Chapter 111: Gion
But this sword aura...
Even without seeing the person, the oppressive force that seemed to compress the very air around it was unmistakable.
Maude's skin tingled with a faint chill.
Could this person be stronger than Aokiji?
No.
It was the killing intent.
Unlike Aokiji's laid-back demeanor, this was a meticulous and unwavering intent to kill.
Through Observation Haki, Maude gained a fleeting sense of understanding.
In his mind, an image slowly took shape—a cold, unyielding swordsman wielding a sharp blade.
Then Maude saw a tall woman in a Marine coat step out from the town.
The mental image he had just formed instantly crumbled.
It was a woman...
Maude narrowed his eyes and focused his gaze.
She was too far away to make out her features clearly.
Yet the dangerous aura surrounding her grew ever more distinct.
In his impression, there were quite a few skilled swordsmen within the Marines, but very few women.
Tashigi was one of them. Beyond her, he couldn't think of any others.
So, who was this female Marine?
"Maude, this person... is incredibly strong."
Sunny had also sensed the threat emanating from the Marine.
Her Observation Haki was at a beginner's level, but it was enough to pick up on some of the danger.
"Yeah."
Maude's expression was grave as he replied in a low voice, "Not just strong—this is someone I'd rather not have on my tail. We need to get out of here quickly."
Even without the insights provided by Observation Haki, the mere sword aura was enough to reveal the Marine's strength.
The area in front of the cliff was packed with pirates.
With such a crowd, Maude figured the Marine, no matter how strong, wouldn't recklessly charge in.
After all, even a thousand spits could drown her.
Still, it was better to leave this trouble behind as soon as possible.
Maude shifted his gaze away from the Marine and toward the crowd in front of him.
The chaotic crowd was filled with curses and shouts, rising and falling in waves.
The arrival of the Marine, accompanied by her oppressive sword aura, caused some commotion.
Those already at the front of the line didn't feel too concerned, but those at the back were on edge.
Thanks to Robbie's earlier interference, Maude and Sunny were stuck at the rear of the crowd.
If they tried to brute-force their way through, it would likely stir up anger among the others.
But the Marine's presence made Maude's skin crawl.
He couldn't afford to waste time.
Without hesitation, Maude reached into the crowd with both hands and shoved hard.
Several burly, menacing men in front of him were pushed aside.
Their fall caused a domino effect, knocking over several others.
"Who's the blind idiot that—"
The fallen pirates turned to glare at Maude, but their curses died in their throats when they saw him.
Not someone to mess with...
Instinctively, they averted their gazes, pretending nothing had happened.
Maude noted their reactions with quiet satisfaction.
Reputation or strength—they were always useful tickets to get things done.
Determined to leave quickly, Maude pressed his advantage.
Using his considerable strength, he continued to push through the crowd, heading toward the gap in the wall.
His actions caused even more chaos among the crowd.
Several pirates lost their footing and were trampled underfoot.
Fortunately, they weren't ordinary people—being stepped on didn't result in fatal injuries, but they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
At the outskirts of Watchpoint Street.
Gion, gripping her long sword, glanced coldly at the dozens of pirate corpses cut down by her sword aura.
After confirming there were no survivors, she turned her gaze toward the noisy crowd in front of the cliff.
There was no need to use Observation Haki to count their numbers. A rough estimate put it at over a thousand.
As for those who had escaped to the other side of the cliff, they were not currently within Gion's focus.
Stepping over the blood and corpses, Gion advanced toward the cliff.
In this peculiar operation against "Phantom Gun," Gion's goal wasn't the Phantom Gun itself.
Her target was Mad Hat Town.
The reason wasn't anything deliberate—it was merely because the Phantom Gun's location happened to be in this lawless town teeming with pirates.
Since she was here, there was no reason to turn a blind eye.
In addition to assisting Garp in the Phantom Gun operation, she intended to eradicate Mad Hat Town completely.
When dealing with pirates, if life and death were no object, she would unhesitatingly choose death.
This was the root of her relentless massacre in Mad Hat Town.
Stepping over blood and corpses, Gion's expression was cold as frost, her body emanating a palpable killing intent.
It was this hatred for evil that Maude and Sunny had sensed as danger.
Though neither of them had any interest in becoming pirates, being in the vicinity of so many, they couldn't escape the oppressive aura Gion radiated.
Gion strode toward the cliff.
At the rear of the crowd, many pirates immediately noticed her approach.
"That woman..."
Expressions of alarm and confusion spread among the pirates.
She was undeniably strong—absurdly so.
But with at least a thousand of their comrades present, where did her confidence come from?
Numbers had always been a source of confidence for pirates.
Yet their confidence was flimsy and unreliable.
As Gion walked, her gaze fell upon Robbie's bloodied body lying on the ground.
Her oppressive aura faltered for a moment, and her wine-red eyes narrowed slightly.
Shave.
In a flash, she appeared beside Robbie's corpse.
Looking down, she immediately noticed the lifeless, unblinking expression on his face.
Cold fury flickered in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, she crouched down and gently closed Robbie's eyes.
Back at the 158th Branch, Robbie had often gone out of his way to ingratiate himself with her, to the point of being annoying.
Still, she had acknowledged his strength.
She never expected...
Rising to her feet, Gion's icy gaze swept toward the cliff.
Robbie was skilled in Rokushiki techniques and should have had plenty of ways to protect himself or escape.
Yet he was dead.
The battle scars on the ground suggested this wasn't a case of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
It meant the person who killed Robbie possessed considerable strength.
Gion made a mental note and resumed her march toward the cliff.
Before long, she stepped into range.
Her eyes narrowed as she swung her blade, unleashing a crescent-shaped sword aura toward the crowd.
The aura reached them in an instant, cutting into the pirates with chilling intent.
Blood sprayed, and a large section of the crowd fell.
Screams and wails erupted.
This single sword slash made Gion's intentions clear.
She fully intended to take on every pirate here by herself.
In moments, nearly all the pirates' attention was fixed on Gion.
Then, as they watched her unleash another sword slash—mowing down pirates like harvesting wheat—a surge of anger rose among them.
Amid the crowd, Maude observed Gion as she continued cutting down pirates with her sword aura.
"Sword aura..."
With only one frame of mastery in swordsmanship, he could forget about achieving such a feat.
To reach that level, he'd need to at least progress to three frames in the first stage.
"Who is this woman?"
Maude scrutinized Gion's features, trying to recall if he had any information about her in his memory.
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