Chapter 994: It Won’t Take Too Long!

Chapter 994: Chapter 994: It Won’t Take Too Long!

With a sharp, subtle click, thin silver threads sank deep into the ground and the walls.

The next instant—BOOM!

A terrifying, narrow fissure tore through the ground. Behind it, countless storerooms were sliced clean through in a single row. Though the fissure itself didn’t look wide, it was filled with an irresistible, razor-sharp force.

Luffy dodged to the side, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the deep slash marks scoring the floor and walls. He blurted out in utter shock, "Are... are you kidding me?!"

If Zoro’s Three-Sword Style was a swordsmanship born of immense power and technical mastery, then this woman’s swordsmanship, judging by that single strike alone, was pure speed and absolute sharpness.

"To think that troublesome woman came here too..." Law’s expression turned dead serious. He pressed a hand against Luffy’s shoulder and gritted his teeth. "We’re leaving. It’s not wise to get tangled up with her right now!"

"Room..."

A translucent, spherical dome rapidly expanded outward from Law, instantly enveloping dozens of the surrounding storerooms.

"Shambles!"

In a flash, Law and Luffy vanished from the spot. In their place, two 8-pound cannons appeared out of thin air.

However, the barrels of the two cannons were severely warped and twisted like pretzels, as if wrenched by sheer brute force. Deep cracks webbed across the metal. They were beyond saving, even if sent back to the forge, nothing more than scrap metal at this point.

"Nani?!"

Seeing Luffy and Law vanish, Betilla and the others stared blankly for a second before flying into a furious rage.

"Bastards! They ran!"

"Damn that Law, what a spineless coward!"

"Curse them! I’m going to slaughter both of them!"

"..."

Leaving the raging Mina, Betilla, and the rest behind, Luffy and Law materialized out of thin air in the middle of a passage three main corridors away from the Munitions Vault.

Luffy looked around in confusion for a moment before snapping out of it. He grabbed Law by the collar and roared with sharp teeth, "What the hell are you doing, Tra-guy?! Why did we have to run?!"

Suddenly, several flashes of brilliant blade light cut through the air, instantly shredding a nearby storeroom to pieces. A dozen cannons inside were hacked into scrap metal, and the collapsing walls kicked up a thick cloud of dust.

"Hey~ what are you two up to?"

Zoro held his two famous blades, Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui, in his hands. He looked at the suddenly appearing duo in confusion and asked, "Why did you run over to my side? Don’t tell me... you got lost?"

Not far away, a dark shadow fell over Nami’s face. Her mouth twitched violently as she barked, "Zoro, you have a lot of nerve talking about someone else! You were following right behind me and almost took the wrong turn a dozen times! How dare you accuse others of being lost? Can’t you just remember a path for once?!" By the end of her sentence, Nami was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Zoro’s face flushed bright red under her lecture, and he bared his teeth, shouting back, "Shut up!"

Law rubbed his temples, getting a headache from Zoro and Nami’s bickering, and intervened, "Zoro-ya, we aren’t lost. We just ran into a troublesome woman and wanted to avoid getting bogged down in a grueling fight."

"A troublesome woman?"

Zoro and Nami blinked in surprise.

Everyone had witnessed Law’s true strength; after all, you don’t get invited to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea by being weak.

Luffy finally caught on and asked curiously, "Tra-guy, are you talking about that woman with the sword?"

"A female swordsman?!"

Hearing this, Zoro’s eyes lit up instantly. He stared intently at Law, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Feeling uncomfortable under Zoro’s burning gaze, Law quickly explained, "Yes. That woman is indeed a world-renowned swordsman. She made her debut as a pirate in the same generation as Golden Ring Aeridar. Her strength is immense; even seven years ago, her bounty was already as high as 270 million Berries."

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami were struck with shock. A pirate who debuted in the same era as that man... No wonder Law took her so seriously, choosing to retreat without even fighting.

"Rain Scorpion, Smythe Betilla. She is the Seventh Commander of the Chris Pirates, but in terms of raw power, she is practically considered the fifth Top Officer of their crew. Her favorite opponent to clash with is Charlotte Smoothie, one of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Yonko Big Mom Pirates, a monstrous woman with a staggering bounty of 932 million Berries!"

Law glanced at the trio, pausing for effect as his tone grew incredibly heavy. "Though Betilla has never won against her, she has never lost either."

In other words, Betilla’s combat power had grown from a 270 million Berry level seven years ago to match a 932 million Berry powerhouse today.

Hiss...

"Nine... nine... over nine hundred million..."

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed. Nami’s jaw dropped, her voice stuttering in pure disbelief.

It had to be said that since setting sail, the Straw Hat Pirates had never clashed with a pirate boasting such an astronomical bounty. Of course, this was mainly because the prominent figures they had fought, like Crocodile, Moria, and Doflamingo, were all Warlords whose bounties had been frozen long ago. Those guys were incredibly powerful, but their bounties severely mismatched their actual strength.

Betilla, however, had Smoothie as a direct benchmark, whereas the others did not.

"So awesome! The Chris Pirates really have so many strong guys!" Luffy couldn’t help but marvel.

"To think there’s such a powerful female swordsman... Then I really must test my blade against hers!" A fierce grin spread across Zoro’s face. His eyes burned with an intense battle lust, mixed with a faint trace of nostalgia.

Whenever a female swordsman was mentioned, the first person he thought of was Kuina, his childhood senior apprentice, followed by that near-sighted Marine girl, Tashigi.

"..."

Law was completely speechless. Damn it, did you two even listen to a word I said?!

Suddenly, Nami lunged over to Zoro’s side and roared directly into his ear, "You idiot! Did you even understand what Law just said?! Now is not the time for you to go looking for duels!"

"Don’t talk so close to me, are you trying to make me deaf?! You crazy woman!" Zoro yelled back in extreme irritation, wincing as he pushed Nami away. The massive volume had nearly shattered his eardrums.

"Over here! Catch them!"

"They’ve been spotted in Corridor No. 5!"

"Straw Hat Luffy and Trafalgar Law are both here!"

"..."

Right at that moment, a barrage of battle cries echoed down the passage. A dense crowd of enemies flooded into view at the end of the corridor.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A chaotic storm of gunfire erupted. Muzzle flashes illuminated the dim corridor as lead bullets ripped through the air, hurtling toward the Straw Hats.

Law’s expression darkened as he glanced back. "We’ve been spotted!"

Turning his head back to Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, he said in a solemn voice, "Everyone, remember that our mission is to cause chaos and destruction, not to fight to the death. I’ve already leaked the information about our plans to detonate the ammunition depot. As long as they evacuate the workers, we’ll have our chance to blow this entire Arms Manufacturing District to kingdom come!"

"But we have to move fast. I really don’t want to face that man."

...

Frontlines of Unzan Port. Chris Pirates Main Camp.

"I understand. Hold them off."

Inside the grand command tent, Aeridar sat back in his chair. He spoke calmly into a small Den Den Mushi adorned with a pair of golden earrings, then clicked the receiver down to hang up.

"Darling, what’s wrong?"

Hancock walked over carrying a tray, which held a cup of hot tea, some senbei rice crackers, and a few light snacks.

"It’s nothing. Just found those little mice, that’s all."

Aeridar stood up, took a sip of the hot tea from the tray, and spoke with an unbothered, composed demeanor. "However, I need to make a personal trip down there to thoroughly handle those restless pests."

Hearing this, Hancock immediately knew who Aeridar was referring to. Her elegant brows furrowed slightly as she couldn’t help but ask, "Is it absolutely necessary for you to go in person? Big Mom is right across from us. What if that old hag notices your absence and takes the opportunity to launch an attack?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll be back shortly."

Aeridar narrowed his eyes, flashings a bright, confident smile as he placed the teacup back onto the tray. "Two or three hours at most. It won’t take too long!"

Pop~

The moment the words left his lips, he vanished completely from the spot.