Absalom was in utter despair.
He never could have imagined that he would run into such an utterly monstrous freak.
From start to finish, he hadn't even gotten a chance to fight back before being beaten to within an inch of his life.
Worst of all, he had no idea what he had done wrong. He was clearly fully invisible, yet he couldn't dodge those sandbag-sized fists at all!
It was as if the fists had eyes—no matter where he moved, they followed him relentlessly.
And the force behind each blow was terrifying. Every punch made his entire body tremble violently.
"P-please… stop…"
Lying on the ground, barely breathing, Absalom looked weakly at Arashi—who seemed even more like a devil than his own master—and pleaded,
"I was wrong… I swear I'll never sneak onto your ship again… really… I won't dare again…"
Arashi, of course, had no intention of showing mercy.
If Absalom hadn't boarded the Traveler, perhaps he wouldn't have gone this far.
But this guy had not only boarded his ship—he had even turned invisible and approached Robin. Even if he hadn't done anything yet, that alone sealed his fate.
Dragging the half-dead Absalom out of the cabin onto the deck, Arashi raised his head and looked toward Thriller Bark out at sea.
Even from a distance, he immediately spotted Gecko Moria standing at the front gate of the massive ship, holding a giant pair of scissors.
Clearly unaware of Arashi's sudden appearance, Moria continued unleashing his shadow bats upon the royal city. His eerie, signature laughter echoed through the night, sending chills down anyone who heard it.
Watching Moria plunder the city so brazenly, Arashi couldn't help but complain inwardly.
After suffering such a crushing defeat in the New World, wouldn't it make more sense to focus on building your zombie army in the Grand Line? Why go out of your way to cause destruction just to soothe your wounded pride after losing to Kaido?
A loser really was a loser.
"Mr. Arashi…"
Standing nearby, Robin saw Arashi drag Absalom out and stare intently at Thriller Bark. She quickly stepped forward and said softly,
"That's Thriller Bark. The man on it is Gecko Moria, a notorious pirate with a bounty of 320 million Beli."
It was clear that Robin was wary of someone like Moria.
Even though she knew Arashi was incredibly strong—absurdly so—she still felt the need to explain.
More importantly, she didn't want this pure-hearted traveler to get entangled in unnecessary trouble.
"Oh, I know."
Arashi nodded, then casually hoisted Absalom high above his head.
In the next instant, he clenched his fist—
Boom!
With a single heavy punch, Absalom let out a shrill scream as his body shot through the air like a cannonball, crashing straight into the front gate of Thriller Bark.
Seeing Arashi completely disregard Moria's reputation—and even use someone as ammunition—Robin's pupils shrank instinctively. Without hesitation, she assumed a combat stance.
What else could she do?
Following someone this reckless, running away wasn't exactly an option!
This sudden turn of events didn't just shock Robin—it also abruptly cut off Moria's laughter.
Staring at the explosion at the front gate of Thriller Bark and the dust rising into the air, Moria bared his jagged teeth and roared,
"What the hell just happened?!"
Near the front gate, several pirates whose shadows had been stolen stood there in complete confusion.
Only after the dust cleared and Absalom's body became visible did they snap back to their senses, shouting in unison,
"This is bad! Absalom's been taken out!"
"Hm?!"
The moment Moria saw Absalom's corpse, his pupils shrank sharply.
In the next second, he quickly scanned his surroundings before finally locking his gaze onto the Traveler docked at the port.
When he saw Arashi standing on the deck, his eyes shrank even further.
Because—
Arashi had somehow produced a kitchen knife and was now holding it high, aiming toward Thriller Bark in a stance that clearly prepared for a downward slash.
"Ha?!"
Seeing this, Moria's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Who the hell is this guy?! He's not seriously planning to… to use that kitchen knife to chop me, is he?!"
The moment his words fell—
Thriller Bark suddenly began to shake violently.
Then, the massive ship—which had been stationary—started to move, slowly drifting away from Constantin City in the opposite direction.
"What's going on?!"
Feeling the tremors beneath his feet, Moria dragged his massive body forward and roared at the shadowless pirates,
"What are you idiots standing around for?! Go check what's happening! Why is Thriller Bark suddenly moving?!"
One of the pirates stammered,
"Isn't… isn't it normal for a ghost ship to move on its own…?"
At the same time, Arashi himself hadn't expected Thriller Bark to suddenly retreat.
However, he was already fully prepared.
The kitchen knife in his hand emitted a chilling hum as it gathered an overwhelming amount of energy. The blade itself began to tremble violently, as if it could shatter at any moment under the strain of the immense power being poured into it.
This terrifying scene left Robin completely stunned.
The last time Arashi had sliced apart a cliff, it had happened too quickly for her to fully grasp.
But now, watching the entire process of him gathering power—she was utterly shaken.
Energy surged in from all directions, forming a suffocating pressure that even caused the surrounding air to distort and tremble.
And when she saw the knife trembling on the verge of breaking—
Her heart leapt into her throat.
If that strike were to fall…
It felt like even the sky itself would be split in two.
To be continued…
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