how strong his recovery is, if we pierce his heart and chop off his head in one instant, that should kill him, right?"
Hearing someone approach beside him, Mr. 11 assumed the quick-witted lackey who had left earlier had returned after taking care of Genos's dog. Without turning around, he gave his instructions.
"Not a bad idea. If you managed to catch him by surprise, you might actually inflict a fatal wound."
That wasn't the person who had left earlier!
At the voice from behind him, Mr. 11's expression changed. He darted forward and drew the long sword at his waist, slashing toward the source of the sound.
"Too slow!"
Mr. 11 saw a figure flicker before him. The next instant, pain shot through his wrist, and his hand released the sword involuntarily.
"Still, that's a nice sword!"
Rod caught the sword as Mr. 11 let go. He tested its weight, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"One of the 50 Great Swords, Kashu!"
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