https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-557-Face-Come-and-Take-It-Yourself-/13538538/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-559-That-s-the-Old-Man-s-Grandson/13538540/
Chapter 558: You've Shown a Weakness!
Chapter 558: You've Shown a Weakness!
Lida's combat power relied on her unarmed combat techniques and abilities.
While her body might not withstand the strain of attacks like Luffy's Gear Fourth, the same applied in reverse—if Luffy left an opening and she managed to touch him, he'd be in trouble too.
At this level of combat, strength alone never guaranteed victory.
The application of abilities and combat intelligence were equally crucial.
If brute strength determined outcomes, Crocodile wouldn't have lost back then.
But that logic applied to opponents like Luffy, whose strength matched their bounty.
As for Luffy's Crew members outside the top three powerhouses—those without Haki—Lida could handle them with relative ease.
But "relative ease" didn't mean she could afford complacency.
She'd seen clearly how that Usopp fellow had forced Kuro to take a punch from Luffy.
This group was annoyingly resourceful.
So, after repelling Chopper, Lida lifted her foot and declared, "I won't play with you anymore. Just lie here and wait for Kuro to finish his trial."
"Hey, what makes you think that Vice Admiral will win?!" Usopp shouted.
"Hmph!"
Lida scoffed confidently. "Of course, because Kuro has never lost!"
In the East Blue's hellish environment ten years ago, Kuro had never tasted defeat.
And in the two years since she'd joined him, she'd never seen him lose either.
He might not always win—but he would never lose.
That held true even against the Four Emperors themselves. How could someone like Silvers Rayleigh—a retired old pirate—possibly defeat him?
Her foot stamped down, her body blurred, creating multiple afterimages.
"Black Rope Heaven!"
Suddenly, a wisp of pink afterimage shot toward her.
Hiss!
It was a pink arrow, embedding half into the ground at Lida's feet.
Lida halted, glared in the direction it came from, and scowled. "It's you again, you annoying woman! What do you want? Are you quitting as a Seven Warlords of the Sea?!"
A tall woman strode in from the ruins' outskirts, her gaze fixed on Luffy's motionless body behind Lida—his eyes rolled back, blood seeping from his chest. Her teeth clenched, her fury palpable.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea, the pirate Snake Princess Boa Hancock.
"Shut up! I'm saving you, you idiot!"
Boa Hancock pointed at the pink arrow at Lida's feet. "There are some Petrification Seeds there!"
Lida looked down. Sure enough, beneath the pink arrow lay some seeds already petrified.
"What's this to do with you, woman? Helping the Navy? Are you really that kind-hearted?"
"As a Seven Warlords of the Sea, I have the duty to pursue pirates. With such a commotion, of course I'd come to check."
Boa Hancock advanced toward Luffy's Crew, sending waves of despair through the remaining members.
Nami sobbed, hugging herself. "A Navy Vice Admiral and a Seven Warlords of the Sea... Why are they both here?!"
Lucius Kro was terrifying enough, though blocked by Silvers Rayleigh. And now this Lida was just as fearsome.
Adding a Seven Warlords of the Sea...
Could they really never escape?
"Get out of my way!"
Boa Hancock kicked Nami mid-sob, sending her flying into the distance.
"Nami! Damn it!"
Usopp cried out, raising his slingshot at Boa Hancock. "Final Strike!"
Bang!
Boa Hancock vanished, reappearing before Usopp in an instant. Her long leg swung, sending him soaring.
Next, Chopper, Franky, and Brook were all kicked away in quick succession.
"Everyone!"
Robin gritted her teeth, crossing her arms. "Six-Petaled Flower!"
Before she could finish the word "bloom", Boa Hancock appeared beside her, sweeping her leg into Robin's abdomen, sending her flying.
"Huh? No pain?"
Robin expected a crushing blow, but as her body flew, she realized the kick's force was unnervingly light—purely kinetic, just enough to propel her away.
Looking down, she saw Boa Hancock winking at her.
Following her gaze, Robin noticed her trajectory would pass directly over the three fallen allies below.
"Could she be..."
Robin instantly activated her ability.
From the ground, countless hands materialized around the three, lifting them to hurl them aside.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Lida flashed beside Luffy, grabbing one of the rising hands.
"Too clever! Energy Drain!"
Instantly, Robin's body went limp, flying forward like a ragdoll.
Her strength drained...
The hands around the three collapsed into petals.
At that moment, Boa Hancock sped to Luffy's side, kicking each of them away one by one.
"Daring to use abilities in front of me, pirate? Are you mocking me?!"
Boa Hancock feigned anger.
Luffy's Crew soared through the air, landing precisely on their ship docked at the port.
With thunderous booms, they were all kicked aboard.
"You woman!"
Lida glared furiously. "What are you doing? You're letting them escape!"
"I'm just fulfilling my duty. They're just lucky."
Boa Hancock glanced at Kuro clashing with Silvers Rayleigh, gritting her teeth. "I'll take responsibility. I'll pursue Luffy's Crew myself."
Clang!
Kuro and Silvers Rayleigh exchanged another blow mid-air.
Kuro's blade pressed down, cleaving Silvers Rayleigh downward with sheer force.
Boom!
Debris scattered as Silvers Rayleigh crashed into the ground, creating a crater. He gasped, his expression grim.
Clang!
Kuro pressed the attack, descending with a downward slash.
Silvers Rayleigh raised his blade overhead, blocking again—but this time, his body sank deeper into the earth.
The torrent of Haki on his blade began to wane.
This wasn't ordinary Haki—it was the fourth level, "Internal Destruction", combined with the pinnacle of the other three Haki forms.
Maintaining this ultimate Armament Haki for so many clashes had finally drained even him.
Kuro grinned maliciously. "Running out of Haki, old man? Die!"
"I'm still in my prime!"
Silvers Rayleigh parried Kuro's blade, glancing at Boa Hancock with a smirk.
Thankfully, help had arrived.
That meant...
Shriek!
The sound of blades slicing through air rang out. Autumn Water slashed sideways across Silvers Rayleigh's blade, aiming for the Thousand Sunny with a Haki-infused strike.
"Damn it!"
Silvers Rayleigh sprang from the ground, intercepting the slash mid-air, blade across his chest. The strike halted, then his arms bulged with blue veins, forcing it aside.
But by then, Kuro had reached him.
Autumn Water descended in a downward slash.
Hiss!
A gash split Silvers Rayleigh's chest, blood spraying outward.
Kuro crouched, Autumn Water sliding down Silvers Rayleigh's chest from above. He lifted his head, locking eyes with Silvers Rayleigh with a cold grin.
"You've shown a weakness!"
(End of Chapter)
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