Diamante's wild laughter cut off abruptly.
He stared at the young Marine before him. In those golden beast eyes, every trace of light, every hint of amusement, vanished in an instant.
"I... I said..."
Diamante instinctively tried to repeat himself, but his throat felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around it. He could not force out a single word.
An unprecedented terror swept over every inch of his body like an icy tide.
He felt that he was facing not a Marine, but a Primordial Ferocious Beast awakened from ancient chaos, born only to destroy.
He had touched an absolute taboo.
Damn it... I said the wrong thing...
The thought flashed frantically through Diamante's mind.
For the first time, he felt a shudder rise from the depths of his soul.
But it was already too late.
Before Diamante's retinas could register Lorne's movement, Lorne had already vanished from where he stood.
There was no warning, no unnecessary sound. He was so fast that even the air seemed unable to tremble in time.
So fast! Where did he go?!
Diamante frantically spread his Observation Haki, yet all he could detect was a terrifying presence approaching at a speed beyond the limits of his comprehension.
Right in front of me!
Alarm bells rang in his mind, and every hair on his body stood on end.
"Iron Hoodie!"
Without a second thought, Diamante activated his Devil Fruit ability, transforming his cape into the hardest steel and shielding himself with it.
At the same time, driven by combat instinct, the Western Sword in his hand became a deadly viper, thrusting toward that blurred afterimage.
He believed that even a Headquarters Vice Admiral would have to retreat before this desperate strike, powerful enough to pierce steel plates.
And yet.
Slash! Slash!
The sharp