On the deck of the Wave Rider.
Ryan adjusted his clothes, carrying the Seven Star Sword at his waist as he stepped out of the cabin first. Mikita and Porche followed closely behind him, one on each side. The worry that had been on their faces earlier was completely gone, as if the recent "excitement" had recharged them, leaving them looking refreshed and spirited.
As for Perona, naturally, she was exhausted and had fallen asleep!
The moment Ryan stepped onto the deck, Mikita was the first to notice something was wrong. Her smiling face instantly froze, her fingers trembling as she pointed at the deck, her voice shaking with shock: "C-Captain, what... what happened here?"
On the deck, Daz Bones, Rob Lucci, Hogback, and the others had all been turned to stone—not a single one spared.
"So you're the 'Wanderer' Ryan." At that moment, a cold yet supremely arrogant woman's voice rang out.
Ryan looked up, his gaze crossing the railing of the Wave Rider to the Kuja Ship beside them. Standing atop the head of one of the massive Giant Snakes pulling the ship was a tall figure with a sleek Hime Cut, her jet-black hair cascading down to her waist. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, her bright eyes brimming with confidence and allure, her features so exquisite that they were irresistibly captivating.
She wore a red cropped top with serpentine patterns that perfectly accentuated her slender waist, tied with a pink silk ribbon whose ends fluttered in the wind. Below, she wore a long red skirt embroidered with green motifs, the slit reaching her thigh to reveal her shapely calves. A large white cloak draped over her shoulders added an ethereal yet regal exotic charm.
At this moment, Boa Hancock stood with one hand on her hip atop the Giant Snake's head, her posture straight as a pine yet exuding a lazy authority as she looked down at the "ants" beneath her. The massive serpent Salome coiled behind her, while Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold stood guard on either side, a black panther crouching nearby.
"Boa Hancock." Ryan's eyes darkened slightly as his fingers brushed the Seven Star Sword at his waist, his voice low and tense. "What's the meaning of this?"
He had assumed that, as fellow Seven Warlords, even if they had no prior connection, she would at least respect their shared status as World Government-sanctioned peers. Even if she wanted to test him, she should have met him first, exchanged a few words—left some semblance of courtesy.
But now, it seemed Ryan had underestimated Boa Hancock's arrogance and domineering nature. Attacking his crew like this was nothing short of a blatant provocation.
"No particular meaning." Boa Hancock chuckled lightly from atop the Giant Snake. "They were too noisy, so I simply... silenced them."
"Silenced them?" Mikita, hearing this, momentarily forgot her fear and took a step forward, her voice tinged with disbelief. "You turned them to stone just because of that? That's way too unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable..." Hancock tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over Mikita, a bewitching smile curling at her lips. "Is that not allowed?"
Just that sidelong glance and that offhand remark were enough. Mikita and Porche's expressions instantly changed—their wary gazes turning into dazed admiration, their earlier resentment vanishing without a trace. Unconsciously, they murmured, "Y-Yes... of course it's allowed..."
Seeing this, Ryan's own vision nearly wavered, while an uncontrollable heat surged from his abdomen. The sensation came so abruptly that it startled him.
Rob Lucci was a hardened CP9 elite who had faced countless life-and-death situations, his will as cold and unyielding as steel, utterly indifferent to feminine charms. Daz Bones had clawed his way through the underworld for years, forging a heart as unshakable as stone.
Yet even men like them had fallen helplessly to Hancock's allure, petrified on the deck without even a chance to resist.
And Ryan himself—despite being on guard against the Love-Love Fruit's power from the start—could still feel that uncontrollable restlessness in his chest.
The Straw Hat Kid Luffy was a complete anomaly, his mind filled only with his crew and adventure, utterly oblivious to "beauty," which was why he was immune to Hancock's ability. But for "normal men" like them, no matter how strong their will or how formidable their strength, facing Hancock's downright "unfair" charm made it nearly impossible to remain unaffected.
No wonder Blackbeard had captured Hancock but hadn't dared to let her go easily. The Love-Love Fruit paired with Boa Hancock's beauty was practically the most unstoppable "soft weapon" on the seas.
Ryan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the strange sensations in his chest, his gaze sharpening once more as he stared at Hancock atop the Giant Snake. Slowly, he spoke: "Boa Hancock, are you trying to start a war with me?"
"This empress has no time for such trivialities." Hancock scoffed, her eyes flicking toward the Wave Rider's cabin. "This empress merely wants the treasure on your ship. Surely sensible men like you will hand it over willingly?"
The moment she finished speaking, Mikita and Porche, as if entranced, immediately nodded in agreement: "Of course! Of course we'll give it to you!"
Their eyes filled with infatuation as they gazed at Hancock, even rolling up their sleeves to turn and fetch the treasure from the cabin—completely forgetting their captain standing beside them, let alone their petrified comrades on the deck.
"Enough." Ryan raised an eyebrow, ignoring the two thoroughly charmed women as he coldly glared at Hancock, his voice hard. "Turn my men back right now, or don't blame me for being impolite."
"Impolite?"
Hancock chuckled lightly, leaning back slightly to sit atop the Giant Snake's broad head, casually crossing her right leg over her left. The slit in her red skirt slid open, revealing a stretch of pale, slender thigh—a lethally alluring sight—as she retorted, "Would you raise a hand against this empress?"
Ryan could feel the air around them growing hotter with Hancock's movements, thick with a cloyingly sweet scent. His frown deepened, his grip on the Seven Star Sword tightening further.
This ability... was truly domineering!
"You wouldn't." Hancock's lips curled slightly, not waiting for Ryan's response as she continued languidly, "After all, this empress can be forgiven for anything."
As she spoke, she lifted a hand to lightly tuck a strand of jet-black hair behind her ear, the locks shimmering in the sunlight, her gaze lazy yet brimming with absolute confidence. "Because this empress... is simply too beautiful."
The words sounded arrogant, yet coming from Hancock's lips, they carried an irrefutable weight.
"You're really pissing me off with that self-absorbed attitude." Ryan's expression darkened, his grip on the Seven Star Sword tightening further.
He used to think Boa Hancock's chuunibyou-level arrogance was kind of cute—like beauty itself was justice. But when that "arrogance" was directed squarely at him, it was nothing short of infuriating.
Hancock raised an eyebrow slightly, a scornful smile playing on her lips as she swept the loose strands of black hair behind her back. As the silken locks cascaded over her shoulders, she arched her body backward, the wide white cloak spreading behind her. The red cropped top accentuated her slender waist, while the slit in her skirt revealed long, shapely legs—every curve of her figure exuded lethal allure under the sunlight.
Ryan's gaze instinctively flickered over her, his heart stirring uncontrollably once more.
The Pirate Empress was truly terrifyingly formidable. He couldn't help but feel a sliver of respect.
"It seems you still haven't grasped reality." Hancock straightened, interlacing her fingers before her chest to form a heart shape, her deep blue eyes flashing with a cold light as she stated indifferently, "Since you refuse to hand over the treasure willingly, then don't blame this empress for hardening your infatuated, guilt-ridden hearts—along with the rest of your bodies!"
"Perfume Femur." The heart shape between her fingers suddenly glowed with a soft pink light, a sweet, cloying aura surging toward Ryan.
Though, honestly... hardening wasn't even necessary!
Just as the pink mist was about to reach him, Ryan's fingers clenched around the Seven Star Sword's hilt, his thumb pressing lightly against the guard. His foot slammed against the deck, faint arcs of lightning crackling at his ankles as azure electricity coiled around them.
In the next instant, Ryan's figure vanished, leaving behind a faint afterimage as he appeared directly before Hancock in a flash. Leaning forward slightly, he drew the Seven Star Sword from his waist in one fluid motion—the gleaming silver blade tracing a cold arc through the sunlight as it slashed upward in a diagonal strike.
Drawing Slash...
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