Tsugikuni Yoriichi sighed inwardly. As he murmured to himself, his right hand shot out and grabbed Buggy by the collar, hurling him at Shanks.
Just as the thrown Buggy was about to crash into Shanks, Buggy suddenly split apart in midair. His hands and feet detached from his body, and even his torso broke into separate pieces.
By the time those "fragments" of his body struck Shanks, much of their force had already been dispersed. Shanks only took half a step back before easily steadying himself.
"Hmm?!"
The sight of Buggy splitting apart filled Tsugikuni Yoriichi with a powerful sense of familiarity. At some point, he had already drawn the long sword from its sheath and gripped it in his hand.
It was completely instinctive.
Fortunately, Tsugikuni Yoriichi clearly knew that the person before him was not one of the demons he had once slain, so he forcibly restrained himself from drawing his blade.
However, when the two boys by the doorway saw Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly draw his sword, they were instantly terrified. Shanks struggled to his feet, one hand clutching his lower abdomen while the other drew the sword at his waist. He stepped in front of Buggy, whose body was slowly pulling itself back together, then tilted his head slightly and whispered:
"Get out of here. Hide!"
"The Marines have already come to this island. Hide so they don't find you."
"Wait for Captain Roger and the others to come back, then meet up with them!"
As Shanks spoke, he gripped his sword with both hands and stared at Tsugikuni Yoriichi on the stairs. Then he suddenly accelerated, leaped straight at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and slashed down toward his chest and abdomen.
People in the Pirate World were rather civilized when they fought. Nearly all swordsmen habitually targeted the