The giant Tengu engulfed in raging demonic flames was an overwhelming sight for everyone. Kalifa and the 500 soldiers were stunned, and the people in the mine were terrified.
“What… what is this?”
“Is this the power of a Warlord of the Sea?”
The guards and miners hidden in various checkpoints and shadows of the mine were pale and trembling with fear.
Even in the depths of the mine, the highest-ranking guards were dumbstruck, casting weak, hopeful glances at the burly bald man among them.
“There’s no choice,” Carden said, seemingly unaware of the giant Tengu in the distance, maintaining his usual somewhat dull demeanor.
Carden stood up from the darkness, stepping outside.
At this point, he knew the ambushes set up in the mine were useless. The guards and miners, armed with nothing more than muskets and explosives, were no match for the giant figure outside.
So, he heeded the call from outside and, under everyone’s watchful eyes, walked out of the mine, through the last checkpoint of the gold mine, and onto the land outside, facing the legendary Warlord of the Sea.
Outside, Carden saw, beyond the giant Tengu, an army in armor with swords at their waists and guns in their hands, sealing off the external passage. It was clear the enemy intended to capture the gold mine without letting anyone escape.
But whether they would kill or capture everyone was uncertain.
So, Carden spoke, “Warlord of the Sea, why are you here in Ando? This is Whitebeard’s territory.”
“Obviously,” Nagato replied from several hundred meters above, “From now on, this sea belongs to Dressrosa.”
Carden’s expression remained unchanged as he craned his neck to look at Nagato. “Can you withstand Whitebeard’s wrath?”
Nagato shook his head calmly, “Without an actual fight, no one knows the result.”
If it had been the Nagato who fought Doflamingo, even with the power of the Deva Path and the Human Path, his chances against Whitebeard would have been slim.
But Susanoo had filled the gap in his defense, and the surge in Chakra energy from Bloodline Advancement had greatly enhanced his abilities and endurance in battle. Even against a Yonko, the outcome was uncertain.
Nevertheless, Nagato’s claim of uncertainty about the outcome against Whitebeard surprised everyone who heard it.
Kalifa and the soldiers felt more encouraged, while the people in the mine were skeptical.
Even Carden, who might believe it, couldn’t help but wonder why Nagato dared to act against Ando without confidence in defeating Whitebeard.
Nagato quickly addressed Carden’s doubts, “But he won’t be coming back.”
Carden remained silent, then muttered as if to himself, “So, you’re betting on Whitebeard dying in today’s war?”
Carden’s eyes showed neither admiration for such boldness nor disdain for such a gambler’s mentality. Instead, black coal dust began to emerge from his body, enveloping the space around him and the giant Tengu.
Clearly, Carden was ready to fight.
“Your Majesty, sho—”
Before Kalifa could finish her warning, a series of thunderous explosions erupted around everyone’s ears!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless explosions roared continuously, with flames and black smoke engulfing the giant Tengu.
“Lord Carden!”
“Did he take down that guy?”
“That’s terrifying; even a Warlord of the Sea isn’t a match!”
Deep in the mine, guards and miners jumped out of their hiding spots, shouting in excitement, their joy evident.
However, as the smoke cleared, the purple flames still burned, and the giant Tengu stood like a mountain, with Nagato unscathed atop it.
“Impressive application,” Nagato, on the Tengu’s head, nodded at Carden below. “There’s no gunpowder in nature, so there’s no Gunpowder Fruit. But spreading countless coal dust particles in the air and igniting them to simulate an explosion is a clever use of your Coal-Coal Fruit.”
Seeing the explosion’s ineffectiveness against Nagato and the Tengu, the people in the mine were filled with despair.
Carden, perhaps expecting this outcome, remained unfazed. “But it’s useless against you, Warlord.”
“In that case,” Nagato said, “stand down.”
The Tengu’s body turned into flames, and the purple fire gradually dissipated as Nagato descended, “You should understand, I need Ando intact. I have no intention of war or massacre.”
“But you’re seizing Whitebeard’s territory,” Carden said, staring at Nagato.
“You’re not a member of the Whitebeard Pirates,” Nagato observed, puzzled by Carden’s lack of fear or anger about the takeover. “What’s your reason for fighting me, Carden?”
Nagato continued, “Edward is just a pirate. His so-called territory holds no legitimate authority.”
At the mention of the word “pirate,” Carden’s mouth twitched slightly, and his usually dull eyes showed a hint of sharpness. “Dismiss your technique and stand before me. Don’t you think you’re being too careless, Warlord?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a massive explosion engulfed both him and Nagato!
Boom!
The heat wave singed Kalifa’s blonde hair, making it dry and curly. Watching the intense flames ahead, Kalifa exclaimed in shock, “No coal dust… how did the explosion happen?”
Shh—
A faint sound emerged.
Under an unknown force, the ground turned to sand and surged toward the explosion.
As the firelight dimmed, countless black particles floated from the smoke, reforming into Carden’s figure.
The sand from all directions converged on Carden.
In the thick smoke, a ten-meter-long giant arm swung out, scattering the smoke to reveal the four-armed giant within the purple flames and Nagato inside it.
“Creating large amounts of coal dust underground, a simple and practical ambush,” Nagato said, his hands on his chest, manipulating the wave of sand. “But you know this tactic won’t work, so why persist in fighting me?”
Carden quickly transformed into fine coal dust, trying to escape, but the massive volume of sand overwhelmed him from all sides, leaving no place to hide.
The wave of sand enveloped Carden’s entire space, blocking out even the sunlight, plunging the area into darkness. Carden closed his eyes, seemingly resigned to his fate.
Seeing Carden’s reaction, Nagato remained silent. With continuous Chakra infusion, the sand formed a giant pyramid with magnetic seals inscribed on it.
“Desert Layered Burial Seal.”
Nagato couldn’t use Haki and couldn’t capture a Logia user’s physical body, but unless a strong force like an Admiral directly opposed him or someone like Ace tried to escape, his sealing technique could handle even the most troublesome Logia users.
Three minutes later, the pyramid disintegrated, and Carden, unconscious from lack of air, fell with the sand.
Nagato extended his right hand, using gravity to pull Carden’s body into his grasp, then tossed him to Kalifa. “Cuff him with sea-stone.”
He then ordered the soldiers, “Take over the mine.”
The guards and miners in the mine had long given up resistance.
With the four towns and this mine producing 20% of the New World’s gold now under his control, Ando had completely changed hands.
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