Chapter 995: Gin Blocking the Gate

Chapter 995: Chapter 995: Gin Blocking the Gate

Frontlines of Unzan Port. Big Mom Pirates Main Camp.

Inside a massive pastry manor towering over the harbor square, Charlotte Linlin sat upon her throne, her expression utterly gloomy. Displeased, she scooped up five or six exquisite desserts from a round table with one hand and shoved them directly into her cavernous mouth, chewing aggressively.

Instantly, a rich, sweet aroma of cream drifted through the room. Below the throne, dozens of pirates, tall and short alike, couldn’t help but twitch their noses, silently swallowing their spit.

Ever since the great battle ended last night, she had been brooding over it with a heavy heart. She simply couldn’t comprehend how an old fossil like Zephyr, who had been a Marine his entire life, would end up fighting to the death for pirates, stubbornly holding her back for nearly two hours.

Had it not been for that old geezer’s interference, she would have flattened Unzan Port last night. Her entire crew wouldn’t be cramped up here, even losing their momentum in the standoff.

"Mama, I just contacted the fleet. They said it’ll take about five days to arrive! Perorin~" Perospero walked into the hall, his long tongue lolling out as a sinister smile played across his face.

However, after waiting for several seconds, Perospero noticed that his mother hadn’t responded. Even the other pirates in the room found the atmosphere turning strange.

Everyone looked up, only to find Charlotte Linlin staring blankly on her throne as if listening intently to something. Her eyes were completely out of focus, and her massive hand, which had been reaching for another dessert, frozen in midair.

"Mama... Mama..."

Perospero called out cautiously, his heart leaping into his throat for fear that his mother might suffer from her syndrome at a time like this.

They were currently locked in a face-to-face showdown with a formidable enemy. If Mama threw a tantrum and ran amok right now, the enemy would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to launch a massive assault, dealing the Big Mom Pirates an unprecedented, catastrophic defeat.

Especially when considering that man across the field. If Mama were in her prime, Perospero would never believe she could lose, but in the throes of her syndrome? That would be entirely up in the air!

Perospero wasn’t the only one to realize this; the other pirates in the room thought of it as well. Some of the more cowardly ones had already shifted their footing, ready to bolt out the door.

"It vanished!"

Suddenly, Charlotte Linlin blinked and uttered a strange sentence, catching everyone present off guard. But right after, a wave of relief washed over them.

Thank goodness, Mama’s syndrome hadn’t flared up!

Perospero secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask, "Mama, what vanished?"

"The Golden Ring brat’s presence. I can’t sense it anymore!" Charlotte Linlin frowned, finding it bizarre. "Did that guy sneak away from the battlefield?"

"Perorin~ Mama, this might be a trap!" Perospero offered, his expression flickering with hesitation. "Or perhaps that man has some business to attend to and left temporarily, but he surely won’t be far!"

He couldn’t bring himself to believe that the man would be so audacious as to abandon the battlefield while in a direct standoff with Mama. Furthermore, the man possessed the abilities of high-speed flight and instantaneous teleportation; as long as he didn’t wander too far, he could rush back here in no time.

"I think so too. That brat is incredibly crafty; he must be cooking up some sort of conspiracy on purpose!" Charlotte Linlin nodded in agreement. "Then we shall wait until the Grand Fleet arrives before settling the score with that brat once and for all!"

...

City of Arms. Yorlsh City. Arms Manufacturing District Factory.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Deafening explosions echoed continuously inside the factory. Thick walls were blasted through, massive production machinery was destroyed, and the chaotic sounds of gunfire and cannon blasts erupted from time to time.

"Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!!!"

Luffy bellowed, stretching both arms far behind him before slamming his body forward like a missile, crashing hard into a towering metal machine within the production area.

Following a thunderous crash, the immense force warped the metal structure severely. Sparks showered in every direction, rendering it completely unworkable.

Smythe Betilla, who had just rushed into the area, witnessed this exact scene. Her beautiful eyes instantly flared with rage, and she snarled through gritted teeth, "You brat!"

"Ah, loose~ They got here so fast! Time to run again!"

Seeing Betilla, Luffy scratched the back of his head and immediately took off at a full sprint.

"You absolute menace! Silver... Galaxy!!!"

Betilla was practically bursting with rage. Thrusting her sword forward, she unleashed dozens, if not hundreds, of thrusts in an instant. Countless points of silver light pierced the air like a canopy of starlight in the night sky, hurtling toward Luffy dozens of meters away.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The silver starlight was packed with immense piercing power, easily riddling the floor and the surrounding machinery with thumb-sized holes.

"What a terrifying woman!"

Luffy yelled and shrieked as he bolted wildly, utilizing a series of erratic, flashy maneuvers to dodge the onslaught, not even looking back.

And so, Luffy ran while wreaking havoc everywhere, while Betilla pursued relentlessly right at his heels, unleashing slashes from time to time. Ironically, instead of hitting her target, her attacks only added to the destruction, matching Luffy’s chaos note for note. This caused her to scream in sheer frustration, completely shattering the refined demeanor that usually accompanied her ethereal, elf-like beauty.

As he kept running, Luffy, who already possessed a terrible sense of direction, somehow managed to blunder his way right to the main exit.

However, blocking his path at the factory’s massive gateway stood dozens of three-meter-tall hulking men, alongside five towering Dragonians.

"Get out of my way!"

Luffy drew a deep breath and roared, his fists blurring into a relentless torrent of punches that filled the air, raining down upon the forces guarding the gate.

Suddenly, a figure standing at a modest 1.6 meters intercepted Luffy. Armed with a pair of tonfa-like battle clubs, the newcomer intercepted every single one of Luffy’s punches with lethal speed and pinpoint accuracy.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Fists clashed against metal clubs in rapid succession, letting out muffled, heavy impacts that sent powerful shockwaves rippling outward. Seeing that his defense couldn’t be broken even after several seconds of continuous striking, Luffy finally halted his assault.

"You are..."

Luffy’s expression turned to one of surprise. He looked intently at the man before him, finding him incredibly familiar.

"Luffy-san, it has been a long time. I am Gin." Gin spoke expressionlessly, greeting Luffy with a calm, flat tone.

"Gin? You’re Gin! The Gin from the ocean-going restaurant Baratie?!" Luffy suddenly remembered. This was the pirate he had met back in the East Blue at the Baratie. "Did you join the Chris Pirates too?"

"Yes! Captain Aeridar gave me a new dream!"

At the mention of Aeridar, a trace of sheer fanaticism flickered across Gin’s face. That man was the pinnacle he was willing to fight for, the leader he wanted to help elevate to the absolute top, even if it meant throwing his life away without a second thought.

Luffy’s expression turned a bit grim. Getting pinned down here was bad news; once that crazy woman caught up, escaping would become impossible.

"Gin, are you sure you want to block me here?"

"Luffy-san, I am currently a member of the Chris Pirates. Besides... I want to test how much my strength has grown."

Gin let out a fierce grin. Without a shred of hesitation, he raised his arms and swung his heavy clubs straight toward Luffy. The weighted metal heads whistled through the air, carrying an immense, bone-crushing force.

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