"Grand—Grand Fragrant Kick?"
A question mark appeared above Meiser's head.
Is this woman's attack name really that narcissistic?
Watching Hancock approach rapidly, Meiser was momentarily speechless.
The next instant—
"Boom!"
Those long legs wrapped in Haki carried terrifying force as they slammed squarely into Meiser's Susanoo. In a single strike, the Susanoo was actually shattered!!
"Crack—"
"BOOM!!"
"Wha...?!"
Watching his Susanoo get shattered by a single kick, Meiser's pupils constricted sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The initial stage Susanoo... is this fragile?!
It got destroyed by just one kick?
Yet the next moment, Meiser understood why his Susanoo had been shattered—because... the power behind that kick was genuinely terrifying!
"BOOM!!"
The high-heeled shoe that had shattered the Susanoo slammed squarely into Meiser's chest.
"Pfft—"
A mouthful of blood sprayed out as Meiser was sent flying backward.
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
Like a cannonball, Meiser smashed through several large trees before crashing into a boulder, embedding himself into it.
"BOOM!!"
"Huff..."
Having executed this move, Hancock gradually steadied her breathing.
Launching an attack of this caliber consumed no small amount of Haki.
'I wonder if that brat can even survive after being sent flying like that.'
At this thought, Hancock frowned.
She didn't particularly care whether he lived or died, but she didn't want her subordinates to remain under his control forever.
Just then, Hancock's Observation Haki detected that Meiser, who had been embedded in the rock, had vanished. Her pupils shrank instantly.
"Disappearing suddenly like this... Damn it, what's going on?"
The next moment, her Observation Haki pinpointed Meiser's location, and she instinctively turned her gaze toward a tree trunk to the side.
"That was... a truly merciless attack," Meiser said, standing on the tree trunk and narrowing his eyes at Hancock. "You almost kicked me to death."
Despite his words, Meiser appeared completely unharmed—even his clothes were pristine.
This sight left Hancock utterly stunned.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
"What kind of ability do you have?!"
Why did he look completely unscathed?
As if... the attack she had landed on him was nothing but an illusion...
But how could that be?!
She could clearly perceive everything around her, meaning she couldn't possibly be trapped in some kind of hallucination.
Yet... Hancock couldn't comprehend what was happening with Meiser.
At this moment, Hancock recalled Meiser's earlier words.
(Because I am invincible.)
Invincible?
Could this guy actually be invincible?
'No... that can't be!!'
Hancock, calm down and think carefully.
This world couldn't possibly have a truly invincible ability. He must have used some method she wasn't aware of.
After a moment of thought, Hancock said, "Is it some kind of... substitution ability?"
That must be it!
After all... Paramecia-type Devil Fruits are wildly diverse—any kind of Devil Fruit ability is possible!
"Oh?" Meiser raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think?"
"But unfortunately, you're wrong."
"Even if it's not that, it must be something similar," Hancock replied. "And an ability like that must have its limits."
She refused to believe that an infinite substitution ability truly existed in this world. So... as long as she killed this man in front of her a few more times, she could defeat him for good.
With that thought, Hancock's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Then come and try," Meiser said, staring at Hancock. "Let's see if the conclusion you've drawn... is correct!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Meiser landed on the ground and immediately charged toward Hancock.
While running, he infused his fist with Armament Haki.
"Testing Haki strength, are we?"
As Meiser closed in, Hancock seemed to sense his intent. She swiftly wrapped her long leg in Haki and lashed out with a powerful kick!
"Armament - Super Strength Fist!"
"Perfume Femur!"
Clang!
Crack... crack...
"What?"
Meiser's eyes flickered with surprise as he watched his fist gradually turn to stone.
A fist infused with Haki... could still be affected by a Devil Fruit ability?
Wasn't Haki supposed to be the counter to Devil Fruit powers?
"You thought Haki alone could resist my ability?" Hancock sneered. "How naive."
"Haki... has its own hierarchy of strength!"
Clang—
BOOM!!
With that, Hancock exerted force through her long leg, shattering Meiser's entire petrified arm in an instant!
The petrification then began spreading to the rest of his body—clearly, Hancock intended to immobilize him completely.
But Meiser paid no mind to the transformation. Instead, he pondered the relationship between Haki and Devil Fruit abilities.
"So... when the opponent's Haki surpasses your own, Devil Fruit abilities can still take effect..." he mused silently.
Still... he hadn't expected this woman's Haki to be so strong.
From the looks of it, she was far more powerful than the likes of Moria and Crocodile!
At the very least, she was on Kuma's level.
No... in a way, her ability was even more troublesome than Kuma's.
After all... not everyone could simply ignore her charm ability like he could.
It was a shame he hadn't seen the extent of Kuma's Haki strength—otherwise, he could have compared who was truly stronger between the two.
Crack... crack...
While Meiser was lost in thought, Hancock placed her hand on his shoulder and activated her ability once more.
Within moments, most of Meiser's body had turned to stone, leaving only his head free to move.
Hancock infused her hand with Haki and firmly grasped Meiser's shoulder.
Glancing at the hand on his shoulder, Meiser asked, "What's the meaning of this?"
"Just making sure you can't activate your ability," Hancock replied, tightening her grip. "Enough talk. Release your ability now."
"Otherwise..." Her smile turned devilish. "I'll shatter your body and leave only your head behind."
"That way... you'll wish you were dead."
Seeing Hancock's demonic grin, Meiser twitched his lips. "What a morbid sense of humor."
Only leaving a head?
That would indeed be a fate worse than death.
But Devil Fruit abilities were truly miraculous. Right now, he couldn't feel any part of his body—it was like... being numbed by anesthesia.
This sensation... was actually quite interesting.
"You're not afraid?"
"I never said your method would work on me," Meiser smirked. "Care to guess if I can still revive?"
His words left Hancock momentarily speechless.
Then she coated her long leg with Haki and delivered a devastating knee strike to Meiser's body.
Crack!
Boom!!
The impact was so powerful it shattered the Stone Statue into pieces.
Watching the head fall to the ground, Hancock coldly stated, "I refuse to believe—"
Hum~
Before she could finish, the rubble and Meiser's head twisted before vanishing into thin air.
Hancock: !!!
Damn it... not again?
Reacting swiftly, she activated Observation Haki to track Meiser's presence.
Soon, she spotted him standing atop a small earthen mound.
"So even Haki can't restrain him..."
Her expression darkened as she took in his unharmed state.
"Clearly, you guessed wrong."
"Then I'll just keep breaking you!" Hancock's eyes turned icy.
If it came down to it, she'd fight for days and nights—she refused to believe she couldn't kill him.
With that resolve, she charged toward Meiser.
"Earth Release: Earth Splitting Technique!!"
BOOM!!
As Meiser slammed his hands on the ground, the earth beneath Hancock's feet split apart like a gaping maw, issuing a deadly invitation!
"Wha—?!"
Losing her footing, shock flashed through Hancock's eyes.
Why was the ground splitting?
Wait... did he just say "Earth Release"?
Does that mean... this man is one of those legendary Ninja?
The kind who masters various Ninjutsu?
I thought they were just stories... but Ninja actually exist... Hancock thought in disbelief.
If he truly was a Ninja, capturing him wouldn't be easy.
And this... was likely the reason behind his continuous revivals.
No... this isn't the time for such thoughts. I need to escape this pit!
As her body descended, Hancock's eyes locked onto the yawning abyss below.
She raised her arm, simultaneously infusing Haki into her abdomen and fist.
Though unsure what effect the thing below would have... she had no intention of testing someone else's Ninjutsu!
With that thought, Hancock punched herself in the stomach. The tremendous force sent her flying out of the hollow space above!
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
She crashed into a distant mound, creating a massive crater.
The moment she was launched away, the enormous gap beneath her feet rapidly closed, narrowly missing her legs.
"Tch, what a decisive fighting style," Meiser remarked as he withdrew his hand. "To actually punch herself out of there..."
His original plan had been to restrain Hancock and then knock her unconscious with Susanoo, ending the battle.
But he never expected her to be so ruthless as to punch herself!
"Using the force of her own punch to propel herself horizontally... that's indeed a clever solution."
For someone who couldn't fly, this was the optimal move.
This Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea... was truly decisive!
"Hah..."
After steadying her breathing, Hancock immediately leaped out of the crater, wary of another Earth Release Technique burying her.
She then glared at Meiser warily, using Observation Haki to monitor the ground for any changes.
At the slightest disturbance, she would dodge immediately.
"Relax, I won't use that Earth Release Technique again," Meiser said.
Hancock merely scoffed in response, not truly believing his words.
After all... they were enemies!
Meiser didn't mind—he never expected her trust anyway.
Shaking his head, he thought to himself, Let's try upgrading Susanoo.
If he could enhance Susanoo's strength in this battle, the fight wouldn't be in vain.
With that, Meiser focused, channeling his Pupil Power and Chakra.
The next moment, a pale golden skeletal frame and arm materialized around him, encasing him securely.
"That thing again..."
Seeing the familiar skeleton, Hancock frowned. But... if he's using this, he shouldn't be able to employ other abilities simultaneously.
She recalled the earlier moment when his punch had sent her sliding backward.
After his main body attacked, this massive skeletal structure had begun dissipating.
That likely meant his abilities couldn't be used at the same time!
In that case, he wouldn't be able to use that Earth Release Technique!
"Of course, he might have faked it on purpose... so I shouldn't let my guard down."
Her eyes flicked briefly to the ground.
Ignoring Hancock's subtle movements, Meiser pondered his own abilities.
Although I haven't had the Mangekyō Sharingan for long, my control over Pupil Power has improved significantly through these two battles, he mused. This should work!
At this thought, Meiser increased the output of his Pupil Power and the release of his Chakra.
Soon, the Susanoo began to change!
"Crack, crack, crack~"
Accompanied by the sound of bones colliding, the pale golden Susanoo transformed—from its original skeletal arms and frame into the complete upper half of a skeleton!!
The Susanoo had leveled up!
"Ugh..." At this moment, Meiser felt even more intense pain surging through his body, causing him to instinctively furrow his brows.
Does the pain double every time the Susanoo advances...?
Is it because my proficiency isn't high enough, or is this just an inherent trait?
Feeling the erosion of this power on his body, Meiser's frown deepened.
Forget it. No matter what, let's finish this fight first.
"Why has it changed again?" Hancock watched Meiser warily, unsure what trick he was playing now.
But seeing Meiser frown, a thought occurred to her.
"Could it be... that even he struggles under the pressure when using this ability?"
Heh. It seemed her guess wasn't wrong—there were limits to his power!
That was fine... Now, it was just a matter of who would falter first.
Just then, Hancock noticed the look in his eyes... It had grown intensely excited.
That gaze didn't carry any perverse intent. Instead, it was more like... he had spotted some fascinating prey!
This realization darkened Hancock's expression.
"Is he treating me as a whetstone?!"
Damn this man—she was one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea!!
"Not attacking anymore?" Meiser grinned. "The longer you delay, the worse it'll be for you~"
"None of your business!"
Hancock clicked her tongue, but instead of flying into a rage, she gradually calmed down.
After scanning the Susanoo covering Meiser, she thought to herself, 'The lower half of his body isn't protected...'
I'll find an opening to strike from below!
With this in mind, Hancock glanced at the distant terrain, forming a new plan.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Why did Sister run to the back mountain?" Marigold frowned.
Though Sister's residence wasn't too far from the back mountain, she shouldn't have gotten there so quickly.
Could it be... she was sent flying?
But Marigold immediately dismissed the thought—that was absolutely impossible!
Sister was far too powerful. Even a Navy Vice Admiral wouldn't stand a chance against her. How could anyone possibly send her flying?
"Not sure, but we'll find out when we get there," Sandersonia said.
Just then, Sandersonia noticed a strange figure, halting her steps abruptly.
"What's wrong, Sister Sandersonia?"
"Marigold... That's a man, isn't it?"
Marigold: ???
Following Sandersonia's finger, Marigold spotted the shadow on the house. After a closer look, her pupils shrank. "Th-this... This really is a man!"
"That's Granny Nyon's house..." Sandersonia frowned. "Could this be the man who just came to see our sister?"
But that didn't make sense. If this was that person, then... why had their sister disappeared?
Thinking this, Sandersonia called over the woman who had reported the issue earlier and asked, "Is this the man who went with Granny Nyon to see our sister?"
The woman squinted at Luffy, then gasped in shock. "N-no... it's not him..."
At these words, the surrounding crowd was stunned.
"Why is there another man here?"
"I don't know, but if Lady Sandersonia says he's a man, then he must be."
"Lady Sandersonia, what should we do?"
"How disgraceful..." Sandersonia's expression turned cold. "When has something like this ever happened on Kuja Island?"
To think two men had invaded this place...
With this in mind, Sandersonia ordered, "Marigold, go search the back mountain for our sister. I'll capture this man."
"Yes!"
Without another word, Marigold immediately led a group away.
Meanwhile, Sandersonia began advancing step by step toward Luffy.
She didn't know why he was at Granny Nyon's house, but... once she captured him, everything would become clear!
With that thought, Sandersonia charged at Luffy.
"Hey, Luffy, don't stay on the roof!" Little Merry called from the courtyard, looking up at him. "Did you forget what Granny Nyon said?"
Granny Nyon had warned them not to go outside unless absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, it could cause trouble, and things might spiral out of control.
"But how can I just sit quietly inside at a time like this?!" Luffy grabbed his hair in frustration.
He desperately wanted to know how Meiser was doing—whether he had managed to get the Eternal Log Pose to Marine Headquarters.
If he succeeded, they could set off immediately to rescue Ace.
And if he failed... they'd go anyway!
Seeing Luffy's agitation, Merry sighed.
If not for Meiser and Granny Nyon's warnings, Luffy would have already run off.
"So this is how it is. Men are impatient creatures," murmured a woman outside, secretly observing the scene as she jotted down notes in a small notebook.
The others also watched Luffy with keen interest, studying his every move.
"Why does he act like a monkey?"
"You're right~"
"Ha! Maybe all men are like monkeys?"
"Hmm, that's certainly possible."
Just then, Margaret arrived carrying food. Spotting Luffy on the roof, she froze.
She quickly ran into the courtyard. "Get down from there! Didn't Granny Nyon say—"
Before she could finish, Luffy suddenly leaped off the roof.
And then...
"BOOM!!"
With a loud crash, a hole was gradually punched through Granny Nyon's roof!!
"Whaaat?!!"
Margaret stared dumbfounded at the ceiling. Where had this attack come from?
Merry was also stunned, unable to understand why Luffy was being attacked.
"Whoosh~"
"Thud~"
Luffy, who had landed on the floor, glared intently in the direction of the door.
No, to be precise, it was behind those women.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?" Luffy frowned.
"That's my question to you," Sandersonia said coldly, glaring at Luffy. "Don't you know the laws of our Kuja Island?"
As she spoke, the women beside her drew their bows again, aiming at Luffy.
Perhaps sensing Sandersonia's killing intent, Luffy adjusted his hat and said, "I don't want to fight. I just need the Eternal Log Pose to Marine Headquarters."
"Then stop dreaming," Sandersonia replied icily. "We'll never give that to you."
At those words, Luffy's expression darkened.
"You—"
"Just surrender quietly!"
Sandersonia's body transformed into a massive serpent as she swiftly charged into the courtyard. The moment she reached Luffy, she swung her arm down.
BOOM!!
Her fist, clad in Armament Haki, smashed a massive crater into the ground.
"Such terrifying power…"
Luffy, now perched on the wall, watched Sandersonia warily. Wasn't her strength a bit too overwhelming?
"Lady Sandersonia, he's Granny Nyon's gue—"
"Silence!" Sandersonia shot Margaret a sharp glare. "Are you trying to protect a man?"
Margaret froze instantly at the accusation.
Seeing her reaction, Sandersonia ignored her and turned to Merry. "This child is from the village, right? Take her away. Don't interfere with our capture."
Merry instinctively opened her mouth to protest, but Margaret quickly covered it.
"Yes, Lady Sandersonia…"
With that, Margaret led Merry away.
Luffy exhaled in relief.
So their target was him alone… That was good—at least Merry wouldn't get hurt.
With that thought, Luffy dashed off into the distance, calling back, "If you can catch me, then try!"
He'd buy as much time as possible before Meiser returned.
"Hmph. You think you can outrun me?" Sandersonia sneered. "You underestimate a serpent."
In an instant, she slithered up the wall, pursuing Luffy at blinding speed.
Before leaving, however, she barked an order: "Surround and capture this man!"
"Understood!"