Aboard the [God King, Subordinate Battle Island, The Pilgrim], Cero tilted his head slightly as he watched the dozen pirate ships charging toward Mary Geoise with unstoppable momentum.
"It looks like things are going smoothly. Did they really break into Mary Geoise that easily?"
The God King narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Years of arrogance turned their defenses into nothing more than decoration. Still, it won't be that simple..."
The moment he finished speaking, a pirate ship in the distance suddenly froze in place.
Even the raging seawater around it stopped moving.
Then, without warning...
The entire ship split apart.
The sea itself was severed open, revealing a massive concave slash that cut straight through the waves like a divine blade.
Cero frowned slightly.
"The God's Knights moved already? Those bastards arrived fast."
The God King slowly shook his head.
"No. That level of power still falls short of the God's Knights."
---
"It's sinking! The ship's breaking apart! Save us!"
Panicked screams echoed through the communication channels of the [On Air Pirates].
"Damn it! Mr. Apoo, one of our ships got destroyed! Heavy casualties!"
Scratchmen Apoo stared at the wrecked ship with an ugly expression.
The vessel had been cleanly sliced apart and was rapidly filling with seawater.
"Out of all these pirate crews, they targeted us first?"
Apoo's face darkened.
"Are they looking down on me?"
"Cough... cough..."
An old voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"Pirate... you've simply had the misfortune of meeting this old servant."
"Cough... cough..."
"Don't worry... this old servant will personally send every one of you to your deaths."
"Who's there?!"
Apoo spun around immediately.
Behind him stood an elderly man dressed in white robes.
His body was hunched, and his frail frame trembled nonstop as he leaned heavily against a cane.
A glowing explosive collar was locked tightly around his neck, flashing with an ominous red light.
His cloudy eyes looked lifeless.
Yet somehow, the pressure around him felt terrifying.
A murderous glint flashed across Apoo's eyes.
Without hesitation, he slammed a hand against his chest.
"Boom!!!"
Bang!
A deafening sound wave exploded outward.
The explosive collar around the old man's neck detonated instantly.
At the same time, the members of the [On Air Pirates] opened fire.
Gunshots erupted across the deck as countless bullets rained toward the old man.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions engulfed the area.
Flames spread across the ship while thick black smoke filled the air.
One pirate shouted nervously,
"Did we get him, Mr. Apoo?!"
Apoo remained motionless, staring at the smoke with an ugly expression.
Then...
"Cough... cough..."
The old man slowly emerged from the smoke completely unharmed.
"No..."
Apoo's pupils shrank.
"This monster is bizarre..."
"Cough... cough..."
"So you're the current user of the Tone Tone Fruit..."
The old man muttered weakly to himself.
"The previous owner of that fruit also died beneath this old servant's blade... though I barely remember it now."
He sighed tiredly.
"Old age truly is troublesome."
Swish!
The old man vanished instantly.
Apoo's eyes widened.
Not good!
Pfft!
A terrifying slash suddenly appeared across the ship.
"Cough... cough..."
"Forget it. I'll simply cut everything apart."
The old man's aged voice echoed from another ship entirely.
He had already crossed the battlefield.
The surrounding pirates stared in horror.
"What monstrous speed..."
Apoo looked blankly around him.
The crew members beside him had completely stopped moving.
Then he slowly lowered his gaze toward his own chest.
Rip...
His body split apart.
Like a dismantled puppet, Apoo's body separated into countless pieces before scattering across the deck.
At the same time, the entire ship disassembled in midair like shattered fragments being peeled apart one by one.
"ROOM..."
A calm voice suddenly echoed across the sea.
From beneath the water's surface, Trafalgar D. Water Law activated his ability.
"Amputate... Restore."
Swish!
The fragmented ship instantly reversed direction.
Every shattered piece flew backward before reconnecting perfectly in midair.
The scattered flesh and severed limbs also returned rapidly, reassembling Apoo's body piece by piece.
Moments later, Apoo's body fully restored itself.
Thud!
He collapsed heavily onto the deck.
"Haa... haa..."
Cold sweat covered his face as he touched his intact body with trembling hands.
"I almost died..."
Law stepped onto the deck calmly after sensing the enemy's presence earlier through Observation Haki.
"Captain Apoo, dying immediately after entering Mary Geoise would embarrass the Supernovas."
Apoo slowly stood up while glaring toward the old man in the distance.
"Trafalgar Law..."
"That slash was insane. I couldn't even react before my body lost control."
Law nodded with a grave expression.
"Because he wasn't slashing people."
"He was slashing space itself."
Apoo froze.
"What?"
Law adjusted his sword slightly before continuing.
"I saw it clearly from beneath the sea. Before your explosion even reached him, he had already severed the space between himself and your ship."
"What I restored wasn't your body alone."
"It was the broken space itself."
Apoo's face stiffened.
"So that's why..."
Law continued calmly.
"The bullets never reached him because the space itself had already been split apart."
"He also predicted your ship's movement beforehand and cut through the exact area your vessel would enter."
"The moment your ship crossed into that severed space, everything inside it was sliced apart instantly."
Apoo inhaled sharply.
"A weapon capable of cutting space..."
"What kind of ridiculous ability is that?"
Law narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"I don't think it's his own Devil Fruit power."
"My guess is that the cane itself consumed a Devil Fruit."
"A special scientific weapon."
"Cough... cough..."
That same aged voice suddenly echoed behind them once more.
"Heh... impressive."
The hunched old man stood there quietly while leaning against his cane.
"I didn't expect two young pirates would see through this old servant's little trick."
Law and Apoo turned immediately.
The old man slowly lifted the cane in his hands.
"I also didn't expect someone could restore shattered space itself."
He looked toward Law.
"Your Devil Fruit ability truly is miraculous."
Click.
The old man slowly pulled the cane apart horizontally.
A deep purple glow flickered from within.
Hidden inside the cane was a long sword radiating an eerie aura.
"Cough... cough..."
"Just as you guessed, pirate."
"This blade is the reason this old servant can cut through space."
The old man gently stroked the weapon while speaking in his weak, trembling voice.
"This cane sword consumed the Paramecia type Dimension Dimension Fruit."
"Its name is..."
"[Void Sever]."
===
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