"Haa, haa...!! You're persistent!!!"
"Huff, puff... That's my line!! Dodging around like that...!!!"
Luffy and Wiper, having encountered each other in the forest, had immediately engaged in battle, just like the other day.
Luffy took a hit from the "Burn Bazooka" but managed to land a "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka" on Wiper. Even though Wiper hadn't taken the hit unguardedly, the damage accumulated with each blow.
Wiper's comrades offered to help, but the "Burn Bazooka's" large scale made it more likely they would be caught in the blast.
Both were determined to defeat the other, and the situation was becoming one where neither could back down—when a familiar voice called out to Wiper.
"Wiper!!!"
"Laki!! Why are you here!! You should be back at the village—"
"The village has been attacked!!!"
"—What did you say!?"
His eyes still filled with intense bloodlust, Wiper's gaze shifted from Luffy to Laki.
Laki had some burn marks visible on her body, and her face was filled with grief.
"What happened!"
"I don't know... Someone named Maraptonoka came to the village, and... took Aisa hostage, and asked the chief something. She said she was leaving because she'd heard what she wanted, and then the village..."
"Where is she?"
"...I don't know. The 'Twilight' people came to help, and we had no choice but to run."
Wiper's face was filled with fury, veins bulging on his forehead.
It was more likely that she was gone, but he had no choice but to return to the village. If there were any clues... or if Aisa was safe, there was a possibility he could get information from her.
Even though he was furious, Wiper was calm enough to think of that.
Luffy was no longer on his mind. He was burning with rage, wanting to return to the village as soon as possible and make Maraptonoka pay for burning it.
"I'll let you off this time, Straw Hat. You're next."
Spitting out those words, Wiper began to move towards the village, faster than anyone else.
A beat later, the other warriors followed, disappearing in an instant.
Luffy, feeling unfulfilled by the incomplete fight, snorted and readjusted the backpack he had placed nearby.
He was optimistic that his separated companions were probably safe, but he had no idea which way to go.
"Hmm... I guess the warm-looking way!"
Carefree, he thought such a thing and started walking while humming.
He went in a direction different from the one Wiper and the others had taken, engrossed in picking up nearby twigs.
***
Before long, Wiper and the others had passed through the forest and were about to pass the foot of the giant vine called "Giant Jack"—a place with many ruins.
It was probably just a coincidence that they noticed.
It wasn't because of any particularly loud noise, but because Laki's gaze happened to fall on a noticeable pink hair color.
There was the figure of their worst enemy, one they couldn't forget even if they wanted to.
"Wiper!! It's her!!!"
Wiper turned at Laki's words and saw Maraptonoka, who was at the place she had pointed to.
Facing Robin and Chopper while still showing composure, Wiper, without any hesitation about involving the two, pulled the trigger of the "Burn Bazooka."
"You—!!"
The bluish-white flame generated by igniting the released gas swallowed Maraptonoka, and Robin and Chopper, who noticed a moment earlier, were barely able to get out of the line of fire.
Robin glared at Wiper, who had attacked regardless of the ruins, but Wiper, as if ignoring her, continued to smoke his cigarette with a murderous aura.
Maraptonoka, who should have been swallowed by the "Burn Bazooka," was, incredibly, unharmed.
"A sneak attack from behind. You have no manners."
"Did you burn our village?"
"Hmm? ...I see, so you were from that village. Yes, I did. I thought it would be best if you were as conspicuous as possible."
"I don't care to hear your words. Disappear from here."
"How short-tempered... That's why you'll die without understanding the difference in our strength."
As if to say she was disappointed... or rather, to provoke Wiper's hatred, Maraptonoka mocked him.
She already had a gun in her hand, the muzzle pointed at Wiper.
Dodging the "Burn Bazooka" that was fired again, Maraptonoka pulled the trigger of the gun.
A gunshot rang out, and at the same time, Wiper moved to dodge, avoiding the bullet while approaching Maraptonoka.
"So, you're resorting to close combat because that toy doesn't work? How foolish!"
She caught his kick with one hand, and Maraptonoka pulled the trigger of the gun again. Laki shouted at the continuous gunshots, but Wiper, taking a bullet to the shoulder, grappled with Maraptonoka.
He was bleeding from his left shoulder, and he pressed his right hand against Maraptonoka's chest.
"An Impact Dial, is it? Such a toy won't—"
"No—it's ten times that energy."
Wiper, enraged at Maraptonoka for attacking his village, injuring his comrades, his friends, and those he should protect... His killing intent, disregarding his own injuries, cornered Maraptonoka.
To defeat this woman here, no matter what.
"Reject!!"
Thump!
Maraptonoka's body tilted backward.
She had lost her balance from the sheer force of the impact.
The recoil from the impact was so great that it wouldn't be surprising if the bones in Wiper's right arm were damaged, and in fact, he was holding his right shoulder with his shot left arm.
Maraptonoka was about to fall—but.
"—Hmph!"
She stopped in the middle of falling, and with a vigorous motion, she brought her body upright and headbutted Wiper in the face.
Blown away by Maraptonoka's headbutt, Wiper flew through the air, bleeding from his nose, seeing stars, not understanding what had happened.
"Honestly, to suddenly touch a woman's chest... You have no manners."
"That's impossible... To take a direct hit from 'Reject'... and!?"
"Yes, it was certainly a strong impact, but that's all. This level of pain isn't enough to defeat me."
It wouldn't be strange if a normal person's bones and internal organs were messed up from that impact.
Even so, Maraptonoka only coughed a little, not showing any signs of having taken a significant blow, and Wiper couldn't hide his surprise at not being able to defeat her even after using his trump card.
Before Wiper could take his next action, Maraptonoka quickly pulled the trigger of the gun.
Several bullets were fired into Wiper's abdomen with a dry sound, driving him to the brink of death.
It seemed that even though she didn't feel threatened enough to kill him, the impact from the "Reject" was enough to anger Maraptonoka.
"Now then."
Shifting her gaze from Wiper, who was on the verge of death and bleeding profusely, Maraptonoka wiped the blood splatters from her face with her hand and looked at the remaining Shandian warriors.
Although she had a smile on her face, Maraptonoka's eyes weren't smiling.
—It wouldn't take long for them to be annihilated.
At that moment.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"Jurarararararara!!!"
Luffy and Zoro came running with tremendous force.
And a giant snake appeared, chasing the two.
***
Meanwhile, Pedro.
While fleeing from Martin, who was chasing him while burning the sea of trees to the ground, he was somehow looking for an opening... but seeing that his characteristics had been exposed, the five of them were cornering Pedro while protecting each other with an appropriate arrangement, without even calling out to each other.
Frankly speaking, he was in a pinch.
"Haa, haa... What's going on with these guys!"
Despite not exchanging a single word, they were perfectly coordinated.
Even if they had received such training, it was extremely difficult to switch between attack and defense without communicating.
And yet, what each individual could do was almost the same... In other words, it could be said that they were uniform.
There was some kind of trick.
"Is it a Devil Fruit... But even so, what kind of ability is it?"
It was highly likely that it was an ability that assisted in communication, but since he couldn't see the ability with his eyes, he couldn't be sure.
It wasn't impossible that they had hidden child Den Den Mushi, and someone was giving instructions from afar.
...Well, even if they were giving instructions in a low voice, Pedro wouldn't miss it, so the possibility was close to zero.
"Burn to death already!"
"I refuse!"
He dodged the flames, approached, and unleashed a slash. Martin, with the flames still on his back, blocked it head-on, but if there were no flames on his back, he chose to dodge.
It should be considered that something changed depending on whether or not there were flames on his back.
In addition, when there were no flames on his back, he became incredibly fast.
It wasn't enough to slip through Observation Haki, but it was enough to get hit if he let his guard down.
"At this rate, it's a losing battle...!"
Even if he ran away, if he was cornered to the edge of the island, there would be nowhere to escape. Martin and the others had wings, but since he hadn't seen them fly, it was more likely that they couldn't fly, but if he fell into the sea, Pedro wouldn't be able to attack either.
Having said that, he had no intention of being engulfed in flames and dying, so he had no choice but to run.
Eventually, he escaped the forest—and returned to the place where the ship was.
"Damn it! I'm back at the Merry!!"
"Hey Pedro! What the hell is going on—"
Before he could react to Nami's voice, Pedro dodged Martin's flames, which had been chasing him from behind.
Nami and Usopp, who would have known that the forest was burning even from afar, were speechless at seeing it directly.
In contrast, Sanji and Zepo, who had been attacked once the other day, reacted quickly.
"I'll help you, partner!"
"That damn bastard, he was still alive!"
"Wait, you two!!"
Pedro rebuked the two who had come out boldly, and lined up.
And when he saw the remaining four Martins who had chased after Pedro, he was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out.
""Whaaaaat!!?""
"Five people with the same face!? What's going on!?"
"And they all have fire coming out of their backs!? Not just the forest, this whole area will burn!!"
They were in a state of panic.
If there were five of them, they had no choice but to fight with five of them.
More than anything, if they retreated here, the Merry would be damaged.
***
In a makeshift tent shelter made by the Shandian people, there was a woman.
While treating the four patrolmen who had discovered and fought Maraptonoka, she was conveying as much as she could about the characteristics of the enemy they had fought. That was their job.
The woman, having gathered the information, nodded once and left the tent.
McKinley, who was waiting outside with his back straight, saluted and spoke to the woman.
"Thank you for your hard work. How are they?"
"They're going to make it. Thanks to you... and their quick treatment. Thank you."
"This is all we can do."
"I don't need your thanks. You, can you do something about that thing?"
"Yes."
At Genbou's words, who was sitting down and listening, the woman nodded as a matter of course.
She might not have known when she was in "Ohara," but now that she had set foot in "Upper Yard," she could perceive the entire area with Observation Haki.
She knew Maraptonoka's position, and Martin's position, all of it.
"I'll cut down all those who oppose 'Twilight'. No matter how strong they are."
Fine sword "Shunrai"
Great sword "Enma"
Supreme Grade Sword "Muramasa"
With the three swords at her waist and a fox mask on her face, Komurasaki began to move to cut down her enemies.