Chapter 999: An Indomitable Will; Law’s Move

Chapter 999: Chapter 999: An Indomitable Will; Law’s Move

"Chopper! Brook!"

Watching his two crewmates fall one after the other, Franky’s eyes flared with unbridled rage. Slamming his hands together, he bellowed, "Go to hell! Franky Radical Beam!!!"

Shuuu—!

A blinding flash of golden light erupted as a piercing laser beam tore through the corridor, searing a vivid, burning trail through the air.

"Kizaru’s laser?"

Aeridar raised an eyebrow. With a subtle tilt of his head, the laser beam grazed past his ear, missing him by a fraction of an inch. It streaked dozens of meters down the corridor before slamming dead-on into the wall at the far end.

Rumble—!

A colossal explosion tore through the hall. A violent burst of fire and billowing plumes of smoke erupted, tearing the surrounding architecture to shreds. The concussive air pressure burst outward in every direction, sending countless shards of shattered masonry flying through the smoke.

The thick, reinforced wall was left with a gaping crater over five meters wide, and the solid earth beneath it had been blasted away several meters deep, leaving nothing but a charred, smoking cavity.

"Not a bad output!"

Aeridar looked at Franky, a flash of genuine interest in his eyes.

This guy had gotten his hands on Vegapunk’s weapon blueprints back in Future Land, Baldimore. Not only had he rebuilt his body to be vastly superior to his original frame, but he had even managed to replicate the laser technology utilized by that monkey Kizaru and the Pacifistas.

In other words, if he captured this guy, he could get his hands on that highly advanced laser weaponry tech.

"Dammit! He dodged it!"

Seeing his laser strike miss, Franky cursed and snapped his arms back. The armored hatches over his massive, spherical shoulders popped open, revealing rows of miniature rockets nestled inside.

"Take another taste of this! Franky Rocket—"

Before Franky could even finish the sentence, his vision blurred. In a localized warp of speed, Aeridar materialized right in front of him, a chop of his hand coming down like a flash of lightning.

Boom—!

Electrical sparks sprayed violently into the air as Aeridar’s bare hand sheared entirely through Franky’s left arm, severing it from his shoulder.

"Arrghhh!"

Franky let out a gutteral cry of agony, clutching his severed shoulder as he stumbled backward several steps.

"Impact Gun!"

Without giving him a moment to breathe, Aeridar extended his hand toward Franky’s chest and sharply flicked his finger.

With a sharp, resounding bang, Franky looked as if he had been struck by a runaway sea train. His massive frame was lifted off its feet and sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the floor several meters away. A fist-sized puncture wound now marred the metal plating of his chest.

"That’s four... dealt with."

Aeridar scanned the wreckage, nodding in satisfaction as a subtle smirk played on his lips.

"Captain!"

"Incredible! As expected of the Captain, a monster who truly rivals the Yonko!"

"It’s just the Straw Hats. With the Captain taking action personally, there was never a chance they’d fail!"

"..."

At that moment, Smythe Betilla and Gin arrived at the scene with a contingent of men. The expressions on their faces ranged from awe to immense pride.

"Take all of them to the main gate," Aeridar commanded in a low, even tone. "Betilla, you and Gin hold the line there. I’m going to finish this little game of trapping rats in a cage."

"Tch~ ordering me to play gatekeeper," Betilla muttered, pouting her exquisitely beautiful face in dissatisfaction.

Having issued his orders, Aeridar turned back toward Luffy, who was still slumped against the cratered concrete wall. His gaze narrowed slightly. "What an indomitable fighting spirit. You’re still staring daggers at me, even like that. Too bad looks can’t kill."

"Huh?"

"No way!"

"Is that kid seriously still awake?"

"I thought he was out cold!"

"..."

The surrounding guards gasped in astonishment. They hadn’t expected the Straw Hat kid to still possess a shred of consciousness after being beaten into a state where his eyes were rolling back.

Buzz—!

Suddenly, the air vibrated with a heavy, unseen pressure. An invisible shockwave of raw intent rippled outward. Several of the weaker guards nearby instantly went wide-eyed before their vision rolled white, collapsing face-first or falling backward onto the floor, completely knocked unconscious.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—!"

"What’s wrong with you guys?!"

"Hey! Quit messing around!"

The sudden, inexplicable fainting of over a dozen guards sent a jolt of panic through the remaining men, who stared at their fallen comrades in sheer horror.

"To think he still has the awareness to unleash Conqueror’s Haki..." Aeridar murmured, looking at Luffy with genuine surprise. Then, he turned away. "Gin, haul him off. Use the Seastone handcuffs to secure him."

The protagonist really was the protagonist, even reduced to this state, his will to resist remained. Too bad for him, he wasn’t the main character of this story anymore.

"Understood, Captain," Gin replied, nodding with his usual expressionless discipline.

"Time to hunt down the rest."

Amused, Aeridar took one last glance at Luffy before vanishing from the spot in a blur.

...

The Administrative Center Entrance Corridor.

Deep, jagged gashes marred the floors and walls of the corridor, stretching out in long, clean lines. The heavy steel guardrails had been cleaved into multiple segments, and the massive, ten-meter-tall iron gate had a colossal chunk sheared right out of its center.

Severed limbs and scattered body parts littered the floor, presenting a scene that looked like an absolute slaughterhouse. Yet, the entire corridor was eerily pristine, not a single drop of blood stained the stone. Several fully intact heads were scattered across the floor, their mouths still open, shouting curses into the empty air.

"What a pain. This many guards for a single corridor entrance..."

Trafalgar Law’s eyes were cold and detached as he scanned the carnage. Slowly, he slithered the bloodless edge of Kikoku back into its scabbard.

"Trafalgar Law... it’s useless! You’ll never escape this place alive!" a severed head lying on the floor shouted, its jaw snapping up and down as it issued the warning.

"Maybe so," Law replied indifferently.

Ignoring the chorus of talking heads carpeting the floor, he stepped over the debris and advanced into the depths of the Administrative Center.

Before long, squads of guards began flooding the halls to intercept him, deploying heavy artillery and even unleashing several formidable Dragonians.

"Stop him!"

"Take this bastard down!"

"Hold the line! Reinforcements are on the way!"

"..."

Chiiing—!

A series of razor-sharp spatial slashes flashed within the boundary of a translucent, spherical membrane, cleaving through everything in their path.

Guards rushed him, only to have their torsos separated from their legs.

Cannons opened fire, only to be diced into useless scrap metal.

Dragonians barred his way, only to be cleanly severed at the waist.

Law carved a bloody path forward without pausing his stride, pressing directly toward the central security control room. His objective was simple: dismantle the surveillance hub. Once the security monitors were down, the Chris Pirates would lose the ability to track their movements via the visual Den Den Mushi network.

Slash—!

A flash of his blade tore a three-meter-high reinforced door into a shower of splinters, which slammed heavily onto the floor and kicked up a dense cloud of dust.

"Found it."

Law stepped into the spacious room. The walls were lined with rows of monitors broadcasting live feeds from every sector of the facility. A dozen armed guards stood waiting inside, their expressions grim and resolute, staring him down with suicidal determination.

In response, a brilliant flash of cold steel caught the light once more...

A moment later, a neat pile of living, severed limbs lay scattered across the room, every single guard systematically dismantled by Law’s spatial cuts.

"Law... you can’t run!"

Suddenly, a bald man who had been reduced to just his upper torso glared up at Law, flashing a vicious, mocking grin. "Captain Aeridar has already arrived. The Straw Hat kid is completely finished, and you’re next!"

"What did you say?!"

Law’s expression shattered. The fingers gripping the hilt of Kikoku gave an involuntary twitch.

Stepping forward, Law locked eyes with the man and demanded through gritted teeth, "Say that again!"

"Five minutes ago, Captain Aeridar personally took the field. He’s already taken down the Straw Hat kid and three of his crewmates. You’re dead meat, Trafalgar Law!" The bald man sneered, entirely unbothered by the fact that his life was literally held in the palm of the man before him.

"Dammit!"

Law’s face darkened significantly. He hadn’t expected Aeridar to arrive in person, let alone move this quickly. He didn’t doubt the guard’s words for a second; within the ranks of the Chris Pirates, no one would dare to invoke Aeridar’s name in a lie.

"Who’s there?"

Suddenly, a primitive jolt of pure danger shot down Law’s spine. Every hair on his body stood on end. He whipped around toward the shattered doorway, only to see a distinct silhouette stepping through the dust.

———————

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