The alley tightened.
Not physically—
…but the tension.
Giovanni stood in front of Nico Robin, his back to her, his eyes locked forward.
On Rob Lucci.
A faint smile rested on Giovanni's face.
"…You know," he said casually, rolling his shoulder once, "you're way below my league."
Silence.
Lucci blinked.
Then scoffed.
"…Arrogance."
His fingers reached his shirt—
Gripped it—
RIIIP.
Cloth tore clean down the middle.
He tossed it aside without a second glance.
Lean muscle.
Defined.
Coiled like a predator.
"You pirates always mistake ignorance for confidence."
His body shifted.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
His form grew larger—
Sharper—
More feral.
Spots began to spread across his skin.
A tail lashed behind him.
Teeth sharpened.
Eyes narrowed into something inhuman.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Zoan transformation.
Leopard.
A killing machine refined into human form.
The ground beneath his feet creaked slightly—
As if reacting to the weight of his presence.
Behind Giovanni—
Robin's fingers suddenly grabbed onto his sleeve.
"T-…Don't…"
Her voice trembled.
"…Don't leave me here…"
Giovanni paused.
For a second—
Just a second.
He glanced back at her.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the kind you shout through.
Not the kind you fight through.
The kind that stays.
That lingers.
That never leaves.
"…Relax."
His voice softened.
He reached up—
And lightly patted her head.
"…You'll be fine."
She blinked.
"…What…?"
He turned forward again.
"…My friend's watching you."
A small grin.
"…He's got your back."
Robin froze.
Friend?
"…W-who—"
But before she could finish—
Giovanni vanished.
Lucci's eyes sharpened.
And then—
He vanished too.
The alley exploded with pressure for a split second—
Before everything went still.
Gone.
Both of them.
The remaining agents looked around sharply.
"…Where did they—?!"
"…They moved—?!"
"…Impossible—!"
Robin stood frozen.
Heart pounding.
'…Friend…?'
Her eyes scanned the rooftops.
The shadows.
The sky.
Nothing.
"…Where…?"
3 Kilometers Away
High above the city—
On the edge of a rooftop—
A man lay flat.
Rifle steady.
Eye closed.
Breathing slow.
Yassop smirked.
"…That idiot…"
His finger adjusted slightly on the trigger.
"…What the hell did you drag me into this time…"
Through the scope and his refined Haki.
He saw everything.
The alley.
The agents.
The girl.
His eye sharpened.
"…Well…"
"…Guess I'm babysitting now."
CLICK.
Back to the Alley
One of the agents stepped forward.
"…The pirate is gone."
Another nodded.
"…Take the girl. Now."
Robin stiffened.
Hands moved—
Ready.
But before they could reach her—
BANG.
A sharp crack split the air.
One agent's head snapped back—
Body dropping instantly.
"…What—?!"
"Sniper?!"
They spun around.
Scanning rooftops.
Corners.
Windows.
Nothing.
BANG.
Another fell.
Panic began to spread.
"Where is it coming from?!"
"I can't see him—!"
"Find the shooter!"
Robin's eyes widened.
One by one—
They dropped.
Each shot timed perfectly.
Each angle impossible to trace.
"…This is… insane…"
Another shot.
Another body.
The alley echoed with confusion.
Fear.
Disbelief.
Robin slowly clenched the skewer in her hand.
'…My friend's watching you…'
Giovanni's words replayed.
Her eyes shifted slightly.
Scanning again.
'…He meant it…'
Another shot.
Only one agent remained.
Breathing heavy.
Eyes wide.
Gun trembling in his grip.
"…Show yourself…!"
"…COWARD!"
Robin stepped forward.
Slow.
Calm.
The agent turned toward her—
Desperate.
"…Stay back—!"
But she didn't stop.
Her eyes were different now.
Colder.
More focused.
Arms bloomed from his body.
From his shoulders.
His neck.
Multiple limbs—
Sprouting like flowers.
Before he could react—
CRACK.
His neck twisted violently.
Body collapsing lifelessly.
Silence returned.
Robin stood there.
Breathing steady.
Looking at the fallen agents.
Her hands slowly lowered.
From far away—
A voice muttered.
"…Damn…"
On the rooftop—
Yassop exhaled lightly.
"…That's cold…"
He shifted his rifle slightly.
"…Kid's got no hesitation."
His eye remained on the scope.
Watching.
Guarding.
"…Guess you'll survive out here after all…"
---
The air cracked.
A shockwave burst through Dressrosa's backstreets—
Tiles shattered.
Windows trembled.
Laundry lines snapped.
And in the next instant—
Two figures reappeared.
BOOM.
Giovanni skidded across a rooftop, boots carving a line through clay tiles before stopping at the edge.
Across from him—
Claws dug into stone—
Rob Lucci landed in a crouch.
Leopard form.
Eyes locked.
Breath steady.
"Rankyaku."
His leg snapped through the air—
A compressed blade of wind tearing forward.
Giovanni tilted his head slightly.
The slash passed his cheek—
Cutting the rooftop behind him in half.
"…Nice."
He vanished.
Lucci's eyes sharpened—
"Soru."
CRACK.
They collided mid-air.
Claw met blade.
A burst of force rippled outward—
Blasting apart a nearby balcony.
Giovanni grinned.
"Come on… show me something better than that."
Lucci's tail whipped—
His body twisted unnaturally mid-air—
"Geppo."
He stepped on air—
Launching upward—
Then dove—
"Shigan. Madara!"
A flurry of finger thrusts—
Each one fast enough to pierce steel.
Giovanni didn't even draw his sword fully.
Tch—tch—tch—tch.
Each strike—
Deflected.
Redirected.
Slipped past.
"…Too slow."
He pivoted—
Elbow slamming into Lucci's ribs.
BOOM.
Lucci crashed through a wall—
Exploding into a house interior.
Dust filled the air.
Silence.
Then—
Lucci stepped out.
Unharmed.
His chest rose slowly.
Eyes colder now.
"…You're faster than your bounty suggests."
Giovanni stretched his neck lazily.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
Lucci vanished again.
"Soru. Kami-e."
His body went fluid—
Almost weightless—
Dodging before the attack even came.
Giovanni's blade passed through afterimages.
"…Oh?"
He smiled slightly wider.
"Now that's interesting."
Lucci appeared behind him.
His arm hardened—
Arm cocked back—
A punch aimed directly at Giovanni's spine.
CLANG.
The impact rang out—
But Giovanni didn't move.
Not even an inch.
Lucci's eyes widened.
"…What—"
Giovanni glanced back over his shoulder.
"…You done?"
Then—
BOOM.
A backhand sent Lucci flying.
Through a wall—
Across the street—
Into a fountain—
Water erupting skyward.
Giovanni stepped off the rooftop—
Landing lightly on the street below.
"…You're using all the tricks."
He rolled his wrist slightly.
"…But you're still not reaching me."
Water exploded.
Lucci shot out—
Faster now.
Sharper.
Angrier.
"Rokuogan."
Both palms thrust forward—
A shockwave compressed to a single devastating point.
Giovanni's eyes narrowed slightly.
He raised his hand—
BOOM.
The impact detonated.
The street cracked.
Ground split.
Buildings shook.
Smoke filled the area.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
A silhouette stepped forward.
Unscathed.
Giovanni brushed dust off his coat.
"…Okay."
A small grin.
"…That one had some bite."
Lucci's pupils shrank.
'…Impossible…'
'He took Rokuogan… head-on…?'
Giovanni's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Now I'm curious."
He tilted his head.
"…When did you learn Haki?"
Lucci froze for a fraction of a second.
His arm flexed—
A black sheen coating it.
Armament.
He scratched his cheek lightly.
'…He didn't use that back at Enies Lobby, did he?'
Lucci moved.
Faster than before.
"Soru—!"
His claw swung—
Now coated in Armament Haki—
A killing blow.
Giovanni stepped in—
CLASH.
Blade met claw—
Black lightning cracking between them.
Lucci's eyes widened.
"…What—?!"
Giovanni leaned closer.
"…Yeah."
A grin.
"…I can do it too."
Then—
KICK.
Lucci was launched upward—
Through a building—
Bursting out the top—
Debris raining down across the plaza.
Giovanni followed with ease.
Like he had all the time in the world.
He landed on a broken rooftop—
Looking down at Lucci embedded in rubble.
"…You're strong."
A pause.
"…For your level."
Lucci slowly rose.
Blood at the corner of his mouth.
Breathing heavier now.
But his eyes—
Still burning.
Still fighting.
"…I will kill you."
Giovanni laughed.
Just… amused.
"…You can try."
He pointed his blade down slightly.
"…But right now…"
A step forward.
The ground beneath his foot cracked.
"…I'm just playing with you."
Wind blew through the ruined street.
Cloth fluttered.
Debris settled.
And for the first time—
Rob Lucci felt it.
The gap.
The difference.
The truth.
There were levels to this.
And he—
Was nowhere near the top.
---
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