"CIPHER POL!"
Rosinante's expression changed dramatically.
He truly hadn't expected that Cipher Pol agents would disguise themselves as Marine personnel and hide aboard their own warship.
As for their objective, it was now self-evident.
The Op-Op Fruit.
"Mission accomplished."
Ignoring the furious Rosinante, Jabra spoke indifferently after piercing Tanaka's right leg with his Shigan.
"Tanaka, you are now captured."
Bruno, using his left index finger, stabbed Tanaka's abdomen with a Shigan, while his right hand activated the Door-Door Fruit, opening an air door to trap Tanaka inside.
Clearly, they had already devised a plan to capture him alive before making their move.
Knowing how troublesome the Op-Op Fruit could be, their best strategy was to heavily injure Tanaka in one strike and then imprison him inside the alternate space created by the Door-Door Fruit.
This way, even a spatial manipulation Devil Fruit user would be trapped like a caged bird, unable to escape.
However...
Just as Tanaka was about to be sealed away in that eerie, green-hued alternate space, his previously panicked expression suddenly shifted.
A mocking smile crept across his lips.
"Are you sure you've really captured me?"
The moment he finished speaking—
Boom!
The body of Tanaka, which had been pierced by Jabra and Bruno's Shigan, abruptly exploded into a cloud of white smoke, leaving behind ten burning explosive tags that drifted to the ground.
The Tanaka struck by CP9's attacks was nothing more than a shadow clone.
Not only that, at the exact moment the shadow clone dissipated into white smoke, Rosinante, who had been standing to the side in shock and fury, also vanished.
"This is bad!"
Who's-Who's previously smug expression instantly darkened as he instinctively took a step backward.
"A clone?!"
Jabra and Bruno, both looking as if they'd seen a ghost, reacted just as quickly as Who's-Who, retreating without hesitation.
But as they withdrew, the explosive tags fully ignited.
BOOM!
A blinding explosion erupted, sending violent and scorching flames outward, engulfing Jabra and the others.
Just because the Naruto world had abundant fire-based techniques didn't mean explosive tags were weak.
During the Chunin Exams, when Naruto faced Gaara in his semi-tailed beast form, a single kunai wrapped with an explosive tag managed to blast away half of Gaara's transformation.
Now, ten explosive tags detonated simultaneously.
Even in the One Piece world, where people had insane durability, and even though CP9 were masters of martial arts, taking an explosion like that at close range was devastating.
Sure enough, as the flames soared, shockwaves tore through the beach, and waves of searing heat surged outward.
Several battered figures were sent flying from the explosion, resembling cannonballs shooting through the air.
Among them, Bruno, who was the slowest to react, suffered the worst.
His clothes were in tatters, his body was severely burned, and his face was charred beyond recognition.
Although he wasn't instantly killed or crippled by the explosive tags, his entire body was severely burned, leaving him on the verge of collapse.
As for Jabra, his overall strength was several times greater than Bruno's.
When faced with the explosive tags, he didn't have enough time to escape the explosion's range. However, just before the blast engulfed him, he instinctively activated Tekkai.
Even Kalifa, the weakest among CP9, could withstand gunfire and cannon attacks once she used Tekkai.
Let alone Jabra, one of CP9's top fighters.
As the only CP9 member capable of freely using other Rokushiki while in Tekkai mode, he possessed extraordinary defensive capabilities. Even when caught off guard and taking a direct hit from explosive tags, he was merely blasted away. His clothes were burned off, and only a trickle of blood escaped his lips.
His health bar had dropped, but only slightly.
As for Who's-Who, there was even less need to mention him.
He dared to claim his power was on par with Rob Lucci, so he obviously had the skills to back it up.
When the explosive tags detonated, he relied solely on Tekkai to completely tank the damage.
At this moment, though he had been blown away, looking disheveled and covered in dust, in reality, his health bar remained intact.
Damn it! What the hell is going on with this guy?
It was just a clone?!
Who's-Who, who had just been sent flying, looked furious.
Before attempting to capture Tanaka, he had been aware that Tanaka possessed a clone technique nearly indistinguishable from the real body.
But he never imagined that, after reuniting with Rosinante and even receiving Haki training methods from him, the one present wasn't even his real body, but just a clone.
Even so, before taking action, Who's-Who had carefully observed Tanaka for some time. Only after failing to detect any flaws did he decide to make his move.
And in the end, he got hit with explosive tags point-blank.
Something's wrong. That guy was obviously prepared in advance. Did he already know we were coming for him?
Jabra, also blown away by the explosion, didn't focus on his injuries. Instead, his mind raced, analyzing Tanaka's reactions.
Both the Clone and the explosive tags, these weren't improvised tricks but carefully planned, premeditated defenses.
And who was the target of this setup?
The answer was obvious.
Splash!
Just as Jabra was deep in thought, the sand beneath his feet suddenly gave way. Two hands shot out from the ground, grabbed his ankles, and yanked him downward with tremendous force.
"What?!"
He felt his footing vanish as his body plummeted uncontrollably. By the time he realized what was happening, half of his body was already buried in the sand—
And he was still sinking.
Behind Jabra, a swift, shadowy figure emerged from the sand, leaping into the air before landing directly behind him.
"Not good!"
His pupils darted to the corner of his eyes, locking onto Tanaka, who had already taken an offensive stance behind him.
His heartbeat pounded violently in his chest.
However, as a martial arts expert, his reflexes were lightning-fast.
In that instant, he twisted his spine, his upper body contorting unnaturally despite his lower half being trapped in the sand.
This remarkable flexibility was only possible with a superhuman physique of a Rokushiki master.
At the same time, he clenched his hands into fists, his muscles swelling instantly.
Then, his fists followed his body's rotation, launching two cannonball-like punches at Tanaka, each accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
"Tekkai: Heavy Step Wolf!"