"It's time to send Law off." Hikaru sneered, raising his hand to prepare for a lightning attack.
The Ope Ope no Mi...
Legend says that when its power is fully awakened, it can grant a human eternal life through an "immortality surgery." However, the cost is immense: the user dies immediately after performing it.
The Ope Ope no Mi was even rumored to have been sold for 50 billion Berries on the black market! Yet, for some reason, after Law ate the Ope Ope no Mi, it seemed no one cared about this Devil Fruit anymore. Was there something strange about this?
It couldn't simply be that Doflamingo protected him too well. Ever since Law was put on a bounty list and dubbed the "Surgeon of Death," the Navy surely knew of his abilities.
As the thunder crackled around his hand, Hikaru teleported behind Law in the blink of an eye. After a brief pause, he unleashed the lightning beam at him.
"Leifa Thunderbeam!"
Law's expression contorted in shock. The scorching heat on his back felt like his skin was melting. Without a second thought, he activated his Ope Ope no Mi power again, swapping places with a nearby stone. This escape technique had become almost instinctual for him.
The lightning beam effortlessly vaporized the stone, then continued its destructive path into the distance. Unfortunately, a Pacifista stood directly in its trajectory.
Bang!
The lightning beam tore through the Pacifista's head without any resistance, continuing onward through the Yarukiman Mangrove, leaving a person-sized hole in its wake before vanishing into the horizon.
The lightning beam seemed to trigger something within the Pacifista, as its head instantly exploded like fireworks, revealing its upper body—a bizarre combination of flesh and machinery.
Jewelry Bonney couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache watching this. Even though Hikaru had told her this wasn't her father, she couldn't suppress the pain of seeing the Pacifista, bearing her father's face, beaten in such a way.
[It's not good to stop Onii-chan, hmm… if you don't look… Father probably won't feel any pain… hmm!]
Acting on her thoughts, Bonney turned her head away from the outside world and began to examine the room Hikaru had created for her. It was predominantly pink, filled with numerous cute teddy bear dolls, clearly showing the effort Hikaru had put into it.
Law appeared on the ground, panting. Because he was so close to Hikaru moments ago, the back of his coat was on fire. He could only rip it off with a tearing sound and shouted,
"Divine Emperor Hikaru!? What do you want?"
Seeing that the Pacifista, who had been fighting them for a long time, couldn't even withstand a single move from Hikaru, Law instantly realized that this was someone they absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
How could such a person have a mere 300 million Berry bounty!?
"Trafalgar Law~ hehehe..."
Before the distinctive laughter reached Law's ears, Hikaru teleported behind him once more. The thunderous hand ruthlessly gripped Law's head. As the electric current surged, Law felt as if his very consciousness had been stolen. He couldn't control his body at all, let alone use his Ope Ope no Mi ability.
"How could it be…" Law was stunned. He finally understood that he had no way to react to such speed. The other party had deliberately paused for a moment to allow him to escape by chance.
"Captain!"
In a flash, Law was instantly defeated. The Heart Pirates couldn't even keep up with the two individuals who teleported across space.
"Let go of our Captain!" Bepo yelled, rushing forward in a fury and punching Hikaru hard. However, all his attacks were either dodged by Hikaru's elementalization or simply passed through Hikaru's body without resistance, ultimately hitting Law.
Law was inconsolable at this moment, only able to curse in his heart: "What a stupid teammate!"
What was even more uncomfortable was that Bepo himself was severely electrocuted, his hands and feet twitching uncontrollably. Fortunately, he was a member of the Mink Tribe, naturally resistant to static electricity, and was able to stand back up.
Shachi, Penguin, and Jean Bart kept shooting at Hikaru, and even Bepo, who had just rejoined them, joined the fray.
"How naive and cute~"
Hikaru reveled in the unique pleasure of being a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Enemies like these, who desperately wanted to kill him but couldn't even touch him, frantically jumping around in anxiety with no way to deal with him, truly brought him immense satisfaction.
"Alright, kids from the Heart Pirates, your pirate game is over!" Hikaru raised his hand, shaping it like a pistol, aimed it at Bepo's head, and fired.
"Leifa: Thunder Gun!"
Zhi—!
"Bepo!" Shachi, Penguin, and the others were furious, but facing an enemy they couldn't attack, they couldn't think of any good solution for a while.
This wasn't over yet. Hikaru then aimed at several other members of the Heart Pirates, seemingly preparing to send them one by one to see the Pirate King before Law.
"Run! Don't let all of you die!"
Law was screaming hysterically in his heart, but the control over his body had already succumbed to spasms and twitches under the electric current's stimulation, making him completely Hikaru's puppet.
Fortunately, Hikaru wasn't overly playful. Otherwise, he might have taken a page from Doflamingo's book and controlled Law to hack at his crew members one by one. The sheer torture would surely make him collapse on the spot.
Zhi—!Zhi—! …
The sound of lightning guns tearing through the air continued, and with every strike, a pirate fell to the ground. They watched their companions fall one by one, as if their very will collapsed on the spot. They stood there in a daze, allowing Hikaru to slaughter them without resistance.
Soon, when the last sturdy man wearing a white hat collapsed helplessly, the area fell into a brief silence.
There were about twenty members in the Heart Pirates. Excluding Law, only a dozen or so had fallen. Not all members of the Heart Pirates were present; a few pirates were still guarding the ship, waiting for their return. But these remaining individuals didn't have Devil Fruit abilities, so they weren't worth Hikaru's extra effort.
[Why… why did you attack us!?]
Law's heart had become numb. Even though he had known the unspoken rule of the world's "survival of the fittest" since he was a teenager, now that it was his turn to be the weak one, he just wanted to know what made Hikaru target him.
If anyone was to blame, it was Law for eating the Ope Ope no Mi. After all, in this world, a man is innocent until he is found guilty of possessing a treasure.
"Why? How can there be so many 'whys' in this world? But I can tell you some good news that will make you happier on your way to the underworld." Hikaru grabbed Law's neck, preventing him from collapsing to the ground. "Just two days ago, I captured your enemy, Doflamingo. Almost all the members of the Donquixote Family were killed or injured, without exception."
[What!? Doflamingo… Corazon-san (Rosinante)!]
Although Law received the news that his great revenge had been achieved, at this moment, he desperately wanted his companions, who had been with him for many years, to survive.