Chapter 61: Defeating Gan Fall
"White Haze Descends."
The white-and-purple figure fluttered down from the sky like wisteria petals drifting in the wind, falling toward the silver knight.
Clang—
The instant blade and lance collided, a flash of white radiance burst forth.
In the next moment, their figures crossed in midair. Riding on Pierre, Gan Fall continued soaring upward, while Molly, who had leapt down, drifted toward the sea of clouds like a battered blossom scattered after a storm.
Her left arm had been grazed by Gan Fall's lance. The sleeve of her kimono was torn open, and large amounts of blood spilled from her arm.
The scattered droplets bloomed above the white White Sea like crimson plum blossoms.
"Molly!" Yuriko rushed forward at once. If not for the ship's railing blocking her, she might have fallen into the White Sea herself. Seeing Molly injured, Yuriko's face turned pale and bloodless, trembling in panic.
Especially now, as Molly's entire body was about to fall into the sea of clouds.
Fortunately, Shiyado reacted quickly. She drew her wings in slightly and dived downward like an arrow, the White Sea parting to either side under the force of her descent.
When Shiyado skimmed close to the surface and felt a faint wave of weakness in her body, she suddenly spread her wings wide, executed a sharp turn, and arced upward, catching Molly just before she plunged into the White Sea.
"Thank you, Shiyado." Molly panted, too preoccupied with the pain in her left arm to think about it. "Climb!"
"Hold tight!" Shiyado did not waste words. In her eyes, Molly's injury was nothing; on the Grand Line, this level of wound could only be considered minor.
"Pierre, we're going too!" Gan Fall seized the forward-charging Pierre, forcing him to turn around, while he leapt up to give Pierre space to transform.
Pierre immediately reverted from his Pegasus form back into his original spotted bird form, a sign that they intended to dive at full speed.
The two sides charged at each other once more. Watching the distance between them shrink rapidly, Yuriko's heart rose to her throat as her pale fingers gripped Ren's sleeve tightly.
"You've already lost!" Gan Fall shouted. Holding the higher ground, his presence was even more imposing than before. In his view, the outcome had already been decided; the young girl was injured and could not possibly be his opponent.
But words alone could not make Molly retreat. She had always been stubborn.
Seeing this, Gan Fall raised his lance again, this time aiming at Molly's right shoulder. If she could no longer hold her weapon, the battle would surely end.
"Flash Strike—crack—"
He lifted the lance high, but his voice caught in his throat as a metallic shattering sound rang out.
At some unknown moment, the steel spear in his hand had already shattered.
"This is… could it be from earlier…" Shock flashed through Gan Fall's eyes as the previous exchange replayed in his mind. His spear had been broken in that instant, yet he had not realized it.
But it was already too late to halt his plunging body. He could only watch as Molly's blade expanded within his vision.
"Origin Flow: Instant!"
Riding the wind upward, Molly's expression was resolute as she thrust her sword. The white blade reflected the blazing sunlight, carving a brilliant streak through the air.
The light pierced through Gan Fall's body and vanished in an instant, like lightning or a beam of light dissipating in the blink of an eye.
Like a dream, like an illusion, like dew and lightning.
"Ah—"
Gan Fall's armor was cleaved apart by that strike. Molly's Sword Energy left a vicious wound across his right abdomen. The pain sent him tumbling from Pierre's back, his heavy body falling downward.
"To think… I lost to a little girl…" Enduring the pain, Gan Fall lifted his gaze upward. Through Pierre, who was desperately rushing to catch him, his eyes fell upon the woman rising toward the sun.
She was not very tall, and her frame looked somewhat delicate, yet she possessed such tremendous strength.
Her elegant attire was now torn at one sleeve from his earlier strike, bright red blood soaking into the white-and-purple silk.
Beautiful and powerful.
Gan Fall admitted his defeat wholeheartedly. Molly's final strike could have aimed at his heart, yet she had shown mercy and targeted his abdomen instead. He no longer even had a weapon, and the giant bird beneath her was formidable in battle as well.
"My training is still insufficient."
After Pierre caught him, Gan Fall lost the will to fight. Clutching his wound, he descended onto the land of Upper Yard and looked toward them.
Molly was brought back to Ren's ship by Shiyado. The moment she landed, Yuriko rushed over, tearfully grasping her arm and asking whether it hurt.
"Does it hurt, Molly? How did you get injured like this…"
Yuriko cared deeply for Molly. The mother and daughter had relied on each other through many difficult times.
"It doesn't hurt much, Mom." Molly had originally wanted to claim credit in front of Ren, but she had to handle Yuriko first. Of course it hurt, but she did not want Yuriko or Ren to worry.
Soon, however, she burst out with tears in her eyes.
"Mom! Don't touch my wound!"
Yuriko looked at her with watery eyes and a pitiful expression, which immediately softened Molly's heart. In truth, Yuriko had only reached out in worry, trying to cover the wound with her hand as if that would somehow ease the pain.
Molly's tone softened. "It's nothing, Mom. When Ren spars with that dead-fatty Shutenmaru, his injuries are often worse than mine."
That was true. Although Shutenmaru also bore the Mark of the Great Serpent, each person expressed loyalty to Ren differently depending on their temperament.
Shutenmaru had always revered strength above all. When sparring with Ren, he would never hold back.
"Stop standing around and go treat the wound," Ren interrupted. Several female pirates had already gathered with a medical kit. They were well accustomed to handling injuries that were not too severe.
First they disinfected with alcohol, then applied medicine, and finally wrapped it with bandages. That was consider
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ed proper treatment.
With Molly's current physique, unless the wound was particularly serious, it would be difficult for her to leave a scar.