As elites of the CP Organization and members of CP0, Rock and the other two were not only proficient in the Six Powers, but also in Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
But clearly, their Observation Haki was not sharp enough to detect an ant on the ground. By the time Ripley returned to her original size and threw a punch at them—
It was already too late for the three of them to dodge.
"Iron Body!"
Rock was the first to react. He used Iron Body, one of the Six Powers, intending to withstand Ripley's attack head-on.
The other two had the same idea.
"Two idiots!"
Watching the battle alongside Rocks from the sky, Magnus gave an unceremonious assessment. "Iron Body works well against attacks with a wide range but low damage. But against an attack far beyond what you can withstand, it just turns you into an immobile target!"
"Of those three CP agents, only the one in the white bowler hat had a chance of withstanding Ripley's Haki-coated punch. The other two shouldn't have tried to take it with him. They should have used the time the white-hatted one bought them to evade Ripley's attack, then counterattack her."
"As a result, what should have been one person severely injured became three people seriously injured."
With the physical prowess of CP0 agents, even serious injuries would not completely rob them of their fighting ability. Still, the severity of their injuries would undoubtedly have a huge impact on their combat strength.
"Big Sister Ripley!"
Seeing Ripley suddenly appear before her and send the three CP0 agents flying with a single punch, Gulz, who lay tied up on the ground, immediately teared up.
"Hehe, if you want to cry, wait until I've dealt with those three bastards!"
"And you too, Hajrudin."
"I-I'm not going to cry!"
Hearing Ripley's words, Hajrudin immediately blushed furiously. But after retorting once, he lowered his head and said nothing more.
He felt utterly ashamed.
He was Giant King Harald's child, yet he had been secretly abducted while asleep. Without even putting up a proper fight, he had become a prisoner.
Father must be terribly disappointed in me, the giant boy thought sorrowfully.
Ripley paid no attention to what the two children were thinking.
From the moment she revealed herself, this battle had been destined to end quickly.
Having seized the initiative—
After sending Rock and the other two flying, Ripley immediately chased them from the bow to the stern. With the Giant race's massive size, she crossed the distance in just three or four strides.
Then she stomped down.
Giant's Foot!
Bang!
The sturdy deck shattered beneath Ripley's foot. Rock and the other two could only flee in disarray with their injured bodies, searching for a chance to counterattack.
"Finger Pistol!"
One of Rock's arms had already suffered a comminuted fracture, and blood covered his mouth and nose. Yet he still forced himself to endure, coating his finger in Armament Haki and thrusting it at Ripley's right foot.
But before he could strike Ripley, he saw her body suddenly shrink.
Devil Fruit user!
The thought flashed through Rock's mind. He should have realized it long ago, but Ripley's opening punch had left him too dazed to think clearly, causing him to make the wrong decision.
"Take this punch!"
Ripley's fist rapidly enlarged before Rock's eyes, leaving him no choice but to block with his other hand.
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking rang out from Rock's arm. He felt utterly stifled. If Ripley had not ambushed him, how could he have ended up in such a state?
But who could have imagined that a giant would suddenly emerge from beneath their feet?
"Rock!"
"Lord Rock!"
With Rock, the one leading the team, already down, the remaining two severely injured CP0 agents posed no threat. Magnus therefore had the giant eagle carrying them descend, then boarded the ship with Rocks.
Seeing that Ripley was alone, the remaining two CP0 agents had still clung to a faint hope of escape. But when they saw Magnus descend from the sky, they fell completely into despair.
"White Wolf Magnus... Why is he here?"
"Where is Admiral Scarlet Snake? Did the admiral lose? Impossible!"
"..."
The two spoke incoherently, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at Magnus.
"No, that's not right. Giant King Harald must have intervened!"
"Damn it! How dare mere members of the Giant race join forces with pirates to attack a Fleet Admiral? This is a provocation against the World Government! The World Government will never let you off!"
"..."
Seemingly realizing there was no way out, the two CP0 agents began making threats.
"No, you're wrong."
Seeing the two CP0 agents actually underestimate Magnus, Ripley gave an unhappy snort. "That Fleet Admiral was driven back by our captain alone. So what if he's a Fleet Admiral? He still lost to our captain!"
"What?"
"Impossible!!"
The two CP0 agents' pupils contracted violently, but the more they thought about it, the more it seemed somewhat plausible.
After all, Magnus was a Great Pirate who had been active for decades.
Hadn't there been capture operations involving Fleet Admirals in the past? Yet they still had not caught Magnus.
And Admiral Scarlet Snake was still very young.
It did not seem impossible for the more experienced Magnus to defeat him.
Once they thought of that, the two CP0 agents became even more despairing.
Against an opponent who could defeat even a Fleet Admiral, they had no hope of escape at all.
"I can give you a chance."
Magnus's voice suddenly drew the attention of the two CP0 agents.
"If you can defeat him, I'll let you go. How about it?"
Magnus pointed at Rocks beside him and smiled.
Two uninjured CP0 agents would definitely be too much for the current Rocks, but two heavily injured CP0 agents were another matter.
"Well? Are you confident?"
"Yes!"
Hearing Magnus's words, Rocks nodded heavily, flames of fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
He was a genius!
If he could not even defeat two seriously injured enemies, what kind of genius would that make him?
Looking at the still somewhat youthful Rocks, the two CP0 agents exchanged a glance, feeling the same frustration as their leader.
They were CP0!
Even within the world's strongest intelligence organization, they stood at the very top of the pyramid.
Since when could newcomers who had just gone to sea bully them?
But Magnus stood nearby, watching them like a tiger.
Forget Magnus—even in their current state, they could not defeat that female giant.
Not to mention the giant eagle overhead.
They could only fight!
The moment the two CP0 agents made up their minds, Rocks vanished from Magnus's side.
"Soru!"
Appearing before the two CP0 agents in an instant, Rocks had no intention of following any countdown rule. Magnus had told him from the beginning that this sea was cruel.
"Tempest Kick!"
His leg sliced toward one of the CP0 agents like a blade. That agent could even feel the cutting wind around Rocks's foot before it left his body.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
The CP0 agent flew into a rage. A rookie like Rocks would only be a trainee even in their CP Organization, yet he actually dared attack him.
"Finger Pistol!"
"Iron Body: Shatter!"
The two CP0 agents attacked Rocks at the same time, but their reactions were clearly more than a beat slower due to their severe injuries.
"Geppo!"
Rocks merely leaped with force and escaped the range of both attacks.
"Tempest Kick: Sea Wave!"
Facing two enemies far stronger than himself for the first time, Rocks did not dare let down his guard even though the two CP0 agents were seriously injured. Once he realized that close combat could leave him caught in a pincer attack, he chose to continuously fire off slashing kicks to wear them down.
They were already injured, surrounded by the sea, and Magnus was watching them from the side. The two CP0 agents did not dare flee at all.
Since they did not dare run, they could only endure it head-on.
"This kind of shameless fighting style... I like it!"
Magnus wore a strange expression. He had thought Rocks would choose a more straightforward approach, but that would surely have cost him dearly.
Instead, by dragging things out like this, he had worn the two CP0 agents to death.
"So strong!"
In the corner, Hajrudin, whom Ripley had already untied, stared fixedly at Rocks. Seeing Rocks suppress two CP0 agents all by himself, shock filled his eyes.
Half a year ago, when he fought Rocks, Rocks had only been able to defeat him through an ambush.
But if it were now—
Hajrudin felt that even if Rocks fought him head-on this time, Rocks would not lose.
Thinking of this, Hajrudin could not help feeling a deep sense of defeat.
Where had he gone wrong?
Unlike Hajrudin, who felt dejected, Gulz—who had also been kidnapped by the three CP0 agents—was excited.
Big Sister Ripley was so strong!
Big Brother Rocks was so strong too!
And there was also the strongest one, Uncle Magnus...
If I joined the White Wolf Pirates, could I become this strong too?
The girl's eyes sparkled.
(Gulz and Linlin)
Before you continue