One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 691: Assassination Failed | Drawing to a Close

"Again!" Gin snarled, his voice thick with killing intent.

Click— Zzzzt—Zzzzt—

As the first three soldiers retreated, another three stepped forward. The Railguns on their arms were already primed, 20mm tungsten-core steel balls chambered, with the familiar cerulean arcs of electromagnetic energy dancing within the barrels.

Gulp…

Looking down the muzzles of those 20mm cannons aimed directly at him, Kitayama couldn't help but swallow hard. A profound sense of powerlessness washed over him. He remembered the last time he felt this way: two years ago, in the presence of that man known as the "Greatest Shield of the Celestial Dragons."

"Retreat!"

Aberly scrambled to his feet on the roof. Having witnessed the scene through the massive hole in the ceiling, he immediately issued the order. Their intelligence was a disaster; the enemy's new weaponry was far beyond what they could handle. Without another word, Aberly and Dick turned to flee.

"You think you can run? In your dreams!"

Mina's eyes blazed with a savage crimson light. She transformed into a red streak, hurtling after them.

Inside the third floor, Kitayama's face beneath the Kabuki Mask twisted into a bitter smile. He moved instantly, grabbing a small overturned sofa and hurling it forward as a distraction before diving out of the window.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Several more near-invisible cerulean trails of light flashed through the air. The sofa mid-air was shredded into sawdust by three 20mm tungsten rounds in a heartbeat. The projectiles punched three charred craters into the walls and continued on, piercing through dozens of buildings in a straight line for hundreds of meters.

THUD—

Kitayama slammed heavily onto the street from the third floor, his massive three-meter frame shattering the blue paving stones upon impact. It was a gruesome sight. His left leg was gone, the stump charred black and emitting wisps of acrid smoke.

On the roof, just as Aberly and Dick leaped into the air, Mina was already upon them. The two CP0 agents shared a quick look, turned simultaneously, and unleashed a back-kick.

"Rokushiki: Rankyaku!!!"

The air compressed instantly, forming two massive blue-white vacuum blades that slashed through the sky with lethal precision.

"Damn it! Bloodwing Shield!!!"

Mina, caught mid-leap, grimaced. The massive bat wings on her back shimmered with a bloody aura as she snapped them shut in front of her, forming a protective cocoon.

CLANG—

The two massive vacuum blades struck the sanguine wings. A ring of gale-force wind erupted, physically hammering Mina back down onto the roof.

Aberly and Dick didn't stop. They kicked repeatedly, raining down vacuum blades like a torrential downpour.

"Rokushiki: Rankyaku—Downpour!!!"

"Curse you!"

Through a sliver of an opening in her wings, Mina saw the incoming barrage. She realized their plan—they were pinning her down to facilitate their escape, but faced with such a density of slashes, she couldn't simply ignore them to attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The vacuum blades sliced through stone and timber. In an instant, the entire roof was shredded to pieces. The slashes tore into the interior of the teahouse, filling the air with dust and the deafening roar of destruction.

"Vermin!"

The floor beneath Mina collapsed. She plummeted through the building, quickly buried under tons of falling debris.

RUMBLE—!

A moment later, the entire teahouse groaned and collapsed, turning into a mountain of ruins and burying everyone inside.

"Go!"

Aberly and Dick landed on the street. Each took one side of the mangled Kitayama, hoisting him up before fleeing without looking back.

BOOM!

A massive slab of stone was kicked aside as Mina stood up from the rubble. Coated in dust, her eyes were cold and predatory as she stared at the receding figures of the CP0 agents.

"AHHHHH—!!!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Mina opened her mouth, letting out a piercing, high-pitched shriek. Ripples of near-invisible sound waves expanded outward, propagating in every direction.

Bang! Bang! Crack! Crack!

Wherever the invisible sonic wave passed, glass windows and porcelain cups shattered. Fine cracks even spider-webbed across the walls of houses and the paving stones of the street.

A hundred meters away, the eyes of the three CP0 agents suddenly bulged. They were hit by an overwhelming wave of nausea and vertigo, and in the next heartbeat…

Puh—!

The three of them stumbled simultaneously, coughing up a mist of blood.

"S-Sonic... attack... Move! Hurry!" Aberly wheezed, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth as he endured the agonizing pain in his internal organs. Dick didn't dare slow down. Supporting Kitayama, the three of them stumbled away, coughing blood with every step.

By the time the ear-piercing shriek stopped, the surrounding area was a scene of total devastation.

"Hmph. Lucky bastards," Mina snorted, her irritation evident as she watched the CP0 agents vanish.

Rumble—

Nearby, half a wall was pushed over, and a dust-covered Gin stood up, looking around somewhat dazed. He walked over and asked, "Mina-san, did they get away?"

"You have eyes, don't you?" Mina snapped back.

Gin didn't take it to heart. "So, what's our next move?"

The riot had been raging for over an hour. Most of the Church of the Night followers had moved toward the port, the inner keep, or the East Gate, leaving this street largely deserted. Even if anyone had been nearby, the sheer scale of the battle would have kept them far away.

Mina thought for a moment. "Save our people first. Then, follow me to the port!"

As she spoke, several Elite Strike Team soldiers began pushing off the heavy stones pinning them down and crawling out of the wreckage, though many others remained trapped below.

…

Port of Valanfort.

Dimitri and his subordinates had fought their way through the Church of the Night's encirclement and finally made it back to the harbor.

At this moment, the port was the only relatively calm area. Because of the high volume of merchant ships, cruise liners, and even pirate ships, the various ship guards had formed an ad hoc alliance to repel any looters trying to take advantage of the chaos.

"Alright! Stop the pursuit!" Mondos Bank called out, sheathing his blade as he reached the harbor front.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the triple-mounted turrets on the Chris Pirates' auxiliary ship rotating toward them, Razalo spat and wiped blood from his face. A finger-long gash ran across his cheek.

After the intense battle, the Church of the Night had suffered heavy casualties. The civilian zealots had lost all morale, terrified by the slaughter. As for the protecting knights, clergy, and city defense forces, their losses were even more staggering.

Fortunately, their mission was only to drive the Chris Pirates back to the port. Had they continued the fight, it was anyone's guess who would have emerged victorious, though the odds likely favored the pirates.

"That damn Hakuba Cavendish... I'll kill him next time!" Razalo growled ferociously.

"Hmph. Fanged Devil Vito... his tackle really hurt. We'll settle the score next time!" Bank added, his face cold and humorless.

The two men spoke at the same time, then paused, turning to glare at each other.

"Hmph!"

They both snorted simultaneously and looked away.