Winters and Yasika were both veteran powerhouses who controlled the slum territories for the Regis and Dars Gangs, rivals on the same level as Horton.
Ever since Horton took over the slum district under the Frosthorn Gang's banner, he had frequently clashed with these two. They had fought many times, yet none had managed to kill the other.
Now, the two had joined forces for the first time, driven by the temptation of seizing Akio's prosperous and resource-rich territory.
"Where's that brat Aaron? Hurry up and bring him out! Otherwise, I'll tear down his entire base myself!"
Standing over five meters tall in his beast form, Winters, transformed into a gigantic wild boar glared down at Els and Gabdon. Steam blasted from his massive nostrils like twin jets, and he bellowed in a thunderous voice.
Winters, age 42, an officer of the Regis Gang and a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user who ate the Boar-Boar Fruit, Model: Wild Boar. A formidable fighter who specialized in the meteor hammer, he had repeatedly overpowered Horton during previous turf wars in the slums.
As Winters spoke, the towering two-meter woman perched on his back leapt down.
A thunderous boom! shook the ground the moment she landed.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete as Yasika, a Dars Gang officer, stood tall a broad, muscular woman wielding a massive, spiked club nearly a meter thick. Her round, bulky frame made her look like a walking cannonball. Grinning with a mouth full of sharp teeth, she bellowed crudely, "That's right! Get that punk out here before I smash this place to pieces!"
With that, she swung her colossal weapon.
The swing created a howling gust of wind so fierce it blasted away dozens of Aaron's men, sending them flying like rag dolls. Only a handful managed to remain standing.
Yasika, age 37, half-Fishman (Whale Shark hybrid). Born with monstrous strength, she was a master of the spiked club and also an expert practitioner of Fishman Karate. Her record included multiple victories over Horton himself. Among the three major slum gangs' senior officers, she was regarded as the strongest.
"So strong..."
Feeling the combined pressure radiating from Winters and Yasika, Els's previously carefree expression vanished. His face grew solemn, though his eyes still blazed with battle spirit. He locked his gaze on Winters, his chosen opponent.
"My apologies, sirs," Gabdon said evenly, forcing down his anger. "Lord Aaron isn't here right now. But don't you think it's a bit excessive, the two of you bringing so many men to attack us? Are you underestimating the Frosthorn Gang? Don't forget, Lord Reggie is Lord Aaron's teacher."
The oppressive aura radiating from the two officers made Gabdon uneasy. Despite his growing confidence in Aaron's recent strength, perhaps even beyond that of these two, facing both of them together was an entirely different matter.
He hoped invoking Reggie's name would make them back off.
After all, Reggie was Aaron's mentor and he had once personally killed Willard, who tried to bully Aaron when he was still weak.
But at Gabdon's words, Winters and Yasika burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Hah! Don't try to scare us, boy," Yasika sneered. "Ever since that brat ate the Snow-Snow Fruit, he's no longer some rookie. We gave him over two months to adapt to his new power plenty of time. Even Reggie has no right to complain now. Bring the brat out, or we'll tear this place apart!"
...
Meanwhile, at the Frosthorn Gang's headquarters inside the leader's private room.
Outside, the atmosphere was tense and full of unrest, but inside, two senior figures sat leisurely playing chess, seemingly unaware that Aaron's district was being attacked by the combined forces of the Dars and Regis Gangs.
"You're really not going to interfere?" Akio asked casually as he placed a black piece on the board, watching his old friend with a knowing smile.
Of course, as the Frosthorn Gang's boss, Akio had received the news of Winters and Yasika's invasion the moment it happened and so had the man across from him.
"What's there to interfere with?" Reggie replied, placing a white piece with a faint smirk. "If he doesn't have the strength to protect what he's taken, then he never deserved it. When he swallowed up those neighboring territories, he should've known this day would come."
Still, while sipping his tea, Reggie glanced out the window toward Aaron's territory, his eyes betraying a flicker of concern.
So, Winters and Yasika had finally made their move. They hadn't waited for Aaron's return instead; they confirmed his absence and immediately launched their assault on his base.
Destroying it would, by underworld law, mean they'd officially seized control of Slum District B, Aaron's hard-won domain.
Els, Gabdon, and the others would never allow that to happen.
"One-Sword Style: Crescent Slash!"
"Eight-Impact Fist: Raging Bull!"
Els and Gabdon both charged forward, targeting Winters and Yasika respectively. They attacked at full force, each unleashing their most powerful techniques.
Els's blade flashed, releasing a crescent-shaped shockwave that streaked toward the beast-form Winters.
Gabdon's razors spun like a windmill as veins bulged across his arms and he brought them down in a single crushing strike toward Yasika.
"Hah! Not bad, Els. Your swordsmanship's decent but your attacks are too light! You think that tickles me?" Winters laughed, his booming voice echoing across the compound.
In his beast form, his hide was as tough as armor. Els's strongest slash left only a shallow cut that stopped bleeding almost instantly.
Els's heart sank but his fighting spirit only burned hotter. Tightening his grip, he dashed forward to strike again.
But Winters wasn't some wooden dummy to be hacked at freely. Seeing Els charge recklessly, a look of disdain flashed in his eyes. He slammed a hoof into the ground, sending a tremor through the area and releasing a circular shockwave.
Earthquake Stomp!
Caught off guard, Els staggered, nearly losing his footing.
In the next instant, Winters moved shockingly fast for his size appearing right in front of Els. A single kick sent Els flying like a rag doll, crashing hard into a thick concrete wall.
On the other side, Gabdon's strike was caught bare-handed by Yasika's left hand. Grinning, she swung her club like a baseball bat and sent him hurtling through the air, slamming into another wall beside Els.
Though both men were strong, Aaron estimated each of their physical attributes to be above thirty points, their opponents were veterans of Vilia Port's criminal underworld. Even Horton had fallen before these two. In comparison, Els and Gabdon were still far too green.
They were defeated in a single exchange.
Gunfire erupted around the base as Aaron's remaining men, despite their fear, refused to retreat and fired their weapons.
"Hah! Pathetic little insects! You don't deserve such fine turf! Hand it over, hahahaha!" Winters roared, unfazed by the bullets ricocheting off his iron-like skin.
Yasika, though not as durable, was equally unbothered. Spinning her club, she generated a tornado-like gust that deflected the incoming bullets with ease. Then, she struck forward with a Fishman Karate technique.
Fishman Karate: Water Shot!
A shockwave blasted outward, knocking down everyone in her vicinity.
"What a pity, looks like that brat Aaron won't make it in time. Guess I'll just destroy this place myself."
With a cold smirk, Winters set his sights on Aaron's beautifully constructed base.
He charged forward, his head coated in a layer of Armament Haki ready to demolish the building in one devastating blow.
Boar Charge!
But before he could reach it, dozens of paper cranes swooped down from the sky like dive-bombers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions blasted Winters off his feet.
"Who's there?!" he roared in fury. Even with his thick hide, the blasts left his back a bloody mess.
At that moment, countless sheets of paper fluttered down from above. They began to swirl together in midair and within seconds, they merged into the form of a young man with wings made of paper.
---
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