"Stand down, Hina."
"It hasn't reached the point where things are truly desperate yet. Even if we really had to flee..."
"There's no reason for young people like you to cover the retreat for an old woman like me."
After Admiral Kuzan was sent flying by a single blow from Big Mom, Hina looked at the fierce pirate before her and struggled to suppress the fear in her heart as she shielded Tsuru behind her.
At that moment, Tsuru gently placed a hand on Hina's arm, moved her aside, stepped in front of her, and calmly looked at Big Mom.
"There it is again. So it really was you, you old hag?!"
The instant Tsuru's hand touched Hina, Big Mom sensed Hina's fear vanish without a trace once more. Her Soul Pocus had lost its target again.
The same thing had happened twice right before Big Mom's eyes. If she still could not figure out who was behind it by now, she would not have been qualified to stand at the pinnacle of these seas.
Big Mom fixed Tsuru with a vicious glare, murderous intent pouring from every inch of her body.
No one had ever drawn out such intense killing intent from Big Mom. Tsuru's existence stirred up a deep, overwhelming disgust within her. Just looking at Tsuru made Big Mom's heart tremble.
Natural enemy!
For some reason, that phrase flashed through Big Mom's mind.
The next moment, Big Mom leaped forward, gripping her greatsword as she charged straight at Tsuru. Her massive body whipped up a violent gale as she sprinted, and terrifying Haki spilled from her body, suffocating everyone nearby.
Although Hina had shown plenty of backbone in the face of Big Mom, Haki was a tangible force. It was not something she could withstand through courage