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Vivi, Nami, and Tashigi stared at the Baroque Works agents across from them, tense and alert as if facing a deadly threat.
"You recognize us, huh? Are you scared?"
Miss Doublefinger chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her fingers, appearing completely at ease.
In her eyes, only Caelan was worth paying attention to. The others were nothing more than background.
"You're just a bounty hunter from the East Blue, but I suppose it's worth bragging that you made all of us show up together."
Mr. 4 laughed loudly, carrying his cannon-like gun with the dog that had eaten a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
The other agents sneered as well, all confident in their victory.
With so many senior agents and mid-level elites gathered, they believed it would be more than enough to deal with Caelan and his group.
"Struggle all you like. We won't be holding back!"
Mr. 1 grinned, eager to make Caelan and the others pay for what they had done to their companions.
"You've arrested so many of us. Today, you'll pay the price!"
Miss Merry Christmas puffed up arrogantly, her fat face shaking as she spoke.
If she had been standing in front of Caelan alone, she wouldn't have dared to act like this. But with so many people here, her confidence swelled.
"So noisy. Can any of you say something useful? Like, for example, what stage your plan is at."
Caelan picked at his ear casually, his tone calm.
He had heard the same tough talk from enemies too many times already. It no longer meant anything to him.
What really concerned him was their progress with the plan.
"Still acting nonchalant at a time like this?"
Mr. 1 sneered, thinking this was exactly the kind of delusion that would make someone dare to challenge Crocodile.
But now that he saw Caelan in person, he thought he was just a young man with a bit of momentum but no understanding of his true situation.
"Mr. 1, quit wasting time talking to this brat. Let's finish them off and report back!"
Miss Doublefinger could no longer hold back her impatience.
The Utopia Plan had reached its final stage, and they still hoped to make it back in time to assist.
Seeing that the group before them had no intention of surrendering, Caelan also lost interest in entertaining their arrogance.
"If you won't talk while standing, then I'll have you talk lying down."
Caelan let out a sigh, his tone turning cold.
Boom!
An invisible and overwhelming pressure surged from Caelan's body.
The next moment, countless streaks of purple-black lightning crackled through the air, enveloping the entire city as Caelan released his Conqueror's Haki.
Although Caelan had deliberately focused his Conqueror's Haki on the Baroque Works agents, the sheer intensity still swept through the entire area.
Ordinary citizens caught in the aftermath fainted as if crushed beneath a natural disaster.
The previously chaotic streets fell silent, the fleeing people collapsing as if falling into a deep sleep.
Complete silence blanketed the entire city.
As for the Baroque Works agents directly hit by Caelan's Haki, they could hardly bear it.
The terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki made the mid-level agents feel like they had plunged straight into hell. They collapsed to the ground foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
Only the five senior agents remained conscious, lying flat on the ground and gasping for breath, barely able to resist fainting.
"H-how could the legendary Conqueror's Haki appear here?!"
Mr. 1 was completely shaken, unable to hide the panic in his voice.
It was too powerful. The pressure was like mountains collapsing, the seas surging, the sky shattering.
They could not resist. All they could do was kneel, crushed beneath this overwhelming presence.
Mr. 1 gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but even as his bones creaked under the strain, he could not rise beneath the crushing weight of the Haki.
The other senior agents lay limp on the ground, stunned and spiritless like dead fish, unable to even muster the will to resist.
It all felt absurd. This kind of monster, rare even in the New World, was standing right in front of them.
Ignoring Mr. 1, Caelan first turned back to check on Nami and the others.
Even though he had tried to avoid them, Nami, Vivi, and Tashigi still felt the effects of the Haki. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads.
Caelan adjusted the range of his Haki several times, finally concentrating it entirely on the Baroque Works agents.
"Sorry. Still a bit unskilled with it."
Caelan gave an apologetic smile to Nami and the others. His Conqueror's Haki had only awakened a few days ago and was still hard to control precisely.
"We're fine!"
Nami responded excitedly, covering her chest where her heart was still racing.
Seeing that they were unharmed, Caelan was relieved.
Turning back toward the Baroque Works agents, Caelan walked up to their leader.
"So, will you tell me about your plan now?"
Caelan stared down at Mr. 1, asking casually.
"Hah… dream on!"
Despite the fear in his heart, Mr. 1 bit back his pain and answered defiantly.
"What about the rest of you? Are you all going to be this stubborn too?"
Caelan glanced at the other senior agents, but they remained silent, avoiding eye contact.
"Haha… I admire your backbone, but I don't agree with it."
Caelan chuckled coldly, then turned his gaze back to Mr. 1.
"You were the loudest one just now, weren't you?"
"Huh?!"
Mr. 1's eyes widened in alarm, unsure of what Caelan was planning.
Without another word, Caelan raised his left foot and stomped hard on Mr. 1's right wrist, grinding it into the ground.
"Ahhhh!"
Mr. 1 screamed, his fingers twisting unnaturally as the bones beneath were crushed mercilessly under Caelan's boot.
In a desperate move, Mr. 1 activated the powers of the Dice-Dice Fruit, turning his hand into steel, blades growing from his fingers.
But Caelan merely sneered, coating his foot with Armament Haki before continuing to crush the bladed hand beneath his heel.
The steel-like fingers snapped under the pressure, blood pooling on the ground.
"Ahhh! Aaaahhh!"
Mr. 1 howled in agony, his cries piercing the air.
Nearby, the mid-level agents, just beginning to regain consciousness from the shock of the Conqueror's Haki, opened their eyes only to see this brutal scene.
They stared at Caelan in terror. He was powerful, and cruel. Absolutely terrifying.
"So, who's going to tell me now? What is the plan, and how far along is it?"
Caelan's eyes swept coldly over the remaining Baroque Works agents.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
One of the mid-level agents finally broke, trembling as he hurriedly began to spill everything.
It wasn't long before they laid out the full plan: using Dance Powder to cause a three-year drought, turning the people against the royal family, plotting to assassinate Cobra, and seizing control of the country under the guise of being a hero…
And now, they were already in the final stages of the plan.
"What? He's the one behind all of this?!"
Vivi's eyes turned red, fury and sorrow surging in her chest.
She had thought Crocodile was simply stoking the conflict between the people and the kingdom, but she never imagined he was behind all the suffering her country had endured.
Even her father's life was now at risk.
"Don't worry. There's still time. We'll stop him."
Standing behind her, Caelan reached out and gently comforted Vivi.
(To be continued.)
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