Chapter 225: The Blow That Cuts The Island
"ROOM – Cut!"
As the clash of Captains, Vice-Captains, and the crew erupted across the battlefield, the first to make a move was Monet, wielding her spatial abilities with deadly precision.
Unlike Yamato and Kuina, who charged head-on, Monet hung back, seemingly disinterested in close combat. Instead, she subtly expanded her operating field, activating it without alerting her opponents.
The Red Hair Pirates felt an unsettling sensation as her spatial power brushed against them, sending a jolt through their nerves.
Instinctively, they fortified themselves with Armament Haki, each one bracing to resist Monet's infamous spatial transfer ability. Her earlier feat—transporting a third of the fleet in an instant—was too staggering to forget.
Without Haki as a shield, the crew would be left vulnerable to her unnervingly precise, rule-bending power.
Yet they had overlooked a crucial detail.
Haki may be a formidable defence, but it's only effective when stronger than the user's own. And in Monet's eyes, their attempts at resistance were futile, barely stronger than the previous third she had already moved.
But Monet wasn't simply expanding her ROOM for another transfer; this time, she aimed to strike.
Channelling the rules of her spatial power into a small scalpel, she infused it with a refined Armament Haki of remarkable potency.
With a swift flick of her hand through the air, a dozen armed pirates staggered, dropping heavily to the ground as their bodies failed them, immobilized by her attack.
Monet looked at the results, displeased by her own performance.
Only Kahn, her closest ally, knew the true power behind that single cut. Years of training under his guidance had pushed Monet's mastery of the Op-Op Fruit beyond anything Trafalgar Law had achieved. Enhanced by genetic modifications similar to Kuina's, Monet's physical strength, Devil Fruit development, and medical expertise were now leagues above Law's original abilities.
This expertise—and her loyalty—had earned her a place of great importance at Kahn's side, only second to figures like Hancock and Robin.
With a ROOM large enough to cover half of Wano, Monet could easily expand her surgical field over two small islands. And now, the island in the sky lay beneath the shadow of her domain.
If she had intended to, Monet could have replicated Law's massive slash from Punk Hazard, dividing the entire floating island beneath her feet with a single downward stroke.
Her spatial cuts, bypassing material limitations and distance, rivalled even the powerful strikes of a great swordsman. The only drawback was that her slashes, however powerful, couldn't actually kill.
Yet, even with a slash capable of splitting the island, she'd only managed to take down a dozen pirates—merely half of the remaining third. This shortfall left her visibly frustrated.
"Transfer—finish them, Perfect Work. Candlestick, your turn."
After splitting a dozen pirates in half, Monet used her spatial ability to transfer them directly to her position, issuing swift commands to Perfect Work and the Seraphim.
**Puchi…chichi…**
Without delay, Perfect Work transformed its arm into a brutal weapon, and the Seraphim moved in, effortlessly dispatching the dozen immobilized pirates who lay at their feet.
In moments, the formidable Red Hair Pirates—once over a hundred strong and feared across the seas—were whittled down to fewer than twenty. Among the survivors were ten key figures and a monkey: Shanks, his core crew, and loyal allies.
This meant that, outside of their captain and senior officers, there were only a few who could even stand on equal ground with the "Cross Family" cadres, famed as an impregnable force.
Shanks could barely contain his rage at the loss of two-thirds of his crew before the real battle had even begun. His fury burned hot, but he held onto his composure. Seeing this, a glint of appreciation flashed in Kahn's eyes.
Had Shanks truly lost his mind, Kahn would've thought even less of him, knowing that a loss of control would only diminish his strength.
After all, one must remain calm to access the most potent Observation Haki techniques, such as Future Sight. In total rage, a fighter can't even use Observation Haki.
In the past, during the battle at Totto Land, Luffy had been utterly outmatched by Charlotte Katakuri, who exploited Future Sight and his Devil Fruit mastery to full effect.
But when Katakuri's cool was broken—exposing his frustration and his true nature—he lost the ability to predict Luffy's movements, allowing Luffy to turn the tables and win.
Observation Haki, especially Future Sight, depends on an absolute calm, and Shanks knew this well. He didn't allow his fury to control him, making him a worthy adversary in Kahn's eyes.
To kill a mindless berserker would give Kahn no satisfaction, but to challenge a captain with Shanks' level of composure and skill? That was a battle he desired.
"Thunder Bagua!"
At that moment, a flash of lightning marked the entrance, who had eagerly selected her opponent. She charged forward, her mace "Takeru" wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, bringing it down with force on Benn Beckman's ally, Lucky Roux, who stood with a monkey on his shoulder.
"Conqueror's infusion?!"
Seeing her technique, Roux and the monkey, named Monchida, were stunned. The sudden appearance of a maid in the "Cross Family" wielding Conqueror's Haki was a shocking development, especially to seasoned fighters like Roux, Benn Beckman, and Yasopp, who looked on with disbelief.
Though shaken, Roux and Monchida quickly gathered themselves, drawing on their experience from countless battles. Together, they unleashed advanced Armament Haki to withstand Yamato's devastating strike, aimed to down even New World legends in an instant.
Incredibly, the monkey, like its human partner, demonstrated advanced Armament Haki—a feat rare even among the most powerful in the New World.
Not even Charlotte Katakuri, with his billion-berry bounty, had mastered this advanced form of Armament.
This was a moment that seemed to rewrite the limits of the New World's reality. Beyond the Kung Fu Dugongs of Alabasta and the Minks' natural fighting abilities, here was an ordinary-looking monkey wielding advanced Haki that most fighters spend a lifetime trying to master.
It was little wonder that this battle-worn monkey bore no scars—its skill level was just that high.
But even with such power, facing Yamato was no ordinary challenge. If they thought it would be enough to bring her down, they were sorely mistaken!
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