Bang Bang Bang!
Beckman held his specially modified rifle steady, aiming at the approaching Kai while calmly pulling the trigger in rhythm.
Seastone bullet after bullet, guided by his superior Observation Haki, precisely blocked all of Kai's possible advance routes.
Kai was forced to dodge and block repeatedly, his speed noticeably slowing.
"Damn, top-tier gunmen are really troublesome!"
Kai's Observation Haki was far less refined than Beckman's. He desperately activated his own abilities to avoid incoming bullets. "If only I could master future sight."
The thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
That's it! He just needed to master future sight himself!
Could there be a better opportunity than now?
Kai's eyes suddenly brightened.
With this realization, he stopped his futile charges. He forced himself to calm down and immerse all his consciousness into Observation Haki, trying to find glimpses of the future.
In the distance, Beckman watched Kai suddenly stop moving. His lips curved into a complex smile—part anger, part disdain.
"Using me as a whetstone to train Observation Haki? You really have some nerve, Natural Disaster Kai."
Then come on.
Beckman's gaze became incredibly focused. Let's see if this whetstone's hard enough to break your blade first, or the other way around.
At this time, Chagos Island's coastline had completely descended into chaos, becoming a bloody meat grinder.
"Poison Arrow Rain!"
Reiju wore her Germa battle suit, brilliant butterfly wings extending from her back as she hovered in the air. She parted her red lips slightly, spitting out deadly poison mist that instantly condensed into countless pink-purple poison arrows, shooting down at Hongo like a violent storm!
Clang clang clang!
Hongo remained composed, his black staff dancing impenetrably. Staff shadows formed a solid barrier that perfectly blocked most poison arrows with continuous crisp impacts.
The few arrows that slipped through struck the surrounding ground, corroding small pits like strong acid while releasing ominous pink-purple smoke.
"Oh? Getting hit by those things would probably end badly."
Hongo frowned slightly. He seized a gap in Reiju's attack, leaping up and striking back with his staff, powerfully thrusting toward her abdomen!
Bang!
A dull sound. The airborne Reiju seemed completely unable to react, taking the hit solidly and falling to the ground like a broken kite, raising dust.
However, despite the successful hit, Hongo showed no joy. Instead, he displayed uncertainty.
That hardness was unbelievably tough! Had he really just struck human flesh and blood?
Sure enough. The next second, Reiju clutched her abdomen with some pain but stood up again. She exhaled denser pink-purple poison mist to envelop herself, then flapped her wings and charged again, engaging Hongo in fierce close combat.
Long-range attacks don't work? Then let's try close combat!
At the same moment, another side of the battlefield...
"Muhahaha! Taste my latest masterpiece!"
Queen had transformed into his massive brachiosaurus-human form, carrying a specially made barrel constantly bubbling ominously on his back. He held a modified multi-barrel Gatling gun with an enlarged barrel.
The chambers were loaded with his prized new plague bullets!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Countless bullets loaded with special viruses shot toward enemies like a deadly swarm.
"You think you know who I am?! Just bullets!"
Gab roared, crossing his arms defensively as Armament Haki quickly covered them, forming a solid defense.
Bullets clinked against his Haki defense, seemingly perfectly blocked.
But unexpectedly, after being blocked by Haki, these bullets didn't bounce off or fall like normal bullets. They exploded!
Clouds of ominous green smoke instantly rose, enveloping him!
"What is this?!" Gab was startled.
"Muhahaha! You idiots are dead!"
Queen showed a triumphant grin. "These are mummy virus bullets I specially developed for this war!"
"They'll first make you feel extreme burning pain like being in lava, then your blood will uncontrollably gush from your pores! Finally, you'll become mummies in extreme agony! Muhahaha!"
Queen began explaining his masterpiece like a classic villain.
"Virus? This is bad..."
Gab suddenly felt his entire body burning intensely. Green patches visibly appeared and spread across his skin!
"Ahhhhh!"
Unbearable pain made Gab scream terribly as he tried covering his entire body with Armament Haki to resist this strange viral invasion.
But it was barely effective. Once the virus entered the body, simple Haki defense couldn't eliminate it.
Like Gab, other Red Hair pirates exposed to green mist couldn't endure the internal burning, collapsing while groaning and wailing painfully.
"Brian, Bane, how are you? Hold on!"
Their concerned comrades rushed to help fallen teammates.
Queen stood watching this touching scene with a cruel, gloating smile.
"Keep caring for them. Don't stop, muhahaha."
Queen laughed maniacally internally. His mummy virus loved these sentimental enemies most.
"Ah!" Pirates trying to help suddenly screamed in terror.
Where their skin contacted infected comrades, deadly green patches rapidly appeared as internal burning struck instantly!
Yes, besides its terrifying fatality rate, the mummy virus's greatest trait was shocking contact transmission! Just body contact would immediately infect others.
Soon, the first batch, unable to resist viral erosion, showed final symptoms.
"Save me, save me! I don't want to die..."
A pirate desperately grabbed his comrade's arm, eyes full of despair. Then all his pores seemed unable to contain blood as fine droplets seeped out, escalating to terrifying gushing!
Within seconds, he died in extreme pain and unwillingness. His body visibly withered like a mummy dried of blood and flesh!
Queen smugly watched while loudly reminding his Beast Pirates. "Stay away from those guys! Don't approach them until they're completely dead!"
Nearby, Hongo, fighting Reiju, glimpsed this scene. Seeing friend Gab covered in green patches and collapsed in pain, his eyes filled with rage!
"Gab! Everyone!"
Hongo's eyes instantly turned red as he used all his strength to sweep away troublesome Reiju with his staff. He rushed over, screaming hoarsely. "Scatter! Don't touch them!"
Reaching the scene and seeing Gab and others collapsed with weak, fading breaths, as a ship doctor he understood better than anyone—it was beyond saving.
"Damn, Queen! I'll definitely kill you!"
Boundless fury consumed Hongo's reason as he spun his staff and charged regardless of everything!
"Hmph, if you can do it, then try."
Queen snorted, discarding the empty heavy Gatling and raising his thick mechanical arm. Scorching laser beams began continuously shooting at the charging Hongo.
On another relatively independent battlefield...
Kozuki Hiyori focused intently, holding Enma in her right hand and Ame no Habakiri in her left, crossing both swords defensively as pitch-black Haki instantly covered them.
"Oden Two-Sword Style: Togen Totsuka!"
She cried out, powerfully pushing off with her right foot as her form instantly blurred, disappearing like teleportation.
"Oh? Also two-sword style? Interesting." Building Snake raised an eyebrow, lifting his dual blades without seeming intent on directly blocking this technique.
As Kozuki Hiyori attacked, he smiled with predatory mockery.
Bang!
The cross-shaped massive slash struck empty air, heavily smashing into Snake's original position and leaving a bottomless cross-shaped crater with rising dust!
But Snake had already vanished.
"Hm? Where'd he go?" Kozuki Hiyori frowned, her Observation Haki frantically operating to sense everything around her.
"Are you looking for me?" Snake's playful voice rang near Hiyori's ear. "Free lesson: No matter how powerful your technique, if it can't hit anyone, it's wasted effort."
Not good!
Kozuki Hiyori's pupils contracted as alarm bells rang in her heart! She tensed her leg muscles, about to retreat and create distance.
But two cunning, vicious blade flashes had already struck like snakes.
Slash!
Accompanying fabric-tearing sounds, Kozuki Hiyori's left shoulder and right rib instantly opened with blood lines. The sudden impact staggered her, disrupting her balance and forcing an awkward roll to barely avoid possible follow-ups.
"So fast!"
Kozuki Hiyori was shocked, not even having time to check her shoulder wound as she quickly steadied herself, crossing her swords in a tight defensive posture.
Unknown to her, Snake was equally surprised. Though his strike was hasty, with his strength and blade sharpness, it shouldn't have left just shallow wounds. He'd expected much more bleeding.
"Such a hard body. Does the Beast Pirates specifically recruit physical freaks? Even a little girl's like this."
Snake didn't pursue his advantage, instead beginning to move his feet in a strange, eerie rhythm with unpredictable steps.
"Can't see clearly... can't see at all..."
Kozuki Hiyori stared intently at Snake's rapidly moving feet, trying to predict his next attack direction, but those bizarre steps seemed hypnotic, making her head dizzy with slightly blurred vision.
"Now!"
Noticing Hiyori's momentary confusion, Snake moved!
"Acrobatic Two-Sword Style: Phantom Dance Slash!"
Kozuki Hiyori couldn't effectively parry, only seeing a flash before feeling pain in her arms and thighs—two fresh wounds.
"Damn... completely can't capture his movements!"
Kozuki Hiyori's expression became extremely ugly. Continuing like this, she'd become his plaything, slowly bleeding until death.
As she desperately sought solutions, Snake closed in again, his dual blades dancing like violent storms with gleaming cold light—practically achieving eight-sword-style effects with two blades.
Kozuki Hiyori had no choice but to grit her teeth and use the clumsiest but most reliable method. She also swung her swords impenetrably, forming a defensive blade net to desperately block attacks from all directions.
Clang clang clang clang...
Dense metallic sounds rang out with flying sparks.
But prolonged defense must fail.
"What should I do..."
Kozuki Hiyori struggled to hold on, her mind racing through all possible solutions. Suddenly, she remembered Grandfather Kozuki Sukiyaki's teachings.
"Hiyori, if you ever find your eyes can't capture enemies, try using this." Kozuki Sukiyaki smiled, pointing at his heart. "A swordsman who can't trust their own heart will accomplish nothing."
Use your heart—to see?
Determination flashed in Kozuki Hiyori's eyes as she completely closed them. Focusing all attention and perception into Observation Haki, trying to use the "mind's eye" to capture invisible slashes.
Seeing this, Snake felt uneasy. Surely breakthrough moments from novels wouldn't happen to him?
He didn't dare slack, immediately accelerating his attacks with even sharper, swifter bladework.
Indeed, the closed-eyed Kozuki Hiyori initially struggled even more, quickly gaining several shallow wounds as blood nearly stained half her clothing.
But as Snake's attacks continued accelerating, Kozuki Hiyori slowly, gradually began adapting to this rhythm. Her blocks became increasingly precise and timely.
"Right here!"
At a certain moment, Kozuki Hiyori suddenly opened her eyes, seizing Snake's technique transition gap as Enma powerfully struck!
A several-meter sword energy shot directly at Snake's waist.
Unable to intercept with his blade, Snake could only awkwardly bend backward in extreme evasion. The sword energy continued unimpeded, easily breaking through distant massive rocks before flying skyward and gradually dissipating.
"Tch. Should I call myself lucky or unlucky?"
Snake quickly readjusted his form, showing a helpless bitter smile. "I actually encountered this cliché plot development."
"Now begins round two!"
Kozuki Hiyori smiled confidently. Though wounded, her aura had completely changed as she resumed her two-sword starting stance.
"Hmph, little girl, sometimes even if you can see, you can't necessarily block it!" Snake grinned with serious fighting spirit.
Only now did he truly regard Kozuki Hiyori as a worthy opponent.