"Human traffickers... I hate them the most. Especially powerful ones. And ambushers? Even worse!"
Aeridar stepped forward, his boots tapping lightly against the bloodstained floor, until he stood before the barely conscious Paradi. His voice was low, almost gentle, but brimming with murderous intent.
Paradi, struggling to keep himself awake, glared up at Aeridar with bloodshot eyes, clenching his teeth as he spat out a hoarse threat: "I... I'll kill you."
Aeridar chuckled darkly. "Heh... Look at that ugly face of yours. You actually survived my punch and still have enough of a human shape left to glare at me. Thick skin, huh." He sneered, deliberately rubbing salt in Paradi's wounds — both physical and spiritual.
"You—!" Paladi's fury was so intense he nearly coughed up blood.
"You bastard... are you trying to wipe out my entire Crimson Man-Eating Flower crew?"
A massive brown-furred bear of a man stomped toward Aeridar, blood oozing from his injuries, his feral gaze locked onto his enemy. The overwhelming killing intent he exuded made the air itself seem to tremble.
"You're just a bunch of trash," Aeridar said with a contemptuous glance at the towering behemoth before him. With a casual motion, he shrugged off his tattered coat, revealing a torso covered in savage claw marks — marks that barely seemed to faze him.
The bear-man let out a deafening roar, so powerful that it distorted the air itself. Then, without warning, he charged forward like an unstoppable tank, his colossal body moving with shocking speed.
"Tch. Loudmouth," Aeridar grumbled, covering one ear against the sonic onslaught, feeling the very air being pushed around by the sheer force of the roar.
But when Aeridar saw the giant barreling toward him, he didn't flinch. Instead, he surged forward with a roar of his own.
"Idiot! You think a move like that will work against me?!"
A blur of motion—one large, one small—collided at blinding speed. They had been standing close to each other to begin with; less than two seconds passed before impact. One swung a massive, clawed paw; the other, a hardened iron fist.
For a split second, the world seemed to go silent—then a shockwave of compressed air exploded outward from the clash, distorting the very atmosphere in visible ripples. Everything within a ten-meter radius was flattened by the blast.
Even Paradi, who had been half-embedded in the broken floor, was sent flying like a ragdoll.
"It's useless. Useless! No matter how many times you try, the outcome will always be the same! Against me, you don't stand a chance!"
Aeridar's fists and feet, hardened with Armament Haki, rained down upon the bear-man with relentless force. Every punch and kick struck with such crushing power that even the three-meter-tall giant was forced to stagger back, wounds tearing open and blood spraying anew.
"Don't kid yourself! You think a rookie pirate crew and a greenhorn captain like you can wipe out my Crimson Man-Eating Flower? Never!"
Elver, now fully transformed into his beastly bear form, roared in desperation, swinging his enormous claws wildly in an attempt to turn the tide. But all he could do was defend, desperately blocking blow after blow.
In that moment, he bitterly regretted ever crossing a monster like Aeridar.
This wasn't a battle. It was a nightmare—like facing down a pirate lord from the New World itself.
Meanwhile, outside on the open sea, the Chris was closing in fast on the Saint Florent.
But the Chris wasn't firing at the abandoned ship — no, its cannons were aimed at the scattered survivors of the Crimson Man-Eating Flower, now desperately fleeing across the water.
Thunderous cannonfire rumbled across the waves.
Solid cannonballs smashed into the sea, sending up towering columns of water—and, grimly, sprays of blood.
"Help! Somebody help us!"
"No! Please, spare me! I surrender!"
"Damn you all to hell! I curse you!"
"You filthy bastards! I'll haunt you all!"
Screams of terror, desperate pleas for mercy, and bitter curses filled the air as the Crimson Man-Eating Flower's remaining crew scattered like terrified rats.
Their pitiful lifeboats looked like ants beside the enormous Chris, and with every cannon volley, their hopes of survival withered.
The sea was now a graveyard: bodies floated amid shattered wood and torn sails. Some corpses were barely recognizable, torn apart by the massive shells.
Over six hundred elite crew members—the main force of the Crimson Man-Eating Flower—were being wiped out in this slaughter.
Originally, they had already suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Pirate Empress, losing nearly three hundred of their best. They had yet to recover. Now, their remaining strength was being utterly annihilated.
Had Elver and Paradi managed to regroup their full forces — summoning their vassals and allies — and faced the Chris Pirates in a straight-up naval battle, the outcome might have been different.
The Chris Pirates probably couldn't have won such a head-on fight. Sweeping through the Crimson Man-Eating Flower would've been unthinkable.
After all, the Crimson Man-Eating Flower had earned their fearsome reputation across all four seas, the Grand Line's Paradise, and even the New World.
They'd clashed with Marines, pirates, and other slaver crews countless times.
Though slavers were despised, their strength was real — becoming one of the most infamous human trafficking crews wasn't a fluke.
But unfortunately for them, Elver and Paradi had chosen to bring only their core members.
And now, faced with the overwhelming might of the Chris Pirates, they were being crushed.
In terms of firepower, both sides had battleships on par with a Navy first-rate.
In terms of numbers, the Chris Pirates only had about three hundred crewmen, while the Crimson Man-Eating Flower boasted over six hundred seasoned veterans.
But among the Chris Pirates, the upper ranks held monstrous powerhouses.
And truthfully, only Oliver and Aeridar had seriously entered the fray.
Oliver and Paradi had fought to a standstill—Oliver had injured Paradi, but Paradi's mastery of Geppo made him a slippery opponent, limiting Oliver's effectiveness.
In the end, it was Aeridar who tipped the scales, taking Paradi down in an instant and hammering Elver into retreat.
Their battle had nearly torn the giant battleship apart.
Though Elver was still standing, it was obvious—his defeat was only a matter of time.
"Oi! Aim carefully! Don't let a single one of them get away!"
"Quick! Shoot! Shoot them all down!"
"Yeah! Kill those filthy trafficker scum! How dare they strut around on our turf before?!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
From the Chris's decks, pirates leaned over the railings, rifles blazing.
They fired without hesitation, cutting down the fleeing slavers in droves, ignoring any pleas for mercy.
Old grudges ran deep.
Many of the Chris Pirates' crew had lost friends and brothers to the Crimson Man-Eating Flower back in the East Blue.
Even the newer recruits, once they heard the full story, joined in with bloodthirsty fervor.
Bullets rained down, riddling the slavers with holes — making sure that none would escape their well-deserved end.
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