"Zzzzzt—"
Bonney hadn't even finished her sentence when Chrollo's body exploded into a streak of lightning. In a blinding flash of crackling arcs, he instantly appeared beside Kuma, scooped up the massive cyborg, and shot clear of the giant Moria's attack zone.
BOOM!
The enormous palm slammed down, carving a crater the size of a house into the ground. But Chrollo was already back at Bonney's side, Kuma slung over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
That was the terrifying speed of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Lord Kuma," Chrollo said respectfully, nodding to the revolutionary who had spent his life helping others.
Bonney stared up at her adoptive father, eyes shining with tears, her expression a storm of complicated emotions.
Then Chrollo sensed something was wrong.
"Vrrrrrm—"
Kuma's mouth opened wide. Beams of light converged inside it. In Bonney's horrified gaze, a laser beam blasted straight toward them.
Quick-Slash Fruit!
Clang!
Chrollo's arm transformed into a pitch-black blade and blocked the shot cold.
He realized it instantly. "This isn't Kuma. It's a Pacifista!"
"What the hell is a Pacifista?!" Bonney asked, voice tight with panic.
But the thing was already peeling off its glove, revealing a cannon barrel underneath. A second laser started charging with a low, ominous hum.
Chrollo shoved Bonney aside and shifted into full lightning form. Moving faster than the eye could track, he kicked the cyborg square in the chest.
BANG!
With a deafening crash, the Pacifista flew backward, carving a long trench through the air and smashing through several massive trees.
"Zzzzzt—"
It slowly climbed back to its feet. Where Chrollo had struck its shoulder, torn synthetic skin revealed crackling metal underneath—and on its neck, the clear label: PX-1.
"What the hell is going on?!" Bonney covered her mouth in horror.
Chrollo's expression turned grave as he stared ahead. "In simple terms, the World Government took your father's body and turned it into a mass-producible humanoid weapon."
"The thing in front of us isn't your dad. It's a war machine."
"Let's take it down first."
Chrollo raised his hand. Suddenly the Pacifista's body jerked forward like a toy pulled by a magnet, hurtling straight toward him. A white tablecloth materialized in its path.
The Pacifista struggled desperately, trying to dig its feet into the ground or grab nearby buildings to slow itself down—but it was useless. Its body turned into a living cannonball, rocketing straight into the cloth.
[Positive · Negative] [Miraculous Handy Pocket]
The Pacifista vanished instantly, swallowed whole by the white fabric.
Just like that, the nightmare machine that had given the Worst Generation so much trouble in the original story was casually bagged by Chrollo.
With Kuma handled, Chrollo finally looked up. One eyebrow arched in a half-smile as he gazed at Ox and Tiger.
"Long time no see… Mizaistom. Kanzai."
The sudden arrival of a third party made both Moria and the Zodiac Knights freeze and turn.
"Who the hell are you?" Moria asked, voice dripping with contempt.
But Ox and Tiger's faces tightened for the first time.
"Chrollo…" they said in unison.
"What a coincidence. Hope I'm not crashing your little party~"
Chrollo rolled his shoulders, then casually hopped onto a large boulder and sat down.
"Want to keep going? I can wait till you're done."
But Chrollo's sudden appearance had shattered any chance of them continuing calmly. Especially since the expressions on Ox and Tiger's faces kept getting darker.
This guy felt… bottomless.
He's gotten even stronger, damn it!
Back on the Black Whale, this same bastard had single-handedly wrecked every plan the Zodiacs had, turning everything into an all-out brawl they ultimately lost.
They hadn't forgotten just how terrifying he was in that final melee.
Plus, as direct subordinates of the Celestial Dragons' forces, they had the latest bounty posters for the Phantom Pirates.
"If you're not gonna fight, then I guess it's my turn~" Chrollo's smile turned icy.
The Zodiacs and the Troupe already had bad blood from the ship. And judging by the Pacifista, these two had clearly joined the World Government—probably the ones who leaked info about them.
Dealing with traitors like this? The best move was to eliminate them.
"Captain, Tiger's got some kind of crushing or powder ability that seems to trigger on contact," Feitan reported quietly. "And Ox's form looks like it massively boosts his physical stats."
Feitan still lived by the rule that fights between ability users were all about intel.
Chrollo nodded thoughtfully. So the World Government handed them Devil Fruits, huh…
"Zzzzzt—"
His body turned into a lightning bolt and shot straight at the two Zodiacs.
"You guys handle Moria. These two are mine."
Uvogin and the other five charged at the giant Moria at the same time.
"You bastards keep coming at me one after another! You think I'm some pushover?!"
"Absalom! Perona! Bring out the prototype zombies and teach them a lesson!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a wave of their hands, countless zombies poured out. The six at the front stood out the most. Absalom and Perona hung back behind the horde, watching for a chance to strike.
A massive zombie in golden armor, carrying a huge sword on its shoulder and sporting a long beard, stomped in front of Uvogin. The ground shook with every step.
Former Rocks Pirates crewmate, nicknamed "The Smuggler," previous owner of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit—Gan Sui.
A zombie fully encased in silver armor, left hand holding a crusader shield marked "2" on the back, right hand gripping a giant axe, marched toward Nobunaga with heavy clangs.
Rocks Pirates member, longtime rival of Golden Lion Shiki, nicknamed "Silver Axe"—Xiong!
A fully armored zombie with only a pair of ferocious eyes visible, hands featuring distinct fish traits—number "3"—let out a guttural growl as it approached Phinks.
Rocks Pirates member, Fish-Man, nicknamed "Fish Hercules"—Babel.
A four-armed zombie in a tattered green cape, holding four guns, limped toward Feitan.
Rocks Pirates member, "Four-Armed Gun King"—Gill Bastard.
A fully armored zombie with red skin, wielding twin hooked claws linked by wrist guards—number "5"—faced off against Shizuku.
Rocks Pirates member, the Hook-Claw Man.
A bare-chested zombie with its head tilted, a massive one-man-long blade wrapped in bandages—number "6"—stared at Bonney.
Rocks Pirates member, the Long-Blade Guy.
Mizaistom stayed calm, but the hot-tempered Kanzai was about to explode.
"Gan Sui… Silver Axe… Babel… Gill Bastard…" Kanzai counted them off one by one, then glared furiously at Moria. "You still gonna say you weren't collecting Rocks Pirates corpses?!"
"Moria! What the hell are you planning?!"
Before Kanzai could finish, every hair on his body stood on end. A razor-sharp sense of death slammed into his heart.
Chrollo's figure appeared right behind him. His arm had already turned into a black blade coated in Armament Haki, raised high.
The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Distracted while fighting me? Bold move."