Chapter Ninety-Eight: Between Strength and Weakness

When the tone of the transponder snail rang out, it became the only sound on the deck.

Everyone nearby, including Garp, turned to look at Gion.

If a call came at this hour, it could only be from the mole planted in Mad Hatter Town.

Gion took out the transponder snail.

The moment she answered, its appearance instantly turned somewhat sleazy.

A moment later, Wolf Mouse's voice came through the receiver.

"How much longer until you arrive?"

"About half an hour. Is that the only reason you called?"

"No."

A note of gravity entered Wolf Mouse's tone.

"Something has come up here. An unknown force is attacking the slave factory on the island. The most likely culprits are the Revolutionary Army. I don't know whether this will affect the operation, so I wanted to let you know in advance."

"Understood. Stay put. Don't make any rash moves before we reach Mad Hatter Town."

"All right."

The call ended.

Garp stroked his chin. "The Revolutionary Army, huh... Tsuru did mention them before."

"Most likely. It shouldn't affect this operation, though."

Gion put away the transponder snail, her expression calm.

Besides her on the ship, there were top-tier fighters like Garp and Aokiji.

If the Revolutionary Army on Mad Hatter Island were to run into this ship's crew, they would only have the chance to flee for their lives.

Garp clearly thought the same, and did not take the Revolutionary Army on Mad Hatter Island too seriously.

He knew full well that, unless necessary, the Revolutionary Army would not make a move against them.

Besides, even if he did not need Aokiji to act, just having Aokiji standing there was like a signboard that radiated pressure without even trying.

"Ah la la."

Aokiji's languid voice suddenly drifted up from below the deck stairs.

"Since we still have half an hour, why don't we have breakfast first?"

Looking every bit like he had just woken up, he walked up the stairs to the bow and offered Garp and Gion a rather constructive suggestion.

"Good idea."

Garp readily agreed, then turned to his deputy, Bogard.

Bogard, with a long sword hanging at his waist, raised a hand to adjust the brim of his hat and said calmly, "The kitchen has already started preparing it."

"Haha."

Garp laughed aloud, then looked at Aokiji.

His expression seemed to say, See? My deputy is always so reassuring.

Aokiji pretended not to notice and lifted his gaze to the gradually brightening horizon.

In the ensuing silence, he was too weary to even complain about the occasional childish streak Garp displayed.

Watching the pale light at the edge of the sky, Aokiji's thoughts drifted blankly.

A deputy like Bogard... if he were to be envious, perhaps he would be a little.

After all, he was a seasoned old Marine who had stayed with Garp until now; his strength needed no further mention.

But what Aokiji envied most was Bogard's ability to handle affairs.

With a deputy like that, there must be far more time to sleep in every day.

Still, that was only natural. Put under a superior like Garp, anyone could hone formidable administrative ability in just a few years.

"Speaking of which..."

Aokiji, lost in thought, suddenly remembered something important and hooked a finger against his forehead.

"Do we have enough time to get back to headquarters and report in?"

...

Mad Hatter Island, Hogwall Farm.

After the masked man and Kerla joined the battle, the situation in the field changed abruptly.

In this world, the outstanding combat power of an individual can often steer the course of a battle.

Right now, the masked man and Kerla were playing exactly that role.

The two of them entered the fight almost at the same time.

One attacked the armed squad from the rear, the other from the front, somehow creating an encirclement.

With their overwhelming personal strength, they tore straight through the formation of the armed squad.

And apart from the powerful Scott, there was no one on the armed squad's side who could stop the masked man and Kerla.

In an instant, the situation reversed.

Watching the masked man and Kerla slaughter their way through the ranks like wolves among sheep, a sharp glint flashed in Morde's eyes.

With those two drawing the armed squad's attention, he would have a chance to go after Scott.

But he did not rush. While continuing to lie low, he patiently waited for the right moment.

Before making his move, at the very least, he had to let the masked man and Kerla show their worth and reduce the armed squad's numbers as much as possible.

That way, even if his identity was exposed later, he would not become the target of everyone's hatred.

After waiting patiently for ten minutes, Morde finally slung Usopp over his back and picked up a bloodstained long sword from the ground.

Then he silently looked toward Sabo and Scott, whose battle had already reached a fever pitch.

A mere lead bullet could not pierce Scott's bronze defenses.

So if he wanted to steal the kill, he would have to coat the long sword with Armament Haki, then seize an opportunity to deal Scott a fatal blow.

Strictly speaking, he only had one chance.

Cold killing intent surfaced in Morde's eyes as he slipped toward Scott.

Back when Sol first began teaching him Haki, Morde had thought about it for an entire night.

In the end, he still filled in the third silver line with the requirement for Haki, rather than choosing only Armament or Observation.

And Scott was a prey who knew Armament Haki.

If he could successfully hunt him, the harvest would be split into a small portion, but it would still be the first precious Haki reward.

By then, the positions of Sabo and Scott had completely reversed.

"Damn it!"

Scott glanced aside, distracted, to assess the battle.

Seeing his side begin to suffer a defeat, his expression turned exceedingly grim.

Meanwhile, Sabo no longer needed to race against time. Freed from external restraints, his attacks on Scott lost some of their former edge and gained a steadier weight instead.

That very change only increased the pressure on Scott immensely.

"No point worrying about the rest. First, I'll find a way to deal with this brat!"

With fierce killing intent in his eyes, Scott's line of thought changed in an instant.

He abandoned his defensive stance outright. His bronze fists fully unleashed, he charged at Sabo in a sweeping, open style.

As his openings multiplied, the punches he hurled at Sabo became even more powerful than before.

Sabo failed to keep up with the rhythm for a moment. While evading the barrage, a tiny mistake was seized by Scott.

Smack!

Scott's punch knocked Sabo back, then he stepped in quickly and seized Sabo's iron pipe with one hand.

At once, Scott let out a cold smile.

But in the next instant, Sabo made an unexpected move and simply let go of the iron pipe.

Dragon Hook Claw.

Sabo bent the fingers of his right hand into a dragon-claw shape, swiftly wrapping them in a layer of pitch-black Haki, then slammed it heavily into Scott's chest.

This was his true trump card.

With a dull thud, the claw, bearing terrifying force, sent Scott flying backward.

"It's over..."

A flash of light passed through Sabo's eyes.

He had complete confidence in his Dragon Hook Claw.

And yet.

The scene Sabo had imagined did not appear.

Scott stopped his retreating steps and remained utterly unharmed.

He gave a cold laugh. "Haki has its strengths and weaknesses too. I admit your Armament is a little stronger than mine, but I still have the defensive power granted by the Bronze-Bronze Fruit."

Looking at the bronze chest covered in Armament Haki, Sabo's expression darkened.

The double defense of Devil Fruit and Haki had not even allowed Dragon Hook Claw to inflict the slightest injury...

Scott sneered at the grim-faced Sabo as the Armament Haki gathered over his chest gradually faded away.

"If that's your strongest attack, then you're nothing more than..."

"Ugh!"

A long sword wrapped in Armament Haki suddenly pierced through Scott's bronze body, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Hm? Who is it?! How could anyone..."

Scott's eyes trembled as he slowly lowered his head to look at the blade that had thrust out from his chest.

When he saw the black Haki wrapped around the blade, despair flashed violently in his eyes.

This sudden turn of events made Sabo jolt.

He looked toward the young man holding the sword that had pierced through Scott's bronze body.

"It's you!"

Even with plenty of soot smeared across his face, Sabo still recognized him.

At once, waves stirred in his heart, and he could not hide his shock.

Who would have thought that someone he had merely brushed past by chance possessed the strength to pierce Scott's defenses with a single strike?

In his astonishment, Sabo's gaze dipped slightly, and he immediately noticed the barrel protruding from behind Morde's shoulder.

His eyes could not help but freeze.

This was...