"Sky Flame: Heavy Cannon Blast!"
Although Luffy didn't understand what Hancock was suddenly babbling about, their current situation left no room for overthinking.
Luffy knew his base stats were several times lower than hers. Without a surprise attack to seize the initiative, he risked being completely overwhelmed by Hancock.
A dense flame pressure erupted instantly from Luffy's hand. A blazing orange fireball shot out like a long, radiant comet tail across the sky.
Luffy's speed was indeed slower than the Empress's, but the speed of his Storm Flame was something few could catch!
The fiery projectile hurtled toward Hancock at comet-like velocity, growing larger and larger in her sight.
A violent energy wave radiated outward from the blast like a tidal surge.
Even proud Hancock knew this wasn't the time to show off.
Her Armament Haki instantly coated her ankles, enhancing the explosive power in her feet.
With a powerful stomp, her slender legs began alternating rapidly. Like a blur, she vanished in an instant, reappearing over a hundred meters away.
Boom!
The fireball slammed into the ground, sending up clouds of dust and roaring flames. A vast, scorching aura surged up from the earth, spreading out in all directions, like it wanted to consume everything around.
The battlefield was bathed in fiery light, greedily swallowing the air itself.
Frowning at Hancock's incredible speed, Luffy quickly raised both hands, palms open, fingers spread wide, aiming at her location.
"Exploding Flame Bullets!"
"Zzzzzzip! Zzzzzzip!"
Ten sharp hissing sounds erupted in succession, like steam whistling from an old kettle.
Ten small Storm Flame projectiles shot out in a barrage, targeting Hancock from all directions.
They blocked all her escape routes tightly.
From afar, it looked like a single wave of fire rushing at Hancock, but to her, it was ten scorching flames intertwining viciously as they hammered toward her.
Seeing no way to dodge, Hancock defiantly swept her long skirt aside, launching her fragrant foot in a swift horizontal sweep.
A peach-pink aura condensed like a mountain spring over the path her jade leg had swept, a strange protective barrier.
Unfortunately, the fierce Storm Flame had no mercy for such delicate beauty, it merely hesitated for a moment at the barrier.
Boom!
The first fireball struck the barrier, exploding and tearing a small hole.
Then came the second, third, fourth...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions never ceased. Red and pink lights bloomed like brilliant fireworks in the sky, dazzling with intense heat.
The raging thermal storm pushed Hancock back three steps, but she managed to block the swift assault perfectly.
As the smoke cleared, two smudges of ash stained Hancock's delicate face, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty, instead, it made her seem even more lively and spirited.
Waiting passively had never been the proud Empress's style.
Before the dust fully settled, Hancock lightly touched her sensual lips with a finger, conjuring a massive pink heart-shaped jelly-like substance in her hand.
She pulled it back like a bow.
"Captive Arrow: Volley!"
With her low shout, the heart grew enormous, pulsing with intoxicating energy, radiating irresistible allure.
If someone stood beside Hancock now, they might be petrified by this energy even without her actively using any powers.
She pulled the giant heart string taut.
As dust swirled around, Luffy cautiously waved his arm; flames flickered across his gauntlets, and the wind pressure whipped away the surrounding dust.
Just as his vision cleared, a chill brushed over him from above.
He looked up, his calm face revealing surprise.
Above him, tens of thousands of pink arrows filled the sky, their sharp tips aimed directly at him.
Each arrow cut through the air with overwhelming force, ruthlessly shooting toward Luffy.
Their heart-shaped tips held a mysterious fruit ability: a mere touch would instantly petrify anything nearby.
Luffy wasn't sure if his digitized body would petrify, but he didn't want to test it.
Faced with this silent, indiscriminate area attack, Luffy's aura dropped abruptly.
His pupils returned to black, and his stray hair ceased to flutter.
His entire being became calm and still, like a deep well.
His dark eyes locked onto the incoming arrows, and he calmly raised both hands in front of him.
"Zero Point Breakthrough."
His voice, expression, and actions were all calm and composed, but together they formed extraordinary power.
Crack! Crack!
One arrow, two arrows, three... ten... a hundred... a thousand,
An icy layer suddenly appeared in the sky, freezing every arrow near Luffy one by one.
In the sunlight, the ice shimmered with rainbow hues, like exquisite art.
The frozen arrows lost their power and fell to the ground, pinging as they landed.
Soon, a thick ice wall piled up in front of Luffy.
Hancock had spent most of her energy firing ten thousand specially energized arrows, but Luffy had neutralized them all with ease.
Yet this was not the end, for Hancock, it was only the beginning.
Though Luffy's defense startled her, it didn't stop her from stealthily moving through the smoke at high speed.
Boom!
Her slender legs transformed into deadly arrows, flashing like lightning through the air.
Focused entirely on the arrow volley in front, Luffy had no spare energy to watch his back.
In a moment of distraction, Hancock seized the chance, delivering a powerful fragrant kick to the back of Luffy's neck.
The sudden force made Luffy's body feel light as he was sent flying.
Of course, Hancock wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip.
She stomped hard on the ground and, like a beautiful leopard, pounced toward Luffy with ferocious intent.
Her speed was so fast that her form vanished like a ghost, leaving only the sound of rushing air and heavy footsteps to mark her path.
But no matter how many plans she made, Hancock didn't anticipate Luffy's digitized body.
A normal person struck hard in the neck would either lose consciousness or become momentarily disoriented.
But Luffy, after a brief daze, immediately snapped back and understood everything.
Using his Observation Haki, he sensed Hancock's rapid approach.
Quickly, he downed a large number of Small Life Pills from his pack, restoring his health to nearly full, preparing to withstand her next explosive assault.
In a flash, Hancock closed in, ready to launch a flurry of attacks.
"Heh heh."
Suddenly, a strange laugh escaped Luffy's lips.
Hancock's pupils shrank instantly.
At high speed, she saw Luffy turn his head without a hint of pain, like the previous strike had no effect at all.
Realizing trouble, Hancock abruptly stopped, about to retreat, but Luffy grabbed her ankle.
For the first time, Hancock swore her long, beautiful leg felt like a burden.
"Got you!"
Luffy whispered, halting his movement.
"Let go of me!"
Hancock, trapped, tried to use her charm to command Luffy.
But Luffy wouldn't let this chance slip.
He smiled coldly and said, "First, I'm going to take away your speed."
Hancock's agile body was nearly twice as fast as Luffy's, making her hard to catch.
But now things are different.
The gauntlet on Luffy's hand holding her pale ankle suddenly flashed, sapphires sparkling in the light.
Figures beneath the gems seemed to come alive, transforming into massive energy surging into Luffy's palm.
Hancock's expression changed drastically.
Her body twisted with extreme flexibility, arching in mid-air as her other leg lashed fiercely at Luffy.
But Luffy ignored it.
The energy in his palm surged to its peak.
Boom!
Hancock's attack and Luffy's Storm Flame exploded simultaneously.
A flash of fire and a powerful shockwave swept over them.
Energy surged and wind howled.
The two silhouettes merged into a black beam that smashed into the ground.
The once flat earth was torn apart, riddled with craters and trenches, even several dirt mounds piled up.
Luffy emerged from the crater and checked his gold coins.
This battle had cost him nearly 20,000 coins, but thankfully, it was finally over.
No choice, Hancock's speed and strength far exceeded his own, at least 3,000 power level.
Luffy had to rely on healing, his digitized body that didn't affect combat strength, and psychological pressure to force Hancock into ending the fight quickly, playing right into his hands.
He slowly walked to the edge of Hancock's crater.
There she sat sideways on the ground, her long dress torn again, revealing her enticing figure.
But the ankle Luffy had grabbed was now a blackened, mangled mess, destroying the beauty of her delicate form.
"You lost."
A calm voice came.
Hancock looked up.
On the ridge above the crater, Luffy raised one hand, immense power gathering again in his palm.
=============
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