Before Arvid could think any further, countless throwing knives made of leaves were already flying toward him.
"Puffer Ball!"
The spikes on his flail suddenly extended, and as he swung it, they formed an airtight defensive barrier. But the leaf blades weren't knocked away. Under Meowna's control, they returned to her hand, circling above her palm.
Magical Leaf was inherently a controllable move, and Meowna had inherited Setsuna's Aura ability. With the power of Aura enhancing her control, Magical Leaf became even more fluid and precise in her hands.
Combined with Meowscarada's natural ability to refract light with its fur to achieve invisibility and camouflage, those leaves were like a squad of invisible assassins under her command.
"You seem to have a problem with cats. Calling someone a 'stupid cat' over and over, does that make you feel strong?"
Because Arvid had problems with Aries, he had always mocked his ability by calling him a stupid cat. Normally, that wouldn't have been an issue, but saying it in front of Meowna and Wolff, it turned into an indiscriminate attack affecting everyone.
Without realizing it, he had maxed out the aggro.
During the brief gap in Meowna's attack, Wolff had already closed in from his flank.
The belt of flames around his waist flared outward, enveloping his body. Combined with the static electricity generated by the Minks, the power of lightning and fire wrapped around him.
The flames even formed into a drill-like horn at the front as he charged toward Arvid.
"Inflate Inflate Escape!"
Incineroar was already heavily muscled, and his charge was explosively powerful. Seeing the muscle-bound tiger-man barreling toward him, Arvid had no intention of meeting him head-on.
"I've got nothing against cats. I just hate brainless idiots who rely on brute force. Thanks to that stupid cat, I know exactly how to deal with you types who only know how to use brute force."
Arvid pumped gas into one specific spike at the front of his flail. His Inflate-Inflate Fruit ability didn't just let him pump air into inanimate objects; it also allowed him to shape them during inflation, deciding what form they would expand into.
So that spike, now as large as a pillar, propelled Arvid high into the air. Although the spike serving as the support point was snapped in two by Wolff, Arvid calmly took out a new spike and attached it in its place.
"Inflate Inflate Gatling!"
If he could inflate, he could also deflate. Suspended in midair, Arvid aimed one end of his flail at the two below and began releasing the compressed gas within.
The ordinary flail in his hands now resembled a heavy machine gun, raining down artillery shells made of air.
"Only fools charge in blindly. A smart man would… retreat now!"
His earlier Inflate Inflate Escape hadn't been a joke; he just hadn't activated its second phase yet. His ability didn't only work on the flail in his hand.
His coat was actually made of the same material as a hot air balloon. Suddenly, a large bulge swelled from the back of his clothes, and a massive amount of gas carried his body even higher into the air.
Arvid hadn't broken through Olga's illusion, but he had noticed something was off.
Bepo and Judith were still fighting in the water. Though the outcome wasn't decided yet, Arvid didn't believe that old woman Judith could handle an adult Mink who had used Sulong.
If he had known Minks could use Sulong in broad daylight, he never would have approached this ship in the first place.
The real issue was Aries. Carrot still hadn't moved to help elsewhere, which clearly wasn't normal.
Pirate battles weren't fair duels. In a sparring match, fine, but in an invasion like this, it made more sense to eliminate enemies quickly.
At the moment, Meowna and Wolff hadn't gained absolute dominance. So if Carrot still had strength left but didn't intervene, there had to be a reason.
After thinking it through, Arvid began to suspect he had fallen into a trap.
This wasn't some fat sheep to be slaughtered; they were being used as whetstones to train the younger generation.
Even without discovering where the mastermind was hiding, he no longer wanted to stay here.
"Has no one ever told you that smart people don't talk this much?"
Things didn't unfold the way Arvid had expected. Right now, he was genuinely curious, how had the world changed so drastically after he spent just a few years in Impel Down?
Before his escape, he had never known that Minks could fly!
Even for a Mythical Zoan, flight was supposed to have some narrative logic to it; at the very least, it should match some kind of legendary creature.
Watching the two Minks chase after him using Magnet Rise, the shadow hanging over Arvid's heart grew heavier.
At such a young age, already possessing a Mythical Zoan ability; these clearly weren't just lucky brats.
Judith, on the other hand, didn't have the luxury of thinking as much as Arvid. It wasn't that she didn't want to think. She simply didn't have the time.
At this moment, she had gained a very thorough understanding of what the phrase "the strength of a bear" truly meant.
Although Bepo was the oldest Mink present, he was also the worst at controlling his Sulong form.
But poor control over Sulong didn't mean weaker, it meant more violent.
Whenever she tried to attack Bepo, a bear paw wrapped in lightning would slam her straight into the water. Her aging body simply couldn't withstand that kind of punishment.
Meanwhile, the battle on Bubble Island in the distance had entered a fever pitch. From the live broadcast, it could be seen that someone had already seized the treasure chest, and an even fiercer struggle had erupted around it.
Before a winner could be decided, however, an anomaly occurred.
Beneath Bubble Island, a dark silhouette suddenly spun upward.
"The treasure chest has fallen into Buggy's hands! Having just established the Cross Guild, he's at the peak of his fame... Wait! What is that thing?!"
The festival's host, Donald Moderate, had been narrating the match. Just as the outcome seemed imminent, something strange flashed before his eyes.
From an unknown area below, an unidentified flying object suddenly shot upward. Before most of the audience could even react, it pierced through the bubble membrane surrounding the island with overwhelming force.
Originally, this island was able to maintain its balance against the constant sea currents thanks to the outer bubble membrane. The moment it was shattered by the external force, the island instantly lost its equilibrium.
Pirates still fighting on the island tumbled down in droves, but this was only the beginning.
After breaking through the membrane, the unidentified object didn't stop. The tremendous kinetic energy attached to it sent it crashing directly into the island's center. Already battered by countless battles, the island was smashed into fragments on the spot.
"The island's falling!! Run!!"
Donald Moderate's eyes widened. After shouting his final warning, he bolted toward the distance, dragging a few stunned people with him and snapping them out of their daze.
With the membrane shattered and the island fragmented, it completely lost its support. The entire small island broke apart and plummeted downward.
"Run!!"
"Get out of my way!!"
Pirates were never an orderly bunch. When crisis struck, there was no such thing as respecting the old or protecting the young. Even those who looked out for their own crew were in the minority.
When they saw the island collapsing, they scrambled desperately to flee the danger zone, only to jam themselves together, resulting in a severe stampede.
And human capability was limited. Trying to outrun a falling island under the pull of gravity with just two legs was no easy feat.
Before they could escape the danger zone, the island had already come crashing down.
BOOM!!!
Massive waves surged across the sea. The empty space that had once been at the center was now filled with the shattered remains of the island.
And at the very moment the island began to fall—
Shanks moved.
"Playtime's over. Take your ship and get out of here. Something troublesome has arrived."
Gryphon, which had long been in Shanks' hand, left its scabbard at that moment, slashing almost simultaneously to both sides.
Whether it was Arvid trying to flee through the sky or Judith locked in a fierce struggle with Bepo, their bodies stiffened instantly and dropped straight into the deep sea.
Aries, who had been beaten the worst, ironically became the only survivor on the scene.
Olga's illusion dissipated at that instant. Looking at the figure who had drawn his blade, Aries finally understood just how foolish he had been.
"Red Hair… Shanks…"
Reality pushed Aries' mental endurance past its limit. He finally lost consciousness and passed out.
At the same time, Shanks' figure vanished once more from the deck of the Shadow Fox Ship, disappearing to somewhere unknown.
"Mandrell, pull the ship back! Elizabeth, you follow me!"
Olga flipped off the deck, landing on Elizabeth's back as she sped toward the concert venue. On the way, she tossed Bepo, who had cancelled Sulong, back onto the ship.
She didn't even need to think to know what Shanks had gone to do. He had definitely gone to look after Uta.
But there were still Beast Fruits employees over there. She had to take care of them as well.
The collapsing island made Mandrell realize that things were far from simple. He immediately steered the ship toward a safer area.
"Kabu, get Ann and the others out of here first! I can handle myself!"
Uta grabbed Ann and tossed her toward Kabu, telling it to take Ann somewhere safe first. Although Uta's invincible domain was in the Sing-Sing World, she had been training her body as well to better control her Devil Fruit ability. At the very least, she was much stronger than Ann.
"Hurry! There are still so many people here, one trip won't be enough!"
With the shockwaves of the island's fall fast approaching, Kabu didn't hesitate. It immediately carried out its partner's orders, pulling Ann and another makeup artist as it flew off into the distance.
"Honestly, Uta, you still love to act tough. That's really dangerous."
"Shanks?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll handle the rest."
Shanks' tone was gentle. He then swung his blade, clearing away the obstacles ahead.
He even projected his Haki outward as a shield, creating a safe zone around them.
But where Uta couldn't see, Shanks' brows were tightly furrowed as he stared toward the center of the island.
Before long, a ship's anchor suddenly came flying from that direction, aimed straight at them.
"Kamusari!"
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