"It seems we are not late, Master."
Standing at the front, Lilith appeared outside the gate and spotted Mio at a glance. A bright smile lit up her face.
To Lilith's left stood Warwick and Hei Yan.
To her right were Erica and a little girl with long red and green hair.
"Mashi?" Seeing the little girl, Mio couldn't help but reveal a touch of joy. Without a doubt, this little girl was Mashi. A year had passed, and Mashi now looked like a child of seven or eight years old.
But that was normal—Mashi wasn't human. As a fantasy beast with an extended lifespan, her kind grew rapidly during early development, then stabilized for the majority of their lives, only aging again near the end of their lifespans.
"Mom!"
Upon seeing Mio's familiar yet slightly changed face, Mashi shouted in delight. A pair of wings extended from her back as she flew straight into Mio's arms.
"Mom… Mom?!!"
Hearing that, Mio's mouth twitched slightly. He quickly moved to catch her mid-air, holding her tightly.
"Mashi missed you so much!" Mashi buried her head in Mio's chest and rubbed against him affectionately.
"I missed you too, but… don't call me mom," Mio said, gently rubbing her head with a soft smile.
"If not mom, then what should I call you?" Mashi looked up at him, puzzled.
"Call me brother," Mio replied without hesitation.
I'm not ready to be called a father… Even though she isn't biologically mine, I just can't accept that title right now.
"Oh, brother," Mashi nodded obediently and immediately changed how she addressed him. "Brother!"
"So good." A smile spread across Mio's face.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, a sudden gust of air swept past Mio's cheek.
He turned his head slightly—he'd just been attacked.
Looking up, Mio saw a rear admiral from Navy Headquarters glaring at him. The storm kick from earlier had clearly been launched by him.
"Targeting me already?" Mio sneered, a grin forming at the corner of his mouth.
Mashi squirmed in his arms and exclaimed, "Mom—no, brother—put Mashi down!"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Mio set her down with a confused expression.
Mashi stomped her little feet, clenched her tiny fist, and shook it threateningly. Though she looked like a small girl, her next words and expression showed otherwise. "You sneak-attacking jerk! You think you can hurt my brother? Do you want to die?! Come fight me!"
Then—
She charged out.
"Huh?" The rear admiral hadn't expected such a tiny girl to suddenly explode with that kind of speed and attitude. He hesitated for a split second. In that time, Mashi was already right in front of him.
"Iron Body!"
The rear admiral activated Tekkai immediately, his body hardening like steel.
But the next instant—
"You bastard! Mashi's gonna beat you to death!"
Buzz—
Mashi's fist glowed with Armament Haki, and then it became engulfed in crackling lightning and roaring flames.
BOOM!
The punch landed.
Power surged violently from her tiny frame. The rear admiral was sent flying, skidding across the ground and smashing into a wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he slumped to the ground.
Even the Red Earl and the others looked over, visibly surprised. The tiny girl, just over a meter tall, had their attention.
"…That's one violent loli," Mio muttered, his mouth twitching.
Definitely fierce.
Definitely scary.
"Hmph? Get up! Let's fight again!" Mashi shouted at the fallen rear admiral. The wings on her back flared, and red dragon scales appeared faintly on her cheeks beneath her eyes.
Despite her age, her presence was immense.
"Interesting little girl," Red Earl commented as he dodged the strike of a vice admiral nearby. He looked back toward Mashi, admiration in his eyes. Her power wasn't normal—it had to be from a fantasy beast.
Currently, Red Earl was surrounded by three vice admirals and four rear admirals. Even someone of his caliber was being held at bay.
"She's dangerous! Eliminate her!"
Akainu, having just repelled Bullet with a punch, turned toward Mashi and barked out the order.
Mashi glared back, opened her mouth, and unleashed a massive flame mixed with lightning straight toward Akainu.
"You're the threat! Your whole family's the threat!" she shouted, then turned back and smiled sweetly at Mio. "Brother, can I fight too?"
The reason she'd attacked earlier was because someone had dared to strike at Mio. Naturally, she retaliated.
Now, she looked as innocent as ever.
Hearing this, Mio laughed softly, rubbing her head. "You can fight—but not now."
Right after he said that—
Due to Akainu's earlier command, another rear admiral stepped forward and slashed toward Mashi with his sword.
Several pirates around were instantly killed, bodies torn apart.
Clang—
A shadow flickered in front of the slash, blocking it effortlessly with a sword. White hair fluttered. Two tentacle-like strands swayed from the person's forehead.
It was Erica.
She held one sword in hand and slowly unsheathed another from her waist.
Holding both blades, she stared at the rear admiral with sharp, cold eyes. In the next moment, she vanished.
Whoosh—
Air sliced apart.
The rear admiral's pupils shrank. "Such speed!"
In the blink of an eye, Erica appeared before him, her dual blades ready.
"Dual Sword Style: Ants' Song!"
A terrifying wave of slashes surged forward, filled with momentum and wrapped in Armament Haki.
The rear admiral tried to defend but faltered—his will was shaken by the oppressive aura of the slash. In the next moment—
Puff—
Blood splattered.
His head rolled to the ground.
Erica stepped forward, now beside Mio. With a "clang," her swords returned to their sheaths, and a powerful burst of Haki radiated from her.
It was—
"Conqueror's Haki!" Akainu turned with a shocked expression. He hadn't expected such a young girl in this pirate crew to wield Conqueror's Haki.
"Unlimited potential," the Red Earl muttered, glancing her way. He could tell from the earlier slash—it had fused with Haki. This girl would become terrifying in the future.
As her Haki spread out—
Many pirates and Marines fainted on the spot.
But not all.
The Marines here were elites, and there were numerous officers among them. Those with strong wills withstood the pressure.
"You filthy sea scum—die here and now!"
Several Marine colonels roared and charged toward Mashi beside Mio. Clearly, they were Akainu loyalists and ready to follow his orders to the letter.
But now that the Black Crow Pirates had arrived—did they really think they could even get close to Mio?
Puff!
Puff!
Just as the colonels rushed forward, sharp tentacles coated in Armament Haki pierced their hearts from the side. The corpses were lifted into the air and flailed around.
Then, with a flick, the bodies were tossed into the distance.
Hei Yan stepped forward, now wearing black-framed glasses he'd somehow put on without anyone noticing. He calmly walked to Mio's side and glanced around coldly.
"From now on, no one is allowed to get near Master, let alone harm him."
Lilith giggled sweetly and smiled with squinted eyes.
As she did—
A pair of massive wings suddenly unfurled behind her…
————
Pump up the power stone if you guys need mass release