In mid-air, the Black Blade, shrouded in white mist, collided with the rapidly spinning black sword. A colossal, bell-like clang resonated, and dazzling sparks flew from the friction. Simultaneously, the surrounding air vibrated, erupting in a violent, chaotic airflow that spread in all directions, stirring the seawater below into surging waves.
"Eh!!!"
"Just one clash?!"
"Commander Cracker!"
"Captain Cross!"
"..."
Such an astonishing scene made the subordinates on both sides gape, their eyes bulging as they cried out in alarm. The incessant rocking of the ships in the turbulent waters caused even more shouts.
After a brief stalemate in mid-air, Cracker's momentum waned, and he used the force to return to the Queen Mama Chanter, landing on the deck with a loud thud.
Cross, with an aerial flip, landed back on Marduk's back, then subtly shook his slightly numb hand. It wasn't that his strength was inferior to Cracker's, but the latter's long sword was spinning at high speed, like a drill with thousands of revolutions per minute, and that rotational force made his hand tingle.
"That damned brat..."
"Don't be reckless, Cracker-nii!"
On the Queen Mama Chanter, Cracker gritted his teeth, his face filled with resentment, about to leap again to attack Cross, but Mont-d'Or stopped him from behind.
"Now is not the time to go to war with the Marines!" Facing Cracker's furious glare, Mont-d'Or explained in a deep voice, "Besides, the opponent can fly. On the vast ocean, he's already in an unbeatable position. This kind of battle is meaningless!"
As Mont-d'Or explained, Cracker gradually calmed down, his anger somewhat abating, though he spoke with slight reluctance, "That brat got off easy!"
Next, Mont-d'Or took a few steps forward, looking up at Cross in the sky, and declared in a deep voice, "Cross, remember your choice today. When you lose your loved ones and friends, you'll understand that the Big Mom Pirates are not to be provoked!"
"Are you threatening me?"
"You could say that!" Mont-d'Or smiled cruelly, making a slicing motion across his neck.
Cross looked down at Mont-d'Or, his expression impassive, his tone cold. "As expected of pirates, utterly despicable! But you can involve families, and so can I. We'll see whose family has more members. I don't believe every single member of your Charlotte Family is a Sweet Commander-level monster!"
"At that time, I'll kill the men of your Charlotte Family and sell the women to the Celestial Dragons. Wouldn't that be interesting?"
"..." Mont-d'Or's face contorted, glaring fiercely at Cross.
"If you start it, don't blame me for finishing it. If you're so capable, kill me directly. Otherwise, don't resort to such despicable tactics, or it will only make me feel that your Big Mom Pirates rose to their dominant position in the New World through such underhanded means!" Cross met Mont-d'Or's gaze without fear, his words filled with sarcasm.
"Good! Very good!" Mont-d'Or's eye twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh in extreme anger, his voice cold. "This is the first time I've ever seen someone as brazen as you!"
"I was born bold; people call me Iron Gut Hero!" Cross snorted lightly, speaking unceremoniously.
At this moment, Cracker behind Mont-d'Or could no longer hold back, roaring furiously, "You bastard brat, I'll kill you!"
"Marduk, give them a lesson! Lightning Fury!"
"Yes, Master!"
Boom—!
Marduk's face was fierce, and his dark cloud body erupted with dazzling lightning. Accompanied by roaring thunder, he unleashed several bolts of lightning directly downwards. The lightning transformed into the shape of angry serpents mid-flight, rapidly streaking through the air and lunging towards the Queen Mama Chanter from multiple directions.
"Roll Pretzel!!!"
"Book World!"
Seeing this, Cracker and Mont-d'Or's expressions changed slightly, and they moved to defend simultaneously.
Cracker's giant sword spun rapidly again, and he imbued the blade with Armament Haki, turning it black. He then leaped ten meters high, striking down with a single sword thrust, shattering an angry serpent-shaped lightning bolt, which dissolved into fine electrical arcs in the air.
Mont-d'Or was even more extraordinary; he conjured several brick-thick books. Upon opening them in mid-air, they directly absorbed the remaining angry serpent lightning bolts.
It must be said that while Mont-d'Or's strength was not as great as Cracker's, his Devil Fruit ability was quite impressive. If it had been Cracker alone, he might not have been able to block those flexible, ever-changing angry serpent lightning bolts.
"They actually blocked it... It seems I underestimated you!" Cross sneered coldly, saying in a deep voice, "But on the sea, how long can you protect that ship?"
"Surtur!"
"Yes, Master!"
Surtur grinned menacingly, his spherical body, crowned with flames, suddenly expanded, transforming into a massive fireball as dazzling as the sun, hovering directly above the Queen Mama Chanter.
The scorching flames burned fiercely, and the high temperatures they generated significantly raised the surrounding temperature, making the already hot weather even more sweltering.
"Damn it..."
Seeing this, Cracker and Mont-d'Or's faces immediately turned grim, and fine beads of sweat formed on their foreheads due to the excessive heat.
At this moment, another warship sailed from the nameless island, carrying hundreds of Marines as reinforcements.
"Retreat, Cracker-nii!" Mont-d'Or's eyes narrowed, and he said in a cold tone, "Fighting at sea is disadvantageous for us. We'll find another opportunity to teach that bastard a lesson later!"
Upon hearing this, Cracker gritted his teeth, glaring unwillingly at Cross in the sky. He then glanced at the third warship approaching, and finally, a single word forced its way through his clenched teeth:
"Retreat!"
"Phew—"
Hearing Cracker agree to retreat, Mont-d'Or exhaled softly, then decisively turned and shouted, "Turn the ship around, let's go!"
Not long after, the massive pirate ship turned its bow, quickly moving away from Cross with the aid of currents and wind.
"Oh, oh! Captain Cross forced back the Big Mom Pirates!"
"Thank goodness! If they had fought, both sides would have suffered heavy casualties!"
"As expected of the man who killed Gecko Moria, he actually forced back an executive of the Big Mom Pirates!"
"..."
Seeing the Queen Mama Chanter depart, the Marines on the two third-class battleships cheered, happily tossing their hats into the air.
Cross in the sky also breathed a sigh of relief. He then had Marduk and Surtur shrink their bodies and return to the reinforcing second-class battleship.
Cracker's strength was formidable; Cross wasn't confident he could defeat him, and it wasn't a good time to clash with the Big Mom Pirates. Doing so would even involve the Bion Kingdom, resulting only in mutual destruction.
It would be like two dogs fighting over a pile of excrement.
Conflict with the Big Mom Pirates at this moment was meaningless, so since they chose to retreat, he didn't want to escalate the situation.
As for Charlotte Mont-d'Or's threats, Cross didn't take them to heart. He, Amphitrite Cross, wasn't some timid creature. Besides his own formidable strength, he had the Marines as his backing.
If the Big Mom Pirates dared to attack the Tobias Kingdom, he wouldn't mind riding Marduk around Totto Land Kingdom every day, periodically unleashing thunderstorms and fire rains.
He'd even target only the lesser-known members of the Charlotte Family. Even if a Sweet Commander-level member sailed out to sea, he'd just unleash lightning and fireballs from the sky, not aiming to kill, but only to destroy their ship.
Moreover, as soon as Charlotte Linlin came out to chase him, he'd just run straight to Marine Headquarters and see if that "Iron Balloon" had the guts to storm Marineford alone.
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