Laina flicked ash from his cigarette and spoke lightly.
"Outside—roughly a hundred of them. Plus those Baroque Works officers, the 'Misters and Misses.'"
"Baroque Works, huh? Sounds familiar." Zoro rubbed his chin in thought.
"You've run into them before?" Laina asked curiously.
"Yeah. They tried to recruit me once."
"Well, aren't you popular in East Blue?" Laina smirked, heading for the door. "C'mon, time to work."
"Oh no! I've just contracted a deadly illness—if I step out that door, I'll die! The enemies are all yours!" declared the brave warrior of the sea, clutching his chest before collapsing into a dramatic "death."
"…"
Forget it. These small fry weren't worth his time anyway.
"Guess we'll handle it. Let's go, curly-brow."
"Shut it, moss-head. Don't order me around."
Outside, chaos stirred.
Mr. 8, the man with the massive curly afro, marched in front, flanked by the Baroque Works agents. Behind them, over a hundred members advanced on the hall where the Straw Hats rested.
"Don't underestimate them!" Igaram barked. "Their combined bounty is over seventy million Berries. First, capture the ones inside. Then we deal with their ship."
"Drunken pirates or not, they're fish on the chopping block." Mr. 9 smirked, twirling his iron batons. "We've got a hundred men to their few—the advantage is ours!"
"Yo! A hundred men, huh? This won't take long."
A mocking voice rang out. The attackers froze, looking up.
The moon hung high in the black sky, casting a cold glow. Three silhouettes stood tall against the moonlight on the rooftop.
"What!? Weren't they knocked out!?"
"Don't panic!" Igaram shouted grimly. "It's only three of them—and the strongest one, their captain, isn't here."
"Exactly!" Mr. 9 snarled, brandishing his weapons.
Weapons raised, the mob bared their teeth, ready to swarm.
"Pathetic. These are the cheapest assassins I've ever seen," Laina scoffed. "Either Crocodile's broke, or he's so rich he's just hiring every random thug he can find."
Laina had no plans to fight. After all, they had fed him, poured him drinks, and even offered him a pile of women. Letting his undead loose on them would be… a bit rude.
So he stayed where he was, seated atop the roof, while Sanji and Zoro vanished from his side.
"You lot after my head, huh?"
"Half the night gone, and you're making a racket," two voices suddenly cut through the crowd.
Sanji and Zoro.
Gasps erupted. The mob spun, weapons ready—only to find the pair already gone.
Zoro's three swords gleamed as he cut through the crowd. Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and enemies dropped in heaps.
Sanji danced among them like a dragon, his kicks a blur. Men fell like dominoes under his relentless strikes.
"Monsters, both of them…" Laina couldn't help admiring their ferocity as he watched from above.
He himself wasn't weak—his Zoan fruit and relentless training had pushed his body to new heights. But skill-wise? He was lacking.
He'd tried swordsmanship—his talent was abysmal.
Tried martial arts—ended up brawling like a thug.
Tried firearms—turned into a "line tracer" at best.
Back when he'd first crossed over, he tested every weapon under the sun. None stuck.
Rely on effort alone? Heh. Good joke.
So he'd chosen differently: train his body to stay alive, but leave real fighting to his undead.
"What kind of summoner personally charges into battle? Doesn't fit the image of a Necromancer Lord at all."
He knew his strength. Spreading himself thin was a waste—this wasn't some wish-fulfillment novel.
"You bastard! I finally found you!"
A shout snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a handful of thugs climbing up to the roof, weapons drawn.
The one in front, a brown-haired man with a pistol, glared at him furiously.
"What's with you?" Laina asked, bewildered by the man's rage.
"You… you dared—dared to lay your filthy hands on my sister!" the man roared, finger tightening on the trigger.
"…Excuse me?"
"They threw themselves at me!" Laina stomped his cigarette out with irritation. "And who's to say who used who, huh?!"
"Shameless bastard! Die!!" The man fired.
Bang!
But it wasn't Laina who fell—it was the gunman himself, shot through.
"Yeah, I'm shameless. But you're no saint either."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots rang out. The others collapsed, dead before they hit the ground. Laina blew away the smoke curling from his gun. Even a "line tracer" wasn't blind—he could still hit what mattered.
Below, the battle was nearly done. Only the officers remained.
"Hot-Blooded No. 9 Backflip!"
Mr. 9 arched backward into a human wheel, spinning toward Zoro with his iron bats.
Zoro simply sidestepped, and the man rolled right off the roof.
"…"
"…Bro, was that supposed to be serious?"
Laina's face darkened. "How do we win and still look this lame?"
"Die! —Mr. Bushido!"
A blue-haired ponytailed woman stood on the back of a duck, twisting her waist and waving her arms.
"Peacock Slashers—Hypnotic Dance!"
"Pfft—HAHA!" Laina nearly doubled over. It was Vivi!
Seeing the Alabasta princess striking poses like a delinquent girl was too much. "Where's a camera when you need one!? This is going in the blackmail folder!"
But ridiculous or not, her move worked.
The peacock-patterned chains swayed hypnotically. Zoro's vision blurred, his body reeling.
"Go, Karoo!"
"Quack!!"
The duck screeched, webbed feet slapping the ground as it charged at him.
At the last second, Zoro gritted his teeth, braced himself, and swung. His blade deflected her chain and neatly sliced through her hair tie.
Her long blue hair spilled free, framing her pale face as she fell to her knees, looking both furious and heartbreakingly fragile.
"Tch tch tch…"
Laina tilted his head, intrigued. "Can't deny it—Vivi really is a beauty."
But Zoro wasn't swayed. With calm, merciless eyes, he rushed forward, swords poised.
"Princess!!"
Igaram panicked, raising his bizarre saxophone-gun to protect her.
Laina froze. Wait… seriously? Was Zoro about to carve up the Alabasta princess—the future crewmate, key to the Ancient Weapon plotline—right here?
"Three-Sword Style: Claw of the Hawk!"
Zoro slashed.
But Laina noticed—the blows struck with the back of his blades. Zoro might not be as chivalrous as Sanji, but he rarely cuts down women.
"Neck Meat Kick!"
Sanji's heel crashed into Igaram, sending him sprawling and ruining the sneak attack.
"Saved your ass, moss-head. Don't mention it."
"I didn't need saving, curly-brow!"
The fight was done. Laina ignored their bickering and leapt down.
"Princess?" Nami's voice rang out as she approached, eyes narrowing.
"Well, well," Laina smirked at her. "How'd the treasure hunt go, Nami?"
"Damn it! Nothing! A whole town of broke bastards! I finally beat you to the loot, and I got nothing!" she snapped, stomping Igaram into the ground.
Hey, you bastard—get up! What's this about a princess!?