Episode 317: The Maiden Empress, Actually Showing Her Girlish Side?
『 Ivankov felt the terrifying nature of this power. His face changed dramatically as he hurriedly shouted, "Wait, wait!"
But his words had no effect at all; Kuma ignored him completely. Ivankov hastily dodged the powerful attack. Although he wasn't hit directly, the shockwave sent him flying.
Luffy had a bad memory to begin with, so recognizing someone wasn't easy for him.
He understood that this smoky guy was not easy to deal with, but he had to finish him off as quickly as possible.
"So annoying! Gear Two!"
When Luffy activated Gear Two, his body became tougher, his skin turned shiny pinkish, and he even began to emit steam and a faint glow.
Everyone present was stunned.
It felt as if a soft, doughy, rubbery body had suddenly transformed into a hard, solid rubber rod.
"Leave him to me!" Smoker said in a cold voice.
"GOMU GOMU NO JET GATLING—!"
In the blink of an eye, countless fists flew toward Smoker. Not only was the force incredible, but the speed was also extremely fast—a strike powerful enough to shatter stone. Yet, Smoker remained completely unharmed.
No matter how fast it was, it was useless. Hitting thin air had no effect at all!
A cloud of smoke billowed from beneath Smoker, and his entire body rose into the air.
Luffy muttered to himself, "I didn't expect him to get so much stronger!"
At the same time, the female Marine who had first noticed Luffy took the opportunity to attack, but Luffy easily dodged her.
"Where did he go?"
Smoker looked around for Luffy, only to find that Luffy had already propelled himself into the air, launching another offensive.
A barrage of fists rained down like bullets.
But Smoker's movements were also swift. The two clashed in midair. Every one of Luffy's punches seemed to hit nothing but air as Smoker constantly dodged, suddenly changing direction to head straight for Luffy.
This time, Luffy aimed a heavy punch right at his head. But just a split second before contact, Smoker turned into a cloud of smoke, enveloping Luffy before instantly reforming into his solid state.
He forcefully pressed his jutte against Luffy's throat, slamming him into the ground.
With a loud bang, a shockwave rippled out, and the two finally landed on the ground.
"We've both gotten stronger than before!"
"With your current skills, it's impossible for you to defeat me!"
Luffy was completely pinned down, gasping for air with his mouth wide open and his tongue hanging out, finding it extremely difficult to breathe.
The surrounding Marines, who had fought Luffy earlier, were all dumbfounded.
Is this kid really just a rookie?
How could his strength be so terrifying? Just in terms of raw physical power, even some Vice Admirals might not be able to match him!
"This is shocking. His strength is too immense. These rookies are simply monsters!"
"I've seen him a few times and thought he was quite arrogant. Now it seems he definitely has the right to be."
"Even though he's a newcomer to this battlefield, he already holds the rank of Commodore. The outside world calls him the terrifying 'White Chase'!"
"He's incredible!"
"To think he could completely pin down Luffy."
Smoker looked down at Luffy. Recalling the last time he met Dragon, he said excitedly, "I won't let you escape this time."
"I finally understand why Dragon saved you in that town back then. But today, you are destined to fall by my hand!"
Luffy's body was slammed deep into the ice. With a painful expression, he gritted his teeth in anger and said, "Damn it!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "Gear Two?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "So, is this considered an upgrade?" ]
[ Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece): "Hehehe." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Gear Two… Since that's the case, there should be higher levels like Gear Three and Gear Four, right?" ]
[ .....]
〜Ling Cage World〜
Looking at Smoker on the screen, Bai Yuekui's eyes showed appreciation. She really liked this kind of manly and powerful character!
—
〜Sword Art Online World〜
Kirito watched the way Smoker pinned Luffy down and couldn't help but praise him repeatedly.
"This guy is truly impressive. The mastery of his power is flawless. In truth, with his ability, he shouldn't have had much of a chance against Luffy!"
—
〜One Punch Man World〜
Metal Bat watched Smoker's attack, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He never expected this man to completely suppress Luffy using such a clumsy-looking weapon!
—
『 "This is so frustrating!" Luffy could barely breathe.
He felt completely helpless.
Just then, an angry voice echoed from not far away.
"You brat, let go of him!"
Immediately after, someone kicked Smoker away with incredible force.
The black-haired Marine girl nearby was also astonished, murmuring to herself, "Logically speaking, that kick shouldn't have been able to hit Smoker!"
Not only were this girl and the surrounding Marine soldiers shocked, but even Smoker himself began to question reality!
"To actually be able to hurt me while I'm in my smoke form… Did I fail to turn into smoke? No, I was already on guard before she struck!"
He couldn't understand it!
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't make sense of it. However, when he looked up and saw the person who had attacked him, everything suddenly made sense!
Because the angry woman standing before him was none other than the Pirate Empress, Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and one of the strongest individuals in the world!
"This… the Pirate Empress is protecting Straw Hat?!"
"No way, wasn't Hancock summoned by Fleet Admiral Sengoku to assist us?"
"If it were Jinbe, it would make sense, but why would the Empress turn on us?!"
Smoker stood up, pointed his weapon at the Empress, and roared, "Hancock! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Do you want to lose your title as a Warlord?!"
At this moment, the Empress's expression was incredibly complex. Her anger was clear to see, and although her face was slightly distorted by rage, it did not diminish her beauty, which still kept everyone staring.
"Silence!"
"I am so angry that I cannot even think! I don't want to hear anything right now!"
"How dare you harm my beloved and pin him down like that? I will absolutely never allow such a thing!"
Her entire body radiated hostility. "I will make you pay!"
Smoker: "…"
"What?"
He almost thought he had misheard.
Her beloved?
Luffy?
This Straw Hat kid?!
The surrounding Marines were also dumbfounded, looking at Luffy on the ground in utter disbelief!
"Heavens, she's serious!" Smoker panicked.
After all, the Empress could strike him even when he was turned into smoke, making her practically his natural enemy. If she really wanted his life, he would be in deep trouble!
"No one is allowed to touch my man!"
"I will tear you apart and feed your corpse to the beasts!"
Smoker broke into a cold sweat.
He muttered quietly, "Is this the intimidating power of the Empress of Amazon Lily?!"
At that moment, Smoker felt as if he were facing not a regular person, but a giant serpent deity thousands of meters tall. In comparison, he was as insignificant as dust!
To be honest, he felt a bit terrified right now!
The power of love was truly terrifying!
However, this also showed just how much the Empress cared for Luffy, regardless of what kind of relationship they actually had!
"Hancock!" Luffy called out her name.
The Empress, who had been filled with murderous intent just a second ago, instantly turned gentle. Her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes shimmered.
"Ah! You called my name again!"
A bright smile appeared on Luffy's face as he said, "Thanks a lot!"
The Empress sighed softly! "Oh my!"
It was as if hearts were fluttering in her eyes.
What need was there for thanks?
For her, just seeing Luffy's smiling face was more than enough!
The scene shifted—
A terrifying explosion filled the screen!
On one side was a heart fluttering with love, while on the other was a battlefield filled with artillery fire!
This massive contrast made everyone's hearts skip a beat.
"Kuma, stop this instant! If you don't stop, I will have to fight back! I don't want to hurt my old friend with my own hands!"
Although Ivankov looked peculiar, he was someone who valued his relationships deeply.
Kuma kept attacking, and throughout the entire fight, Ivankov had only dodged without retaliating.
At this moment, standing beside Kuma, Donquixote Doflamingo, wearing his sunglasses, said with a sneer, "Though I don't know what kind of relationship you had with him, the words you are speaking right now cannot reach him at all."
"No matter how much you say, it's useless, Revolutionary Army Officer, Emporio Ivankov!"
Ivankov originally wanted to ask who he was and how he knew these secrets. But seeing Doflamingo's confident look, he realized the man must know the truth, so he asked instead, "What on earth is going on?!"
"The old friend you're referring to is Bartholomew Kuma, right?"
The camera focused on Doflamingo. When everyone saw the pile of corpses beneath his feet, they were completely shocked.
In this short amount of time, the corpses piled under Doflamingo's feet had already formed a small mountain!
He walked down step by step, smiling as he said, "The man who was once known as 'Bartholomew the Tyrant'…"
He paused slightly. Even with his sunglasses blocking his eyes, one could feel his mocking expression.
"He is already dead!"
"What… What did you say?"
Ivankov looked completely disbelieving. Judging from Kuma's continuous attacks, Ivankov had only been dodging and not fighting back, which clearly showed they had a very good relationship!
His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he muttered, "Dead?"
"Then who is this standing in front of me? Do you think a lie like that can fool me? Kuma must have had his mind controlled! I'm warning you, wake up right now, or I really will fight back!"
Ivankov suddenly forced a smile, waving his hand awkwardly while scratching the back of his head with the other. This behavior looked more like he was forcing himself not to believe it rather than genuinely doubting it; he simply didn't want to face the truth!
On the other side—
Luffy and the Empress met once again. The Empress was clearly deeply in love, completely losing her composure the moment she saw Luffy.
The surrounding Marines still hadn't figured out what was going on, staring at the two of them in dumbfounded silence.
"Hey, hey, am I seeing things? The Empress is actually helping that guy!"
"The Empress is one of the Seven Warlords, summoned by the Fleet Admiral to help us!"
"But she just kicked a Commodore away. We saw it with our own eyes. What on earth is going on?!"
"I bet there's some deep grudge between the Empress and Luffy, and she didn't want the Commodore to interfere because she wants to handle him herself!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Jiraiya (Naruto): "Just how did this kid Luffy conquer the Pirate Empress?! Let me study this carefully so I can use it on others in the future!" ]
[ .....]
『 The Empress made a heart gesture toward Luffy, as if saying her heart already belonged to him.
But the Marines, looking at that pink, glowing heart, recalled their recent experience of being petrified by her. They thought the symptoms looked very similar to how Luffy was standing there right now.
"No, that's not right!"
"That's not an expression of love!"
"She wants to turn Straw Hat into stone! We've seen this move before!"
Hearing this, the others understood.
"Yeah, look at Luffy standing there completely still. He's clearly fallen for it!"
"As expected of the Empress!"
"Does this count as us successfully stopping him?"
The Marines thought they had won a round, but they were being a bit too optimistic.
At this moment, the Empress's eyes were filled with gentleness as she looked at Luffy.
"I always believed you would survive and come here to meet me. That's why I waited here, and I even prepared a small gift for you!"
After saying this, she lowered her hand from the air to her chest, then gently pulled open her collar, as if searching for something inside. 』
『 .....』
『 Viewers of Countless World 』
The View Angle God!
Today's meal of chicken leg over rice would have to be shared with the old ways. Good luck to everyone!
Such a half-revealing gesture caused a stir in the hearts of countless men—they were almost unable to control their emotions!
Everything that needed to be covered was covered, yet it left plenty of room for imagination. It was truly brilliant!
.....
『 The Empress finally pulled something out from her chest and held it before Luffy.
What on earth was it?
Everyone present was also very curious.
But when Hancock opened her palm to reveal a dark grey key, everyone was stunned.
"This is the key to your brother's handcuffs!"
Even though people had guessed it beforehand, hearing it directly from the Empress's mouth still shocked everyone.
At this moment, her purpose for standing here was made crystal clear to the entire world: she had agreed to cooperate with Sengoku solely out of her genuine desire to help Luffy!
Her status was that of a government-sanctioned pirate. Once she lost the government's trust, she would be surrounded by enemies on all sides in this world, making survival extremely difficult! 』
『 .....』
〜One Piece World〜
Marine Headquarters—
Everyone had a displeased look on their faces.
The Seven Warlords were supposed to be subordinates of the government, essentially on the Marines' side. But once the war started, two of them had directly defected, and another had been defeated right after entering the battle.
What was even more unbelievable was the Empress. On the surface, she complied with orders, but in reality, she was acting as a spy right under their noses at headquarters!
To make matters worse, this entire sequence was broadcast live to the whole world, causing the public's trust in the Marines and the Warlords to plummet!
No wonder the high-ranking Marines were absolutely furious!
—
『 "It's out!"
"The Empress's ultimate technique! Right now, Straw Hat is completely paralyzed!"
"Has he turned to stone?"
"As expected of the Empress!"
The surrounding Marines were still discussing it, completely unaware that the Empress had not attacked Luffy at all. Instead, she had given him a massive surprise!
"Hancock!"
Luffy called out her name in excitement. The Empress's cheeks flushed as she said softly, "You called my name again, Luffy!"
And that wasn't all.
Luffy actually grabbed her hands to take the key. This action made her body go completely limp, swaying back and forth.
"Luffy… actually held my hands!"
Just as she was about to tell Luffy to hurry up while she cleaned up the remaining Marines, Luffy suddenly leaped up and hugged her tightly!
"You… you…"
Luffy had a grateful smile on his face, completely oblivious to how inappropriate his action was as he mumbled, "Thank you!"
The surrounding Marines were also stunned.
This wasn't just anyone; this was the Pirate Empress!
The Empress who hated men the most!
This Straw Hat kid was actually able to have such close physical contact with her. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?
But the explosion of anger they expected did not happen. Instead, the Empress stood there completely motionless, as if under a spell!
"Alright, alright, Luffy, hurry up and save your brother!" the Empress reminded him.
Luffy finally snapped out of it and shouted in response, "Oh right! I'll be going now!"
Then, he leaped away from her side and ran off into the distance like the wind!
At this moment, the Empress, completely overwhelmed by shock, collapsed to the ground.
Right then, the surrounding Marines grit their teeth, their eyes filled with anger and frustration.
"Has even the Empress been defeated by this kid?!"
"What kind of move was that just now? I didn't see Luffy use much force."
"That posture of hugging the waist and falling to the ground… it must have been a waist strike after a tackle!"
"Look, she can't even stand up right now."
"To defeat such a powerful expert like this without showing any mercy… this Luffy is truly a ruthless character!"
"And his strength is unbelievably terrifying, easily taking down one of the Seven Warlords. How frightening!" 』
『 .....』
( Translator-kun: This AMV is pretty good ngl. )