"What is Baroque Works? Is it powerful within the Cartel?"
Mr. 3's whereabouts were lost for the moment. Nami did not search the surroundings. Instead, she first melted the hardened wax here and freed everyone from it.
Breaking free of this kind of restraint was not difficult, at least not for Nami. Apart from severing her feet, she could also raise the temperature around them and create a sea of flames. That would allow her to escape the Candle Swamp just as easily.
She had chosen the relatively bloody and unsightly method only because Igaram, an ordinary human, was also present.
They were now in an area nearby where there was no wax. As they walked, they began asking Igaram about the Cartel.
The off-road vehicle was effectively ruined. It had been covered by the candle tsunami, and the entire vehicle had been "sealed." Even if they melted the wax on the surface, some areas inside had already been affected.
Thus, they could only continue on foot. Fortunately, they were not far from Alubarna this time.
After hearing Nami's question, Igaram pondered for a moment and said, "The Cartel has many combat units, such as the Scorching Flame Demon Corps, the Corrosive Warhead Corps, the Storm Lightning Brothers, and the Silver Spoon Acrobatic Troupe. They have even allied with fish-men and used the fish-men's advantages at sea to establish the Iron-Scale Pirates. It is precisely because they possess these powerful combat units that the Cartel can gain the upper hand in various countries."
"Baroque Works is also one of the Cartel's units, and it is an extremely mysterious one. Even within the Cartel, very few people know the identities of the core members of this organization."
He told them everything he knew. He should actually have explained the enemy's information before they came, but because he had been too worried about Alubarna's situation and feared that the Straw Hat Pirates would lose their nerve after learning how enormous the enemy's forces were, Igaram had delayed until now.
At this point, the Straw Hat Pirates had completely made an enemy of the Cartel.
"The core members of Baroque Works are paired as one man and one woman. I've heard that even its leaders are one man and one woman, but until now, we have never seen either of the two leaders."
"One man and one woman?!" Sanji's eyes lit up when he heard this. "This Baroque Works really knows what it's doing!"
"So the person who helped Mr. 3 disguise himself was his partner." Nami ignored Sanji and continued asking Igaram, "It's strange. Why did the Cartel suddenly target us so aggressively? They did not even know Igaram was traveling with us before..."
"Who cares? I'm going to punch that Randylus guy into the ground!" Luffy said through clenched teeth.
The Cartel had attacked them twice in succession, which had made Luffy extremely unhappy with it.
"The leader of the Cartel is named Anzu Seifer, not Randylus." Igaram continued, "Anzu was originally a gunslinger from Yuba. Later, as the environment grew increasingly harsh and Alabasta's economy continued to decline, he was forced to go to the Lawless Zone. There, he made many friends. Together, they founded the Cartel and expanded it to its current scale in an extremely short time."
At this point, Igaram could not help sighing. Human potential truly was limitless. A group of people who could barely afford enough food had gathered together and somehow unleashed such powerful strength.
Perhaps...
Perhaps only people who could not get enough to eat were capable of unleashing that kind of power?
"A gunslinger?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. He had not been very interested in this operation. It was obvious that the Cartel was a group of armed thugs, and most of their opponents used advanced weapons such as guns, ships, and armed helicopters.
His goal had always been to find stronger swordsmen, step over them one by one, and continue rising until he became the world's greatest swordsman. Thus, he was not very interested in gunmen.
Someone who wielded a sword could be called a swordsman, but people who carried guns were generally just soldiers, right? The term gunslinger always made people think of an expert.
"The founders of the Cartel are all powerful gunslingers. According to rumor, they can use simple handguns with astonishing skill. By combining that with their own powerful physical techniques, they created a martial art known as Gun-Kata."
"To be honest, there is a Warlord of the Sea in Alabasta. After witnessing the Cartel's brutality, he decided to help the kingdom resist its attacks. He once even infiltrated the enemy camp in secret to assassinate Anzu Seifer."
"After a battle broke out, Crocodile, the Warlord of the Sea, returned to Alubarna and said that Anzu Seifer was an expert capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with a Warlord of the Sea."
At this point, Igaram's expression became unpleasant.
After all, the stronger the enemy was, the harder it would be for them to resist.
And perhaps the Straw Hat Pirates would also become afraid. That was a Warlord of the Sea, after all. Although the Seven Warlords of the Sea did not rule the sea like emperors in the manner of the Four Emperors, they were still seven of the most powerful people in the entire world.
Some of them were even no weaker than the Emperors of the Sea.
For example, the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk; the great demon of the current era, Toguro; and the mysterious pirate hunter, Mirror Man...
The Seven Warlords of the Sea were likewise synonymous with terror and power on the sea!
Yet Luffy's next statement left Igaram dumbfounded and nearly made him fall over!
"What are the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Luffy asked directly after hearing the term.
"Pardon?!"
It was not only Igaram. The others were also completely shocked. They all stared at Luffy in disbelief. "You don't know the Seven Warlords of the Sea?! How... how did you even set out to sea?!"
"I really don't know the Seven Warlords of the Sea!" Luffy said righteously, as though he did not think there was anything wrong with that. "I only know about the Pirate King. I learned about the Four Emperors from Uncle Jielu not long ago."
"You idiot! The Seven Warlords of the Sea are pirates who have reached an agreement with the World Government. They possess the legal right to plunder on the sea, but must answer the World Government's summons when necessary! The Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Four Emperors are both top-tier powers in this world!"
"In the human world, the Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors are known as the Three Great Powers. Now do you understand how formidable they are?!"
Luffy suddenly understood. "I see. So they're like Shanks?"
"Uh..." Nami was speechless. She patted her forehead. "You can understand it that way."
After that, she stopped discussing which was stronger, the Seven Warlords of the Sea or the Four Emperors, and looked at Igaram. "Is Crocodile the Warlord of the Sea currently in Alabasta?"
Information about the Seven Warlords of the Sea was actually fairly public and transparent. Anyone who paid attention to the World Government's newspapers could learn their identities and names. Only Mirror Man and Toguro were relatively mysterious.
"Yes, the Sand Crocodile." Igaram nodded. He was somewhat grateful that this Warlord of the Sea was in his country. Without him, the country would probably already have been occupied by the Cartel.
"This is bad..." Usopp said, unable to accept it. "The enemy not only has enormous forces and advanced weapons, but its individual strength is comparable to that of a Warlord of the Sea. How can we possibly defeat a monster organization like this?"
Nami was also in a poor mood. She felt that the Cartel was far too dangerous, something that she and the others could not deal with at their current strength.
Confronting them directly offered too little benefit. Even if the Cartel had blocked the road ahead, finding a way around the blockade or breaking through it by force was far less risky than engaging them in a head-on battle here.
It was ridiculous!
The enemy's leader was someone even Crocodile, the Warlord of the Sea, could do nothing about, and its army was strong enough to contend with the World Government. If they could destroy an organization like that, why would they still remain in the first half of the Grand Line?
With that kind of strength, they could go to the New World and become one of the Four Emperors!
Nami and Usopp had begun to consider retreating. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy, however, did not think much of it. Ben Tennyson and Chopper also seemed fairly unconcerned. Chopper was simply not yet capable of understanding how serious the situation was.
"Actually, if you want to leave, you still have a chance." Seeing everyone suddenly fall silent, Igaram smiled bitterly. "I know that dealing with the Cartel is extremely difficult. So even if you leave now, I will not say anything. I will also explain it to Dr. Kukalos."
"What are you talking about, old man? I came here to punch that Anzu Seifer into the ground. That guy actually dared to blow up the Going Merry!" Luffy said angrily.
The previous missile bombardment had unquestionably caused the Going Merry its most serious damage. It had nearly been blown to pieces, and they had been in an extremely sorry state amid the explosions. How could Luffy let the enemy off?
"The Cartel's people were clearly targeting us." Zoro also spoke. "Whether we help you or not, they will not let us go."
He grinned. He had not expected to face an organization as powerful as the Cartel so soon after arriving on the Grand Line. This actually made things interesting.
The Grand Line truly lived up to its name. It was the center of the world. Not long after arriving, he had seen the enormous flying whale Laboon, encountered a country cursed by the Ice Witch, and immediately become enemies with a massive organization like the Cartel. In such a short time, he had experienced more excitement than in all his previous years combined!
Indeed, only a place like this could stimulate his training and make him stronger!
Zoro could not help tightening his grip around the sword at his waist.
"I only care whether the Cartel has any interesting ingredients." Sanji also spoke calmly. He then instantly appeared in front of Nami, his face filled with love as he expressed his feelings to the lady. "Of course, I will protect Miss Nami from harm at the hands of those Cartel people."
"Really? Weren't you the one who needed me to protect Igaram during the explosion just now?" Nami's airy remark dealt Sanji a critical blow. Then she suddenly stopped.
The senses of a demon told her that there were many human presences ahead, while vibrations also came from beneath their feet.
"Looks like we're here."
Zoro also activated his Observation Haki and sensed the activity ahead.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The explosions in the distance gradually grew louder. Igaram looked anxious, as though he wanted to charge forward immediately.
"Don't be impulsive!"
Nami grabbed Igaram and Luffy, who were about to rush over. "Let's figure out the situation first!"
"I'll go." Ben Tennyson, who had barely spoken during the journey, said, "Fasttrack can let me see what is happening here."
They definitely could not transform into Jetray in a place like this. The Cartel certainly possessed surface-to-air missiles and a large number of aircraft. Jetray would be too easy to spot in the sky and would draw the enemy's fire.
Fasttrack was different. Although he could not fly, he was so fast that ordinary people could not possibly react in time. In fact, almost no one in the Straw Hat Pirates could react to Fasttrack's speed.
"I'll take a look too." Usopp was somewhat worried about Ben Tennyson. Although he was also concerned about the Cartel's artillery, he still decided to accompany Ben and take a look.
He and Ben had rebuilt a village together. Usopp had even carried Ben on his back several times before, so their relationship was the closest among everyone.
His speed was certainly inferior to Fasttrack's. Even Hirenkyaku would not be enough to keep up, so he could only serve as support and observe from the shadows.
At least...
He could fly. From that perspective alone, he was more suitable than the other members of the Straw Hat Crew.
"Flying" was actually a technique he had learned recently. It was not truly flying, but was called "air-walking."
The concentration of reishi in the air on the Grand Line was far higher than in the East Blue. In this environment, Usopp's abilities had also improved. Moreover, because the reishi was so dense, Usopp could control it and form footholds beneath his feet, allowing him to move through the air.
Thus, Usopp had gained the ability to fly.
"All right. We'll be back soon."
A transformation through the Omnitrix normally lasted ten minutes. Ben Tennyson could extend the duration with Haki, but extending it for too long would become dangerous for him as well. Ten minutes was enough for now.
"Fasttrack!"
Ben Tennyson quickly transformed into a strange creature resembling a velociraptor. His entire body was blue and black, and he looked extremely cool.
The instant he moved, he closed the black mask bearing a blue X over his face, then vanished from everyone's sight.
"So... so fast."
Usopp could not help exclaiming in shock. He hurriedly stretched out a hand. "Wait for me!"
He also used Hirenkyaku and left the area in an instant, but even this rapid movement could not match Fasttrack's speed.
The two of them quickly disappeared from the sight of those who remained behind.
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