Chapter 74: Superior Destruction Magic, Overwhelming Empress Hancock
[Super Advanced Destruction Magic Smash: This technique converts true energy into magical power. When a punch connects, it can instantly break the atomic bonds of any material it touches. Against living beings, it allows the user to either turn the opponent into dust on the spot or split them into countless tiny clones, utterly dismantling their strength.]
Listening to the system's explanation, Chiba felt a surge of joy.
Another powerful ability.
Coming to Impel Down this time was definitely the right choice.
Golden Crow Burning World Formation, Black Water Formation, Sand Escape Bloodline Limit, Super Advanced Destruction Magic Smash—each one capable of world-shattering destruction.
With these supernatural powers almost complete, it was time to hone them further.
"Master Chiba, we have a collection of repeat offenders here in Impel Down. Is there anyone you'd like to study next?" Magellan asked, rubbing his hands together with a smile.
Those potions Chiba had provided a few days ago were incredibly potent, pushing Magellan's strength to new heights. He was now just a step away from the level of an Admiral, needing only one more retreat to cross that threshold.
But now was not the time to retreat. For him, the priority was to stay with Master Chiba and secure as many benefits as possible before he left. Who knew when, or if, Chiba would return?
"No, I'll be retreating for a while. Just arrange a room for me," Chiba replied.
Just as he finished speaking, Hina hurried in to give him news.
"Ye Jun, Admiral Kizaru has reported that Bartholomew Kuma has landed on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"It seems our journey is about to resume. Director Magellan, I'll ask you to look after Ace while I'm gone, and I'll be sure to repay the favor."
"Master Chiba, rest assured. Ace will be well taken care of here. Eat, drink, and no one will lay a hand on him. But, Mr. Chiba, it's rare to have you here. Could you stay a few more days? On the seventh level of Impel Down, we have a particularly notorious pirate who might interest you."
Magellan desperately wanted to keep Chiba around. With Chiba gone, his access to those miraculous potions would be cut off.
"Director Magellan, in our time together, I've come to see you as a friend. You're devoted to your duties, and I respect people like you," Chiba said sincerely. He handed over a pill box. "This batch of Foundation Establishment Pills I recently refined is ten times more potent than the mass-produced Marine versions. I kept seven for other purposes, but the remaining three are yours, as a gesture of friendship."
Magellan's heart swelled with emotion. The Foundation Establishment Pills produced by the Marines were typically distributed to the World Government's CP agents and the Celestial Dragons. He hadn't received a single one.
Although some pills had appeared on the black market, they were exorbitantly priced, far beyond his reach.
Yet here, Chiba had given him three at once, each with ten times the potency of the Marine version.
Magellan gripped Chiba's hand tightly. "Master Chiba, as long as I'm director of Impel Down, no one will harm Ace."
"And here," Magellan added, "is a peculiar treasure I found. I don't know its use, but I've already placed it on the merchant ship for you."
"Heh, we're friends, Director Magellan. I'll accept your gift," Chiba replied warmly.
As Chiba left Impel Down, Magellan escorted him a hundred nautical miles out to sea, watching until he was out of sight.
"Master Chiba, you're a truly great man."
Magellan sighed, "If Lord Chiba ever needs my help, I, Magellan, will never refuse."
Hannyabal, standing nearby, quipped, "Director, why not release Ace then? It would certainly repay Master Chiba's kindness."
Magellan shot him a glare. "Release Ace? The Marshal would have me locked up in Impel Down as an inmate, and then you'd be the director, wouldn't you?"
The merchant ship sailed on, towed by Sea Kings.
Standing at the bow, Chiba's cloak of justice flapped in the wind, his long hair streaming behind him.
Beside him, Hina looked noticeably different. Her skin had become fairer, her lips more vibrant, and her figure even more striking in her rose-red, close-fitting uniform.
"Ye Jun, where are we headed next?" Hina asked softly.
Chiba looked into the distance and replied, "Daughter Island."
"Daughter Island? Isn't that Empress Boa Hancock's territory, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? What are we going there for?"
A voice interrupted them. "Men are all the same," Peacock remarked as she approached. Her long legs, proud figure, and enchanting beauty exuded confidence as she teased, "Mr. Ye, aren't you satisfied with two beauties by your side? Now you want to add the Empress to your collection?"
"Peacock, don't be ridiculous. I have business on Daughter Island."
"Tch, I don't get what's so special about this Hancock. She's got all you men enchanted. Don't blame me if she turns you to stone," Peacock retorted, a hint of jealousy in her voice. She already had to contend with Hina, and now another rival was in the picture.
Chiba, unfazed, closed his eyes and resumed practicing the true method of black water.
Once he could summon a real black water dragon, he would be capable of crossing the world without fear, even against opponents as strong as Sengoku.
With his current strength, he no longer needed to practice in small bodies of water. He plunged into the sea, absorbing vast amounts of water vapor to condense his black water energy.
One day later, Chiba had absorbed enough water vapor to condense a stream of black water true energy.
Three days later, this energy grew stronger, manifesting as a ten-foot-long black water snake, allowing Chiba to breathe freely underwater.
Another eleven days passed.
The merchant ship neared Daughter Island, and the female warriors stationed there spotted the unusual vessel.
At the forefront was Margaret, a warrior with short blond hair, a slender build, and animal-skin attire. A black-and-green striped snake was coiled around her waist. She carried a bow and a quiver on her back, exuding heroic energy.
Suddenly, the sea erupted as a massive black dragon, over a hundred feet long, soared into the air. Clouds formed around it, creating a rainbow as water cascaded from its scales like a waterfall.
Margaret's eyes widened. "A Sea King?"
"But… how is it flying?"
As the dragon approached, a figure leapt down from its back.
The dragon let out a triumphant roar before shrinking down to the size of a loach, disappearing into Chiba's mouth.
Margaret was speechless, her jaw nearly dropping. Did this man just swallow a Sea King?
"Notify the Empress immediately. I'll hold them off," Margaret commanded.
At that moment, a voice, filled with authority, echoed through the air.
"No need. I'm already here."
A beautiful woman stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Chiba, Hina, and Peacock. Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, stood before them, radiating elegance and deadly allure.
Standing at an impressive 191cm, her long, dark hair flowed like the tides. Her delicate features, perfectly sculpted as if by the gods themselves, and her slender, captivating blue eyes exuded both hostility and indifference.
Chiba marveled at her beauty. In person, she was even more mesmerizing than on the screen.
Hancock, too, examined Chiba. At 199cm, with a handsome face and deep, inscrutable eyes, he exuded an air of mystery.
"You… Are you the one who created the body-building potion, the Armament Haki training method, the Foundation Establishment Pill, and who holds the title of Marine's 'Legendary Successor'?" Hancock asked, her voice laced with intrigue.
"That's right…" Chiba nodded.
In response, Hancock's face hardened. "Marines are not welcome here. Leave immediately, or I'll show no mercy."
"Oh? And what will you do?" Peacock sneered, raising her whip, Medusa's Kiss, ready to attack.
Years ago, she wouldn't have dared challenge the Empress. But with her training and the divine Medusa's Kiss, she felt confident.
"How dare you attack me!" Hancock shouted, instantly dodging Peacock's whip and appearing in front of her.
"Perfume Femur" Hancock pressed her left foot to the ground, bent her slender right leg slightly, and unleashed a powerful kick infused with Haki and her Love-Love Fruit abilities, aimed directly at Peacock.
"So fast," Peacock's pupils contracted, realizing there was no time to dodge. But in that instant, Chiba's figure flashed in front of her.
Boom!
Hancock's kick struck Chiba square in the chest.
He barely moved, only taking a slight step back, while Hancock spun in mid-air, gracefully completing a full 720-degree rotation before landing with perfect balance.
"My Lady Empress, are you alright?" Margaret rushed to Hancock's side, her voice filled with worry as she glared at Chiba. "If you intend to harm the Empress, you'll have to get through us first!"
"Do you think the Ai family needs your protection? Step back!" Hancock commanded, positioning herself firmly in front of Margaret and the other warriors.
This man took my Perfume Femur head-on without turning to stone, Hancock thought, her gaze narrowing. It seems I must show him the full extent of my power.
A powerful aura began radiating from Hancock, an energy different from Armament and Observation Haki—something even greater.
Chiba's expression grew serious as he felt the weight of her Conqueror's Haki, the pressure like that of an ancient serpent coiled around him, ready to strike. Fear stirred in his heart, unbidden.
Could this be… the power of Conqueror's Haki?
"Empress, I didn't come here as an enemy," Chiba said, his voice steady. "I came to propose a deal. I can help you remove the mark on your back."
The words had an immediate effect. Hancock's eyes widened in shock, and her expression twisted into one of fury. The pressure of her Conqueror's Haki spiked, causing cracks to appear in the ground around her.
Koby and Helmeppo collapsed instantly, unconscious. Even Hina and Peacock, though skilled in Armament Haki and possessing strong abilities, were struggling to stand, sweat dripping down their faces as they resisted the overwhelming pressure.
Conqueror's Haki—the power to dominate all.
Especially in Hancock's case. With the Qi training methods and potent elixirs she had received from the Marines, her strength had grown immensely over the past two years, and her Conqueror's Haki was stronger than ever.
Hancock's expression was murderous as she formed her hands into a heart shape, aiming them at Chiba, Hina, Peacock, and the others.
"Beautiful, beautiful...!" she shouted, and a pink heart-shaped ray shot out, hitting Chiba, Hina, Peacock, Koby, and Helmeppo.
Koby and Helmeppo were petrified instantly, while Peacock's body stiffened. Only Hina and Chiba, having practiced demon immunity techniques, remained unaffected.
Seeing Chiba stand unfazed, Hancock's face darkened in disbelief. "How… How could my abilities have no effect on him? Does he truly feel nothing for the beauty of the Ai family?"
"Impossible!"
Hancock raised her right hand, mimicking a pistol with her fingers. A pink, heart-shaped bullet formed at her fingertip.
"Be pierced by love!" she shouted, activating her ability as the heart-shaped bullet shot toward Chiba.
Chiba knew now that to gain her cooperation, he would first need to show his own strength. He remained still, allowing the bullet to strike him, yet remained unharmed.
"This… How could he withstand my Conqueror's pressure and the power of my Kiss Gun, and still feel nothing? Does Ai family's beauty truly mean nothing to him?"
"Empress," Chiba said calmly, "as I said, I came here in good faith to discuss cooperation. This isn't how you treat a guest."
Hancock's face softened, though only slightly. Her mouth curled into an arrogant smile as she raised her chin proudly. "No matter what misdeeds i may commit, the whole world will forgive me… because I'm so beautiful."
She struck a seductive pose, her gaze fixed intently on Chiba, watching for any sign of attraction. As long as he showed the faintest flicker of desire, she would activate her Love-Love Fruit powers and turn him to stone instantly.
[•———•———•———•]
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮
• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝
• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
💬 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩! 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 $30—𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 10% 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩! 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚: 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥.
𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
👉𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙥