Fifty officers of various ranks from the headquarters, clad in Justice Coats and treading the air with Moonwalk, dispersed at an astonishing speed, leaving behind trails of white afterimages.
In an instant, the entire city of Sabac was thrown into chaos, with gunfire erupting and the clashing of weapons echoing everywhere.
A major was the first to encounter a squad of five slave guards. He had no intention of landing, instead darting left and right in mid-air, evading the hail of bullets. With a swift draw of his blade, he appeared behind the five men.
Thud—
In the next moment, a thin line of blood slowly appeared on their necks. The major didn't even glance at their collapsing bodies as he swiftly moved on to his next target.
Elsewhere, a bare-handed colonel first shattered a battle axe with a single punch, then followed up with a blow to the face, sending the opponent flying with their eyes rolling back. The force of the impact knocked over three other slave guards along the way.
"Tekkai!"
Suddenly, the colonel's body tensed up, allowing him to withstand the strikes of two long swords and several bullets without a scratch. He then grabbed one of the attackers by the head, using him as a weapon to fling another guard away. Finally, he hurled the man like garbage toward the shooter, both crashing through a dirt wall and disappearing in a spray of blood.
Although the slave guards of the Kingdom of Tutmosis were numerous, some even armed with firearms, they were no match for the relentless slaughter of these 'White Hawks'.
Soru, Moonwalk, Shigan, Rankyaku, Kami-e, Tekkai—these martial arts techniques, which push the limits of human capability, produced astonishing effects with every use.
Some of these officers even wielded masterful swordsmanship or possessed unique Devil Fruit abilities.
While a few naval officers noticed that the slave guards wearing Green Collars exhibited strength that was somewhat extraordinary, with some of the more exceptional ones seemingly comparable to the headquarters' sergeants and petty officers, to them, whether they were marines or sergeants, it made little difference.
Moreover, these slave guards were only physically superior to ordinary people; in other aspects, they couldn't compare to the headquarters' marines.
Squads of slave guards emerged from underground tunnels, but it wasn't long before they were effortlessly dispatched by fleeting white shadows, leaving behind corpses in pools of blood.
Even four or five naval officers had begun to team up and push back into the underground passages!
Among them, a burly major moved with remarkable agility. A squad of slave guards that had just appeared had their necks and chests sliced open by streaks of green light.
"Yo, is this Major Jack's Bug-Bug Fruit Mantis Form ability? It's indeed fast, and those arms are sharp!" another lieutenant commander laughed heartily.
"You flatter me, Lieutenant Commander Leifang," Major Jack replied modestly.
"Let's move quickly. If we can find King Taklama first, it'll be a great achievement!" urged another lieutenant commander, whose fists were wrapped in white bandages, as he continued to press deeper into the tunnels.
Hearing this, the others stopped joking and quickly moved forward. However, within seconds, a heavy impact sounded from ahead, and the bandaged lieutenant commander leading the charge was sent flying back. Fortunately, he seemed unharmed and quickly regained his balance.
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
Just as Major Jack and the others were inquiring, a large number of figures shot out from the darkness, leaving no time for the bandaged lieutenant colonel to respond.
Seeing this, the former stopped wasting words and quickly engaged in a high-speed battle within the narrow confines of the underground tunnel. However, as the fight progressed, these elite fighters from the Marine Headquarters were gradually being pushed back.
Although the enemy outnumbered them, compared to the previous slave guards, these shadowy figures were indeed extraordinary.
Helplessly, Major Jack and his team had to retreat from the tunnel, quickly creating distance and regrouping with more of their comrades.
At the same time, under the bright sunlight, they finally got a clear view of their opponents.
"What are these things?"
Emerging from the underground passage were over a hundred figures, each clad in black, form-fitting breastplates and white robes, wielding two long-handled iron axes.
Of course, the green collars around their necks were standard.
What was most alarming was their physical condition. Their muscles were so swollen that they seemed on the verge of exploding, and their skin was covered with light black patterns. Their eyes were nearly all white, with barely any visible pupils, only a faint circular outline.
These strange beings, as soon as they appeared, grouped together in twos and threes and charged at the Marine officers. Although they didn't possess techniques like Soru or Moonwalk, their immense strength allowed them to shatter rock layers with a single step, leaping into the air with a whooshing sound.
[Clang!]
A sharp metallic clang rang out as a major's long sword clashed with an incoming iron axe. The terrifying force erupted instantly, cracking the sand beneath their feet.
"Incredible brute strength!"
The major from the headquarters could only hold on for a few seconds before being forced to step back to dissipate the force. Feeling the slight numbness in his palm, he was utterly astonished.
Although strength wasn't his forte, he shouldn't be overpowered by someone from the South Sea, especially since the opponent wasn't a Zoan-type ability user.
Meanwhile, other Marine officers also felt the pressure. While it wasn't an extremely difficult fight, it was certainly not as easy as before.
However, some strength-oriented individuals, accustomed to head-on confrontations, gradually sustained varying degrees of injuries when faced with opponents who were stronger and more numerous.
High above, standing on the mast of the warship, Dragon watched the scene with a grave expression.
"Hahahaha!"
In the underground pyramid palace, King Taklama, wearing a golden mask, laughed heartily as he watched the scene on the screen, his laughter echoing through the vast hall.
"The strongest royal guards, with 100% of their physical strength enhanced by Hero Water, the effect is truly remarkable. Unfortunately, they are disposable weapons, and the supply of Hero Water is too limited."
Upon closer inspection, the hundred warriors who had been guarding the hall were now nowhere to be seen. As he mentioned, they had been sent out as sacrifices to fend off the fifty headquarters officers brought by Dragon.
Normal royal guards, of course, couldn't be a match for Marine elites, but this dark world's Slave King had them drink the Hero Water from his warehouse.
The effects of Hero Water only last for five minutes, after which the user will die instantly. However, during those five minutes, the user can unleash several times their normal strength.
The current King Taklama deeply regrets not having prepared an ample supply of Hero Water in advance. Dragon's earlier 'smoke screen' was executed too successfully, and he never imagined he would be discovered.
"Garp's son is actually a Devil Fruit user and came up with the tactic of gathering all the elites for a surprise attack from the sky. Quite interesting," King Taklama remarked as he slowly rose to his feet, leaning on his golden scepter.
Below the throne, a white-robed official lay on the ground, his face twisted in terror. His hands were still clutching his neck, as if he had strangled himself to death. This was the same official who had previously claimed that Dragon was not a Devil Fruit user.
In theory, this information had been relayed by Slave Hunters from the Grand Line, and he was merely the messenger. But the Slave King had no interest in distinguishing right from wrong.
"However, let me teach you that in this world where strength reigns supreme, so-called tactics and strategies are utterly powerless in the face of absolute power!"
Suddenly, a sinister green light emanated from the hand gripping his scepter. In the next moment, a raging sandstorm surged from all directions, engulfing the entire hall.
When the sandstorm finally subsided, the king before the golden throne had vanished without a trace.