"Alright... Yes! We're leaving right away!"
The crowd stirred in panic, ready to disperse, when suddenly, two voices interrupted.
A tall man dressed like a martial monk strode leisurely down the street.
"Mr. 2... You damn okama, you really messed things up!"
Walking beside him was a woman with voluminous curly hair, a slender waist, and long legs. She swayed as she walked, holding a smoking pipe between her fingers.
"It seems we'll have to clear the area... With things in chaos like this, I wonder if our plan can still proceed smoothly."
"Call me Bon Clay, darling!"
"Mr. 1! Miss Doublefinger!"
Mr. 2—Bon Clay—shouted loudly, "Wahahaha! You two, hurry to Alubarna! I'll handle this brat myself!"
"I failed my mission, so I'm as good as dead anyway... But if you two get delayed as well, the boss won't forgive you!"
"..."
Mr. 1, Daz Bones, and Miss Doublefinger, Paula, exchanged glances and sighed.
"Bon Clay, with a personality like yours, it's hard to believe you're actually Mr. 2."
"We're leaving!"
Cavendish's golden hair billowed as he brandished his sword, forcing Bon Clay back. "I didn't expect an okama like you to value your comrades so much!"
"Hmph! I know who you are... I didn't think the Marines had already made their move. Looks like this plan is doomed..."
Bon Clay opened his mouth wide, revealing a maniacal grin. "The Marine Headquarters' most dazzling new star this year—'White Horse' Cavendish!"
"From a mere recruit to Sergeant in just a few months—aren't the Marines worried about losing such a promising rookie to me?!"
"Today, you shall witness the power of my years of training in 'Okama Kenpo'!"
"Oh? Even a criminal like you knows of my reputation? Wahaha! Joining the Marines was truly the wisest decision I ever made!"
Cavendish flicked his golden hair back, reveling in his own magnificence. "No one can rival my popularity!"
"..."
Bon Clay's eyes widened. As someone who took immense pride in being an okama, he felt as though he had discovered a kindred spirit...
"Wahahaha! You narcissistic little pretty boy! You and I are the same!"
Cavendish's handsome face darkened immediately. "You damn okama! Who the hell is the same as you?!"
"We both have 'pursuits' that others find incomprehensible!"
"Come, Marine pretty boy! Whether I kill you or you kill me, this battle shall be a testament to our shared 'way of life'!"
Bon Clay laughed heartily and strapped two swan-neck-shaped attachments to his feet. "Just so you know, from your angle, the one on the right is male, and the one on the left is female!"
"Who cares?! Also, stop calling us 'comrades in spirit,' you damn okama!"
"Hahaha! Take this! Okama Kenpo: Exploding Swan!"
Cavendish dashed forward with his sword, leaping high into the air and spinning 360° mid-flight.
"Beautiful Sword: Round Table!"
Boom!
Durandal's blade clashed against Bon Clay's steel-forged swan beak, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
"Even if you're a skilled swordsman, I won't back down!"
"Hah! Let's see if I don't cut you down first!"
On the road to Alubarna, the turtle-drawn carriage carrying Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger came to an abrupt halt.
"What's going on?"
Miss Doublefinger stepped down, smoking pipe in hand, and saw two identical girls standing in front of their carriage.
"..."
She sighed and called into the carriage. "Mr. 1, it seems Mr. 2 wasn't just an accident."
"The boss's plan has been leaked."
The other carriage door swung open as Mr. 1 stepped out. "So that's how it is... It's too much of a coincidence to keep running into roadblocks."
He licked his fingers and eyed the two girls warily. "They look familiar... Are they here to die?"
"Of course they look familiar..."
Miss Doublefinger exhaled a puff of smoke. "Among the new recruits active at Marine Headquarters, there's a pair of swordswomen who look like twins but aren't. Lieutenant Kuina and Warrant Officer Tashigi..."
"These two girls... That man is their senior and mentor?"
Hearing Miss Doublefinger's information, Mr. 1's expression grew grim. Did this mean that he had intervened in this operation?
"The newly appointed Admiral candidate, 'Orange Horse' Wright!"
"We're here to stop your plans. Surrender now!"
Kuina stepped forward, gripping Wado Ichimonji. "Mr. 1, Daz Bones, and Miss Doublefinger, Paula!"
"..."
Hearing their real names spoken aloud, Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger realized the gravity of the situation.
"A traitor?"
"Looks like... we need to have a word with the boss!"
Mr. 1 clenched his fists, his expression unreadable. "Even if you're that man's junior, I won't hold back..."
"I'm a professional assassin!"
"Ever since eating the Dice-Dice Fruit and becoming 'The Blade Man,' I've never been wounded by a swordsman!"
"I possess both the sharpness of a blade and the hardness of steel. No swordsman can defeat me!"
"Hah! Such ignorance..."
Kuina smirked coldly. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way. You're nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well."
"No swordsman can defeat you? What a joke... You call my senior 'that man,' yet have you forgotten that he, too, is a swordsman?"
"You fear him even when speaking his name! As his junior disciple..."
"The reason no swordsman has ever hurt you is simply because you've never faced me!"
"You talk big, little girl!"
Mr. 1 lunged forward, fingers transforming into blades and forming claw-like weapons. "Shark Claw!"
Clang!
Kuina parried effortlessly and sneered. "Not even close!"
"Arrogant brat!"
Mr. 1 leaped back.
"Atomic Spurt!"
"Destructive Slash!"
"One-Sword Style: Mountain Splitter!"
Kuina countered head-on, slicing through Mr. 1's signature attacks with a single stroke.
"Got anything else? Let's see it!"
"..."
Mr. 1 frowned. "This girl..."
"Atomic... Slash Speed!"
On the other side, Tashigi adjusted her glasses, meeting Miss Doublefinger's sharp gaze.
"I may not be as strong as Kuina, but I won't let criminals like you run free!"
"Criminal?"
Miss Doublefinger took a drag from her pipe and scoffed. "I'm a top agent. I follow my boss's orders. Morality isn't my concern."
"After all, my dream was simply to run a bar."
"Well then, self-proclaimed just Marine, try and stop me!"
Miss Doublefinger's hands transformed into long, razor-sharp spikes as she twisted her body and charged at Tashigi.
"Double Stinger!"
Tashigi unsheathed Shigure, her mind focused on the battle.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!—
A rapid flurry of strikes rang out like thunder, too fast for the eye to follow.
Miss Doublefinger's expression turned serious. This little girl… her rank isn't high, but her swordsmanship is sharp!
"Seam Stitch: Needle Spike!"
"Bristling Thorns!"
Spikes sprouted from beneath Miss Doublefinger's feet and all across her body as she launched a high-speed close-quarters assault. However, Tashigi wielded her blade with both hands, her solid swordsmanship deflecting each attack one by one.
"Against a swordsman, my ability isn't exactly an advantage..."
"So this is the kind of swordfighter trained by that legendary vice admiral..."
Suddenly struck by realization, Miss Doublefinger's face darkened. If this girl is already this strong, then as the junior disciple of that man... just how powerful is Lieutenant Kuina…?
Meanwhile, on Mr. 1's side...
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