51
"Ha! How did that 'blood-blinded eyes' move feel?"
Although taking a heavy kick in exchange had only temporarily blinded the opponent, the attacker had never relied solely on swordsmanship.
The figure drifted backward, merging into the golden colossus's broken sword.
The motionless colossus abruptly came alive, its blade crashing down on the old man whose vision was blurred.
"Pointless."
The old man's palms became iron claws. Every block knocked the golden blade back, keeping every attack at bay.
His hoarse voice pierced the clangor of clashing weapons:
"Hachinosu is our nest."
His words stabbed into the battle like icicles:
"With just the few of you-"
How much longer could they hold out?
The battle was proving the old man's words true.
Elsewhere, the viscous Devil Fruit user and the ** siblings were each tied down by two officers bearing the title of "Five Peaks"
-the young siblings in particular were already struggling under the relentless storm of attacks.
Dragging them into a melee of this caliber was truly asking too much of them.
And the real crux lay at-
The harbor.
"Hold the gangways! Don't let anyone onto the decks!"
Along the sides of the Cold Crow · Numancia Flamingo and the unnamed ship, the fighting had never stopped.
Arcs of electricity danced around the furred warriors, their weapons coated in a black sheen. Every swing swept charging enemies into the air.
But these waters were the enemy's nest, after all. Vastly outnumbered, their defensive lines kept shrinking, and the outlines of the two ships gradually blurred beneath the tidal wave of attacks.
Even if they held the decks, what then? By the time their companions broke through the encirclement, the densely packed masts would already have sealed the harbor exit tight.
The enormous ship named the "Queen Mama