"What incredible strength this brute has!"
"Damn, this guy's got power!"
Captain Moore and Dickens were simultaneously forced back, each retreating several steps before stabilizing themselves. They exchanged startled glances, clearly both surprised by the other's might.
But before Moore could recover, he noticed a fresh wave of figures swarming onto the deck of the large caravel anchored nearby. All were armed with flintlocks, and every muzzle was pointed directly at him.
"Not good!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
Gunfire erupted like a storm. Dozens of lead bullets came raining down in a barrage, forcing Captain Moore to leap backward in haste, unwilling to take them head-on.
"Cover the Captain, quick!"
Nearby, the Marines on adjacent ships scrambled into action upon seeing the chaos. They hurried back to the dock, flintlocks at the ready, returning fire toward the armed enemies on the large caravel.
In an instant, the harbor turned into a war zone. The sharp crackle of gunfire roared like a hailstorm, sending the civilians nearby into a panic.
"Die, Navy dogs!!"
Suddenly, Dickens, still on the pier, let out a thunderous roar and charged ashore wielding a double-headed battle axe.
Behind him followed a flood of sailors and crewmen, either clambering from the water or leaping down from the caravel.
They came armed with flintlocks, short-handled axes, sailor's cutlasses, anything fit for bloodshed.
Though the ambush had been sudden, the Marines stationed at the port quickly rallied and began a fierce firefight against the unknown invaders.
Amid the chaos, Captain Moore and Dickens clashed again on the harbor's edge. Neither wasted time on words, just blades and blows.
That's when Cross arrived and witnessed the whole scene unfold.
Bang!
Out of nowhere, a lead bullet shot toward Cross.
With a slight tilt of his head, Cross dodged the bullet with ease, then turned to trace its trajectory.
From the direction the bullet had come, a bald man wielding dual pistols and a woman armed with a sailor's cutlass were charging straight toward him.
Strangely, even with a dozen Marines blocking their path, not a single one could stop this deadly duo.
The bald man wore a brown leather trench coat and sturdy combat boots. His marksmanship was terrifyingly precise, and his dual flintlocks seemed capable of rapid fire.
The woman, plain in both looks and build, wore a tight-fitting black leather suit. Her sailor's cutlass gleamed, and her swordsmanship was so refined that she could slice incoming bullets clean in half.
Together, the two moved with deadly synergy; dodging, flanking, suppressing. Within moments, the Marines blocking their way were overwhelmed.
"They're… after me?!"
Cross's brows furrowed slightly as he began to sense something off.
The pair's route was odd.
Though they moved like fugitives, they weren't heading inland toward the maze of crowded streets where they could easily disappear, nor did they try to seize a ship and escape by sea.
Instead, they stuck close to the coastline, running along the harbor's edge.
What was stranger still was that opening shot: the lead bullet had flown across dozens of meters, dodging both the Marines and panicked civilians along the way, and had homed in on Cross's forehead with unnerving precision.
This wasn't some stray round, it had been meant for him.
"Hahaha! Eighty million berries, all ours!"
By now, the two assassins had almost reached Cross. The bald man let out a gleeful laugh, raising his twin pistols and pulling the triggers without hesitation.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets fired, one aimed at Cross's forehead, the other at his chest.
Clang!
Shing!
In the blink of an eye, a long blade was unsheathed. A flash of silver danced through the air. The two bullets split midflight, cleaved into four neat halves that clattered harmlessly to the ground.
"So I'm worth eighty million in the North Blue underworld now, huh?" Cross said calmly, holding the katana Kagehide in hand. A look of realization dawned across his face. "No wonder the last few years have brought wave after wave of assassins, even Devil Fruit users, no less."
"Yo-ho~!"
The bald man cackled, shooting a sideways glance at his partner. "Sliced two bullets midair with a single swing… Ariel, no wonder this brat had a 30 million bounty slapped on him at age twelve, and then jumped to 80 million in just three years! The kid's got skills!"
"He's cute too," said the woman, Ariel, her eyes gleaming with hunger as she stared at Cross's face. "If we capture him alive and sell him to Octopus, we'll not only get that 80 million bounty but probably a hefty bonus on top!"
"Yo-ho~ Ariel, now that's a plan I like!" The bald man, Budo, grinned in agreement.
"Ha… They really think I'm that easy?"
Cross couldn't help but chuckle at their absurd conversation.
"Let's go!"
"I'll go left, you go right!"
With that, the two split and closed in from both flanks.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bode raised both pistols and unloaded in rapid succession. A hail of lead tore through the air toward Cross.
"You distract while she goes for the kill, standard pincer tactic."
Cross immediately saw through their strategy. Yet he didn't budge. Instead, he simply swung his katana Kagehide, and one after another, the incoming bullets were cleaved in midair with loud metallic clangs, their shattered halves raining to the ground.
Then Ariel reached him.
Grinning wickedly, she snarled, "Just give it up, brat!"
Her voice hadn't even faded when she raised her cutlass high overhead, slashing down toward Cross's shoulder with such force that the very air seemed to tear apart.
So that was it, Budo's gunfire had been a distraction, giving her the opening to land a decisive blow.
Clang—!
But Cross didn't even flinch. With a flick of his wrist, he parried her strike with ease. The sailor's cutlass shattered under the force of his blade, and in the same motion, his sword carried through and slashed across Ariel's chest.
Shhk!
Blood arced through the air in a crimson spray. Eyes wide with disbelief, Ariel crumpled to the ground.
"Ariel! No... how?!"
Budo froze mid-step, his face twisted in horror as he stared at his fallen partner.
"You don't even know how to cut iron," Cross muttered with a bored shake of his head. "I figured you'd be tougher than this. Turns out you're just a couple of greedy idiots."
If you don't want to cut, you can't even slice paper. But if you do, then even steel can't stop your blade.
Such is the path of a swordsman.
Budo looked from his motionless partner back to Cross, then spun on his heel and bolted without hesitation.
Not even sparing a glance for his fallen comrade.
Because he knew, without someone taking the lead, without anyone keeping Cross engaged, he, as the rear-guard gunman, didn't stand a chance.
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