Chapter 783: Chapter 783: Total Annihilation

"Grow! Grow!"

Thick green vines lashed out, wrapping around the Chris Pirates and hoisting them into the air.

"Agh—!"

"What is this junk? Let me go!"

"Damn it! I can’t cut through it!"

The pirates shouted as they struggled. Some tried to hack at the vines with their cutlasses, but the greenery was as hard as tempered steel, leaving only shallow scratches.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Below, Binz slid along the vines with high-speed agility, hurling half a dozen throwing stars at the man in the air.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Gilbert Arlan stepped through the air with Geppo, dodging the shuriken with ease as he closed the distance.

"Take this!"

Binz reached for the massive shuriken strapped to his back. Connected by a sturdy rope, he hurled it directly at Arlan.

WHIRRR—

The air shrieked as the oversized blade spun at high speed. It carried a cutting wind so sharp it seemed capable of slicing through iron itself.

"Cheap tricks! Foot Detonation!!!"

Arlan casually reached up to smooth his wind-blown hair with one hand. Simultaneously, he delivered a devastating kick to the center of the giant shuriken.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shattered the steel shuriken into fragments. Intense flames and thick black smoke filled a fifteen-meter radius.

BAM!

Binz was caught in the shockwave and blown off his vine, crashing heavily into the dirt.

"Dammit!"

Dazed and reeling, Binz felt a sharp sting in his right leg. He looked down to see a jagged metal shard from his own shuriken embedded in his thigh, blood soaking through his trousers. He gritted his teeth and yanked the shard out, the searing pain clearing his foggy mind.

Clang—

He tossed the metal fragment aside.

"Puny brat! Last time Zephyr was there to save you. This time, who’s going to help you?!" Arlan shouted from the air.

He stepped off the atmosphere, diving down with a fist aimed at Binz’s head.

"Grow! Grow!"

Binz’s face went pale. Ignoring his mangled leg, he unleashed his powers. Seven or eight thick vines erupted from the ground, weaving together into a defensive wall.

BOOM!

Arlan’s punch connected. A massive explosion instantly pulverized the vines, sending flaming splinters flying everywhere as thick smoke blanketed the area.

"AAAAAUGH!"

Binz screamed as the heat scorched him. The shockwave tossed him dozens of meters away. Arlan didn’t let up; he stepped forward, closing in on the wounded man.

Binz was covered in burns and bleeding from multiple wounds, but seeing Arlan approach, he didn’t have time to use his fruit powers. He drew the katana from his back and swung. The blade, treated with a matte finish, sliced through the air with a lethal whistle, a testament to Binz’s formidable swordsmanship.

"Wait, no!"

Binz’s expression shifted to horror the moment the strike left his hand.

"Attacking me with a sword? Haven’t you learned your lesson about explosions?" Arlan taunted. He threw a punch directly against the edge of the katana.

BOOM!

A massive detonation erupted from Arlan’s fist. Flames and black smoke spiraled toward the sky. The high-grade steel katana was vaporized into shrapnel, and Binz was sent cartwheeling through the air. The resulting gale blew across a hundred-meter radius, kicking up enough sand to resemble a localized dust storm.

Arlan smoothed his hair back again, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Who do you think I am? A mere loser like you dares to bark at me!"

Elsewhere on the battlefield.

CLANG! CLANG!

Two metallic rings echoed as dual short swords were sent spinning into the air.

"Now that your swords are gone, how will you fight me?" Smythe Betilla flicked her silver blade, sending a thin silver line of force toward her opponent.

"Return!"

Ain narrowly dodged the lethal line. A pinkish flame, resembling a will-o’-the-wisp, flickered in her palm as she lunged toward Betilla.

BOOM!

The silver line struck the sand behind her, cleaving a trench ten meters deep and dozens of meters long.

"The Return-Return Fruit... a troublesome ability indeed, but you are far too weak! Fufufu~" Betilla laughed softly, tilting her body to avoid Ain’s touch.

At the same time, Betilla lashed out with a long, porcelain-white leg. Her whip-kick caught Ain squarely in the waist.

THWACK—

Ain let out a choked cry as she was sent hurtling backward. She slammed into a small dune, her body half-buried in the sand.

"Cough—"

Ain spat out blood, looking up at Betilla with a tragic expression. When she had defeated Shuzo, it was through a mix of her Devil Fruit and clever strategy. But against this woman, strategy was useless. The gap in power was simply too vast.

Betilla’s emerald-green high heels crunched softly on the sand as she approached. Watching Ain struggle to stand, she chuckled behind her hand. "It’s no use. You can’t win. This kind of gap... isn’t something that can be overcome with a few little tricks!"

"Following Z-sensei is our greatest dream!" Ain stared at Betilla with unwavering eyes, pulling two large-caliber pistols from her waist.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ain pulled the triggers without hesitation. Four copper slugs shrieked toward Betilla.

CLINK! CLINK!

Betilla blurred her silver sword, dancing through the air as she sliced all four bullets cleanly in half.

"Silver Rain: Sting!!!"

Betilla lunged forward in a high-speed thrust.

Whoosh—

The sword seemed to pierce the very air, letting out a high-pitched whistle.

Bang!

In an instant, Ain was struck by an invisible force. A ring of compressed air exploded against her chest as if she had been hit by a Sea Train. She was sent flying, leaving a trail of blood mist in the air behind her.

"Z-sensei this, Z-sensei that... you’re like a little child!" Betilla huffed. "Only the strong can protect dreams. Without strength, it’s just a fantasy!"

Nearby, Dimitri called out loudly, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You went a bit too hard there!"

Betilla waved him off dismissively. "Relax. I held back just enough."