Chapter 257: Untitled
"Don't move!"
Nongte slowly lifted his head, taking in the surrounding Marines aiming their guns at him. A feral grin spread across his face.
Bang!
Ignoring the glinting barrels pointed at him, he suddenly exploded upward, lunging at a nearby Marine.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets ripped through the air, striking him.
Pfft pfft pfft…
Blood blossomed across his body.
If he were an ordinary person, this many bullets would have killed him instantly.
But Nongte ignored the wounds, leaping onto a Marine.
From his mouth, a thin, needle-like tube glinted coldly. He jabbed it straight into the Marine's carotid artery.
The needle instantly turned red, and a pungent scent of blood filled the air.
"Ah…" the Marine screamed, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Before anyone could react, his body began visibly shrinking—muscle and flesh rapidly compressing.
Within two seconds, he had lost a significant amount of mass, his bones faintly visible beneath his skin.
"Kill him!" shouted a Marine officer, face pale with shock.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets poured into Nongte again, several aimed directly at his head.
Pfft pfft…
Blood spattered, yet his expression remained twisted and fierce. Remarkably, he did not die.
Where the bullets had struck, his flesh was rapidly healing.
"Strange ability!"
Rear Admiral Enjie's face darkened. He shoved through the crowd, forming five razor-sharp blade-like extensions from his hands and lunged at Nongte's head.
Nongte dodged sharply, leaping aside.
His ability was dangerous, but not invincible. He could withstand bullets, but if someone managed to decapitate him, not even ten lives would save him.
"Looks like the Marines on this ship have some real strength," Crocodile observed from the Pluton, his voice calm.
"Boss, let me help!"
A high-ranking agent behind him shouted.
"No need," Crocodile said evenly.
He produced a Sand Spiral in his hand and tossed it toward the Marine ship.
Whirr whirr…
The Sand Spiral rapidly expanded, radiating a terrifying presence as it barreled toward the vessel.
"Rear Admiral Enjie! It's Crocodile!"
The deputy's eyes widened as he recognized the sand attack, shouting in alarm.
"Huh?"
Enjie could no longer pay attention to the smaller pirate threat. His gaze locked on the approaching Sand Spiral, face paling.
Crocodile was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user who had even challenged Whitebeard in the New World. Though defeated, he survived Whitebeard's onslaught, a testament to his immense strength.
"How… is he here?"
Enjie's expression darkened, but there was no time to ponder. He leapt into the air.
"Gale Kick: Cross Slash!"
He roared, launching two massive, tens-of-meters-long slashes from his feet in a cross shape at the Sand Spiral.
Boom!
The slashes collided with the Sand Spiral, creating a deafening crash. A powerful shockwave radiated outward. The Sand Spiral was shattered, but the slashes themselves dissipated as well.
Sand from the explosion whipped across the ship, forcing all Marines to close their eyes.
At that instant, the sand on the deck began spinning, slowly coalescing into a towering figure.
It was Crocodile.
His gaze was calm. A cigar rested in his mouth. One hand was in his pocket, while the other held a gleaming golden hook. His presence commanded authority without a word.