Manipulating Hearts

Dalmatian, head bowed, staggered toward the naval soldiers and mercenaries engaged in fierce combat.

"Commander Tiro, are we just going to let him go like this?" Inia couldn't help but ask, watching Dalmatian's retreating figure.

"Inia ..." Rodifei adjusted his glasses, "Commander Tiro must have his reasons for doing this."

"I... I have no objection," Jesse said softly, reverting to his timid demeanor.

"Just you wait and see," Tiro, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, are you alright?!"

Seeing Dalmatian escape from the enemy, the surrounding naval soldiers were instantly roused to their fighting spirit, and after cutting down the mercenaries, they looked at Dalmatian with excitement.

Suddenly, Dalmatian raised his arm, which had been hanging down naturally, and his sharp nails tore through his clothes, revealing a blurry patch of flesh and blood.

"Vice... Vice Admiral ..." The naval soldier standing to the side, whose chest had been slashed open by Dalmatian's claws, stared at Dalmatian in disbelief, before falling backward amidst spurting blood.

"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, what exactly happened...?"

The naval soldiers shouted in panic, but Dalmatian remained unmoved. He charged into the crowd of naval soldiers, slashing out with his ten fingers in all directions. Several naval soldiers were immediately knocked to the ground, and the smell of blood filled the air.

"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, what's wrong? This is Taylor..."

"I am Hanseatic League..."

"I am Gem..."

"I am Moore..."

The soldiers called out their names one after another, trying to rouse Dalmatian from his reverie, but this method was ineffective. Dalmatian continued to mercilessly use his Shigan, reaping the lives of the naval soldiers like harvesting autumn wheat.

"Hey, what's wrong with that guy? Isn't he a navy officer?" Even the Rainbow Mercenary Group mercenaries stopped their attack and exchanged information with puzzled expressions.

"No, don't..."

"Stop it!"

"Please, Vice Admiral Dalmatian!"

Watching their comrades fall one after another, all the naval soldiers cried out, a deep despair rising within them. What broke them was not the enemy, but Vice Admiral Dalmatian, whom they had followed for many years and whom they had always regarded as their spiritual faith... This despair made them feel a suffocating pain, more intense than death itself!

Standing at a distance, Inia turned her head in shock. "Commander Tiro, what's going on? Why is this old navy dog starting to slaughter his own men?"

Not only Inia, but Jesse and Rodifei also looked puzzled.

"Haha... this is the Seven-Colored Crown that gathers seven Rainbow Pearl! It possesses the power to manipulate people's hearts..." Tiro laughed loudly. "No one can resist the invasion of this power. With this power... I will become the king who reigns supreme!!"

"This power could indeed overturn the world..." Rodifei adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and murmured.

Just as Tiro was feeling smug, a sudden change occurred!

A figure darted out from the shadows of the trees like a cheetah, and with the long arms outstretched like an ape, snatched the Seven-Colored Crown from the careless Tiro's head with lightning speed. Then, the figure rolled down and lay half-lying on the ground, tightly clutching the Seven-Colored Crown.

Dalmatian, finally freed from the control of the Seven-Colored Crown, collapsed weakly to the ground, seemingly unconscious and no longer moving.

Neither Tiro nor the Rainbow Three executives anticipated this sudden turn of events. They never imagined that, besides the Navy, there was someone else hiding in the forest!

"Haha... I saw it all! This crown possesses the power to manipulate hearts... such a terrifying power!" The man with the golden braid laughed excitedly. "It wasn't for nothing that I, Osbu, followed that bald bastard all the way here, and even after he destroyed my fleet, so what? With this crown, I can build an unparalleled and powerful fleet! Beauties, strong liquor, wealth, power—all will be mine!!"

"Give me back that crown! It's mine!" Tiro stretched out her hand, looking coldly at the Golden Braid. "You don't deserve the Seven-Colored Crown!"

"I don't care if you're worthy or not, whatever I snatch is mine!!" The woman with the Golden Braid placed the Seven-Colored Crown on her head. "Such dazzling colors... and this power!"

After saying that, his eyes seemed to be stained with blood, burning and bright. Then, with a sweep of his gaze, a thin blue film of air covered Rodifei's hand, and he attacked Tiro beside him without saying a word.

This time, Tiro was extremely cautious. Although he was less than two meters away from Rodifei, he dodged in an instant. His face was gloomy, and he rushed towards the Golden Braid in a fit of rage. However, he was stopped again by Inia and Jesse.

The three executives' eyes now shone with the same seven-colored rainbow light as Dalmatian's earlier, and they used their Devil Fruit abilities to attack Tiro relentlessly.

"Haha, be angry, cry out, this flawless crown is practically tailor-made for me..." the Golden Braid shouted uncontrollably, his pupils growing increasingly bloodshot without him realizing it, utterly frenzied.

"Damn bastard!!" Tiro was inevitably hesitant in the face of his three subordinates, and the three executives were indeed quite strong. Even though he was familiar with their Devil Fruit abilities and the patterns of their combined attacks, it would be difficult for him to break through their encirclement and kill the Golden Braid who had taken the Seven-Colored Crown.

"W-what's going on... what happened...?" Even the mercenaries of the Rainbow Mercenary Group were at a loss regarding the situation. Their leader was actually fighting with three of their officers...

"Damn it, you three idiots, get out of my way!"

Tiro waved his hands outwards, and a sudden gust of wind surged out, sending the three cadres flying outwards as if blown by a strong wind from the epicenter of an explosion.

Taking advantage of the opening, Tiro quickly approached the Golden Braid, his body emanating an endless killing intent. The Seven-Colored Crown he had waited so long to finally unleash had been snatched away by some scoundrel who had appeared out of nowhere. Even tearing the man to pieces would not be enough to vent his hatred.

However, the three cadres immediately caught up, their three-colored energy flashing out and striking at Tiro. If the latter insisted on attacking the Golden Braid, he would inevitably suffer a full-force attack from the three cadres with terrifying attributes. Even Tiro dared not ignore it and had to retreat to the side. Suddenly, he was entangled by the three cadres again.

The Golden Braid's heart skipped a beat upon sensing the killing intent. He had also tried to control Tiro, but he found that the latter was different from the others and was not bewitched by the power of the crown. Coupled with the fact that the other party had just acted, he had the thought of retreating. However, in the next instant, the red in his eyes deepened.

"Hey, Shuma?!"

As a voice calling for help rang out, a group of figures approached the Holy Lake...

A third force has finally joined the battle!