Chapter 255: The Difference Between Combat and Destruction

Chapter 255: The Difference Between Combat and Destruction

"Dad... Mom..."

Upon seeing the two people within the encirclement, Robbo exclaimed in surprise, "What's going on? Why are you here?"

Anyone who contracted the Cold Syndrome lost consciousness, and this was common knowledge among the people living here. In their eyes, Cold Syndrome was synonymous with death. Aside from the fact that the person still existed, there was no other connection. They merely knew to instinctually perform their repetitive labor each day.

But now, these people had deviated from their original pattern of behavior and actually took the initiative to come here, which made Robbo feel that something was amiss.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph, what a good question about how they ended up here. And you, little brat, why would you want to come back here after escaping? Oh well, I guess I'll let you have your way."

A voice resounded once more from the cave above, "Capture them!"

The miners who had surrounded them all moved in unison, but the Mermen's reaction was faster than theirs. Although they were outnumbered six or seven to one, each of their figures disappeared and turned into afterimages as they acted.

"Rasen!"

"Finger Gun!"

Some people sidestepped and delivered sweeping kicks that unleashed slicing attacks, while others flashed in front of the miners and extended their fingers, piercing into the miners' bodies.

Whether it was the sweeping vacuum slicing attacks or the finger guns that packed the power of bullets, they all took down the miners in front of them with just one strike, reducing the number of people surrounding this place by one-tenth.

"Oh my, our people aren't that easy to deal with."

Standing at the center, Marika lifted her head and smiled at those in the caves, "As for you, I will find you as well. There has never been anyone who could hinder our plans since the establishment of our pirate crew."

Even when Sag was captured and sent to Impel Down, their plans had still proceeded smoothly.

No one could ruin their plans.

No matter what, Sag's desire for Mother Steel would definitely be fulfilled.

The Mermen had been training until now, and relying on their extremely strong physical qualities and aptitudes, quite a few of them had at least learned two of the Six Styles.

Otherwise, Sag wouldn't have made the switch and let them out to carry out the plan this time.

They were different from ordinary pirates, with a lower limit of at least a 'superhuman' who had mastered all Six Styles. If one were to calculate it in terms of Doriki, then the lower limit for each person was at least 1,000.

Hence, the Mermen spent most of their time training. Aside from normal robberies, they wouldn't participate in any other activities.

The reason Sag let them out was probably because he felt that they should gain some experience upon reaching the New World.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph, you're indeed a race worthy of Boss's attention, and you're indeed strong. But, can you really do it?" There wasn't a hint of surprise in the voice coming from the cave.

Hearing these words, Marika lowered her head abruptly and looked at the miners who had just been taken down by the Mermen. Just as the Mermen who had used Finger Gun were about to continue their attacks, their ankles were suddenly grasped tightly by a hand.

The miners who had been taken down reached out with their hands one by one and quickly got up. They climbed up the Mermen's bodies from below and firmly locked onto them. Even though they were merely ordinary people, the strength they exhibited after climbing onto them somehow prevented this group of Mermen from moving in the first place.

And the miners in front had already raised their mining tools and shovels.

The remaining Mermen who had used Rasen weren't affected, but when they wanted to take action, they found that the people they had taken down earlier were now standing up one by one, forming a human wall that seemed intent on cutting them off.

It's too late!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Just as their weapons were about to strike the Mermen's heads, strands of black hair shot forward like snakes and pierced through the miners who were locking onto the Mermen. The powerful momentum carried the miners forward, causing them to collide into the miners who were about to attack and also impaling them, just like black spears with enemies pierced upon them.

Marika's hair danced wildly, resembling the ancient legendary Gorgon. Every strand of hair at the forefront was coated with Armament Haki, increasing its power.

And the Mermen who had been freed from their restraints also scattered and flashed to the sides uniformly, gathering around Marika's body. Another batch of Mermen used Rasen once more at this moment, sending out pale blue slicing attacks that crashed into the human wall in front of them and taking them down again.

"Something's wrong."

Marika's eyes opened slightly as she fixed her gaze on the miners she had pierced through, "The hardness is off."

The sensation fed back to her through her hair that was controlling the Life Return technique wasn't that of a normal human body!

The blood flowing out from the wound locations of those who had been pierced through was still red, but it felt a little different. Marika had experienced this feeling more than once.

Although the strength wasn't sufficient, it was indeed very similar to a Pacifista!

A strand of hair that extended out once more split into a strand, just like a scalpel, and sliced open the chest of one of the miners.

Shh!

Fresh blood continued to flow out from the sliced-open skin, but beneath the flesh and blood, what was exposed wasn't a bloody wound but layers of metallic luster!

Upon witnessing this scene, a glint appeared in Marika's already open eyes, "Hair Bind: Needle Ground!"

The hair that had pierced through exploded entirely, causing the miners who had become skewers to burst into clouds of blood mist, shattering into fragments from the inside.

As a result of Tosag's training, their path to strengthening beyond pure Haki began to incorporate some additional elements.

Lily focused on the breath of all things and now emphasized the concept of 'one sword, one cut.' Marika, on the other hand, deepened her control over the Life Return technique.

Being able to manipulate her hair with precision and enabling it to employ the Six Styles was impressive enough, but coating her strands with Armament Haki and then causing them to burst apart from within the enemy was simply an added technique.

However, the resulting power was entirely different.

The shattered fragments fell to the ground, each emitting a metallic luster. From the debris, it was evident that aside from the remaining vessels, whether it was the skeleton or internal organs, everything had transformed into metal!

While they lacked the precision of a Pacifista, there was no doubt that these were modified humans!

"Tear them apart!" Marika commanded coldly.

Hearing her words, over a hundred Mermen sprang into action, no longer holding back in their attacks. Previously, they had thought that it would be enough to simply knock these people down, not bothering to use any finishing moves, as this was the rule of the Catastrophe Pirates. Unless they felt their lives were threatened, they generally refrained from using lethal force against civilians.

But now, things were different. While the Mermen were still human, it was unclear if these modified individuals could be considered the same.

Facing the unrestrained might of over a thousand people, these miners couldn't even mount a resistance. One by one, they were flashed past, either having their heads torn off or their bodies brutally smashed. While they couldn't replicate Marika's method of turning her targets into shattered fragments, it was nevertheless exceedingly easy for them to incapacitate these modified individuals. After all, their insides were still made of steel.

Without even coming into contact with the Mermen's bodies, the miners were effortlessly flung aside, their bodies twisted and broken. Limbs contorted, heads severed, and torsos folded in half—within moments, the ground was littered with parts.

Among them were Robbo's parents.

"No, it can't be!"

Robbo staggered towards the people he recognized so well. At this moment, his parents' bodies were contorted and folded, but their faces remained devoid of any hint of pain, their expressions blank as they lay there. Their limbs continued to twitch, as if seeking to carry out some unresolved command.

"No! It can't be!"

Robbo screamed, "My mom and dad are normal people, they're not a bunch of machinery, they're not like this! It has to be fake! You bastard, where are you hiding my real mom and dad?!"

"Hmph, hmph, hmph. Indeed, they weren't able to stop you. I had originally intended to wear you down, but these people are just a bunch of waste. Next time, I'll just capture more people and modify them."

From within the cave, that deep voice sounded once more, "And as for your father and mother, well, they're right here in front of you. It's all your fault, you know. If it weren't for your desire to go outside and your unwillingness to stay here until you were modified, your father and mother wouldn't have been modified at such a young age because of you."

"They're still young. At the very least, they had another fifteen years or so before they would have been afflicted with 'Cold Syndrome.' As humans with blood and flesh, they could have continued to work for at least that long."

"What?! How dare you!" Robbo's eyes widened in fury.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph. I'm telling you the truth. What's so great about the outside world, huh? The sea is filled with dangers—sea kings, harsh weather, poverty, hunger, and a bunch of dangerous pirates. Do you really think they're here to save you? Don't be delusional. They're only here to rob and plunder, nothing more. After they're done, they don't care what happens to this island."

"But have you really lived so poorly down here? In terms of living conditions, while it may be underground, we've ensured you have sufficient light. Your food and drink are purchased with the company's money, so we haven't mistreated you in that regard. The only thing that might be considered less than ideal is the environment, but you wouldn't have lived much longer anyway. At most, you would have made it to fifty years old before being modified, and then you would have remained here forever."

"There's nothing wrong with that. To live safely for fifty years, without witnessing any of the conflicts in the outside world, to live quietly and peacefully here—what a wonderful life. Yet, you longed for the outside world? It's all your fault that your parents have now been modified. From our perspective, we've also lost two individuals who could have served as human labor for at least another decade or so."

"It's all because of you that they've become mindless, only able to follow their programmed instructions and work like dead things!"

"I, I didn't know it would turn out like this, I..."

Robbo knelt on the ground, his hands covering his head as his body gradually curled up. Through his sobs, he choked out, "I didn't know... I..."

Boom!

Strands of hair shot into the edges of the cave, knocking down some debris.

"Your only mistake was not being strong enough. That's all there is to it, kid. There's no need to listen to anything else."

Marika offered a smile to Robbo, and then she looked up, "Also, I dislike people who bully children."

"What I say is the truth!"

The voice from the cave suddenly rose in volume, and the sound of machinery starting up could be heard from above. Countless dark shadows descended from the cave's opening, landing on the flat ground.

They were massive iron men, each standing at a height of about five meters. Their left arms had transformed into chainsaws, and their right arms had elongated, resembling the claws of a toy-grabbing machine. Sharp blades glinted within their elongated fingers, reflecting a cold light.

There were at least two hundred of them.

"If they can't handle you, then I'll do it myself! There are two hundred and thirty Iron Men here, and only I can control the core. But you can't find me before you take them all out!"

The voice came from the Iron Men, indicating that the guy was hiding within them at this moment.

Boom!

As the Iron Men landed, Marika's hair shot out and stabbed at one of them, only to emit a dull thud as the hair coated in Armament Haki was deflected by its exterior defense.

"Useless! These aren't just cheap filling materials used for modifications. My Iron Men are personally designed by me, the boss's assistant, and only a genius brain like mine can input commands to all these Iron Men simultaneously. No matter what techniques you use, they're useless against me!"

Buzz!

The chainsaws spun violently, emitting a loud noise as they spoke, "Let me cut you up too!"

"If Alan were here, dealing with you would probably be easy."

Marika suddenly stood still and smiled. "This level of strength is indeed a bit lacking for the Demon Race. Even for me, if I were surrounded, I would eventually be defeated if the battle dragged on. But finding your true body and defeating you is the only way to stop all these things."

"Exactly. But you can't find me, and according to probability, your chance of finding me is only one in two hundred and thirty. No, it can't even be considered a probability. It's certain that you will be defeated by me!"

The Iron Men quickly surrounded Marika and the Demon Race, and as they gradually closed in, the Demon Race began to retreat. Some of them wanted to charge forward, but Marika immediately stopped them.

"There's no need. In a battle like this, if any of you were to die, even if Sag doesn't mind, I would still feel guilty. It's not the right time for that yet." Marika smiled faintly.

"Oh? Are you giving up now? That's right. Surrendering is a good idea. As long as you haven't been completely modified yet, you're still alive. That's the way it should be. Our thoughts are actually the same. As long as people are alive, that's all that matters, nothing else!" The Iron Man spoke again.

"No, that's not what I mean."

Marika scanned the group of Iron Men, and the gleaming light in her eyes gradually faded, returning to a calm state.

"All I need to do is find you!"

A red dot appeared in her eyes, and Marika flashed towards a particular direction. In an instant, she appeared before one of the Iron Men. Her hair entangled its fist, forming a circle infused with Haki, and she delivered a powerful punch to the Iron Man's shoulder.

Bang!!

A grinding, ear-piercing sound erupted, and the Iron Man's shoulder sank, causing half of its body to tilt to one side.

Marika didn't want to fight, but that didn't mean she couldn't.

Her hair was just hair, and its strength was nothing compared to her own.

Purely in terms of strength, these Iron Men couldn't stop her!

"Impossible! How did you find me?!"

The Iron Men no longer spoke with a unified voice, and the one in front of Marika echoed a startled voice. The Iron Man swung its chainsaw, but it only struck a residual image, followed by another dull thud.

Marika held onto the arm with the chainsaw, causing the massive Iron Man to be unable to lift its arm, emitting creaking mechanical noises as it struggled.

"You know, Sag once said that if it's not a battle where you simply want to destroy your opponent, there are actually many other ways. After all, this is a different matter. A battle requires wholehearted commitment, and you also hope that your opponent will devote their will and strength, resulting in a thrilling and satisfying contest until a winner is decided. But if it's purely for victory, or in other words, if you just want to destroy your target, then there are too many methods."

"Environmental influence, numerical advantage, status influence... there are too many necessary conditions. If I wanted to fight you, I would indeed think of ways to destroy all two hundred of these Iron Men and achieve ultimate victory. But I don't think you're qualified to fight me."

"As for dealing with you, there are too many ways. For example, I could just push all these Iron Men into the lava."

Marika smiled, "That would be the simplest way, and it wouldn't take much time. Besides that..."

Her hair danced and wove its way into the gap that had been revealed when she punched and flattened the shoulder of the previously seamless Iron Man.

"By creating a small gap and then entering your fragile body, you'll be finished."

Pff!

A soft sound of penetration came from the Iron Man's body, and the Iron Men that had been accelerating towards her all stopped in their tracks.

"Have you been living underground for too long that you've forgotten about the existence of beings with will in this world? If you want to be content with the status quo, then why not just be an honest businessman instead?"

Marika's eyes narrowed again, hiding the red dot in her pupils, and she smiled, "Being an honest merchant is actually safer."

Observation Haki.

Although she hadn't grasped it as quickly as Lily and Letty, she had still managed to learn it.

In her eyes, these opponents weren't particularly strong, just a bit troublesome. Aside from directly observing and finding the true body using Observation Haki, other methods would require her to pay a certain price, and it wasn't as easy as she made it sound.

But that was all it took.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end