"Beast!" Gion muttered, her mouth twitching as she recalled the various techniques and manoeuvres that Nojiko had whispered to her ear.
She felt as though she had stumbled into the New World, despite her geisha training, skills, and knowledge. At this moment, she had to admit that Nojiko possessed a deep understanding of various positions!
Thinking of Nojiko taking on her appearance and using her body in such a provocative way to have 'fun' with Rifan, Gion's face alternated between shades of red and black.
"This woman must have studied Opera for face-changing," Rifan muttered to himself, resting his chin on one hand and looking at Gion with interest, all while complaining in his heart.
Although Tsuru and the other female soldiers couldn't hear what Nojiko had whispered to Gion, they could tell from Gion's expression that it wasn't something good.
One particularly irritable female soldier waved her two-handed sword at Nojiko, slashing at her from the side. The attack carried a powerful gust of wind.
Facing the powerful blow, Nojiko simply raised her other hand and effortlessly blocked it with her forearm.
*Click!*
A crisp sound echoed through the area. Upon closer inspection, everyone realised that the blade of the two-handed sword had shattered.
"This... my sword?! M-monster!" the female soldier with blond, shoulder-length hair and slender, white thighs exclaimed, taking a few steps back in horror. She couldn't understand how her weapon, which had been with her for so long, could shatter so easily!
While she hadn't used Armament Haki to reinforce the longsword, the fact that Nojiko had shattered it with a mere 20% of her power left the female soldier astonished.
"As expected, she is not easy to defeat!" one female marine commented. "the Marine really underestimated her."
"She is, after all, Rifan's woman," another added, "a woman who can mimic other women's data and fulfil Rifan's various desires. For someone like you, Rifan wouldn't want you to be too weak."
Gion frowned and took a deep look at Nojiko. The previous attack had brought her back to her senses, dispelling her earlier embarrassment and anger. She realised that the female soldiers' attacks were similar to her physical strength in the way Nojiko had blocked them. This indicated that Nojiko possessed significant physical defence.
At this point, Gion decided not to test Nojiko further. She allowed her Armament Haki to flow towards the sharp blade she held, planning to unleash all the power she can use against Nojiko.
"Thank you for the compliment," Nojiko replied with a smile. "As expected of Gion, the female Marine who is favoured by Captain Rifan. You've regained your composure quickly. It seems that psychological warfare won't easily disturb your thoughts. Looks like I'll have to consider other means."
Nojiko chuckled twice and glanced at the glossy black blade of Gion's Armament Haki. She immediately channelled high-level Armament Haki into her hand.
*Ding!*
A crisp sound rang out, leaving Gion wide-eyed in shock as she looked at her sharp blade, which Nojiko had easily crushed. For a swordsman, their weapon was an extension of their body, and Nojiko's actions were a massive psychological blow to Gion, a proud swordsman.
Even though the longsword Gion held at the moment was not her original sword, this was a significant blow to her.
"Captain Rifan once said that a sword is like a tiger's teeth to a swordsman," Nojiko remarked. "When facing a swordsman, if you have the chance, it's wise to remove their 'teeth' first. Miss Gion, now that you've lost your 'teeth,' can you still fight?"
Nojiko clapped her hands and smiled at Gion, who was left speechless. Not content with her current tactics, Nojiko decided to take it a step further. She used her Clone-Clone Fruit powers to transform into the appearances of the surrounding female soldiers one by one.
The female soldiers, who were already uneasy due to Nojiko's impressive display of power, became even more anxious at the sight of her taking on their appearances. The thought that their bodies might be used by Nojiko to engage in affairs with Rifan further destabilised their emotions.
Some of the female soldiers even found it increasingly difficult to use Observation Haki because of the turmoil within.
"Everyone, stay focused and don't get easily distracted," Gion warned, noticing the situation among her female soldiers and trying to calm them down.
Then, she turned her gaze to Nojiko, who had just reverted to her own appearance, and sighed, "I had used Armament Haki to reinforce my blade earlier, but you easily destroyed it. This type of Armament Haki should be internal reinforcement. I thought that Miss Nojiko could only use Armament Haki externally, but I didn't expect that your Armament Haki surpassed mine."
She continued, "And the way you transformed into us and those words you spoke, it's all meant to read our thoughts. Miss Nojiko, you are indeed a cunning warrior, much like a fox. Now I understand why Rifan was confident in having you compete against us."
Nojiko grinned widely, "Miss Gion, you're also not simple; Captain Rifan's evaluation of you as a 'mother fox' is well-deserved. It wasn't easy to see through my plan. It seems this competition just got a lot more challenging."
With a sigh, Nojiko took out a bag of medicinal powder from the medicine bag she carried with her. "I'm sorry, but since it's a competition, I can't let you win too easily."
Gion gestured to the female soldiers behind her, and they quickly formed a defensive formation around her. Seeing this, Nojiko smiled,
The next moment, she swallowed the medicine powder in her hand and leaped up with great force. A puff of mist spewed out from her mouth, enveloping all the female soldiers within its reach.
"This is... Rifan's 'Medicine Poison Mist'?!" Gion exclaimed, her realisation dawning quickly as she inspected her own clothes. As expected, they were rapidly dissolving. She turned to see the same happening to the other female soldiers.
It was no exaggeration to say that Nojiko's use of traditional medicine poisonous mist was even stronger and more corrosive than Rifan's. In a matter of moments, the clothes of everyone present couldn't even cling to their bodies; they had to be held up with their bare hands.
"That's right. Didn't Captain Rifan mention that he taught me Kanpo Kenpo?" Nojiko asked with a mischievous smile. "Hehe, I wonder if you can still fight with a clear mind in this state."
Nojiko wasted no time and lunged into the disoriented crowd. She raised her right foot and kicked towards the group.
"Kenpo Kanpo·Abstruse·Gegen Decoction!" Nojiko's powerful Armament Haki-infused kick pierced through the crowd like a sharp arrow.
Initially, everyone tried to retaliate by raising their weapons to counter Nojiko's attack. However, as soon as their weapons came into contact with Nojiko's advanced Armament Haki, they shattered from the inside.
In an instant, panic and chaos ensued among the female soldiers.
"Tsk tsk, watching women fight is truly exhilarating," Rifan commented, observing the chaotic battle unfolding before him. He quickly retrieved a camera he had prepared earlier and began taking pictures of the battlefield where Nojiko, Gion, and other women were fighting.
Seeing this, Tsuru couldn't help but shake her head and said, "Rifan, maybe you should keep a low profile."
Rifan chuckled, dismissing Tsuru's suggestion, "Low profile? What's that? I've seen it all, haven't I? Even if I have seen it, perhaps you'd like me to capture your moments as well?"
Tsuru, realising that there was no use arguing further, fell into silence.
Rifan resumed capturing the ongoing battle with his camera.
A few minutes later, Gion and the group of female soldiers found themselves defeated and dishevelled by Nojiko.
Rifan put away his camera and walked over, asking, "How are you all feeling? Did you manage to vent your anger well?"
"Hmm... Seeing that you are panting heavily, you must have already let it out."
"How about it, do you need me to look at the injuries for you?"
"Although Chopper is not here, I am also an excellent doctor.
"It just so happens that Nojiko is also an excellent nurse."
Rifan stood in front of many white and colourful female soldiers and said with a smile on his face.
While speaking, Rifan did not hold back his admiring eyes.
Seeing this, many female soldiers naturally blushed and turned around, trying to avoid being caught by Rifan.
"Rifan, you are such an annoying man."
Gion, the least injured among them, shook her head as she approached Rifan, clutching her abdomen that had been kicked by Nojiko earlier. She had already lost her clothes but was no longer shy after being exposed to Rifan once.
"This was meant to help us release our anger, but it also serves as a reminder that there's no way for us to trouble you or Nojiko, right?" Gion remarked.
"As expected of Miss Gion, you're sharp," Rifan responded. "It's easy to converse with you; I don't need to spend too much time explaining things."
"Heh, talking to you, if you're not smart enough, it could be quite troublesome."
"You jest~"
Rifan grinned and looked at the female soldiers who, despite their pain, were reluctant to accept his medical assistance. "Everyone, you've experienced a fight, and I believe you've learned something from it. No matter how upset you are, there's no way to prevent Nojiko from assuming your appearance. If you still plan to oppose it, you can continue challenging Nojiko or me. But let me be clear; With a sinister smile, Rifan warned them, "If you come to challenge, be prepared to lose something precious after being defeated by me."
As he spoke, Rifan extended his tongue and licked his lips, sending a chill down the spines of the female soldiers.
"Rifan, isn't that going too far?" Tsuru interjected, stepping between the female soldiers and Rifan. She raised an eyebrow, trying to divert Rifan's attention to her.
Gion, in a similar fashion, reached out and placed Rifan's hand on her chest, intentionally drawing his focus to her.
Though this level of temptation surpassed the rules she set for herself, Gion was willing to bend those rules a bit for Rifan, considering he had already seen everything.
Rifan was taken aback by their actions but ultimately smiled. He could feel Gion's rapid heartbeat and decided to divert his attention to helping her. He shifted his hand down and used special techniques to alleviate the pain in Gion's abdomen.
Nojiko also approached Rifan, offering a bag of medicinal powder for treating wounds. She handed it to him so he could apply it to the slightly bruised area on Gion's abdomen…