Chapter 250: Feint to the East, Strike to the West

"Have we... finally been saved?!"

"Air without cannon fire, without the smell of gunpowder..."

"But Paruchi, he's already..."

Some covered their faces and wept, wailing loudly for the family members lost in this incident.

The pressure that had piled up in their hearts due to survival and fear completely erupted in this moment of total relaxation.

Sounds of sobbing rose one after another.

Only those who have truly experienced this suffering can understand just how wonderful it feels to stand under the sun without worrying about pirates' bullets.

"Fortunately, everything is about to pass, and we will be able to obtain a new life."

Bingshan watched the cheering crowd in the distance, also letting out a long breath, and said:

"Although I don't know the specific reason, the pirates trapping Water Seven seem to be gradually retreating."

"Judging by this situation, perhaps Water Seven will soon welcome dawn, and we will have a chance to rebuild this city."

"You've all worked hard during this time."

His gaze swept over everyone present, seeing only pairs of weary eyes filled with hope.

"Mr. Bingshan, you are the one who worked the hardest; you haven't had any chance to rest during this entire period."

Paulie shook his head, looking at Bingshan with undisguised admiration and respect in his eyes.

"Ah."

Bingshan smiled slightly:

"As long as everything can pass, that is good enough."

"This city left behind by my teacher—I must protect it well, even if I have to wager my life on it."

"Fortunately, we have now seen hope—!"

However.

Before Bingshan could finish speaking, a piercing shriek rang out once again from the distant sky.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Dense cannon fire instantly tore a gash across the sky, plunging into the crowd with crimson fiery tails.

Boom!

A flower of fire suddenly bloomed on the ground; the people who had just been cheering and jumping were blown into scattered pieces of flesh.

Splashing blood landed on Bingshan's face; the warm, slippery sensation made him feel utterly cold all over.

"Retreat!"

"Retreat to the shelter!"

Paulie, who reacted first, shielded the pale-faced Bingshan behind him, leading him into the Galley-La Company shipyard.

The bewildered civilians around them also reacted at this moment, fleeing toward the rear as if their lives depended on it.

That momentary sunshine, which they had just enjoyed, now seemed like an illusion to them; their dream had awakened.

As everyone fled in disarray, on the distant horizon,

countless pirates, holding their Jolly Rogers high, surged crazily into Water Seven, devouring everything within sight like a swarm of locusts.

The man leading them was exceptionally tall; holding a trident, he stepped forward, step by step, pressing toward the Galley-La factory.

His gaze was extremely calm, yet the oppressive aura radiating from him was far stronger than that of anyone else present.

"That guy is... Charlotte Katakuri, the leader of the Four Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates, with a bounty of 1,057,000,000 Berries!"

Roubo Luqi, leading the defense force to engage, looked at Katakuri in the distance, his face Solemn to the extreme.

"How much?!"

Franky was shocked by this number; he lifted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and stared blankly at the figure in the distance, thinking he must be hallucinating.

In Paradise, where a bounty over 100 million is already considered an astronomical figure, a bounty of one billion can be called a myth.

What made him tremble even more, however, was the meaning represented by that bounty.

That was invincible strength!

At this moment, only one word existed in Franky's mind...

Flee!

Flee as far away as possible!

"Luqi, we..."

"I'll hold that guy off; you take the president and the others and retreat!"

Roubo Luqi took a deep breath, instantly transforming into his Paper Art: Dance form; he stepped firmly on the ground, turning into an afterimage and vanishing into thin air.

The next instant.

Clang!

The leopard claw and the trident clashed head-on in midair, emitting a deafening explosion.

Katakuri steadily blocked Luqi's attack; the immense force flowed through his body and poured into the ground beneath his feet, causing the earth to instantly sink and spread with spiderweb-like cracks.

Feeling the force transmitted through the trident, Katakuri suddenly became interested:

"Ho~"

"No wonder Water Seven could hold out so long under the siege of so many pirates; it turns out there was someone like you here?!"

"Not bad strength, but it is still far from enough to make you my opponent."

"Hand over the Pluton blueprints, and I can promise to spare your life."

Roubo Luqi clenched his teeth tightly; the oppressive pressure emanating from the man before him almost made him feel as though he were facing Gao Wen from the past.

That sensation of being completely seen through only filled him with a creeping sense of horror.

But he knew even more clearly that he now had no path of retreat.

During those few years of lying in wait here, although he had carried out missions for the CP organization, his bonds of friendship with foremen like Barry, Pipli Lulu, and the others were no fabrication.

Bingshan, moreover, had shown him the grace of mentorship; he could not possibly stand by and watch these people die at the hands of Katakuri.

"What you seek is not here; if you wish to make a move against them, you must first get past me!"

"Fearless courage!"

Katakuri shook his head, his tone gradually growing cold:

"Under normal circumstances, I might have had time to play with you."

"But now, my primary objective is to seize the Pluton blueprints and then depart swiftly."

"Regrettably."

"Your luck is not good."

He raised a hand and clenched it; the surrounding earth seemed to come alive, transforming into countless pitch-black mochi giant fists that rained down upon Roubo Luqi like an overwhelming tide.

"This is... Awakening!"

Roubo Luqi leaped back in a frantic retreat, yet his escape route was sealed off the very next instant by Katakuri's fist.

Immediately, the dense rain of mochi giant fists engulfed Roubo Luqi along with everything in the vicinity!

At the same time.

Above the seas near Water Seven, ten thousand meters high in the sky, several floating islands hung silently amidst the clouds.

Jin Shizi stood at the prow, gazing down upon the vast ocean below.

"Captain, according to the intelligence we have obtained, the Pluton blueprints have fallen into the hands of the Knight Gao Wen."

"Which brat is it?!"

A ferocious smile curled the corners of Jin Shizi's mouth.

The battle at Rapeseed Port back then had left an extremely deep impression on him regarding Gao Wen.

Moreover, in the latter, he had seen the shadow of the powerful warlords who had vied for supremacy with him in that bygone era.

"Interesting."

"Tell me the details."

Spandam continued:

"Gao Wen and his crew, disguised as Marines, clashed with Snack, one of the Four Sweet Commanders of the Totto Land, in the waters surrounding Water Seven, and seized two agents of the CP organization who had been lying in wait in Water Seven from Snack's grasp."

"These two individuals are highly likely to possess the Pluton blueprints, or at the very least, hold intelligence close to the truth."

"Totto Land... that woman Linlin?!"

A hint of nostalgia appeared in Jin Shizi's eyes:

"Back when we were on that bastard Rocks' ship, her relationship with that brat Kaido was exceedingly good."

"Times have changed; has that brat from back then also become a major figure commanding wind and rain upon the seas?!"

A flicker of fear flashed through Spandam's eyes.

Could it be that the pirates currently closest to the pinnacle of the seas were, in Jin Shizi's eyes, merely a woman and a brat?!

If anyone else had spoken such words, Spandam would have thought them mad, but coming from Jin Shizi's mouth, nothing about it seemed wrong.

He possessed both the qualification and the strength for such a claim.

"The pirates currently entrenched in the waters surrounding Water Seven are gradually dispersing; it seems this matter is indeed true."

"Then is our next step to track down the Knight Gao Wen, or..."

"Wait!"

Jin Shizi's movements paused slightly; he turned his head to look at Spandam and said:

"What did you say?!"

"Whether we should—!"

"The previous sentence!"

"The pirates entrenched in the waters surrounding Water Seven are gradually dispersing... Do you mean this could be a trap?!"

Spandam realized it in an instant:

"Someone is using this matter to set up a scheme?! Has the Knight Gao Wen been manipulated?!"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out."

Jin Shizi nodded:

"Water Seven is now wide open; if the Pluton blueprints are still in Water Seven, now is the best opportunity."

"Without interference from other pirates, with our strength, it would take at most half a day to completely flatten it!"

Spandam could not help but remind him:

"But it is equally possible they are in the Knight Gao Wen's hands; if we go to Water Seven, we might end up chasing empty air."

"Do you know where the Knight Gao Wen is right now?!"

"This..."

Spandam was momentarily speechless.

The Jin Shizi continued:

"Since we're all gambling, we naturally choose the option with greater likelihood!"

"Moreover, if this is truly that woman Lingling's scheme, then they must be acting in Seven Water City right now."

"But if he's in the hands of Knight Gao Wen, then we still have a chance—if that guy truly wants to hide, he can simply split up, scatter on the spot, and regroup under new identities in other seas."

"His strength is no match for mine, but escaping isn't hard for him."

At this thought,

the Jin Shizi made his decision:

"You… never mind, I'll go to Seven Water City myself!"

"Yes!"

The words fell.

A roar echoed from the floating island hovering among the clouds.

Countless wild beasts active in the forest suddenly felt a loss of weight, and then the ground beneath their feet raced away at an astonishing speed.

Roubo Luqi slowly sheathed the Ghost Axe and turned toward the palace on the central floating island:

"Is that guy finally going to move?!"

"From this, the situation in Seven Water City must be grim."

"But."

"It has nothing to do with me. My only goal is to take the Jin Shizi's head—and that guy's head!"

……

……

……

Two days later.

A small boat docked at the port of Seven Water City.

Xiang Keluo leapt from the deck and stared at the city nearly flattened to the ground, holding his breath.

"The entire city…."

Nami couldn't help but cry out in shock, her pupils trembling.

In her mind, A Long's atrocities in Windmill Village had already seemed brutal.

But compared to Seven Water City now, it was less than a fraction of a fraction.

"Of course."

"The captain's guess was right."

Fan Aoka stepped forward slowly, pausing before a cannon crater, running his fingers over the charred soil, sniffing it, then declaring:

"These cannon craters are no more than three days old."

"That means after the siege of Seven Water City was lifted, another pirate crew attacked here—most likely from Wano."

"Then Luqi…"

Miss Kalifa's gaze tightened, but she dared not voice her suspicion; yet everyone understood her meaning, their faces all clouded with worry.

The others shared the same Solemn Face.

Two days ago, after escaping the pirates' pursuit, Gao Wen hid the Raven and split up with the others.

He himself searched the nearby seas for traces of the Wano Pirates.

Xiang Keluo and the rest changed their appearances and infiltrated Seven Water City.

At this moment, most pirates were drawn to Gao Wen, so pressure on Seven Water City dropped sharply.

According to Gao Wen's speculation,

Big Mom, even if she intended to act here, would not do so openly—likely sending a elite unit to infiltrate Seven Water City.

With Xiang Keluo's strength and speed, even if he encountered Katakuri, he'd likely lose in direct combat, but escaping wouldn't be difficult.

Xiang Keluo scanned the area and said grimly:

"Alive, we find him. Dead, we find his body."

"Split up and search. Once you find Luqi or anyone from Seven Water City, send a signal, then regroup."

"If you're in danger, call for help immediately!"

"Understood!"

Everyone nodded.

Kaku and Brunno exchanged glances, then solemnly nodded to Xiang Keluo.

During their time aboard the ship,

they had long since realized their vessel was no naval warship.

Xiang Keluo and the others were no navy—they were pirates under the command of the Pirate Knight Gao Wen.

But after learning the full story—that Luqi was willing to sacrifice himself for the people on this ship—

both men were stunned, yet understood what Luqi meant to these people; even though they saw through the truth, they silently chose not to expose it.

While maintaining this unspoken understanding, they grew ever more curious about what Luqi had endured during this time to undergo such a drastic transformation.

It was... simply... not like the same person at all!

But time was tight, and they had no energy to ask Miss Kalifa.

Yet they knew one thing: Luqi was far more important to them than the World Government, far more important than so-called justice!

With a command from Xiang Keluo, the group split into threes and instantly scattered throughout the City of Seven Waters, searching for any possible intelligence nearby.

At Xiang Keluo's command, the group split into threes and instantly scattered into Seven Water City, searching for possible clues.

【181】 Miss Kalifa, Kaku, and Brunno were assigned to the same team.

Roubo Luqi returned to Water Seven for the mission involving the Pluton blueprints.

From this, we can infer that no matter what course he chooses, he will ultimately return to the Caribou Shipyard.

Mayor Bingshan was a disciple of the shipwright Tang Mu, and the Pluton blueprints were originally in Tang Mu's possession; following this lead, the most likely suspect is Bingshan.

Kaku, with a calm voice, led Miss Kalifa and Bruno toward the former site of the Caribou Company.

But.

When they arrived, all they saw was ruins.

The towering building that once stood at the center of Water Seven had completely collapsed; scattered limbs and broken bodies lay everywhere, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

(End of Chapter)