Chapter 103: Bang!

Inner Bay Harbor.

Every ship docked here lay either shattered into wreckage or engulfed in raging flames.

Within the entire harbor, only two warships remained intact—one large, one small.

The pier was strewn with corpses.

A vast amount of blood flowed like countless streams toward the sea, filling the air with a metallic stench that even the salty sea breeze could not mask.

Just minutes ago, numerous pirates had stood here.

Minutes later, the Navy unit led by Gion had effortlessly slaughtered every single pirate on the pier.

Gion stood amid the blood-soaked ground, flicking her wrist to shake the blood off her blade.

Then, she focused her mind, activating her Observation Haki to scan the surroundings.

Only after confirming that not a single pirate remained nearby did she sheath her sword and retract her Haki.

Most of the pirate corpses scattered across the pier had fallen to the blades of Gion and Bogart.

Both were among the Navy’s few master swordsmen—while not the absolute top, they were indispensable pillars of strength within the fleet.

With their combined assault, it was already impressive that the pirates could hold out even a few minutes.

Apart from Gion and Bogart, another notable presence was Colonel Robby, recently dispatched from headquarters.

His mastery of Rokushiki was formidable; a single finger gun technique was more than enough to overwhelm these pirates.

As for Aokiji, before Gion and the others began their massacre on the pier, he had already followed Karp into Mad Hatter Town.

Gion glanced toward Mad Hatter Town.

The loud explosion just moments ago likely marked a direct confrontation between Karp and the elusive Marksman.

“Karp will handle the Marksman. As for the other pirates in town...” Gion’s eyes burned with a cold murderous intent as she strode toward the town.

She was ruthless when it came to dealing with pirates.

Silently, Robby followed her.

Noticing Robby’s move, Gion merely cast him a glance without a word.

As long as the Marksman remained within Mad Hatter Town, ordinary marines could only prepare for battle from the outskirts.

For once inside his firing range, the less powerful would only become sitting ducks, leading to needless casualties.

Bogart watched as Gion and Robby disappeared into the streets.

His duty was to guard the harbor, preventing any escapees; naturally, he would not accompany Gion into the town.

...

Cape Lookout Street, top floor of the Mad Hatter Auction House.

Within a lavish chamber, Ralph stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, clad in a red suit.

His face twisted into a grimace as he surveyed the chaos engulfing Mad Hatter Town.

Before dawn, the Revolutionary Army had attacked the Pig Farm, liberating all the slaves.

The armed forces suffered heavy casualties, including their top-ranking enforcer, Scott.

After dawn, the legendary Navy hero Karp and the elite warrior Aokiji had come to a place like Mad Hatter Town, a backwater compared to the Grand Line.

The continuous upheaval had shattered Ralph’s composure.

The Pig Farm’s destruction was tolerable.

The loss of slaves was manageable.

He had money.

Therefore,

The Pig Farm could be rebuilt.

Slaves could be bought anew.

As long as the arms factory remained intact.

In truth, the arms factory was still standing.

But Karp and Aokiji had arrived.

Ralph could hardly accept the situation.

He had painstakingly established connections with the Joker faction.

And yet, before it even began, it was about to end like this.

“Brrr brrr...” Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on the coffee table rang.

Hearing the call, the savage expression on Ralph’s face faded, replaced by a deathly pallor.

He turned toward the Den Den Mushi.

He knew it was a call from the Joker.

But at this point, whether he answered or not was meaningless.

Amid the oppressive silence, Ralph withdrew his gaze and looked out over the disorderly town once more.

He had seen this place as his foothold, never imagining it would become his grave.

At that thought, despair slowly surfaced in the cold, merciless depths of his eyes.

Suddenly, a chill crept across the windowpane before him, frost spreading like ivy.

Within moments, a thin layer of ice coated the glass.

Ralph froze, then heard a lazy voice from behind.

“The Den Den Mushi is ringing. Aren’t you going to answer?”

Startled, Ralph spun around.

On the luxurious sofa sat a tall man in a white casual suit, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Upon seeing the man’s face, Ralph stiffened as if struck by a cold blast, his expression and body locked in place.

“A-Aokiji...!” Ralph struggled to utter the man’s name.

Then, as if realizing something, he continued.

“You came for me? Because of the ‘Joker’?”

“???” Aokiji’s brow furrowed in confusion, looking at the man who suddenly seemed to grasp some hidden truth.

He did not know this man.

But Ralph was certain of his guess.

Otherwise, why would a Navy Admiral appear before him?

“If only I had known, if only I had known...” Ralph’s eyes were filled with despair.

Aokiji was puzzled, but he did associate the name "Joker" with an extremely dangerous and erratic pirate.

At that moment, the Den Den Mushi fell silent, the ringing ceasing.

Clearly, the caller on the other end had lost patience and hung up.

Ralph stared intently at Aokiji, his defeated aura vanishing instantly.

He did not want to die in humiliation.

With this thought, veins bulged on Ralph’s face, muscles swelling fiercely, tearing through his tight red suit.

Swish!

In a sudden burst of resolve, Ralph overcame his fear of Aokiji, sprinted forward briefly, and threw a powerful punch.

Seeing Ralph’s sudden attack, Aokiji vanished in an instant, leaving behind shards of ice on the spot.

Ralph’s mighty blow missed its mark.

Immediately, white cold air poured in from all directions, swiftly enveloping Ralph’s body.

By the time Aokiji appeared before the window, Ralph had been encased in ice like a sculpture.

Although Ralph had displayed impressive speed and offense in that brief moment, he was no match for an admiral’s instant kill.

“I wasn’t specifically looking for you. I just wanted the highest point here,” Aokiji murmured as the frost on the window slowly melted.

Through the glass, he looked toward where Karp and Thor stood.

“Quite impressive,” he remarked, seemingly impressed by the terrifying attack Thor had unleashed.

As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, Aokiji was wary of top snipers like Thor.

One misstep could result in a devastating shot.

Then, Aokiji suddenly shifted his gaze toward Wall Mountain.

His eyes dropped sharply, landing on the young boy and girl desperately fleeing.

Aokiji scratched his cheek with a raised finger.

Without a sound, his body transformed into a stream of ice shards, piercing through the window and heading toward Wall Mountain.

On Cape Lookout Street, Mord and Sunny ran headlong.

At that moment, a cluster of ice spikes fell from above, landing just ahead of them.

The sight of the ice shards immediately brought Aokiji’s image to Mord’s mind.

“What a joke...” Mord’s eyes narrowed as he swiftly drew Usopp.

As the ice figure gradually took shape, Mord decisively pulled the trigger.

Rattling!

Bang!

The bullet pierced the ice figure’s head, leaving a hole and halting its formation.

“Run!” Mord didn’t even holster his gun, beckoning Sunny as he turned and fled.

“Ah, a wise choice,” Aokiji, now fully materialized, watched Mord’s retreat with mild amusement.

If that shot had been imbued with Haki, he might have suffered a slight disadvantage.