Chapter 1064: Hunting Down the Minks

Chapter 1064: Chapter 1064: Hunting Down the Minks

The Kingdom of Clifford.

"You beastly Minks, just how much further do you think you can run?"

In the woods outside Nakor City, a sudden, booming roar shattered the silence of the forest.

"Oh no! The bastards from the Chris Pirates have caught up to us!"

"Get these guys!"

"Charge! Slaughter them!"

"..."

The next instant, the woods erupted into immediate chaos. Cries of battle echoed back and forth, figures surged through the underbrush, and the sharp, crackling reports of gunfire instantly startled flocks of birds into flight.

"Who would’ve thought these guys would manage to sneak all the way out here? If they break into the city and start causing trouble, that’d be a real disgrace!"

High in the air, Lucien sat atop Uken, which had transformed into a giant black bird. Cradling a heavy black large-caliber sniper rifle in his arms, he looked down at the dozen or so Mink warriors sprinting fast below.

Clack—

With a sharp motion, Lucien yanked back the bolt of his sniper rifle, quickly bringing one of the running goat Mink warriors right into the crosshairs of his telescopic scope.

Bang!

With a muffled, thunderous gunshot, a wisp of grey smoke rose from the thick black muzzle. In the next moment, an explosion of blood suddenly erupted from the running Mink warrior’s body, tearing his torso completely in half right across the chest.

"Oros!"

Pedro gasped in shock, staring in disbelief at his fallen comrade.

Glancing down at the Mink warrior below, whose lower half remained intact, while his upper body was completely blown away save for the neck and head above the shoulders, Lucien muttered in mild surprise, "To think it didn’t completely obliterate the upper torso. As expected of a Mink warrior; such tough bodies!"

Knowing he couldn’t retrieve Oros’s body, Pedro forced himself to look away with a heavy heart, continuing to sprint forward while shouting warnings to his remaining comrades.

"There’s a sniper! Everyone, watch out!"

The other Mink warriors wore expressions of deep grief, but there was no time to mourn. They frantically scrambled for cover behind thick trees and pressed on with their desperate flight.

Because right behind them, a pack of relentless executioners was still closing in.

"Do you really think that’s going to save you?"

A faint smirk crossed Lucien’s face as he reached out and yanked the bolt. With a sharp clack, a sizzling, piping-hot bronze cartridge casing a dozen centimeters long was ejected into the air.

Bang!

Another muffled, thunderous gunshot rang out.

A hundred meters away, a thick tree that required two people to wrap their arms around was snapped clean in half. An ape Mink warrior standing on the other side had its head blown apart at almost the exact same instant, showering the ground with a messy splatter of red and white fluids. Its headless body kept charging forward for another twenty meters before collapsing heavily onto the dirt with a dull thud.

"Bard!"

Pedro let out a cry of grief and fury. Seeing his comrade’s headless corpse still twitching on the ground, he finally snapped.

"Bastard! I’m going to kill you!"

Roaring in rage, Pedro sprang forward in a single bound, landing on a massive tree that took three men to span. Vaulting off the thick branches of several nearby trees in rapid succession, he leaped high into mid-air, bringing his sword down in a vicious arc toward Lucien.

"Beast Sword Karajishi.!!!"

Swordsmanship flashed wildly, wrapped in razor-sharp kinetic pressure.

Whoosh—

In an instant, a piercing sound cut through the air as a streak of bloody light flashed by, intercepting Pedro right in front of Lucien.

"Just what do you think you’re trying to do to our sniper?"

"Nani?!"

Pedro’s expression tightened in shock. Unable to pull back his longsword in time, it collided head-on with the sudden surge of crimson light.

Clang—

A sharp metallic shriek rang out, and a spark burst into the air. Pedro’s hands went numb from the immense shock, feeling a wave of overwhelming force that drove him backward and sent him plunging downward.

"Tch, I could’ve handled that myself!"

Lucien muttered, unhappily watching Mina standing before him. Being protected by a woman felt genuinely humiliating.

"I’ll let you handle it yourself next time!"

Mina offered a carefree, faint smile as the massive bat wings on her back flapped with a deep whoosh, keeping her suspended gracefully in mid-air.

Flipping in the air, Pedro landed heavily on the trunk of a tree below. He glared at Mina with a grim expression, speaking in a low voice, "To think the illustrious Chief of the Internal Affairs Department of the Chris Bureau would personally show up to hunt me down. I’m truly honored!"

"I really don’t get you people!" Mina stared down at Pedro with a light chuckle. "Even your rulers, one’s dead, the other’s captured. With just a bunch of small fry like you left, what kind of miracle do you honestly think you can pull off?"

"Don’t forget, what you’re facing right now is a Yonko crew!!!"

The moment those words left her mouth, a fierce, bone-chilling murderous intent flared within Mina’s crimson eyes. She raised a finger and flicked it toward Pedro.

Whoosh—

A single droplet of blood shot forward, cutting through the air with a piercing whistle and carrying an immense amount of force.

Pedro’s eyelids twitched. He quickly raised his sword to block, and the droplet of blood smashed fiercely against the blade, producing a resounding, metallic clang.

At that moment, Pedro felt a violent jolt shoot through his arms. The sheer power behind the blow pushed his body backward, nearly knocking him right off the tree branch.

Seeing this, Lucien decisively and swiftly raised his rifle once more, pulling the trigger right at Pedro.

Bang!

The muffled, thunderous gunshot echoed through the woods.

"Oh no!"

Hearing the gunshot, Pedro’s scalp tingled instantly. Every hair on his body stood on end as a fatal sense of crisis washed over him, causing him to twist his body to the side on pure instinct.

Splatter—

Yet, the sniper bullet moved far too fast, and the distance was under a hundred meters. The moment Pedro twisted to dodge, a bloom of blood burst from his left arm.

"Aah—!"

Pedro let out a miserable shriek as he lost his footing, tumbling down from the tree and crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Tch, missed the vital organs!"

Lucien complained with a look of utter disappointment.

By now, the Mink warriors who had been fleeing in a panic heard Pedro’s cries of agony and stopped in their tracks. Hurrying back to Pedro’s side, they formed a protective circle around him.

"Pedro-sama!"

"It’s going to be fine! I’m getting you out of here!"

"Aniki, your arm..."

"..."

"What a touching scene!" Lucien sat cross-legged atop Uken, looking down at the scene below with a playful grin.

"Let’s just wipe them out completely to teach those Straw Hats a lesson!" Mina let out a cold snort. The bat wings on her back beat violently, kicking up a fierce gust of wind as she dove straight down into the woods.

At the same time, Gin arrived alongside more than thirty warriors from the Elite Strike Team, surrounding the group of Mink warriors entirely.

Gin stepped forward a few paces with a completely expressionless face and stated, "Sorry. You’re finished."

...

Unzan Port.

Whoosh—

A fierce gust of wind blew across the ruined streets, and a cyan-tinted figure seemingly materialized out of thin air.

The figure crouched down, reaching out to touch a deep fissure running through the ground, and murmured in admiration, "Even the underground was split open... What an intense battle!"

"Hey! Who the hell are you? This isn’t the trading district!"

Right then, a patrol squad passing by spotted the strange figure and loudly demanded an answer.

Suddenly, a gentle sea breeze swept past. The figure raised their head, revealing a striking red geometric tattoo etched across their face.

"Tsk, and here I really didn’t want to expose my identity just yet!"

A low murmur echoed through the air.

The atmosphere rippled strangely as countless visible wind blades manifested, shooting outward with a sharp, piercing swish, swish, swish...