"Shichibukai?!"
Not far away, Hancock frowned suddenly upon hearing this.
"Why would this woman say such things when the Shichibukai already have seven members?"
"What is her identity?"
Hancock raised her head and looked at Gion suspiciously.
"Sister, let's not worry about this now. Charlotte Smoothie seems to be attracted to Rifan," Marigold said, approaching Hancock with concern.
"They won't let us leave, Marigold," Hancock shook her head and glanced at Charlotte Cinnamon and others, who were blocking the Nine Snake pirate ship's departure route.
It's no wonder that even with Smoothie on Rifan's boat, Cinnamon and others wouldn't let Hancock and her crew leave. After all, some of Smoothie's crew members had been petrified by Hancock.
"Shichibukai?" Smoothie raised her eyebrows, looking at Gion in front of her with interest and a smile.
"If my memory serves me right, Shichibukai has its full complement of members today. How did Rifan become a Shichibukai, and in what capacity did you convey this information? Are you with the Marines or the World Government?"
Smoothie, being sharp, quickly guessed Gion's identity with just a few words. She understood that Rifan held unique power and that her mother, Charlotte Linlin, saw potential in Rifan.
Naturally, others might appreciate Rifan's strength as well. The Marine and the World Government could be interested in Rifan's forces.
"Speaking of which, in the latest news, Rifan and the Marine-named Gion defeated Golden Lion. At first, I wondered why the Marine would cooperate with pirates, but after this incident was reported, the Marine and the World Government didn't respond at all; it's as if they were silently endorsing this move. When you put it that way, it seems like the Marine and the World Government are planning to replace one of the Shichibukai with Rifan."
"Hey, woman, you're the Marine Gion who collaborated with Rifan, right?" Smoothie straightened up, examining Gion with interest.
Ignoring Smoothie, Gion turned to Rifan with a smile.
"Rifan, someone like you who values promises shouldn't break them."
As she spoke, Gion skillfully reached out and took Rifan's right hand.
Rifan, listening to Gion's words and feeling her touch, couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry, I've worked hard to become a Shichibukai for a long time. I don't intend to give up halfway. Miss Smoothie, you're an impressive woman, but unfortunately, I don't plan to join Big Mom's Pirates because of you. However, if you're interested in joining my Black Pearl Pirates, I'd be happy to welcome you. Who knows, I might even consider marrying you."
Rifan grinned at Smoothie.
Smoothie looked deeply at Rifan and Gion. After a while, she addressed Rifan seriously.
"Rifan, are you absolutely sure you won't accept Mom's invitation?"
"Absolutely. I've made it clear I don't intend to join Big Mom's Pirates. In other words, you're forcing us, the Black Pearl Pirates, into this situation."
"I see," Smoothie nodded slightly, then turned and jumped back to her ship.
Just when Gion breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Smoothie was leaving with Big Mom's Pirates, Smoothie turned around, drew her long sword from behind, and pointed it towards Rifan.
"I'm sorry for your answer, Rifan. Even though you've declined the invitation, my mother's orders are to bring you back. So, let me see your power that can defeat the legendary pirate Golden Lion."
Smoothie said solemnly. She didn't want to fight if she could avoid it. After all, Hancock was watching, and Marine Admiral's alternate, Gion, was with Rifan. Smoothie wasn't aware that Gion wasn't currently at full fighting capacity.
At this moment, Smoothie also recognized that Rifan and Hancock might pose a significant threat to her life if she left like this.
Therefore, she had no choice but to challenge Rifan. Of course, it was just a contest, and Smoothie was confident that neither Rifan nor Hancock would stop her from leaving, unless they truly intended to fight Big Mom's Pirates right then and there.
"You really want to fight me?" Rifan patted Gion's hand, gently pushing it away, and turned her gaze towards Smoothie with curiosity.
"Yes, I want to see how strong a man who can defeat a man like Golden Lion Shiki."
A sly smile crept onto Smoothie's face as she raised her huge swords and made a slashing motion towards Rifan. In the next moment, a slicing attack came hurtling towards Rifan.
Rifan was about to disintegrate the attack into pieces when suddenly, Robin stepped in. She threw a punch from the side, intercepting the flying slash with the immense power granted by her SS-level physique.
Robin shattered Smoothie's attack without even needing to use Armament Haki.
"Nico Robin?"
Smoothie furrowed her brow and looked at Robin, who had a relatively modest bounty of 80 million Berries and was regarded as a mere archaeologist by those unaware of her capabilities.
"Apologies, as a member of the Black Pearl Pirates, I can't allow you to directly attack our captain~" Robin calmly stated, crossing her arms and maintaining a smile.
Without warning, several hands sprouted from various parts of Robin's body, gripping and twisting Smoothie's arm.
"What?! This strength?!"
Smoothie's eyes widened in disbelief as she felt the incredible power Robin possessed. At that moment, Robin's strength surprised her even more than Robin's earlier attack that had crushed her attack.
"Is this woman really challenging Smoothie?" Gion marvelled, her beautiful eyes fixed on Robin.
Rifan noticed Gion's interest, chuckled, and pulled Gion's face closer to his own, whispering, "You intended to use your skincare regimen to get closer to us, didn't you? What, you want to trade skincare tips for the privilege of watching Robin in action? Don't forget, Robin is already taking on Smoothie. If you don't nod, I might just step in and fight Smoothie myself, and you'll miss out on the opportunity."
Gion couldn't help but look at Rifan with an exasperated expression. However, seeing Smoothie momentarily struggle against Robin's abilities, Gion finally nodded.
Seeing this, Rifan grinned and turned to Robin, saying, "Robin, go ahead and continue. We need the Big Mom Pirates to understand that the Black Pearl Pirates are not to be underestimated. Just be sure not to kill Smoothie."
As Rifan spoke, Gion, Hancock, Smoothie, and the onlookers in the Blue Star audience, including those who had been watching Rifan, Leigh, and Ada Wong, were all left in shock.
—•—|Rifan Live Broadcast Chat Room|—•—
[Damn, Brother Rifan actually wants to give Smoothie the Sweet General of the Big Mom Pirates a serious beating, did I hear it right?!]
[Brother upstairs, you heard him right. Brother Rifan is indeed planning to teach Smoothie a lesson, and he'll make sure to give her a good beating without killing her!]
[Green Pheasant: Is Rifan being foolish here? This feels like a war declaration with Big Mom Pirates!]
[Goat Audience: Maybe Rifan wants to showcase his strength to Big Mom, so that Charlotte Linlin understands that it's not wise to easily make an enemy out of him.]
[Indeed! For someone as powerful as one of the Four Emperors, avoiding conflict may only lead to more trouble. But if they realise the Black Pearl Pirates have significant strength and still choose to pick a fight with Brother Rifan, they'll have to weigh the pros and cons.]
[Camel Audience: Hmph, what a gamble! If I were Big Mom, I'd definitely want to personally teach Rifan a lesson.]
[But you're not Big Mom after all! Besides, Brother Rifan only intends to take down Smoothie, not end her life. And even then, if Big Mom continues to challenge Brother Rifan, she might end up losing more. After all, she's not the only one of the Four Emperors; the other three and other powerful pirates, along with the Marines and the World Government, are all watching. If she rashly goes after Brother Rifan, she could lose her base of operations.]
[Eagle Audience: You Panda folks, it sounds like Nico Robin has the upper hand! I admit that Rifan is very strong, but Robin might not be able to defeat that woman Smoothie.]
[Goat Audience: I disagree. Rifan knows Robin's power better than anyone. After all, Rifan can also use Robin's Devil Fruit ability. Given Rifan's level of confidence, I believe Robin should have a high chance of defeating Smoothie.]
[Upstairs, you're absolutely right! Let's all appreciate our Goddess Robin displaying her strength!]
—•—One Piece Dungeon World—•—
"Does Rifan really believe that Robin can defeat Smoothie?" Gion wondered to herself.
"That Rifan, trying to pit an archaeologist against Smoothie. Is he out of his mind?" Hancock muttered under her breath.
As someone who had battled Smoothie earlier, Hancock understood the immense difficulty of facing her. Smoothie always found a way to counter Hancock's Devil Fruit abilities, and in terms of Haki and physical strength alone, Hancock didn't have an advantage against Smoothie.
But Smoothie was undeniably powerful, which made Hancock question why Rifan had chosen a crew member with a relatively low bounty of 80 million Berries to face her.
Unlike Hancock and Gion's scepticism, Smoothie herself was quite shocked. She had already utilized all her powers except for Haki and her Devil Fruit abilities, but she couldn't break free from Robin's control. This revelation made Smoothie realize that Robin was no ordinary pirate with an 80 million Berry bounty!
Soon, something even more astonishing occurred to Smoothie.
"Understood, Captain Rifan," Robin responded to Rifan's command, and she proceeded to exert even more control.
A red light gleamed in her eyes, and in the next moment, the arms sprouting from Smoothie's body were quickly coated with Armament Haki.
"Advanced Armament Haki? Robin can use that too?!" Gion's eyes widened as she observed Robin move.
Because it's the same Rifan's tactics in their battle against Golden Lion!
Smoothie's shock continued to grow as the battle unfolded, and she realized that Rifan and Robin were not to be underestimated!