"Charge!"
The pirate grunts clambered over the railing, leaping onto the Marine warship.
"Damned pirates!"
The Marine soldiers drew their flintlocks, preparing to fire.
"Fweheheheheh, Slow-Slow Beam!"
Foxy stood at the bow, knowing it was his time to shine.
As he spoke, the beam shot from his fingers, expanding until it enveloped the entire Marine warship.
A wave of pink light washed over them...
The Marine soldiers felt their movements turn sluggish, their thoughts grinding to a halt. Everything became jerky and slow. To Nami, the soldiers were drawing their flintlocks at an agonizingly slow pace.
"Fweheheheheh, now that you're caught in my Slow-Slow Beam, there's no escape!" Foxy shouted excitedly at the scene.
"Men, charge!" Buggy seized the opportunity, yelling to the pirate grunts.
Cabaji and Alvida leaped into the midst of the Marines. Cabaji cut them down with his acrobatic swordsmanship, while Alvida smashed them aside with her giant iron mace. It was a completely one-sided battle.
Wait, Lucci was gone.
"Shave!" A sharp whisper echoed in the air, followed by the sound of displaced air rushing past Foxy's ear.
"You're the cause of all this, aren't you!"
"Finger Pistol!"
Lucci appeared behind Foxy in an instant, his finger stabbing forcefully into Foxy's back.
Pfft! The attack pierced Foxy's back. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, severely wounded from a single blow.
"Captain Foxy!" Porche screamed in terror, her face pale with fright.
Seeing this, Lucci sent a kick her way, sending her flying.
"Agh... It hurts!" Porche cried out in the air, her face contorted in pain from the searing agony in her side.
"The difference in strength is a bit much."
Ryuuto watched the scene unfold, then stood and walked slowly toward Lucci.
Having taken out Foxy in one hit, Lucci locked his gaze on his next target: Buggy. After all, Buggy's earlier commands had made him seem like the leader of this pirate crew. Take out the leader, and the rest will fall. As for the Marine casualties, Lucci couldn't care less. They weren't his direct subordinates, and in his eyes, weakness was a sin.
"Tempest Kick!"
Lucci swung his leg down, launching a blade of compressed air straight at Buggy.
"Don't kill me!" Buggy's eyes widened in terror. He tried to dodge, but the Tempest Kick was already upon him.
BOOM!! The air blade sliced Buggy in two before slamming into the ship's railing, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.
"Huh? I'm fine!! Hahahahaha!" Buggy felt his chest, then looked at the shattered railing in disbelief. His expression shifted to pure joy as he burst into laughter.
"What was that? His body split apart the moment the attack hit!" Lucci had observed the moment closely. "Another Devil Fruit ability?"
Lucci's leopard-like eyes narrowed, fixed intently on Buggy.
Thud! With a dull impact, Porche landed in front of Ryuuto.
"Captain Ryuuto! Please, save Captain Foxy!" Porche looked up at Ryuuto, her face twisted in pain, and spoke with difficulty.
"It's alright. I'm here."
Ryuuto knelt and patted Porche's blue hair, then called out to Lucci, "There's no point in bullying the weak. Let me be your opponent."
With Yubashiri at his waist, Ryuuto finished speaking and simply watched Lucci.
Seeing Ryuuto step in, Nami relaxed and settled back into her lounge chair.
As for Hancock... she hadn't reacted at all. A fight of this level couldn't hold her interest.
The moment Buggy saw Ryuuto make his move, his expression turned serious. He wisely scurried away as if he hadn't just been laughing his head off.
"And who are you?" Lucci finally turned his attention to Ryuuto.
"Your Six Powers are quite good," Ryuuto said softly. "But what a coincidence—I know them too. Try this!"
Ryuuto's gaze sharpened, and an invisible wave of pressure surged toward Lucci.
Lucci felt as if he'd been targeted by a ferocious beast. In an instant, beads of sweat formed on his brow.
"Finger Pistol!"
With a soft cry, Ryuuto's figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was already at Lucci's side.
Coated in Haki, Ryuuto's right index finger turned jet-black. Unstable wisps of black lightning crackled around it as he thrust it toward Lucci.
Sizzle...
What! How can he be so fast?! Iron Body!! Lucci thought, his eyes shrinking as his expression became deathly serious. There was no chance to escape; he could only try to endure the attack with Iron Body.
Lucci hardened all the muscles in his body...
Pfft!! The finger struck home, and a spray of blood erupted.
Lucci's side was pierced through, and an immense force slammed into him.
CRACK! Lucci dug his feet in, shattering the deckboards as he was driven back several meters before he could stop his momentum.
Cough— But it wasn't over. The moment he stopped, he jerked his head back and spat out a huge mouthful of blood.
"You don't seem to be doing so well," Ryuuto calmly observed the nearly-defeated Lucci.
He had only been testing his Conqueror's Coating, but Lucci's Iron Body was so brittle it was as if he'd landed a critical, armor-piercing hit.
"Shave!" Lucci's face darkened. Without a word, he stomped his foot, vanishing with a sharp crack of displaced air.
"Six King Gun!"
Lucci reappeared in front of Ryuuto, his fists held together and aimed as he roared.
"Let's see what this ultimate art of the Six Powers is all about!"
Seeing this, Ryuuto had no intention of dodging. With his awakened Observation Haki, he could have easily evaded the attack.
In an instant, Armament Haki coated his body, turning his skin the color of black iron. But that wasn't all. Arcs of lightning surged across his form, pulsing with a steady rhythm.
Then the Six King Gun struck...
BOOM!! A massive shockwave passed straight through Ryuuto, the force of it blasting his black hair upward.
Zzzt... Zzzt... The lightning on Ryuuto's body danced with a strange rhythm.
As the deafening roar of the shockwave subsided, Ryuuto exhaled. He was completely unharmed.
"As expected of the ultimate art of the Six Powers. Not bad at all. The technique itself is quite powerful," Ryuuto said softly, his eyes fixed on Lucci.