Chapter 1233: Don't Underestimate People, Old Man
Chapter 1233: Don't Underestimate People, Old Man
"Officer Lida, please board the palanquin."
Outside Castle Tower, several attendants held an outdoor palanquin, waiting for Lida and Baohuang who had just bounced out of the tower.
Lida casually pulled out two lollipops from her bag, handed one to Baohuang, and peeled the wrapper off her own. As she popped it into her mouth and prepared to step into the palanquin, her small face suddenly froze. She turned her gaze toward a distant direction.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong, Officer Lida?" Baohuang asked.
"That direction—what's over there?"
Lida pointed and asked, "Are there any important facilities in that area?"
"That direction..."
Baohuang glanced over and replied, "Officer Lida, that's the Stealth Port."
"Stealth Port?"
Lida's eyebrows shot up. The moment she was about to hop into the palanquin, she froze. "There's an aura of strangers—and quite a few of them."
Baohuang stiffened, instinctively pressing his fingers against his sunacupoints. "Initiate a report. Officer Lida, she's checking the Stealth Port's position now."
He lowered his hand and said, "Officer Lida, I've dispatched someone to investigate."
Lida nodded, her eyes fixed on the direction. "It seems... they're getting closer."
Soon, Baohuang sensed something and pressed his fingers against his sunacupoints again. "Reporting now, Officer Lida. She's spotted a group of people emerging from the Stealth Port. They're not Navy personnel. Among them, some wear musical note and headphones emblems. They're approaching this way—about three hundred in total."
"What about the Navy at the Stealth Port? Did they all fall?" Lida asked in alarm.
"Navy... They're still there, but it's unclear if they've been defeated. They're just standing there motionless, but their posture looks strange." Baohuang replied.
Through their shared vision, this was the scene visible.
"Huh? They've noticed us. Move, why aren't you moving? Hurry up! The vision is wrong!"
Baohuang urged, realizing the aerial view from above remained still. He was certain the observer hadn't been attacked, yet the vision refused to budge.
"Officer Lida."
Baohuang lowered his hand, about to speak, but Lida waved him off, her gaze unwavering. "No need to watch anymore. They're here."
In her vision, a group of human figures had already appeared on the distant street.
The Stealth Port's location was within the Flower Capital. If they moved swiftly, they'd be visible in moments.
Indeed, there were about three hundred of them. Lida immediately focused on two figures in the crowd.
One was an old man at the forefront, leisurely stroking his beard as he strolled forward.
The other was a woman in the center of the group. She wore attire resembling a Songstress, with headphones connected to a mouthpiece. Her brown skin contrasted with her jet-black wings. A silvery willow fluff glow concentrated from her shoulders to the top of her head, resembling a feathered robe.
These two were... unusual.
Only then did Lida examine the rest of the group. At first glance, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Their demeanor reminded her of the Navy led by that bearded man, Kas.
"Where is Officer Klah?" Lida asked Baohuang.
"Officer Klah is currently inspecting and handling matters in the White Dance Region", Baohuang replied. "Shall I notify him?"
"Forget it. I'll handle this myself."
Lida pondered briefly. "These guys sure picked the right timing. Don't call the Navy either—they have a Devil Fruit user among them. Kuro's absent, so I'll face them."
As she spoke, the group approached. The woman in the center halted, and the entire crowd stopped with her, creating a standoff with Lida.
The old man stroked his beard, eyeing Lida up and down. "White Whale Lida."
"It's White Butterfly!"
Lida instinctively retorted, then shouted angrily, "You old man, are you asking for death?!"
The old man chuckled. "I'm Constance. Perhaps you don't know me, but no matter. We have no intention of opposing the Navy or the Golden Lion. Please step aside."
"Step aside?"
Lida glanced behind her, suddenly understanding. "That direction leads to Rabbit Onsen. You're here to rescue those prisoners?"
Constance raised a finger, smiling. "Precisely. We can offer them a better ideal to strive for. Wano Country is the starting point of our cause—we must have it. If you'd kindly move aside, we'll be eternally grateful."
"What are you talking about?"
Lida frowned. "Do you think Kuro would just hand over a place he fought so hard to conquer? Who do you think you are?"
"Me?"
Constance chuckled with a faint laugh. "Just an elderly man discarded by the Grand Line, skilled in a few petty schemes."
Whoosh!
His body vanished from his spot.
The moment he disappeared, Lida's hair bristled. Her figure instantly expanded into her maiden form. Her fist, coated in Haki, shot forward in a punch.
Smack!
The fist was caught by a giant hand.
Constance appeared before her, blocking the punch with his bare hand. His body immediately retreated ten steps, shaking his arm. "Impressive strength. No wonder you're the White Whale. And you possess a Devil Fruit ability too."
"Tch, didn't absorb anything", Lida muttered, clenching her fist with a crackling sound. Her expression darkened.
This old man's Haki mastery wasn't low.
Lida had developed her Devil Fruit ability to the point where she could touch others to activate it while using Haki. If someone's Haki mastery was weaker than hers, their defense would be broken, and they'd be drained. But this old man was different—his Haki mastery was high enough to perfectly block her ability.
But when it came to brute strength, Lida wouldn't lose.
She retracted her fist, spread her five fingers, and a blinding white light erupted from her palm. She thrust it forward. "Essence Shockwave!"
A shockwave erupted from her hand, blasting toward the old man and his group.
"Impact?"
Constance's expression flickered with surprise, a nostalgic look crossing his face. "Speaking of impact, it reminds me of the past."
He didn't dodge. Instead, as the shockwave approached, he thrust his knee forward, covered in Haki, to meet the shockwave head-on.
Boom!
The shockwave deflected upward from his knee, soaring into the sky.
A wisp of smoke rose from Constance's knee. He smiled faintly. "When it comes to shockwaves, Sengoku was truly the master."
You...
Lida crouched low, exhaling sharply. Her fists sank, teeth bared.
"You're just an Old Era relic defeated by Kuro. Don't underestimate people, old man."
"These young ones these days have no respect for elders", Constance sighed, shaking his head. "Well then, let me test the combat power of this new generation."
(End of Chapter)
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