"Kong, I'll leave this to you! I'm going after Straw Hat!"
Smoker transformed into smoke and pursued Luffy directly.
"Hey! Wait!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The intense fighting between pirates and marines blocked Kong's path. He couldn't move through the battlefield like Smoker.
"Tch, Razor, Kaeya, help me clear a path."
"Understood! Freeze!"
Kaeya's body was covered in ice as he launched an attack towards a dense group of Marines. He deliberately reduced the power to increase the range; the pirates caught in the icy blast were covered in a layer of frost.
"Razor! It's your turn!"
"Mm..."
Razor sprinted to the center of the crowd. He raised his right hand, and dense, crackling lightning flashed in his palm.
"Get out of the way!!"
The charged-up Azure Lightning slammed into the ground, the electric light covering a radius of several meters. Simultaneously, it triggered a Superconduct reaction with Cryo, inflicting a defense reduction effect on the enemies hit. Combined with the impact force of the Azure Lightning, a gap instantly opened up.
Genshin Impact's unique combat system was revealed to the public for the first time.
Seeing this, Kong didn't even need to remind anyone. Sucrose's phantom appeared again, and Anemo power enveloped his legs.
"This feeling... my body feels so much lighter..."
As the summoner, Aether could not only use the summoned characters' skills but also manipulate the elements they wielded. Imbued with Anemo, Aether felt incredibly light.
"In that case... maybe this move will work..."
Kong aimed, and his feet repeatedly tapped the void, propelling him upwards.
"Moonwalk!"
"What the?!"
"A... a god!!"
"What is that?!"
The surrounding onlookers were stunned. They had never seen anyone run in the air before; it undoubtedly shattered their worldview.
Kaeya laughed.
"After all, the boss is a god; flying is child's play..."
"Kaeya... they're coming again..."
Kaeya summoned another flurry of whirling ice shards. As the original character, he didn't have the same cooldown limitations as Kong. As long as his elemental energy and stamina held out, releasing them continuously was no problem.
"Then, let's make this the first battle of the Western Knights."
Razor's body trembled, and a spectral Thunderwolf appeared behind him—his ultimate skill.
"They... they're all bad guys... Razor... hates bad guys..."
"Haha, let's go then! Miss Lisa's foresight is truly amazing. She said there would be a fight here, and there really is! Now our reputation should get a boost."
"Mm... Master... is amazing..."
Meanwhile, atop a building, Lisa leaned lazily against a chimney, watching the chaotic crowd below.
"Ara ara... Sir, appearing behind a lady like that is quite rude, you know～"
"Rumble..."
Thunder still echoed in the sky, the bright white lightning illuminating the dragon's face.
"My apologies, I was merely... curious about you."
Lisa turned to the dragon, smiling charmingly.
"Unfortunately, you're not my type. A bit rough around the edges."
The dragon didn't react much.
"You misunderstand, I already have children. My curiosity lies in your identity. You, and those two below, seemed to have appeared suddenly."
Lisa played with her hair.
"How we appeared, should we tell you? Or is the leader of the revolutionary army also the type who likes to harass weak women?"
The dragon's expression turned serious.
"You're not weak at all..."
Lisa yawned boredly.
"Oh, I'm sleepy. If you're inviting me to join the revolution, forget it. Our boss isn't interested."
The dragon was surprised.
"Boss? Those two below said they were bounty hunters, right? Now you're talking about a boss... could you be from Baroque Works?"
"No, we're not affiliated with that Shichibukai. The boss seems to dislike that guy as well."
The dragon glanced over and saw Luffy seemingly caught up by Smoker.
"I see. If there's an opportunity, I'd like to meet your boss."
Lisa said,
"If you don't hurry, that little brother is going to be in trouble."
The dragon pulled up his hood.
"This is rather sudden, so I'll take my leave. Also... you should really see a doctor about your condition."
"Don't bother yourself."
"Then, I'll be going first."
"Whoooosh!"
A gust of wind howled, and the dragon vanished from the rooftop.
After the dragon left, Lisa sighed softly.
"Such powerful individuals... I was seen through instantly..."
She removed her lace gloves, and her long, slender fingers flickered with faint sparks of lightning. But with the appearance of the lightning, her previously plump, jade-like fingers became somewhat withered and aged.
"Even in this world... it's like this... I wonder how much longer I can hold on..."
Lisa's eyes were weary as she touched the God's Eye on her chest.
"Someday... the power in this eye... will destroy everything..."
...
In a dark alley, Kong already saw the thick smoke ahead and Luffy's shouts.
"Smoker, you jerk! Let me go!!!"
Smoker's ten-handed weapon pinned Luffy's back, suppressing his physical abilities.
"Let go? Don't dream. I said, to reach the Grand Line, you must defeat me."
Just as Smoker was about to strike, a violent gust of wind dispersed his smoke, and the cloaked dragon appeared behind him, a powerful hand gripping Smoker's arm.
"Who... are you?! Hmph, the World Government wants your head."
The dragon grinned.
"The World also awaits our answer."
"WHOOSH!!!"
An even more violent storm erupted, blowing away both Marines and pirates across Loguetown.
In the plaza, Razor plunged his giant sword into the ground, desperately holding himself so he wouldn't be blown away. Kaeya clung tightly to the wall of a building.
"What kind of wind is this?! Did Barbatos come?!"
On the rooftop, Lisa stood within the storm, a faint barrier of lightning coalescing around her, shielding her from the onslaught of the wind.
"Such a dangerous man..."
In the Marine prison, the water slime on Buggy's body, which had been holding him down, was blown away, instantly restoring his strength.
"What kind of crazy weather is this?! Whatever! My luck's amazing! Time to escape!!"
Immediately, he used his Four-Split technique to break out of his cell.
"Buggy! Is that Buggy!?"
A familiar voice came from the adjacent cell. Buggy was shocked when he looked.
"Alvida?! You... what happened to you!?"
Alvida in the other cell had lost all trace of her former beauty. Her once sleek hair was now frizzy and poofy like an afro, and her fair skin was now charred black.
Alvida's expression was ferocious as she clung to the bars of her cell.
"That woman with the purple rose in her hair... I won't let her get away!!! Hurry! Get me out of here!!"
Buggy, ever the loyal friend, quickly broke open the cell and freed Alvida.
"Let's go! There's a powerful Marine in Loguetown, we'll head straight to the Grand Line!"
The unburdened Alvida smashed a hole in the wall with a powerful punch.
"I'm getting revenge!!!"
Buggy nodded.
"Me too. That Dark-skinned, blue-haired guy, I'll chop him to pieces someday! But not now! I don't know what's happening outside, but this is our best chance to escape! Once we're back at our base, we can discuss our revenge!"
"Let's do it your way then."
Meanwhile, at the center of the storm, Smoker was blown away, directly towards kong.
"Iron Body!"
kong used Iron Body to steady himself and caught the flying Smoker.
The dragon turned to Kong, gave a slight smile, and disappeared without a trace. The storm ceased immediately.
Smoker rubbed his head.
"That guy just now... was Dragon..."
Kong's tone was complex.
"Ah... Dragon."
"What about those pirates?"
"With such a strong wind, they probably escaped."
Suddenly, Smoker remembered something.
"No good! That pirate in the prison!"
The two returned to the prison, only to find Buggy and Alvida's cells empty.
"Damn it! Did Dragon come to rescue him?"
Kong's expression was strange. He knew Buggy and Dragon had no connection; this guy's escape was purely due to luck. But... even being locked up in prison and still managing to escape, isn't that a bit too convenient?
Then, his eyes lit up. Buggy escaped... meaning he could make another profit from Buggy. What other billion-berry bounty hunter is as easy to catch as Buggy? A money-making machine!
Thinking this, Kong started considering the possibility of further increasing Buggy's value.
"kong, we need to report this to headquarters. Let's go upstairs."
"I've already reported it. Grandpa Garp is on his way."
"You reported it?? Dragon mentioned it too?"
"Yeah, I noticed him earlier. I wanted to tell you privately, but you didn't come back."
"Sorry... my bad. I got too caught up with that Straw Hat kid. As expected of the Admiral's disciple, your insight is impressive. I'm far inferior."
"Oh, please. Colonel Smoker is amazing too. Managing to keep Loguetown so peaceful despite the chaos, I truly admire that."
After a bit of mutual flattery, Smoker took Kong outside to assess the damage from the battle and wait for Garp's arrival.