"So fast."
The moment Mikita and Porche were petrified, a sharp sword aura shot straight toward Hancock's face. Startled, she bent backward abruptly, her waist arching at an almost exaggerated angle as her long hair cascaded forward, narrowly avoiding the blade.
"Shhh—" The edge of the Seven Star Sword grazed Hancock's forehead, severing a lock of her jet-black hair in an instant. As the strands drifted downward, Hancock used the momentum of her backward bend to flip through the air, her legs tracing a graceful arc.
"How dare you attack our sister!"
"You're dead!" Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold, seeing Hancock nearly injured, instantly flared with rage. Weapons in hand, they charged at Ryan from both sides.
"Annoying!" Ryan didn't even glance at them, his gaze fixed solely on Hancock as she flipped midair. Gripping the Seven Star Sword tighter, his figure vanished again, leaving only a faint blue afterimage—his speed far surpassing even the Navy's Six Styles 'Soru.'
With the Artificial Dragon Fruit and the enhancements from the 'IQ' Fierce Medicine, Ryan's defense and attack power were undoubtedly top-tier. However, agility remained his relative weakness—better than most but not quite elite.
Previously, 'Soru' had barely compensated, but it wasn't enough. Without the Lightning-Lightning Fruit, he couldn't teleport like Enel using lightning. But necessity breeds innovation—Ryan devised a method to channel high-voltage current precisely to his feet using the Seven Star Sword, forming a circular current layer that released directional lightning bursts for propulsion.
In technical terms, it was Current Vector Propulsion. More simply, it was like strapping "Lightning Jetpacks" to his feet, launching himself forward with recoil perfectly aligned to his movements—even midair, using Flame Clouds as footholds.
For now, Ryan called this technique "Lightning Step."
Of course, the recoil from such propulsion was immense. The sheer force could shatter bones in the feet and ankles, and the tearing sensation from high-speed movement would be unbearable for most.
But Ryan's body was anything but ordinary. Enhanced by the Artificial Dragon Fruit's extreme cellular vitality and regenerative abilities, damaged tissues repaired themselves mid-combat, rendering the drawbacks negligible.
Against Boa Hancock—whose bewitching beauty and the terrifying power of the Love-Love Fruit could erode one's will the longer the fight dragged on—there was no room for hesitation.
This battle had to end swiftly. No breathing room for Hancock—just relentless assault.
The moment Hancock landed on the mast, before she could steady herself, a sudden sense of danger made her act on instinct. Her right hand slammed into the mast with a thud, leaving a shallow dent as she used the recoil to fling herself sideways, barely dodging the blade—though a corner of her cape was sliced clean off.
Ryan's sword didn't pause. His left foot planted firmly on the golden flame cloud beneath him, using it as leverage to twist his body midair. His wrist flicked, shifting the Seven Star Sword from a diagonal slash to a horizontal sweep, the blade tearing through the air with a shrill shriek as it aimed for Hancock's waist.
"Pistol Kiss!"
Hancock's pupils contracted. With no time to adjust her stance, she lightly touched her lips with her index finger, conjuring a tiny pink heart-shaped projectile. A flick of her wrist sent three slender pink beams shooting out, fanning into a triangular formation.
"Can't block this!"
Ryan knew even a graze from those beams would trigger petrification.
This woman can counterattack even in such a tight spot—impressive!
"Lightning Step: Z-Twist Tremor!"
Ryan stomped down on the golden flame cloud beneath him, the flames exploding outward in a shower of sparks and crackling blue-purple lightning. The recoil propelled him into a sharp redirection, dodging the three pink beams without breaking momentum. His left foot slammed down again, blue electricity coiling around his afterimage as he carved a jagged Z-shaped trail through the air.
In the blink of an eye, Ryan closed the distance once more. His wrist twisted, the Seven Star Sword now wreathed in crackling blue lightning, the currents weaving into a dense electric net along the blade as it slashed toward Hancock's waist.
"This guy—!"
Hancock's heart lurched, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She hadn't expected him to evade her "Pistol Kiss" and seamlessly launch another attack—so fast she couldn't even adjust her stance.
In desperation, she channeled all her Armament Haki into her left arm, the limb instantly sheathed in black as she raised it to block.
CLANG!
The instant sword met Haki, a deafening metallic screech erupted. The impact sent Hancock reeling, but before she could recover, the lightning on the blade surged up her arm. Numbness spread like wildfire, paralyzing half her body.
"Damn it!" Hancock's heart sank as the paralysis locked her muscles, robbing her of balance. The combined force of the lightning shock and the sword's slash sent her hurtling uncontrollably toward the sea.
"Sister!"
Sandersonia and Marigold, standing atop the Giant Snake's head, paled. Without hesitation, their legs morphed into serpent tails, lashing out at Ryan in a desperate bid to drive him back and buy time to rescue Hancock.
Salome reacted even faster, her massive serpentine body sliding off the Giant Snake's head and plunging into the sea with a splash. Her coils churned the water as she arrowed toward Hancock's falling form.
The other Kuja Pirates warriors nocked their bows, arrowheads gleaming with Armament Haki, and loosed a storm of projectiles that blotted out the sky.
Ryan ignored them all. Peach-red Dragon Scales rippled across his skin as he kicked off with explosive force, streaking toward Hancock.
Sandersonia and Marigold's tails struck only afterimages, and the arrows clattered harmlessly off his scales—clang! clang! clang!—either deflected outright or snapping against the unyielding surface without leaving so much as a scratch.
Ryan didn't slow. In an instant, he breached the Kuja Pirates' encirclement, closing in on Hancock just as she was about to hit the water. His right hand shot out like lightning, clamping around her throat the moment before she submerged.
Nearby, Salome had reached within a meter of them, her massive head reared high, forked tongue flicking rapidly as her vertical pupils burned with fury—yet she dared not advance further. The Kuja warriors' arrows froze mid-flight. Sandersonia and Marigold stood rigid, all eyes wide with horror at the sight before them.
The Pirate Empress... had been captured.