Chapter 196: Volume 2 – Chapter 98: The Final Race Against Time
Boom, boom, boom...
Thick, pillar-like limbs pounded the earth in a frenzy, sending up clouds of gravel and dust. The massive Brachiosaurus, chewing on a cigar, had bloodshot eyes and white steam billowing from its nostrils.
The heavy armor on its arms gleamed under the blinding sun. Rows of machine guns extended from its mechanical shoulders, constantly adjusting their aim, targeting the small "mouse" darting rapidly across the ground.
Queen was furious.
He had never been this furious in his entire life.
That damned rat had the audacity to blow up the arsenal's furnace and sneak into his lab to steal the key to the Seastone shackles!
Did that mean—he saw all of my, Queen-sama's beautiful body!?
"You're dead! No one can save you! I, Queen, guarantee it!!"
The Brachiosaurus roared in rage as the machine guns on its mechanical shoulders erupted in a blaze of fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A torrential storm of bullets screamed through the air, chasing after Senor, peppering the ground with craters as sand and dirt flew everywhere.
Feeling the murderous intent closing in behind him, Senor felt a chill run down his spine and immediately dove headfirst into the ground.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
A shower of sand burst into the air.
"Where do you think you can run, little rat!?"
Queen sneered, activating his Observation Haki. Within seconds, he locked onto Senor's underground position.
Click—
Mechanical components within his body shifted, and from a dark cavity, a missile launcher emerged. A small red missile glinted ominously in the sunlight.
"Die!!"
Brachio Launcher!
The missile ignited with a crimson tail flame, breaking the sound barrier as it tore into the ground with terrifying speed.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion rocked the area, sending a mushroom cloud towering into the sky.
A scorching blast of wind kicked up a wave of yellow sand, and fire spread outward in surging waves.
In an instant, all pirates within a hundred meters lost their hearing. They stared, dumbfounded, at the terrifying scene of destruction.
"Did it hit?"
"Of course! Queen-sama's missiles can blow up an entire warship without breaking a sweat!"
"That guy's definitely dead!!"
...
The members of the Beasts Pirates stared in shock at the smoke-filled area—then their pupils shrank, and their expressions twisted in horror.
"What!?"
Queen gasped in disbelief, his eyes bulging from their sockets.
Swish!!
A figure wreathed in thick black smoke suddenly shot out of the raging flames—like a tiger leaping from a canyon, or a swordfish bursting high from the ocean—surrounded by a trail of earth and dust.
His expensive suit had been shredded by the explosion, and his back was covered in severe burns, bloody and raw, a sight that made the scalp crawl.
But his expression remained cold, as if he felt no pain at all. His posture was graceful, like a whale breaking through the ocean's surface beneath the sunlight.
Shattered sunglasses reflected the blazing firelight.
Standing before the overwhelming bulk of the Brachiosaurus, he looked pitifully small—like a rat. Yet he exuded an unshakable calm and resolve!
Senor, like an elite diver, extended his arms straight ahead, body arching into a perfect curve midair.
With practiced precision, he dove back into the ground, using the shockwave of the explosion to propel himself forward!
"Dove underground in an instant? But you're barely holding on. How much longer can you last!?"
Queen quickly snapped back, grinning savagely.
He glanced toward the prison and spotted Daren and Bullet making a push in his direction—it was obvious they were trying to regroup with that damned rat.
He couldn't let that key to the Seastone shackles fall into their hands!
"No way I'm letting you get away with this!"
The Brachiosaurus roared, suddenly lifting his thick, towering neck high into the air and opening his jaws wide.
A destructive aura swirled as golden light began to gather madly in his mouth…
"This..."
Senor's pupils contracted sharply beneath his shattered sunglasses.
An overwhelming sense of death loomed over him. Gritting his teeth, he dove back into the earth once more!
Just then—
"Black Coffee Beam!"
Roar!!
A dark yellow laser beam erupted from the Brachiosaurus's mouth, piercing the ground where Senor had just disappeared.
The earth rippled like waves, scorched and melted by the extreme heat before being flung upward in a scorching storm.
Fierce flames spread uncontrollably, twisting the air and rising high into the sky.
A violent shockwave exploded outward from the blast's center, sending countless Beasts Pirates flying.
Amid the raging storm, a charred, gaping crater came into view.
Senor's battered, blood-soaked body slowly floated up from the pit like a corpse rising from dark waters.
He hung there, suspended in the air, drenched in blood.
Behind the ruins of his sunglasses, Senor struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.
Through blood-blurred vision, he saw the silhouette of that black-haired Marine nearly swallowed up by the swarm of pirates.
"Just... a little... more..."
His bloodied hand shakily lifted into the air, clutching a ring of keys tightly.
Less than a hundred meters...
"Daren-sama... I'm... so... sorry..."
Seeing this, Queen burst into wild laughter.
"Wahahaha!! You're done for now, you damned thief!"
"Let the handsome Queen-sama finish you off!!"
The Brachiosaurus's thick, pillar-like limbs suddenly slammed down.
Boom!!
The ground caved in beneath him, and with the terrifying strength of the Ancient Zoan, the massive body of the Brachiosaurus launched into the sky.
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Thirty.
Fifty meters into the air!
"Bullet!! Now's the time!!"
At that moment, surrounded by a frenzied mob of pirates, Daren's bloodshot eyes flared as he let out a furious roar.
He swept several pirates aside with a powerful roundhouse kick and leapt into the air.
Bullet grinned and reached out a massive hand, grabbing Daren by the right foot.
"Kahaha!! Don't you dare die!!"
He drew in a deep breath, muscles bulging like molten rock as he assumed a throwing stance.
High above, Queen's pupils shrank—he realized what was coming.
But from his altitude, there was no stopping it in time. All he could do was curse in a panic.
"No!! Stop them!! You useless idiots!!"
The pirates froze, barely reacting before it was too late.
"Go!!"
Bullet lunged forward, eyes wild, his arm rippling with strength.
Like hurling a cannonball, he launched Daren with all his might!
Boom!!
The explosive force tore the air apart, creating a visible white shockwave.
Daren shot forward like a missile, barreling through dozens of pirates and speeding straight toward Senor!
"Damn it!!"
Queen roared, veins bulging in his eyes.
"Then I'll wipe you all out!!"
With those words, the colossal Brachiosaurus began plummeting headfirst under the pull of gravity!
Like a meteor falling from the sky, his target...was Senor.
...
In that instant, everyone on the battlefield froze. They held their breath, eyes locked on the imminent collision.
The Brachiosaurus plummeted like a meteor.
The Marine flew low like a shell tearing across the battlefield.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Closer.
Senor struggled to raise the key.
Closer.
Daren reached out, desperate to grab it.
Even closer.
The Brachiosaurus fell at such speed that golden lightning crackled around him.
In that moment, the faces of all three twisted in the roaring wind.
So close...
Almost there!
Clack!
Daren snatched the key.
Senor smiled in relief and closed his eyes.
"Die!!"
Queen's eyes bulged as he crashed headfirst into the ground!
BOOOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the land.
The ground shook violently!
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
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