Shamrock's sudden appearance silenced the crowd.
After all, the reputation of the God Knights' current Commander-in-Chief preceded him like thunder.
What they hadn't expected was that this man, tasked with protecting and judging the Celestial Dragons, would intervene to govern them, World Government officials...
But could they dare utter a word of defiance? This was the man who could kill even a Celestial Dragon without hesitation.
Thus... the court's turmoil was suppressed.
All the officials retreated with despairing expressions.
Figarland Shamrock watched their retreating figures. Though he longed to eliminate them all, now was not the time for action.
This war... needed to be prolonged further.
Until Lady Imu achieved her objectives.
Therefore... even keeping these officials alive for the Angel Alliance to capture would buy a little more time.
Just then, a loud... stomach rumble echoed from the nearby bushes.
Shamrock drew his sword and slashed into the foliage.
But Luffy, anticipating the strike, scooped up Nami and leaped out of the bushes.
"Whoa! That was close! If that sword had hit me, I'd definitely be bleeding!"
"No duh!" Nami sighed. "I planned for everything, but I never expected you to pull that stunt... Is your tummy rumbling again? I remember you ate a ton before we came here... How can you be hungry already?!"
"Shishishi! Fighting burns a ton of energy!"
Luffy set Nami down, and she darted behind a massive pillar for cover.
"You're... one of the Angel Alliance brats?" Shamrock frowned. "How did you manage to slip through the battlefield and defenses to infiltrate Pangaea Castle? You've got some skill, I'll give you that."
"Huh? Infiltrate?" Luffy blinked, picking his nose. "What infiltrate? I just walked right in! Didn't see a soul the whole way... I thought you guys had already moved out!"
Shamrock froze, his gaze drifting toward the distant gates of Pangaea Castle.
In that split second of distraction, Luffy's uncanny intuition seized the opportunity.
He launched an assault.
"Gum-Gum Shotgun!"
The advanced version of Gum-Gum Gatling unleashed a barrage of phantom fists that writhed through the air like snakes, disrupting the opponent's defensive calculations.
But Shamrock was no ordinary man.
He was the Commander-in-Chief of the God Knights, possessing formidable strength in his own right.
This surprise attack... was far too childish.
"Hmph..." Shamrock dodged the assault with a sidestep. "The Angel Alliance... resorting to ambushes now? Aren't you supposed to be the champions of justice?"
"On the battlefield, facing enemies, you must be ruthless, cold-blooded, cunning, and efficient. That's the theory we've been taught since childhood," Luffy retorted, his eyes locked onto Shamrock.
"Only by surviving the battle can we better protect others... After all, our enemies won't play fair with honorable duels... Like this!"
As Luffy spoke, a dog's head with blades protruding from its mouth lunged at him from a corner.
Luffy retaliated, coating his fist with Armament Haki.
"Gum-Gum Bullet!"
With a resounding bang, the bladed dog's head was sent flying.
Shamrock's rapier had consumed the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Type, Model: Cerberus, allowing him to summon a three-headed hound that could unleash massive bladed projectiles.
He had kept his sword drawn the entire time he was driving off the World Government officials, prepared for battle.
He simply hadn't anticipated using it against Luffy.
But...
"I remember now... Monkey D. Luffy, grandson of the Hero of the Marines Garp... You were supposed to be the World Government's most exceptional warrior." Shamrock shook his head.
"You might even have been chosen by me to become a new Celestial Dragon, a member of the God Knights."
"Oh, really?" Luffy nodded absently, his mind focused on harnessing his unparalleled combat instincts.
He was responding to Shamrock out of habit.
"Exactly... Take now, for example. I'm just talking to you to stall for time... My sword ate the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Type, Model: Cerberus—the so-called Three-Headed Dog Fruit..."
Luffy froze.
He might not be the brightest, but... he could still count to ten!
A three-headed dog!
Apart from the one he'd knocked away... There were still two more!
Luffy rushed toward Nami, who was hiding behind a pillar.
But... it was too late.
One of the dog heads spat out a sword blade that lunged toward Luffy.
The other... the sword blade pierced straight through Nami's body from behind.
Pfft!
Nami coughed up a mouthful of blood, staring down at her wound.
Then, she looked up, her lips trembling.
"Luffy... he's so strong..."
"Don't worry about me... just run!"
Nami couldn't speak aloud, only mouthing the words.
At that moment, a pang of regret washed over her.
Should she not have followed Luffy so deep into enemy territory? Should she have stayed with the main force on the front lines?
Should she have... hugged Bellemere one more time before they left?
Should she have...?
"Nami!"
Luffy's anguished roar reverberated through the heavens.
Conqueror's Haki erupted across the sky in countless black lightning strikes.
The sheer shockwave of his Conqueror's Haki shattered all three heads of Cerberus, forcing them to revert to Shamrock's rapier.
Every powerful figure on the battlefield turned toward Pangaea Castle.
'Such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki...'
In the minds of both the Angel Alliance and the Celestial Dragons... It was second only to Michael's.
"Truly... terrifying," one muttered.
Meanwhile, Nami, drifting in and out of consciousness, felt herself being lifted into the arms of another tall figure.
He carried her through the palace corridors, bringing her to the most secluded chamber.
After laying her on a table, he called to the man sitting by the bed:
"Hey! Stop acting so deep! Hurry up and save her!"
"Tsk, it seems Luffy's still not cautious enough... He nearly got his girlfriend killed."
Hearing the word "girlfriend" seemed to give Nami a burst of strength, like a dying ember flaring back to life.
"F-first of all... I'm not... his girlfriend."
"Second... it was my own fault, not Luffy's..."
After uttering these words, her consciousness teetered on the brink of dissolving.
In her final moments, she saw the figure turning to approach her.
His face was a blur, her vision fading...
But those sacred six wings...
Gleamed with radiant light.