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"Vanessa, hurry!"
After delivering a powerful punch that knocked Murakami to the ground, Kingpin wasted no time calling out to Vanessa as they hastily retreated toward the hallway.
Meanwhile, Murakami casually stood up, dusting himself off, seemingly unbothered. After all, the entire hotel was under the Hand's control. Where could Kingpin possibly run?
And sure enough, just as Kingpin reached the entrance to the passage, he abruptly stopped. A large group of ninjas suddenly emerged from the corridor, blocking his path. Among them, an elderly woman with a cane slowly stepped forward, surrounded by her followers.
'Madame Gao?' Kingpin was taken aback. 'This old Hong Kong drug lord was working with Shin and the Hand?' The situation was now crystal clear—Madame Gao was part of this orchestrated ambush.
Realizing this, Kingpin knew what it meant. If Gao had arrived with these ninjas, then his forces would have likely been completely wiped out by her. The situation had become dire.
Kingpin's expression darkened even further. Today, he faced the greatest crisis since he had taken control of Hell's Kitchen. One wrong move and both he and Vanessa could die here.
"Madame Gao? I must say, this is quite the surprise," Kingpin said, keeping himself between Vanessa and the danger while slowly retreating.
"No, what's truly surprising is you," Madame Gao replied, her tone dripping with meaning. If not for Kingpin exposing himself, she would have never imagined that he was the new Iron Fist.
"You've prepared for this quite thoroughly," Kingpin remarked, scanning the room filled with ninjas.
"I never go to battle unprepared," Madame Gao nodded. After searching for the Iron Fist for so long, now that they had found him, there was no way the Hand wouldn't plan carefully. After all, the Iron Fist was no easy opponent.
"It seems I have no other choice!" Kingpin growled. Without warning, he sprang into action, charging toward Madame Gao, intending to take her hostage. He figured she held enough sway over the ninjas that capturing her might be his only chance of escape.
But unfortunately for him, he had severely underestimated Madame Gao. Just as he rushed toward her, she unleashed a powerful palm strike in his direction. A massive wave of energy erupted from her, crashing into Kingpin.
*Boom!*
Before he could even get close, Kingpin, with his enormous frame, was sent flying through the air, crashing to the ground with enough force to shake the entire building.
'What... just happened?' Kingpin was utterly stunned, unable to process what had occurred. He had just been sent flying by a single strike from Madame Gao.
And it wasn't even a direct hit—she had struck from a distance!
'This can't be real...' One thought raced through Kingpin's mind: 'Had Madame Gao consumed some sort of Devil Fruit?'
'That had to be it! How else could a person release such energy blasts?'
"Fisk!" Vanessa cried out, rushing over to him with concern written all over her face as she helped him up.
"I'm fine," Kingpin reassured her, waving off her worries.
Though the situation had seemed dangerous, Kingpin had instinctively hardened his body, turning it to steel just before the impact. He hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
But even so, the situation was far from optimistic. Surrounded by an overwhelming number of ninjas, facing a formidable enemy like Madame Gao, and dealing with Shin and Murakami, it was a grim outlook. Glancing around, Kingpin noticed that all his men had been killed. Only Bullseye was still standing, struggling to fend off the relentless assault. Though a skilled fighter, close combat wasn't Bullseye's specialty, and the Hand's numbers were overwhelming.
"Stop resisting, Iron Fist. You've nowhere left to go," Madame Gao's chilling voice rang out. Standing tall with her cane, she looked down at Kingpin.
"You think you've won? We're far from that point," Kingpin retorted with a sneer, summoning his strength once again as he rushed toward her.
*Whoosh!*
In a blur, Murakami intercepted him, his sword gleaming as he slashed at Kingpin. Madame Gao, though powerful, wasn't agile enough to engage in direct combat. Her role was to unleash devastating long-range attacks, leaving the close combat to someone like Murakami.
And sure enough…
*Boom!*
As Murakami entangled Kingpin, Madame Gao sent another wave of energy crashing into him, once again hurling him across the room.
Kingpin could feel his organs twisting from the force of the blow, even though his steel body absorbed much of the impact. Madame Gao's attacks seemed to bypass his defenses, reaching deep into his core.
For the first time, fear gripped Kingpin's heart. Madame Gao was not just a threat; she could actually harm him.
Vanessa's face mirrored his worry. With Murakami and Madame Gao working in tandem, they had Kingpin entirely on the ropes. Meanwhile, Shin and his men kept Bullseye at bay, leaving them with little hope.
"This can't go on," Vanessa gritted her teeth, her face set in determination as she made a decision. She had no choice but to act. Although she had also consumed a Devil Fruit, Vanessa had no combat abilities. She had always feared being captured and used against Kingpin, but now, she had no other option.
Quietly, she began using her power, drawing moisture from the objects around her—fruits, pastries, even the water from a nearby fish tank.
Her body was steadily accumulating more and more water.
And in the chaos of the battlefield, with everyone focused on Kingpin and Bullseye, no one noticed the seemingly fragile woman as she quietly gathered her strength. It wasn't until the entire fish tank had been drained of water that her true power began to manifest.
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Next Chapter: Reversal and Counterattack
Next Next Chapter: The Hand's Dilemma
Next Next Next Chapter: A Visit from the Future Wasp
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