Shiyado flapped her wings. In the dense jungle, her movements were very unpredictable.
Her clever flying style made her figure appear and disappear among the thick foliage. Many people tried to look up to capture her figure, but their vision was blocked by the tree canopy.
Due to her soft down feathers, the sound waves produced during flight had a very low frequency, making them hard to detect. She had almost become a deadly demon bird.
Every time she dove down from these knights' blind spots, her sharp talons could pierce through their armor and penetrate their bodies. The power of such claw strikes even exceeded those old-fashioned muskets from the Blue Sea!
"Ah—"
"Watch out for attacks from above!"
Some of these people screamed, others issued warnings.
Not every Skypiean had Mantra. Otherwise, Shiyado would have nowhere to hide.
"Quickly contact the Divine Palace!"
The captain of the guard shouted.
The Skypieans also had long-distance communication methods similar to Den Den Mushi. One of the knights took out a whistle from his breastplate and blew it hard. The sharp whistle echoed through the jungle of Upper Yard.
"They seem to have sent a signal for reinforcements. Is that okay?" On the ship, Yukiko worriedly tugged at Ren's sleeve. Although she had eaten a Devil Fruit and trained for a while, Yukiko didn't like fighting.
"Don't worry. Although they sent a signal, it will take some time for reinforcements to arrive. And even if reinforcements come, there's nothing to worry about." Ren's words put her at ease.
Yukiko thought about it—with Ren here, there shouldn't be any problems. After all, this person had even subdued Asura Doji, who was like a demon in Kuri's legends. She really couldn't imagine anyone stronger than him.
With that in mind, she felt somewhat relieved, but still nervously watched Molly leaping through the battlefield, afraid that swords and spears had no eyes and might hurt her.
But in reality, Molly wasn't that fragile.
Although she had started training later than Yukiko, she was more diligent and hardworking. Moreover, unlike Yukiko who was often busy with other things, Molly had progressed quickly.
With proper training, in this world, a few months was enough to transform someone who knew nothing into a capable fighter. Just like the future Koby—after separating from Luffy and others, he had learned several techniques of the Rokushiki in just a few months.
Ren already knew the principles of Rokushiki techniques like Geppo and Soru. Reproducing these techniques wasn't difficult. In fact, Rokushiki itself wasn't particularly technical—the key was whether one's body could meet the conditions to use Rokushiki.
Someone with sufficient physical ability, like Luffy, learned Soru just by watching.
And Molly's constitution had already grown significantly. She was no pushover.
Her slender wrist gripped a sharp sword. Her pure white kimono was printed with large clusters of violets. The color of the violets was gradient, making it look like that rich purple had settled like flowing water to the lower part of the hem.
Molly's arms, though slender, were powerful. Although she hadn't mastered Haki yet, her body was already very tough. She hadn't yet reached the level of performing flying slashes, but she had already achieved the realm of cutting iron.
A white figure flashed through the fighting crowd. The girl in white-purple clothing had now calmed her mind. Her movements were elegant. The armor of those knights was practically useless against her sword techniques, which had reached the realm of cutting iron.
Anyone who came within two meters of her body was quickly struck down by that blade. Blood flowed from the gaps in their armor.
However, looking closely, none of those defeated by Molly had died. Her blade had avoided the enemies' vital points during attacks. Her personality was quite different from Yukiko's—if it were Yukiko here today, these enemies would have been destined for death the moment they shouted at Ren.
Ren didn't particularly like killing, especially the senseless slaughter of such weaklings. These people guarding Upper Yard were just doing their duty; they weren't being disrespectful.
With Molly and Shiyado, these guards could already be defeated, not to mention the other pirates helping as well.
So much so that by the time the battle here ended, reinforcements from Angel Island still hadn't arrived.
"Phew—" Molly exhaled, sheathed her sword, then jogged back to Ren and Yukiko's side, looking like she wanted praise. "How was it? How was it? Was I amazing?"
"Defeating these people isn't anything to be proud of, Molly." Ren shook his head. Although he was lenient with Yukiko, Molly, and the others, he wouldn't praise something this small.
If he were the one fighting, these people wouldn't even qualify to make him lift a finger. A single glance would be enough to knock them all unconscious.
"Alright." Molly stuck out her small tongue. She actually felt it was quite easy too—this amount of exercise felt like just a light jog.
"Lord Ren, what should we do with these people now?" Molly asked, lowering her head in embarrassment. Although she had held back and many hadn't died, if they kept lying here bleeding, they would still be in danger.
"Can't bear it?" Ren looked at her and asked softly.
"Mm..."
"But Molly, don't forget—once we came into conflict with them, we became enemies. It's best not to leave hidden dangers because of softheartedness." Ren said.
These nameless nobodies naturally didn't matter, but if facing some despicable or treacherous enemies, Molly's kindness at this moment would become her weakness.
"I know that, Lord Ren. Sister Yukiko often teaches us," Molly nodded.
"Good that you know. These are actually lessons from Yukiko's experience. During that time before, she traveled almost everywhere and met all kinds of people. Sometimes kindness doesn't bring good return." Ren nodded.
When Yukiko was recruiting people from various villages before, she had encountered many things. If she hadn't already had the strength to protect herself, she would have fallen into traps several times. Sometimes, children who appeared harmless could have incredibly dark and treacherous hearts.
Now, Yukiko basically wouldn't show mercy.
"Don't worry about these people. Their reinforcements have arrived." Ren's gaze turned to the higher sky. Under the blue sky, a small black dot appeared.
"Although it's only one."
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