Chapter 122
The Grand Line.
The end of the first half.
Between the Navy Headquarters and Sphinx Island.
A specially modified large warship was sailing across the sea, escorted by three other massive warships of similar size.
On the deck of one of the warships:
Ghost Spider—the Vice Admiral, stood with his arms crossed, feeling the sea breeze.
Next to him stood a lieutenant commander—his deputy.
"Vice Admiral, isn't this escort a bit... over the top this time?" the lieutenant commander asked.
"You don't understand. Doflamingo is notoriously protective. Among those we're escorting is one of his top commanders. And Vergo—that disgrace to the Navy—can't be taken lightly. We can't afford even the slightest mistake," Spider replied firmly.
"Yes, Vice Admiral!" the lieutenant commander nodded.
Still, he wasn't worried about Doflamingo launching an attack.
Regardless of whether Doflamingo could defeat three elite Vice Admirals, even if he could, this was right next to Headquarters. If he dared show up, he wouldn't get away.
Boom!
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure crashed down.
The lieutenant commander didn't even have time to react before his vision darkened.
He collapsed immediately.
Spider remained standing but his heart sank.
"This level of Conqueror's Haki..."
"Who could it be?"
He immediately pulled out his Den Den Mushi (transponder snail) to contact Headquarters.
But—
When the Den Den Mushi was put to his ear, Spider realized it was completely unconscious—just like his deputy.
After all, the Den Den Mushi itself was a living creature.
Spider tossed the fainted snail onto the deck, then pulled out another golden Den Den Mushi.
Yes—the "Demon-Slaying Order."
Before departure, Admiral Akainu personally handed it to Spider.
This was a special type of Den Den Mushi that couldn't make calls, only send signals.
And these signals could only be received by a corresponding silver Den Den Mushi.
There was a reason why the Demon-Slaying Order used a golden Den Den Mushi as its trigger.
Because this special Den Den Mushi was naturally immune to Conqueror's Haki.
Otherwise, if they used ordinary snails, a single sweep of Conqueror's Haki by the enemy would block the signal, making it impossible to send.
This was why Akainu gave Spider the golden Den Den Mushi—not just to activate the Demon-Slaying Order, but to ensure the message could be sent even under Haki pressure.
Without hesitation, Spider pressed the button.
The next moment, in a special room at Navy Headquarters, a silver Den Den Mushi's eyes popped wide open, and it shouted.
Alarms blared instantly.
The entire harbor erupted into chaos.
After all, sending five massive warships out was not an everyday occurrence.
The message also reached the Fleet Admiral's office.
It was late, and Sengoku had planned to finish some paperwork and rest.
But suddenly, a major incident unfolded!
"The Demon-Slaying Order from Akainu?"
"Yes, sir!"
"What's the exact location?"
"Between Headquarters and Sphinx Island—no islands around!"
"Wait, if I'm not mistaken, the prison ship escorting Vergo is due to arrive in two hours, right?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku pondered deeply.
No, this wasn't a normal Demon-Slaying Order. It was likely that the escort fleet was in trouble, and because they couldn't communicate by snail, Spider and the others resorted to this method.
The Demon-Slaying Order was probably a last-minute contingency given by Akainu.
"How long until the Demon-Slaying Order fleet can depart?"
"In twenty minutes!"
"Too slow!"
Sengoku slammed down the Den Den Mushi.
"Get me Kizaru on the line immediately!"
Brzzzt, brzzzt, brzzzt...
Brzzzt, brzzzt, brzzzt...
Brzzzt, brzzzt, brzzzt...
Bang!
"Damn Kizaru! He's not answering!"
"Send someone to his place right now. Order him to mobilize immediately!"
Sengoku slammed the table, shouting orders.
"Yes, sir!"
Just as expected by Luo Lan, Kizaru had forgotten to bring his Den Den Mushi home and left it in his office.
Thus, Sengoku couldn't contact him directly and had to send a messenger.
---
At that moment—
Doberman, Spider, and Strawberry had already left their ships and boarded the prison ship.
Aside from them three, almost everyone else was unconscious.
Although a few Rear Admirals barely managed to stay awake, they were barely in fighting shape.
In other words, only these three could fight at full strength now.
"Did you contact Headquarters?"
"No, the Den Den Mushi was knocked out!"
"Same here. But I used Akainu's Demon-Slaying Order. Support should arrive soon!"
Upon hearing this, Doberman and Strawberry's eyes brightened.
Good—they had contact.
As for defending the prison ship...
As long as it wasn't the Yonko (Four Emperors), they still had confidence.
Just then, Doberman suddenly sensed something.
"Watch out, they're here!"
Moments later, several figures dropped from the sky.
Their clothing immediately told the three who they were dealing with.
"Jun Lin! You're with Jun Lin's crew!"
"That's right, but sorry—we're short on time, no time for pleasantries!"
One figure locked eyes with Spider, two with Strawberry, one with Doberman.
The fifth figure charged straight into the ship's hold.
"Damn it!"
The three could only watch helplessly.
They were all entangled with opponents and couldn't break free.
Helplessly, they watched as the figure rushed into the ship's hold.
---
Luo Lan faced Spider at that moment.
Among all Vice Admirals at Headquarters—except for Garp, Tsuru, and the two Admirals in waiting—Spider's strength was top tier.
He excelled at Rokushiki and Life Return.
In addition, his swordsmanship was very solid, and he was skilled with firearms.
Most importantly, his mastery of both Armament Haki and Observation Haki was impressive.
Luo Lan immediately engaged Spider in close combat.
This was Luo Lan's least favorite style, but there was no choice—he couldn't let him reach the hold.
Close quarters combat was the best option.
Twin guns in hand, Luo Lan unleashed his Gun-Fightinh technique with deadly finesse.
He performed dazzling moves with his Casull and Jackal pistols.
Spider, never having seen such a fighting style, was at a loss at first.
His heart filled with shock.
His physique was already comparable, and the fighting moves were so strange.
This Jun Lin guy was truly formidable.
---
Currently at chapter 400 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27