Lulusia Kingdom, Port Town.
A cigar clenched between his teeth, Hiyakeyama rested his right hand on the hilt at his waist. Squinting at Perona floating in midair, he spoke sternly:
"Just surrender! I don't want to point my blade at a little girl like you..."
Upon arriving at the scene, Hiyakeyama had vaguely pieced together some of the truth behind this incident from the situation around him.
However...
Akainu had ordered them to kill the girls, which left him somewhat hesitant.
It was precisely because of Hiyakeyama's brief moment of hesitation that the other Vice Admirals had already chosen their opponents, leaving only the unarmed Perona for him.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Perona snorted coldly and casually waved her hand. A massive white ghost instantly formed from her palm, broke free, and charged at Hiyakeyama. Meanwhile, she soared higher into the sky again, widening the distance between them as she drifted toward a nearby house.
Watching the white ghost rush straight at him, Hiyakeyama had no idea what Perona's Devil Fruit ability could do.
Still, most things created by Devil Fruits could not withstand powerful Haki.
So... all he had to do was cut it down!
Whoosh—!
The long sword at Hiyakeyama's waist suddenly left its sheath. With a flash of steel, a blue Flying Slash wrapped in Armament Haki shot from the blade, cleaving the approaching white ghost cleanly into two.
However...
Before Hiyakeyama's astonished eyes, the enormous white ghost exploded with a boom, releasing a fierce blast of air. Countless thumb-sized white ghosts shot toward him like bursting spores.
Hiyakeyama: "!?"
Instinctively, he tried to cover his entire body in Armament Haki to defend himself and become immune to the enemy's ability.
However...
Just as he began to summon his Armament Haki, a thumb-sized Negative Hollow sank directly into