— — — — — —
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shadows flickered, appearing out of nowhere.
The surrounding mobsters immediately reacted, shouting, "We're under attack! We're under attack!"
At that moment, Joey's calm voice cut through the commotion, steady and commanding: "Calm down and step back."
"These opponents are out of your league."
"Understood!"
Though the mobsters were loyal to their boss and wouldn't abandon him, they obeyed his command, retreating a few steps while staying alert.
Guns raised, they aimed squarely at the eight figures in the center of the room.
The eight intruders were varied in appearance, yet all shared a cold, emotionless demeanor. Each wore a sharp black suit and maintained a chilling silence, their eyes locked on Joey.
Hands in his pockets, Joey said nonchalantly, "Judging by your outfits, you must be CP9 agents. Makes sense. CP1 through CP8 are intelligence operatives, while CP0 serves as the Celestial Dragons' personal bodyguards—no way they'd show up here."
Joey's casual tone conveyed no surprise.
It was clear the World Government didn't want to involve the Marines. In this scenario, the Five Elders sending CP9 was a logical move.
But could CP9 handle Joey? That was a different question entirely.
Without wasting a word, the eight CP9 agents launched their attack.
"Tempest Kick!"
In perfect unison, all eight leaped into the air and delivered powerful air slash kicks.
(Tempest Kick (Rankyaku): one of the Six Powers, in which the users start by kicking at very high speeds and strength, which results in a sharp compressed blade of wind that can slice through objects and greatly damage a human body.)
The display was impressive, but...Among the Six Powers—Finger Pistol(Shigan), Moonwalk(Geppo), Tempest Kick (Rankyaku), Shave (Soru), and Iron Body (Tekkai)—the techniques were easy to master once you grasped the principles, assuming comparable strength.
The only true advanced skill was Paper Arts (Kami-e), requiring deep mastery.
As the eight agents' combined attack bore down on him, Joey remained calm, a faint smile on his face.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort echoed. An arrogant voice rang out: "You fools! Who gave you the guts to attack my big brother?"
Crackle!
In an instant, all eight attacks were blocked.
At the same time—Roar!
Two voices rang out as Counter and Cabaletta charged in, weapons drawn.
"Eight thrusts!"
Counter was the first to strike. His spear moved at blinding speed, infused with Armament Haki.
The spear seemed to transform into a scary snake's head, joined by seven other Haki-infused snake heads, creating a fearsome eight-headed assault.
"Desert Hell!"
Cabaletta's approach was simpler yet no less devastating.
From seemingly nowhere, a torrent of sand materialized.
Whoosh!
Shimmering yellow sand whirled around him, forming roaring lions infused with Armament Haki.
The family crest's power granted a 20-square-meter storage space. Cabaletta had emptied it of everything except weapons and filled it with sand.
It wasn't an infinite supply, but it was enough.
Unlike the Sand-Sand Fruit's power, Cabaletta couldn't create sand, but his rare ability allowed for unparalleled control.
Clang!Clang!
Six of the eight CP9 agents split off to intercept the attacks.
The remaining two leaped into the air.
"Penetrating Finger Pistol!"
"Sharp Tempest Kick!"
Both unleashed enhanced versions of their Six Powers, their attacks fiercer and more precise.
Gala appeared, effortlessly blocking the attacks. His injuries healed instantly as he grinned: "What do you think you're doing to my big brother?"
"Tell me... How do you want to die?" His eyes glowed with a terrifying light.
Gala's aura was overwhelming. His hands, resembling blue flames, wielded a weapon also engulfed in those inextinguishable flames.
The two CP9 agents hesitated, their faces paling.
Clang!Clang!
With Gala's arrival, the three brothers now fully held back CP9's assault.
But suddenly—
Bang! Bang!
Two faint gunshots broke the air, barely audible.
For snipers with extraordinary Observation Haki and compressed Armament Haki, their bullets are nearly impossible to dodge.
But this time, their target was someone equally terrifying.
Swish!
A spear met the bullets mid-air.
Cadenza, wielding his glaive-like spear, swatted both bullets aside with ease.
"Hah!"
With a smirk, Cadenza hovered in the air in his half-beast form. "As expected, there's someone hiding in the distance. Judging by the position and aura... it's over there!"
Whoosh!
With a powerful flap of his wings, Cadenza soared toward the sniper's location.
"Will Cadenza be okay?" Opera wondered, standing guard by Joey's side with his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade in hand.
Considering Cadenza's caution, if he acted on his own, the risk must be low.
Satisfied, Opera refocused on his duty: protecting Joey.
Everyone in the family knew their big brother was strong. But as the head of the family, it wouldn't do for him to fight personally.
"Found you!"
"Dragon's Breath!"
Cadenza unleashed a scorching blast, engulfing the distant figure.
— — —
Meanwhile, back at the main battlefield, the fight had ended.
Counter, Cabaletta, and Gala had dealt with all eight CP9 agents.
Opera casually finished them off with a blaze of fire, reducing them to ashes.
This was Joey's teaching: never leave an enemy a chance to retaliate.
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