Fake Swordsman! (Please Follow! Please Follow!)

Fake Swordsman! (Please Follow! Please Follow!)

Bang!

Click, click.

Abel had only brought two guns this time, and in no time at all, he had emptied them both.

So he casually tossed the guns aside, then tore off the [Lightweight Bulletproof Vest], whose protective value had been depleted.

White-quality gear really was too useless!

"That brat's out of bullets! Get him together and kill him!"

"Don't use guns! Cut him down with your swords! That kid's slippery as an eel!"

The pirates around Abel saw his predicament and thought their chance had come. One by one, they charged at him with savage expressions.

"Although this 'stage' is far from as magnificent as I imagined, with scum like you as the audience, there are certainly enough of you."

As Abel spoke words no one else understood, he gripped the short sword hanging at his waist.

Asura Aurora Slash!

Abel's blade didn't seem to move very quickly, but the resulting Aurora Slash streaked into the crowd of enemies, creating a dazzling and bloody spectacle!

Without charging it up, the slash only flew a dozen meters before fading away.

But it left a field of severed limbs in its wake!

The piercing property of Asura Aurora Slash meant it didn't lose any power as it flew.

It wouldn't gradually weaken just because it had cut down a dozen people in front.

"A-a swordsman?!"

The commotion caused by what had just happened drew the attention of many, leaving them utterly stunned!

Some of the pirates who knew a thing or two cried out in shock, mistaking Abel for a swordsman.

In their minds, a Flying Slash was practically one of the defining marks of a swordsman.

An ordinary person could never make an attack like that.

But then there was the question: a swordsman who was around ten years old?

What a joke!

Then they saw the kid casually swing his sword once more.

Whoosh!

This time, they saw it even more clearly.

A two-meter-long, double-crescent slash shimmering with rainbow-colored aurora tore away from the blade in an instant. It flew a dozen meters, cutting down every enemy in its path!

There was no mistake. This wasn't an illusion. It was a genuine Flying Slash!

The Skunk Pirates' members had already been on the verge of breaking after their captain suddenly vanished. Now they completely fell apart, screaming as they fled in every direction.

Even without Abel's intervention, it would have taken only another minute or two for them to collapse completely.

Abel's sudden display of Flying Slashes had merely sped things up—and given him a chance to build his reputation.

"Damn it, you useless trash! You couldn't even hold out for this little while."

"But forget it. At least I've accomplished my goal."

"Enjoy this grand gift I prepared for you, Donquixote Family!"

Captain Mephitis had escaped through a secret passage long ago and was now hiding halfway up the mountain. With a vicious, triumphant grin, he slammed the red button in his hand!

He looked forward to the entire manor—and the Donquixote Family trapped inside—being blown sky-high together!

"Hm? Why isn't anything happening?"

"Explode! Come on, explode!"

Mephitis panicked, cold sweat covering his face as he desperately pressed the button.

But the massive amount of explosives purchased by their four Pirate Groups didn't make a sound.

"No wonder I couldn't find you anywhere in the manor. You'd already escaped here through the secret passage."

At the teasing voice from behind him, Mephitis turned to draw his gun and fire without the slightest hesitation.

Unfortunately, the moment Doflamingo's voice rang out, Mephitis had already lost any chance to fight back.

"Why can't I move? What did you do to me?" Mephitis looked terrified. Losing control of his body felt awful—utterly horrible!

Look closely, and a few transparent strings could be seen attached to Mephitis, their other ends held in Doflamingo's hand.

As Doflamingo flicked his fingers, Mephitis turned around stiffly, like a puppet under someone's control.

"What did I do to you? Shouldn't you be asking what you were trying to do to my family?"

"Donquixote Doflamingo?!"

"No, you can't kill me! This is all a misunderstanding!"

"I'll pay you back for everything! Actually, I'm willing to join you. I'm Mephitis of the Skunk Pirates, with a bounty of 31 million Beli—"

"Shut up!"

Doflamingo was furious. How could such a worthless piece of trash dare to provoke him?

He controlled Mephitis into cutting out his own tongue.

At last, things were quiet.

"I'd still like to ask what plans you have for later, but I'm no longer interested. Now you'll witness true despair. Everything you long for, everything you put your hopes in, will be destroyed with ease!"

"Be grateful. Letting you witness it all before you die in agony and despair is the greatest mercy I can show you."

Mephitis stared at him with hatred and fear. Like a puppet, he followed close behind Doflamingo, step by step, as they headed toward the distant Numancia Flamingo.

Meanwhile, the three pirate ships they had arranged to meet were already in position.

"Strange. According to the plan, Mephitis should've set off the explosives by now."

"I've got a bad feeling about this. We haven't been able to reach Mephitis since earlier. Nobody's answering the Den Den Mushi either. He must've run into trouble."

"Then what do we do? We've come this far. Are we supposed to leave with our tails between our legs?"

"Damn it! Forget that guy. We'll attack according to the original plan. As long as we destroy their ship, we can trap those Donquixote Family bastards here!"

"Right! Charge, charge, charge!"

"Keep firing!"

In an instant, a barrage of cannonballs rained down on the Numancia Flamingo from three directions.

"Behehehe, so many idiots really did come to attack us."

"Enough talking. Protect the ship, or Doffy'll be mad when he gets back."

"Leave it to me. These losers are much easier to deal with than those damned, persistent Marines."

As he spoke, Trebol flung out masses of mucus, precisely coating each cannonball flying toward the ship.

The cannonballs that landed on the ship were all duds, apparently stripped of their power.

Diamante wasn't idle either. His snake sword smashed the few cannonballs that got through, setting them off in midair.

The two of them alone managed to hold off the barrage from all three pirate ships!

Of course, that was also because the three pirate ships had pretty pathetic firepower.

If they'd been up against three warships instead, Trebol and Diamante would have sailed away long ago.