Chapter 1046: Successive Defeats

Chapter 1046: Chapter 1046: Successive Defeats

"Puda!!!"

Obes watched in shocked fury as Nekomamushi pierced Puda through the body. He never expected Puda to be skewered so quickly. Consumed by rage, Obes abandoned all focus on Gorbo, drew his black bow, and pulled the string back until it formed a perfect full moon.

The next instant, a pitch-black steel arrow whistled through the air, streaking toward Nekomamushi’s head at a speed almost impossible for the human eye to track.

"Nya-oooh—!"

Without even turning his head, Nekomamushi crouched down. The arrow grazed his scalp, tore through the palace wall, and pinned a metal lion statue outside directly to the ground.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!" Daren gasped, shouting at the top of his lungs.

This was supposed to be a clandestine mission, but it had erupted into a massive spectacle. The element of surprise was gone; if they didn’t withdraw now, everyone except perhaps himself would be left behind.

Seeing the tides turn, the agents didn’t hesitate. Ignoring Puda as he writhed on the floor, they used Soru or Geppo to break away from their respective battles and fled toward the exit. Catarina Devon didn’t even wait for Daren’s signal; she cast an illusion to leave a decoy behind while her real body sprinted for the door without a second’s hesitation.

"The scent of blood is wrong!"

Mina’s willow-leaf brows knitted together. She flicked her hand, and the pool of blood on the floor rose, drawn by an invisible force, before transforming into dozens of thumb-sized crimson orbs.

Blood Shotgun!

The orbs erupted toward the doorway with incredible velocity, like a rain of steel pellets from a shotgun. They formed a massive net that blanketed a ten-meter radius.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

Catarina Devon was forced to reveal her form. Her nine tails whipped wildly behind her as she frantically parried the heavy blood-orbs with her rapier, the impact creating a ringing sound of clashing metal.

"Your illusion techniques are truly devious. I almost let you get away!"

Mina glanced at the fading mirage of Catarina nearby, then shifted her gaze back to the real one. She lunged forward, moving in a blur of crimson shadows.

Zing—!

In an instant, Mina kicked the rapier Catarina had used to block her. A powerful burst of energy exploded, knocking Catarina back several meters and leaving two long, gouged trenches in the floor.

Simultaneously, Gorbo roared and threw a punch at Obes. The violent force displaced the air, accompanied by a low, rumbling peal of thunder.

Deep Sea Fist Style: Breaking Surge!

BOOM!

A fierce gale swept through the grand hall. Obes’s chest caved in as he vomited blood and was sent flying backward like a black blur. He smashed through the wall and landed on the street outside, leaving his body embedded in the debris.

"Bastard! You damn bastard!"

Puda struggled desperately on the ground, claws swiping at Nekomamushi, completely ignoring the wound in his abdomen as it continued to tear.

THUD!

Nekomamushi slammed his fist into Puda’s head, driving it deep into the floor and nearly knocking the man unconscious.

"Excellent. Another ability user recovered!"

Otto walked over, shouldering his wheel-axe, and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the bleeding Puda. Of course, such injuries were trivial to an Animal-type Zoan user, which was why Otto hadn’t stopped Nekomamushi’s assault.

Seeing this, Daren didn’t say a word and once again sank into the ground.

CRASH!

Gorbo slammed a fist into the floor, the massive power shaking the entire palace. The ground shattered and collapsed, forming a crater several meters wide.

"Damn it! He escaped again!" Gorbo snarled. "What kind of ability does that bastard have? Why don’t I recall any record of it in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?"

Otto looked up at Gorbo, his voice heavy. "The Encyclopedia contains records of many unknown Devil Fruits. Perhaps it is one of them."

"Hmph! Even if I have to turn the city of ’Nakor’ upside down today, I will find that remnant of the Dasco royal family!" Gorbo declared, his rage boiling over.

...

Elsewhere in Nakor City...

Malha, clad in his signature black trench coat, watched with interest as two giant beasts, one red, one black, fought in the sky above. They landed in the city and then surged back into the clouds, their terrifying dragon breath and flames raining down, setting the city ablaze.

"Master!"

A fish-man standing over three meters tall leaned in, his voice respectful. "Daren and Puda have been at it for a while now. Are we not going to move?"

He was a gray-skinned Tiger Shark Fish-man, dressed in simple sleeveless black linen, barefoot. His massive, bulging muscles far surpassed those of an ordinary fish-man, and he exuded a subtle, murderous intent.

"Tudor, what is there to be in such a rush for?"

Malha waved a hand, speaking languidly. "The main force of the Chris Pirates is locked in a bloody war with the Big Mom Pirates at Unzan Port. The treasure vault is protected by Daren and Catarina Devon, while Puda and Obes are outside with dozens of World Government agents. With only a Gorbo to stand in their way, how could they possibly be stopped?"

Tudor, the Tiger Shark Fish-man, nodded, took a respectful step back, and fell silent.

"Tsk, tsk... I was supposed to be the one to intercept this ancient fierce beast. I never expected Aeolus Amphitrite, one of the ’strongest shields of the Celestial Dragons,’ to appear here. Is it a coincidence? Or did that guy arrange it?" Malha watched the red dragon clash with Calamodus, falling into deep thought.

If it were a coincidence, it was far too coincidental, absurdly so.

However, if Saint Gustav had arranged it, how did he persuade Saint Amphitrite? As fellow "rationalists" among the Celestial Dragons, Malha didn’t believe for a second that Saint Amphitrite, the ’Celestial Dragon’s strongest shield,’ would take such a massive risk to enter the Clifford Kingdom just because Saint Gustav ordered it.

Malha pondered for a long while but found no answer. Finally, he pushed the question to the back of his mind.

Then, a sharp glint ignited in his eyes, and he grinned maliciously. "Let’s go, Tudor. I can’t wait to see what kind of shocking, astronomical wealth is hidden inside Aeridar’s vault!"

RUMBLE—!

Before Malha had taken even a few steps, the wall of a building ten meters away exploded outward. Countless shards of stone sprayed everywhere, kicking up a thick, choking cloud of dust.

Almost simultaneously, a figure shot out from the debris. Tudor reflexively stepped in front of Malha.

But a second later, Malha was stunned, as the figure was none other than Catarina Devon. She was in an utterly wretched state, covered in a mixture of blood and dust. Several of the nine tails that usually lashed behind her had been severed, and she was dripping blood onto the ground.

Daren also surfaced from the ground, looking just as disheveled. The moment he caught sight of Malha, he gasped a warning: "Malha-sama, flee! It’s a trap!"