Just as the atmosphere grew ambiguous, Cavendish, having already changed his clothes, swept his gaze across the crowd and instantly locked onto Orochimaru.
Rage flared up from the bottom of his heart – it was him! It was this man who had subjected him to such humiliation! Cavendish's eyes turned crimson, and he abruptly drew his sword, charging towards Orochimaru and his companion like a madman.
"Orochimaru!!!! I'm going to kill you!!!"
Luffy, completely unaware, subconsciously thought Cavendish was having another fit.
After all, Cavendish had been just as frantic towards him before.
Without a second thought, Luffy lunged forward, directly blocking Orochimaru, and steadily caught Cavendish's sharp blade with his bare hands.
"Cabbage, haven't you caused enough trouble?!"
"Get out of my way! Straw Hat!" Cavendish's eyes were bloodshot, glaring fixedly at Luffy who stood in his path, as he roared with all his might.
"I'm looking for Orochimaru! This has nothing to do with you! This is a feud between the two of us!"
He gripped the sword in his hand, trembling slightly with anger, his already handsome face now somewhat distorted by twisted hatred.
Looking at Luffy in front of him, the Captain of the person who saved his benefactor, he gritted his teeth, suppressing his fury, and decided to let Luffy off for now.
Luffy blinked his eyes in confusion, tilting his head as he scrutinized Cavendish up and down.
From the other party's expression and state, he didn't seem to be merely going crazy; he seemed even more insane.
Then it must be someone from the Orochimaru Victim Alliance. If so, there shouldn't be any big problem.
Thinking this, he instantly flashed to the side, huddling next to Usopp, their heads together as they whispered.
"What exactly did Orochimaru do to Cabbage?"
"Why is Cabbage so angry he's almost twisted?"
Usopp looked bewildered, his eyes wide as he stared at Luffy, his face clearly saying, "I don't understand."
"Who is Cabbage?
Is that the pirate who's somewhat good-looking?
Who is he... I don't know him."
Just then, Robin, who knows when she had quietly squatted behind them, her calm voice seemed to drift in from the air.
"Cabbage is that toy doll... the doll Sugar used for dress-up games."
She paused, a slight, mysterious smile playing on Robin's lips.
"Why don't you guess... with so many toys,
why did Sugar choose only him to play with?"
This time, it was Luffy's turn to be utterly bewildered. His eyes were wide and round, and he scratched his head full of confusion: "Who is Sugar? What doll?"
Upon hearing this, Usopp immediately became interested, leaning closer to Luffy and beginning to whisper explanations.
As he spoke, he gestured wildly, occasionally making various exaggerated movements, not only detailing Sugar's abilities but also embellishing his own "heroic deeds."
Luffy listened, his eyes shining, constantly clapping like a seal.
At this moment, Cavendish had quickly approached Orochimaru. He lowered his head slightly, looking down at Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru seemed completely unconcerned with him, merely raising his eyes slightly, his gaze passing over like a dragonfly touching water, and he spoke in a flat tone: "Something wrong?"
Cavendish, facing Orochimaru's beautiful face up close, was momentarily lost in a daze.
But he quickly noticed something amiss, his gaze slowly moving down from Orochimaru's head to his feet, and he suddenly had an epiphany.
He had always seen Orochimaru from the doll's perspective before. When Heavenly Yaksha held him earlier, Cavendish had felt something strange, and now he finally understood what was wrong.
He blurted out in disbelief: "Why are you so short!"
Usopp and Luffy, who were engrossed in gossip, heard this and stiffly turned their heads as if under a petrification spell.
Their eyes widened, full of incredulity, as they looked at Cavendish ⚆ ɞ ⚆.
Immediately after, the two of them, as if they had seen a flood beast, simultaneously shot backward with a "whoosh," instantly retreating 50 meters away from Cavendish.
No sooner had Cavendish's words fallen than, with a "whoosh," a thick, giant tail, carrying a gust of wind, slammed into him like a cannonball.
In an instant, Cavendish was sent flying straight out, crashing heavily into the wall with a "boom."
Cavendish, his consciousness gradually blurring, was full of confusion before closing his eyes: What exactly was that white thing just now?
The moment Cavendish fainted, his second personality suddenly awakened.
He saw "him" grin, revealing a strange smile, and attack Orochimaru like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey.
And so, it happened a second time. With a muffled thud, "he" was again heavily slammed into the wall, his figure deeply embedded.
Then he fell to the ground with a "splat," and two identical dents appeared side by side on the wall.
Orochimaru felt even worse. He expressionlessly brushed the dust off himself, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic surroundings.
Without a word, he turned and walked away.
At this moment, his mind was full of: Thankfully, Doffy's bathtub hasn't been taken away yet; I need to hurry back and take another bath.
Luffy and Usopp did not stop him, watching Orochimaru's receding figure.
Usopp couldn't help but sigh internally,
"Alas, still so petty."
Bartolomeo saw this scene, his eyes darting around, and he quietly sidled up to Cavendish like a cat.
He looked left and right, seeing no one paying attention, then raised his foot and kicked Cavendish, muttering,
"That's what you get for calling Senior Orochimaru short! Hmph!"
Seeing Orochimaru leave, everyone seemed to be in a dream, staring blankly in the direction Orochimaru had disappeared.
After a while, they awoke as if from a dream, realizing that the current situation was not right.
Immediately after, everyone's gaze collectively shifted to Usopp, their eyes instantly becoming fervent.
"God Usopp! Please guide us forward! What should we do?" everyone shouted in unison.
Usopp's expression became stern. He struck a heroic and bold pose, waved his hand, and declared firmly,
"Then go destroy the factory behind you and rescue your Tontatta Tribe comrades!"
Saying this, Usopp pointed forcefully towards the factory.
But after that pointer, he blinked his eyes and felt something was wrong. Previously, due to the dimness underground, only the buildings in front of them could be seen.
Now the ceiling had collapsed, and sunlight was streaming in.
At this moment, Usopp and the Tontatta Tribe members were so shocked their eyes almost popped out—the massive factory that had stood there had vanished without a trace, as if it had evaporated into thin air!!!!!
"No way!" Usopp's eyes widened, full of disbelief.
"Where did such a huge factory go??"
Just as he was thinking of finding someone knowledgeable to "inquire" about the situation, Usopp belatedly realized, abruptly turning his head to look around.
"Where are the Donquixote Family members??? When did they retreat! Why are they all gone!!! Where are Trebol and Sugar??? What about the underground port and the regular members?"
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