"What!?"
Gecko Moria's expression changed drastically. "There's a master here!"
He shouted softly, and suddenly a shadow drilled out from the snow, transforming into a dark spear that shot towards the Snow Lion's paw.
Boom!
The two collided, and the Snow Lion's right paw was instantly shattered.
However, the scattered snowflakes drifted in the air and condensed into hundreds of white snow arrows, which then poured down like a cloud.
Thump thump thump thump!!
In an instant, the area where the two stood was riddled with holes like a beehive.
"Who is it?!"
Crocodile couldn't be bothered to hide anymore. He fluidized his body to dodge to the right, scanning his surroundings.
Finally, he looked up and saw a large bald man floating in the sky, gazing down at them with indifferent eyes.
"Shiki?" Crocodile was stunned. "You're not dead yet? You were captured by Phantom, why didn't they kill you?"
He had seen Shiki over a decade ago, so he would never mistake him.
Some time ago, Shiki fought against Phantom. Although no one knew the details of the battle, the result was obvious—Shiki had lost.
But he never expected that Shiki wasn't killed; instead, he appeared here to stop them.
"What do you mean?" Gecko Moria angrily brushed off the snow on his body. "Shiki, what are you trying to do!?"
Hearing this, Shiki touched his head, his expression still calm.
Or rather, it wasn't calm, but a look of old age and weariness.
"I'm sorry, you two. Right now, I'm just… a gatekeeper." He spoke indifferently. "The Shiki you knew… died a long time ago."
"What?"
Crocodile frowned and sneered, "You bastard… you actually became a watchdog for Phantom!"
...
"You bastard… you actually became a watchdog for Phantom!"
Crocodile mocked, filled with anger.
If Shiki hadn't interfered, their infiltration would have gone smoothly. Unfortunately, they were exposed now. It wouldn't be long before Phantom's main forces arrived.
Aside from his anger, he also found it strange. With Shiki's personality, he would rather die than submit, let alone become a watchdog.
Hearing these words, Shiki just smiled weakly. The reason behind this was something others could never imagine.
Right now, his life was completely in Phantom's hands. The Vice-Captain could kill him with just a single thought.
Having lost his ambition to conquer the world, Shiki still wanted to live, especially since even dying was a luxury he couldn't afford.
No, to be precise, it wasn't just about living. It was about avoiding falling back into that state where his five senses were erased. That was far more painful than death.
Shaking his head, Shiki floated in the air, looking down at the two. "You came here for the blueprints? I advise you to give up. Even if you get them, what then? Being hunted down by Phantom? You have no idea how terrifying they are! If a Dominator Executive makes a move, you might die a quick death. But if it's the Vice-Captain, or even the Captain… you won't even get the chance to kill yourselves."
"Hmph, what a pathetic stray dog. I never thought you would fall so far!"
Crocodile laughed loudly, his mockery undisguised. "Get out of the way!"
"Hee hee hee… Crocodile, you hold him off, I'll break through from the front!"
Gecko Moria laughed sinisterly. "Looks like you two know each other, so you guys fight it out. I'll go on ahead."
They were already exposed, so time was tight. They had to get the blueprints as quickly as possible, otherwise, once Sea Dragon made a move, escaping would be impossible.
Thinking this, his shadows detached from the snow, scattering into countless bats, flying towards the grand mansion behind the wooden gate.
"Two mere pests, acting as if I don't exist."
Shiki couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly kicked out with his right leg.
Swoosh!
A sword energy shot out. Under the moonlight, this sword energy rapidly expanded, reaching dozens of meters long in an instant.
Like a gust of wind sweeping away fallen leaves, it scattered all the bats in one go.
However, these scattered bats transformed into droplets of black liquid. Upon hitting the snow, they condensed back into bat forms once again.
"Stop struggling. You still have time to run away now."
Seeing this, Shiki descended, slamming his palm onto the snow-covered ground.
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!"
In an instant, the snowfield erupted. Countless snowflakes danced wildly, rising from the ground like a massive city wall.
This wall was constructed from six enormous lion heads, completely protecting the mansion behind it.
The next moment, these six lion heads opened their mouths wide, spewing forth blizzards that blew all the bats away.
Watching this scene, Gecko Moria's face twitched. He said furiously, "Damn it, you old fossil! You've already become Phantom's watchdog, yet you're still working this hard!"
"Desert Spada!"
Just then, Crocodile suddenly launched an attack.
A stream of sand whipped out from his body, transforming into three giant sabers in mid-air, slashing simultaneously at the Snow Lion Wall.
"The Sand-Sand Fruit, among Logia types, it can only be considered mid-tier," Shiki said with his arms crossed, appearing completely unhurried.
"Too bad for you, you've encountered an ice and snow climate. You are completely at a disadvantage."
He had no intention of killing them immediately. His task was just to guard the gate; as long as they didn't get inside, it was enough.
While the stalemate continued here, on the other side of the island.
A patrol team lay fallen in the snow, and beside them stood an ugly-looking pirate.
Big Mark squatted down, stroking the face of one of the patrol members. "So sorry, little brother. I need to borrow your 'face' for a bit."
He chuckled sinisterly, and as his hand touched the face, the patrol member's facial features suddenly vanished.
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