Chapter 963: The City of Arms, Yorlsh City

Chapter 963: Chapter 963: The City of Arms, Yorlsh City

"Splendid... Just splendid!"

Aeridar stood in the ruined corridor, staring at the utterly demolished 22nd floor. His teeth were gritted so tightly they threatened to shatter, and his expression was dark enough to drip venom.

Around him, Arlan and the others looked equally grim. The suffocating pressure radiating from the executives made the arriving backup guards hold their breath, terrified to make a single sound.

Rumble—

A flash of lightning crackled through the air as Enel materialized before them, leaning casually on his golden staff.

"Well? Did you find them?" Arlan asked, his voice low and heavy.

"No," Enel replied, shaking his head with a rare scowl. "Their presence vanished completely. I suspect that bastard has a way to bypass Observation Haki entirely."

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present darkened even further.

"Splendid, we’ve completely lost face!" Aeridar barked in fury, his knuckles whitening. "To escape so effortlessly right under my nose... I’ll give credit where it’s due, you’re slippery!"

First, it was Catarina Devon, and now this mysterious cloaked figure. It was as if the headquarters of the Chris Pirates was an open house, not only could outsiders infiltrate it at will, but they could also stroll right out the moment they were discovered. If word of this got out, the Chris Pirates would become the laughingstock of the New World!

Most crucially, had that mysterious cloaked figure slipped into Alvis? If that area had been compromised, the confidential data stored there, and the safety of the doctors, would be in extreme jeopardy!

"I only caught a glimpse of a stray blonde strand," Dimitri said grimly. "Did any of you get a clear look at that cloaked bastard’s face?"

The group exchanged glances in silent frustration, each shaking their head. None of them had managed to see the intruder’s face.

Suddenly, Aeridar’s fury seemed to recede, replaced by a cold, sinister chuckle. "Hehe... Interesting. It seems all sorts of monsters and freaks are crawling out of the woodwork. I’d love to see what kind of game they think they’re playing!"

"Teach... we’ll see about this. Sooner or later, I’m taking your head!"

...

A day later, in the Clifford Kingdom, Yorlsh City.

Located in the northern region of Brady Island, this city was bounded by an inland river to the east, a massive lake to the south, vast plains to the west, and towering mountains to the north. With a population exceeding three hundred thousand and a permanent garrison of fifty thousand kingdom soldiers, it stood as the strategic heart of the Clifford Kingdom, the Arms Manufacturing District!

Every day, an endless stream of clients arrived to purchase high-quality weaponry: pirates, mobsters, assassins, merchants, and nobles alike.

After all, not everyone possessed the status or leverage to deal directly with the top brass of the Chris Pirates for massive military-grade shipments. Those with lesser influence, smaller purchasing needs, or those seeking bespoke, custom-crafted weapons would specifically come here.

From compact flintlock pistols to massive heavy artillery, rapid-fire handguns, rotary machine guns, ultra-long-range sniper rifles, large-caliber naval cannons, and heavy ordnance... the Yorlsh City Weapons Expo had everything one could dream of. As long as you had the coin, nothing was out of reach.

Pirates and assassins, in particular, favored this place for ordering custom, large-caliber firearms. To them, the higher the destructive power and the longer the range, the better. None of them cared about the devastating recoil, after all, to these superhuman individuals, handling such kinetic force was child’s play.

Once, a giant had commissioned a custom large-caliber revolver here. It was essentially a hand-held naval cannon; a single shot possessed enough destructive power to blast a standard sailing battleship clean in half, a feat that skyrocketed the city’s reputation across the seas.

Furthermore, the notorious former bounty hunters Abdullah and Jeet had sourced their ordnance here for their infamous government facility bombings. A single explosive device, no larger than an infant’s head, had leveled an entire government building, causing hundreds of casualties!

"Whoa! Look at all these people!"

"Everyone here is carrying a gun! Is that guy over there hauling a literal cannon?!"

"Aren’t there any swordsmen around?"

"To trade weapons so openly... is carrying firearms and artillery legal here?"

A group walked down the bustling street clad in various long robes and wide-brimmed hats, their faces adorned with different painted patterns. They stared at the vibrant, chaotic marketplace in sheer awe.

What stood out most was that regardless of whether they were ferocious, hulking brutes or refined, elegant nobles, nearly every passerby carried a firearm.

Even the ordinary civilians and street vendors going about their day wore flintlock pistols or repeating rifles at their hips. The stalls and shops lining both sides of the street openly displayed and traded all manner of firearms without a shred of concealment.

"The arms trade is entirely legal in this country because that man is the world’s greatest arms dealer. Ordinary people can carry all the guns and cannons they want; they’ll still never possess the power to challenge him."

Law spoke in a low, muffled tone. He wore a dun-colored robe with a high collar that masked the lower half of his face, topped with a large black top hat. "Thus, that man doesn’t care if his subjects possess weapons. The nobles and civilians are so thoroughly terrified of his monstrous strength that no one dares to stir up trouble or spark a rebellion."

"Incredible!"

Luffy gasped in amazement. He pulled down the black top hat he had thrown over his signature straw hat to look around, his eyes wide. Fortunately, his dark robe and tinted sunglasses concealed his features; otherwise, his animated antics would have blown their cover instantly.

"But isn’t he worried about people intentionally causing trouble or trying to take things by force?" Nami asked, gesturing toward the numerous fierce-looking outlaws loitering along the street. She was dressed in a crimson robe, a pink sun hat, and heart-shaped sunglasses.

Law glanced briefly at the thugs Nami was pointing to and let out a dismissive scoff. "Those who actually possess true power deal directly with the core executives of the Chris Pirates. They would never need to step foot in a place like this to buy weapons."

"Moreover, this city is permanently garrisoned by fifty thousand heavily armed kingdom troops, alongside numerous Dragonians, killing machines whose combat prowess rivals the Marines’ Pacifistas. Even if a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million berries decides to riot, the garrison and the Dragonians can easily stall them long enough for God Enel or that man himself to arrive."

Hearing Law’s explanation, the disguised Zoro and Usopp nodded in understanding, though a stark gravity settled over their features.

This place was truly a fortress of arms, the industrial heart of the Chris Pirates’ weapons manufacturing. The garrison stationed here had to be armed to the teeth.

If those kingdom troops opened fire from a distance with a massive barrage of artillery, even Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki, which excelled at clearing out massive hordes of enemies, would be severely limited in its effectiveness.

Then there were those living weapons, the ’Dragonians.’ If their strength truly rivaled the Pacifistas and they faced them in significant numbers, even the Straw Hat Pirates would find themselves in a grueling, dangerous situation.

"Hey, did you hear? The Big Mom Pirates actually suffered a massive defeat in their opening clash!"

"A disaster that huge? Of course I heard! The Big Mom Pirates’ grand expeditionary fleet sent to conquer the Fernal Archipelago took catastrophic losses. Several of their subordinate pirate captains were killed, all of them infamous New World names with bounties well over a hundred million!"

"That’s nothing compared to the real shocker. Two of Big Mom’s actual sons, core officers of the crew, were slain! There are even rumors flying around that Sweet Commander Cracker was severely wounded and lost an eye!"

"Cracker was heavily wounded?! You mean ’Thousand Arms’ Cracker? That’s a legendary pirate with a staggering bounty of 860 million berries! Who could possibly pull that off? Did Golden Ring Aeridar enter the fray personally?"

"Word says it was Oliver-sama and the former Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile, working in tandem!"

A group of rough-looking men conversed loudly as they walked past, completely oblivious to their surroundings. The details of their conversation immediately caught the attention of the Straw Hats and Law, sending a cold shock through the group.

The Chris Pirates annihilated the Big Mom Pirates’ vanguard fleet?!

And Crocodile is involved?!

As the men faded into the crowd, the Straw Hats and Law traded stunned, heavy glances. The weight of the news hung over them, almost too monumental to believe.