The battlefield changed in an instant.
The death of Mark sent violent tremors through the hearts of Oni Te and the others, making them feel as if they were suffocating for a moment.
Having already lost the will to fight, they were thrown into further disarray after Mark's demise. In a flash, they found themselves at a disadvantage against A’lo and A’hua. Their subordinates, meanwhile, abandoned their assault on Brook and fled into the distance.
However, with Mark gone, no one was left to contain A’tao. His colossal form, like a rampaging rhinoceros, proved unstoppable wherever he went. Even though these pirates had awakened their Armament Haki, the sheer gap in power between them and A’tao, coupled with their complete lack of desire to fight and sole focus on escape, meant that under the relentless pursuit of A’tao and Brook, only Oni Te and The Hunter remained fighting on the battlefield shortly after.
Seeing that all their subordinates were dead, unparalleled fear washed over the faces of Oni Te and The Hunter.
Once, they were the ones who instilled fear in others, but now, it was their turn. Truly, retribution was swift.
The terror in their hearts, combined with the imposing figures of A’tao and Brook observing from the sidelines, distorted their attacks. Before long, they followed Mark to the grave.
In the final moments of his life, Oni Te turned his head to look at the Freedom, at Sophie, his eyes filled with regret.
The moment he first saw Sophie, he understood why the silver-haired group had come.
Sophie was someone he had ordered his subordinates to capture. This was partly to sow chaos in Kokkurudo, and partly to further test the Marines. Yet, he hadn't anticipated that this seemingly ordinary decision would lead to their downfall.
If only he hadn't sold Sophie to the human traffickers for a few hundred thousand Berries.
Had he killed Sophie, wouldn't all of this have been avoided?
Had he killed Sophie, wouldn't the vast city in the distance and the countless treasures in the royal palace now be theirs for the taking?
Unwilling to accept it!
But no matter how unwilling, it was useless. Bullets showed no mercy to his regret, bringing his sinful life to a swift end.
“How slow!”
A’tao, having reverted to his human form, crossed his left arm and held a cigarette in his right hand, which dangled to his side. He cast a haughty, sidelong glance at A’lo and A’hua, his eyes filled with disdain.
“What did you say, you scoundrel?”
As A’lo and A’hua approached, they were immediately met with A’tao’s taunts, igniting the flames of anger within them.
“I said you’re too slow. What of it?”
A’tao eyed A’lo and A’hua from the side, took an elegant puff of his cigarette, then lowered his hand, leaned forward, and exhaled a cloud of smoke towards them, sneering, “Don’t like it?”
“We don’t like it. Come bite us then!”
“Argh! You scoundrel, I’ve had enough of you.”
A’hua and the other exchanged glances, their bodies rapidly expanding as they roared and charged towards A’tao.
A’tao looked at them, sneering dismissively. He then casually tossed away his cigarette, twisted his neck, and his body also began to swell.
Without hesitation, he charged towards A’hua and the other.
Boom—!
The three collided instantly, unleashing a force far greater than when they fought Oni Te.
“What, what, what?”
On the Freedom, Charles and the others, who had been cheering, were left dumbfounded by the clash between A’hua and the trio.
“Are they fighting amongst themselves?”
They quickly turned to look at Kongtai.
Sensing the strange gazes directed at him from Charles and the others, Kongtai’s mouth twitched.
These guys were too oblivious to the situation!
Instead of acting like heroes, they insisted on being clowns.
Kongtai turned back, looking at Charles, and said with a carefree smile, “It’s nothing. They’re just full of excess energy; they didn’t get to fight enough just now.”
Normally, with Kuina on board, the trio could only look forward to encountering pirates to unleash their ever-expanding power. However, the pirates encountered in the first half of their journey were mostly dispatched by A’lo instantly, leaving them with no motivation. Thus, as soon as they reached an island, they would tacitly find various excuses to engage in combat, releasing the restlessness brought on by their surging power.
Although the three, including Oni Te, were strong previously, they were intent on escaping, and Mark’s death was too swift, causing the remaining two to quickly collapse. Therefore, despite fighting for a while, the trio hadn't truly had their fill. This was why they began their next battle as soon as the previous one ended.
“Oh…”
Charles and the others nodded. Although they didn’t quite believe it, since their benefactor said so, they would just assume it was excess energy.
After all, it was their own business, and they weren't qualified to interfere.
“Oh… right.”
Charles’s expression suddenly turned serious as he looked at Kongtai, his bloodshot eyes filled with killing intent. Of course, this killing intent wasn’t directed at Kongtai, but rather…
“What’s wrong?”
Kongtai blinked, looking at Charles in confusion. The intense killing intent emanating from Charles puzzled him. With the pirates having arrived, who was he directing his murderous intent towards?
“I want to…”
Charles turned, looking at the countless pirates lying defeated outside. His hatred and killing intent seemed to congeal into a tangible form. At this moment, the generals behind him understood their king’s intention, and killing intent also condensed around them. These scoundrels could not be let off the hook!
Radiating outward from Brest, the city where the Kokkurudo Royal Palace was located, across the entire island. During this period, the pirates had destroyed all towns except Brest, resulting in countless casualties and captured civilians. Seeing their enemies right before their eyes, even though these pirates were now lying incapacitated, they would not let them off the hook. Blood must be repaid with blood.
Kongtai looked at Charles, his usually nonchalant gaze gradually becoming serious. He hadn’t intended to spare these pirates either; he was already planning to send them to hell later. But now, it seemed Charles and the others couldn't wait. That made sense. Flying from offshore, all they had seen was ruin. He could imagine the immense damage the pirates had inflicted upon this island and this kingdom during this time. Lawless pirates showed no mercy to civilians. In their eyes, there was only Berry and a life of unbridled indulgence. This was the state of island nations in waters no longer guarded by the Navy; he had witnessed this in Bass. However, in Bass, it was after the fact, and although he had seen it, the tragedy itself had not unfolded before him. But Kokkurudo was different. He could feel the sorrow of Charles and the others, for countless compatriots had perished at the hands of the pirates outside. And even more compatriots, their whereabouts were now unknown, likely sold off somewhere. Therefore, he had no reason to stop Charles and the others from their intentions, nor would he. It would be good for them to vent.
“Alright!” Kongtai nodded and said in a deep voice, “Do whatever you wish to do!”
“Thank you!”
Charles and the others bowed their heads in gratitude to Kongtai, then stood up, drew their weapons, and leaped from the Freedom. This time, what awaited them below was not hell, but vengeance, an outlet for their fury, and retribution for the departed of Kokkurudo. Therefore, even though the enemies were now all defeated and utterly defenseless, they would show no mercy.