The World Government's Hidden Pawn

Seeing that her flame attack was ineffective, Stella hesitated no longer, and her body suddenly swelled.

With the explosion of a cloud of pink smoke, the small, adorable white fox vanished in an instant, replaced by a massive demon fox with silky fur and nine long, fluffy tails dancing behind her like clouds at sunset. The pressure brought by her enormous body seemed to make even the surrounding air stagnate.

Having transformed into her largest form, Stella let out a low fox cry, raised a forepaw, and fiercely clawed down at Boom's head.

She was confident that with her current strength, even a sturdy stone house would be reduced to rubble in an instant by this strike.

Facing the enormous claw descending like Mount Tai, a fierce glint flashed through Boom's eyes. Rather than dodge, he took a deep breath, and his shriveled muscles abruptly bulged as though inflated.

"[Tekkai]!"

"Clang—!!!"

The huge claw slammed viciously into Boom's body, producing a deafening sound like a heavy hammer striking a massive bell. Violent airwaves spread outward in a ring from the point of impact, tearing up the turf.

The ground beneath Boom's feet cracked inch by inch. The immense force pushed him backward for over a dozen meters, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the ground.

But he had blocked it!

Relying on his battle-hardened Tekkai, he had forcibly withstood Stella's terrifyingly powerful blow.

"Hmph!"

Boom let out a muffled grunt and dispersed the impact. His eyes brimmed with viciousness. He activated Soru again, vanishing from where he stood like a ghost. The next moment, he was already before the giant demon fox's chest and abdomen.

"[Shigan: Exploding Core]!"

He held his fingers together like a sword and drove a fierce Shigan toward Stella's abdomen. Yet just as his fingertips were about to touch her snow-white fur, the air before them seemed to ignite under an invisible force, abruptly exploding with tremendous force.

"Boom!"

Stella had never expected such an attack. Her enormous body had no time to evade, and she took the explosive Shigan head-on.

A violent shockwave erupted across her chest and abdomen. Her white fur was instantly scorched black, and her huge body was blasted backward, rolling across the ground as she let out a pained whimper.

"That's enough. Let me handle this."

Seeing Stella struggle to get back up and fight again, Dawn immediately stopped her.

Stella gave an unwilling low growl, but still retreated to the side as instructed. Light flickered around her as she returned to her little white fox form. However, her aura had become somewhat weak, and the charred patch on her chest and abdomen was especially glaring.

Dawn stepped forward and faced Boom from afar. His pupils were as cold as polar ice as he stared fixedly at his opponent.

"I never expected it... The one controlling the West Blue's largest gunpowder production site would be an undercover agent planted in the Underworld by the World Government."

Life Return, the Six Powers... These were not things an ordinary Underworld faction leader should possess. If he was a member of the World Government, then everything made sense.

That also explained why the other major figures of the Underworld, despite coveting the profits here, had never acted against Boom.

Dawn's thoughts became increasingly clear. Boom was strong, but if the true Underworld giants were willing to pay the price and use unconventional methods, such as the biochemical weapons developed by Caesar, they might not be unable to deal with him.

In the original story, Capone Bege had once planned to assassinate BIG MOM with poison gas weapons. Moral boundaries?

That was never something people of the Underworld would consider. The only explanation for why they had not acted was that the price of touching Boom was one they could not bear—for example, directly facing the World Government's wrath.

When Boom heard Dawn expose his identity, a trace of surprise flashed across his face. But he quickly regained his composure and even admitted it openly.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to see through me. Sharp eyes. Still, although this is no longer a secret among those real big shots, I would ask you... to keep it secret for me."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"Keep it secret? What makes you think I would keep this secret for you?"

A cruel glint flashed through Boom's cloudy eyes as he said matter-of-factly,

"Of course, because... dead men don't leak secrets. As your senior, let me offer you some advice, young man... don't talk too much with your enemies!"

"Boom!"

Without warning, the ground beneath Stella's feet violently swelled, and dirt and shattered rocks exploded like a bomb.

She had no time to react. Her small body was blasted high into the air, scattering several drops of crimson blood before crashing heavily to the ground, unable to move for the moment.

Almost at the same time.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The ground beneath Dawn's feet exploded in rapid succession, and the chain of explosions instantly swallowed his tall figure completely! Scorching airwaves and thick smoke spread through the area.

"Got him!"

A cruel, triumphant smile curled across Boom's lips. His true killing move was his awakened Devil Fruit ability, capable of remotely detonating everything around him, even the air itself.

The earlier close-quarters battle had merely been meant to numb his opponents' vigilance while he secretly laid his trap.

His gaze then shifted toward Robin, the only one still standing in the field. His eyes were cold and filled with killing intent.

"'Devil Child' Nico Robin... Ohara's remnant. I never expected to encounter you here. If I can kill you, the government will surely treat my son even better..."

He had pretended not to notice Robin earlier precisely to lower her guard and prepare for this surprise attack.

Boom suddenly took a deep breath, his shriveled stomach swelling high like a frog's as he aimed at Robin and sharply exhaled.

"[Jet Blast]!"

A condensed arrow of air, almost tangible, shot straight toward her with a piercing shriek.

The instant Boom's gaze fell upon her, Robin sensed the deadly danger. She crossed her arms before her chest and cried out,

"[Cien Fleurs: Fan]!"

In an instant, dozens of pale arms appeared in layers before her, linking together to form a huge circular shield made of arms.

"Boom!"

The air arrow struck the arm shield with tremendous force, causing a violent explosion. The petal-like arms shattered and dispersed amid the blast, while the immense shockwave sent Robin staggering back seven or eight steps. A sweetness rose in her throat, and a trace of bright blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Although the arm shield had blocked the direct explosive damage, the powerful shockwave still inflicted internal injuries on her.

To Be Continued