Lina's Desperate Situation

"Melt... melt... Candle: Spear!"

Mr. 3 shouted and took the lead in launching a fierce counterattack. His hands moved rapidly, producing a massive amount of wax.

Under his power, the originally soft wax seemed to have been enchanted, instantly hardening into an incomparably sharp spear that glinted with a cold light.

Mr. 3 then swung his arm forcefully, and the sharp wax spear shot toward Lina like lightning. Its speed was staggering; in the blink of an eye, it had already reached her.

At the same time, Mr. 3's attack seemed to sound the horn for Baroque Works' full counteroffensive.

Seeing this, Miss Doublefinger's delicate body trembled violently, and countless sharp spikes sprouted all over her at a visible rate. In an instant, she transformed into a huge spiked ball.

Then she flashed forward, rolling at breakneck speed like a violent storm as she charged at Lina with unstoppable momentum.

"Nose-Fancy Cannon!"

Mr. 5 was unwilling to be outdone. He squeezed his nose hard, launching a sticky lump of booger with the special power of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Though the tiny booger looked insignificant, the force contained within it was not to be underestimated—it was enough to blast down a wall.

And Lina was its target as well.

At that moment, Ms. Valentine floated lightly into the air, like a flower swaying in the breeze.

Yet in stark contrast to her seemingly leisurely posture, her sharp eyes remained fixed on Lina below without the slightest lapse in attention.

Clearly, she was waiting for the moment Lina launched a counterattack. As long as Lina revealed even the slightest opening, she would be able to seize it accurately from the air and deliver a fatal blow.

Their objective was obvious—they intended to focus their strength on taking down the formidable Lina first!

Gin did not hesitate upon seeing the scene before him. He rushed straight toward Lina like lightning, clearly intending to rescue her...

At the same time, Mr. 1 watched everything with a cold gaze and quickly gave the order. "Mr. 2, stop him!"

Having received the command, Mr. 2 attacked without hesitation. "Okama Kenpo: Falling Swan Dance!"

As his words fell, his whole body swayed like a drunken man, yet every movement concealed something profound. His actions appeared erratic, but every strike was incomparably precise and powerful. Even stranger, when he attacked, the phantoms of two beautiful swans appeared out of nowhere and danced alongside his assault.

As everyone knew, once a top swordsman cultivated his swordsmanship to a sufficiently profound realm, he could comprehend sword intent.

Such sword intent could take countless forms, much like Zoro's dragon-shaped slashes. The same principle applied to martial arts.

Judging by this, Mr. 2's Okama Kenpo had clearly reached that level.

In terms of talent, perhaps no one in all of Baroque Works could surpass Mr. 2. After all, much of Mr. 1's tremendous combat strength came from the special powers granted by his Devil Fruit. Mr. 2, on the other hand, could contend with him through nothing but his own exceptional martial arts.

Although Mr. 2 was still slightly inferior to Mr. 1 in overall strength, there was no doubting his talent or ability.

Thus, when he launched his fierce assault, even someone as strong as Gin found it difficult to break free for the moment. Meanwhile, the others stepped forward without hesitation, lining up before Zoro to form an impregnable defense.

At that moment, Mr. 1 stared coldly at Ener like a god of slaughter. The corners of his mouth curled into a chilling sneer. Clearly, after their earlier clash, he had resolved not to give Ener any chance to come to Lina's aid this time.

Earlier, Ener, Gin, and Lina had worked together seamlessly and killed three of their opponents in succession.

How could Mr. 1 simply let that go?

Seeing this, he calculated inwardly, Since these three are so formidable together, I'll concentrate our forces on the relatively weaker Lina first. That'll be a fierce counterblow for them!

Just then, an enraged shout rang through the heavens. "Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!"

Zoro had finally been unable to hold himself back and launched his attack. Moving as swiftly as lightning, he clenched Wado Ichimonji tightly in his mouth, then gripped Yubashiri and Kashu in his hands. In an instant, an incomparably powerful sword intent erupted from his body and rapidly gathered into the form of a huge, clawing dragon.

"Whoosh..."

Amid a sharp, ear-piercing howl through the air, Zoro drove off with both legs, shooting toward the enemy at astonishing speed like a cannonball fired from its barrel.

As he neared them, he suddenly swung his arms. The giant dragon formed from sword intent immediately soared into the air and lunged at the enemy with unstoppable force.

Wherever it passed, enemies were swept into the sky by the overwhelmingly powerful sword pressure, as though a raging dragon were truly ascending to heaven. Moreover, the terrifying tornado was immensely destructive, making those struck by it suffer the double devastation of being slashed and blown away. The sight was astonishing.

Most crucially, even Ms. Valentine, who was in the air, failed to escape and was swept into the attack.

Those trying to block Zoro's path were all mere nobodies. Before his explosive assault, they were utterly unable to withstand a single blow; not one of them managed to retreat unscathed.

At that moment, Lina's expression became exceptionally grave. Her face was tense, as though every nerve in her body had been stretched to its limit.

This was the first time in her life that she had encountered such an unfavorable battle... It was truly perilous... Her beautiful eyes narrowed into needle-sharp slits, gleaming with a chilling light. Her hands clenched the long blades tightly as her gaze swept over the people and attacks converging on her from every direction.

In an instant, Lina became completely immersed in her own world. The surrounding clamor and cries of battle seemed to gradually drift away from her.

At that moment, it seemed as though her entire world contained only herself and the two blades clenched in her hands. For some reason, an indescribable and wondrous connection formed between her and the twin swords. The feeling made the blood throughout her body boil, and unprecedented excitement surged in her heart.

In that instant, it felt as though something within her had broken open.