You Came Early, Garp

"Roll: Pretzel!"

Taking advantage of the instant Samael was distracted, Cracker sent the sword in his hand spinning at high speed and thrust it fiercely at the human-faced ghost fire, Armament Haki coiling around the blade.

The spiraling sword energy tore Samael to pieces and shot straight out to sea. In an instant, the distant surface twisted into a rapidly rotating tunnel through the water.

However.

"Disappeared?"

There was no joy on Cracker's face. He merely frowned and sensed everything around him; his attack hadn't felt as though it had struck anything solid.

"I see, I see. That one just now was a puppet, and you're the real Cracker?"

The grating voice suddenly rang out from the sky.

Cracker looked up to see a wisp of flame suddenly flare to life, twisting into a new human-faced ghost fire.

Samael clicked his tongue and jeered. "Grandson, you had your grandpa fooled good."

Cracker had grown somewhat used to such taunts, but compared to the verbal assaults on his mind, it was his opponent's strangeness that baffled him.

Even Logias aren't like this...

It wasn't as if the Big Mom Pirates had never fought an Admiral from Marine Headquarters. All of the current Three Admirals were Logias.

Cracker had once briefly fought "Aokiji" Kuzan. During that battle, he had likewise pierced Aokiji's chest, only for him to come away unharmed.

But the way Aokiji avoided Armament Haki attacks was nothing like what this bizarre human-faced ghost fire was doing.

He's trickier than I thought!

Cracker was no longer as relaxed as he had been at first, but he showed no weakness in his words.

"Those are called 'Biscuit Soldiers.' Don't you Seven Deadly Sins know my nickname is [Thousand Arms Cracker]?"

With that, he tucked his greatsword under his arm, spread his hands, and clapped gently.

Clap!

Two biscuits abruptly appeared beside him, then turned to powder. The powder churned in the wind and waves, gradually taking human form.

In the blink of an eye, two Biscuit Soldiers appeared, exactly like the hulking version of Cracker from before.

Samael stared in astonishment. Cracker grinned and kept clapping.

Each clap brought two more Biscuit Soldiers into the scene. After a series of claps, dozens of tall soldiers surrounded him.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Samael applauded generously. "Wonderful! You really know how to make your grandpa laugh, grandson. What else have you got?"

Cracker's face darkened. "Don't get carried away! Go!"

At his command, the Biscuit Soldiers drew their greatswords and leaped up to attack the human-faced ghost fire overhead.

"You think you're the only one who can make clones? You're killing me!"

Samael sneered, and with a thought, his flames blazed.

The crimson fire turned a ghostly green in the blink of an eye, splitting in two, then four.

By the time the first Toy Soldier reached him, there were already dozens of ghost-fire clones, exactly matching the number of Biscuit Soldiers.

The two sides clashed in the air.

More precisely, Samael was being beaten one-sidedly.

The Biscuit Soldiers hacked at the ghostly green flames, but every time they cut them apart, the flames quickly gathered back together. The same scene played out again and again.

The dozens of ghost fires even had the leisure to taunt him:

"Put some muscle into it, grandson!"

"Your grandpa's back has been sore lately. This is just the massage I needed."

"Too gentle. I'm practically crying here."

Even though Cracker had been prepared for it, his face grew darker and darker.

Can't that damn mouth shut up for a moment?

Still, he put up with it.

He intended to use the Biscuit Soldiers to probe his opponent's ability. Unless he could find a way around that "bizarre Elementalization," he had no way to deal with this bastard.

Are they all clones? Where is his real body hiding...

Keeping his attention on the fighting overhead, Cracker narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered the answer.

The battle continued.

Elsewhere.

On a branch near the top of Yarukiman Mangrove No. 14, Dimon, wearing a cloak and mask, silently observed the battle.

He was already used to Samael's absurd behavior. If the day ever came when Samael stopped acting absurd, he would suspect that someone had taken over his body.

"That brat's having too much fun again. Ain, how much longer?"

[Master, the Marines from Headquarters will arrive in fifteen minutes at most.]

That was calculated on the assumption that Marine Headquarters had received word as soon as Cracker appeared.

"Next time, I really need to give him an aide, so he doesn't forget the important business..."

Dimon drew Shusui from his waist and gently tossed it downward.

"Go. Take him alive."

"Great master, you finally remembered me!"

Shusui was moved to tears. As it fell toward the ground, it unleashed a powerful surge of Armament Haki, then shot toward Cracker like an arrow with a whoosh.

Facing the bizarre Samael, Cracker remained utterly focused. His Observation Haki had not slackened for a moment.

But he never could have imagined that a sentient sword would suddenly attack him from behind, all the way from far, far away.

Only when it was thirty to fifty meters away did Cracker belatedly realize something was wrong.

He spun around to see a pitch-black blade rushing toward him faster than sound.

Fifty meters gave him less than a tenth of a second to react.

"What...?! He's got an accomplice!"

Cracker's pupils contracted sharply. By the time his brain registered the need to dodge, his body couldn't react in time.

He had devoted most of his Armament Haki to the Biscuit Soldiers. The Haki he could use to defend himself now was less than one-fifth of what he had at full strength.

"Armament Haki Hardening!"

He gathered all his Haki, and a patch of black appeared on his abdomen.

The next instant, Shusui's attack struck. The two held out against each other for only a moment.

Puchi!

Black Blade Shusui pierced through Cracker, and the powerful impact sent him flying straight out to sea.

"Damn it! Who the hell is it?!"

Flying backward, Cracker spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide with fury.

Chapter 39: You Came Early, Garp

In the blink of an eye, Cracker had flown more than a hundred meters backward, leaving the shore behind.

He gripped Shusui's blade tightly with both hands. As their Armament Haki clashed, black sparks erupted, exploding like thunder above the sea.

Boom!

"Damn it!"

With an angry roar, Cracker forcibly pulled Shusui out of his abdomen, and blood gushed from the wound.

Even so, the Armament Haki that had coated the blade continued to ravage his internal organs.

Puff!

Cracker spat out another mouthful of blood, but had no time to worry about his injuries. He pressed one hand to his wound and looked down.

As he flew backward, he was now less than half a meter above the sea. His speed churned the air into a powerful blast that tore across the water.

I can't fall into the sea. As a Devil Fruit user, I'll be finished if I do!

Cracker had no time to pay attention to Shusui, which he had flung away. He quickly steadied himself and kicked against the air for leverage.

After a burst of sonic booms, he shot toward the island.

Two hundred meters...

One hundred meters...

Ten meters!

Cracker slammed into the shore, tumbling and scrambling across the ground as he gouged a deep trail into it.

"Heh heh heh, if it isn't my grandson?"

A ball of ghost fire drifted into view above him, and Samael jeered without restraint. "Kowtow to your grandpa, and I'll find you a doctor right away."

Cracker jerked his head up and fixed his gaze on Samael.

He didn't act rashly. Instead, he immediately calmed himself, held his breath, and released his Observation Haki.

The instant he did, a Black Blade came hurtling through the air, once again attacking at supersonic speed.

With one hand pressed to his wound, Cracker drew his sword with the other and held it across his body to block.

Boom!!

Shusui's edge struck Pretzel. Their Armament Haki clashed violently once more, black lightning burst forth, and the ground around them caved in.

"How is this possible?! What the hell are you?!"

Cracker asked in disbelief.

A weapon with no one wielding it, and a Black Blade at that!

He had thought someone hiding in the shadows had thrown it during the earlier sneak attack. Now, it seemed the Black Blade could actually attack on its own.

No!

He couldn't draw that conclusion yet. Perhaps it was some ability user's power, controlling the flying sword from a distance.

Shusui had no interest in answering his question. As a sword made for slaughter, killing was instinct.

As the two remained locked in a stalemate, Samael suddenly grew bored. His master's weapon was here, which meant his master was nearby. He couldn't keep playing with this pirate; he needed to put on a good show.

"Flame Emperor Flame Explosion!"

Samael transformed into a dazzling golden fireball that swelled wildly, like a brilliant sun.

Catching sight of it from the corner of his eye, Cracker cursed inwardly. What kind of monsters are these members of the Seven Deadly Sins?

He stopped trying to match Shusui head-on and instead used its force to swiftly move away from the sun.

But the Flame Emperor's enormous fireball expanded even faster. Dazzling golden light shone in every direction, and even from the other end of the Sabaody Archipelago, the golden light could clearly be felt shining over everything.

"That brat really knows how to make a scene."

Dimon stood on the branch. This attack had caught even him in its range.

He immediately formed the shape of a seven with both hands and activated his ability on himself.

"Self-Storyboard."

In the blink of an eye, a small storyboard space enveloped him. An instant later, the shock wave of the great explosion swept in.

Meanwhile.

On the sea approximately five kilometers from the Sabaody Archipelago, a Dog-Head Warship was sailing at full speed.