When Gion heard Buggy's "old hag" remark, she instantly lost it.
'Old hag?!' she fumed internally. 'I spend a fortune on daily maintenance! I look just as good as any young girl!'
In a pure rage, she pushed off the air, rocketing towards Buggy with a super-fast "Geppo" combo, swinging her sword to slice him to ribbons.
Buggy freaked out.
Her speed was insane, and he started sweating bullets.
Relying on his superior Observation Haki, he barely managed to split his body apart just moments before the powerful slash hit him—if he hadn't, he would've been seriously injured.
But at this moment, Gion just smirked. "You can dodge... but can the statue behind you?"
Hearing this, Buggy immediately realized he'd been tricked.
The attack on him was a feint; her real target was the statue all along.
"Bastard!" he roared, his Haki-coated right hand separating from his arm once again, flying to intercept the slash.
'Damn it, too late!'
On the statue, Luffy had just finished gathering his strength.
'Damn it, I'll have to take it head-on.'
Buggy wore a look of pure despair.
'Are we going to lose right from the start?'
Just as Gion's sword energy was about to slice through the Roger statue, another pale blue slash shot out of nowhere, colliding with it.
Both attacks dissipated harmlessly into the wind.
A man clad entirely in white, his silver hair flowing, now stood hovering in the air ten meters in front of the statue.
"Ray!" Buggy and Luffy shouted excitedly.
"I knew you'd make a move, kid! As expected of someone I, Buggy-sama, have my eyes on! Hahaha!"
Luffy also breathed a sigh of relief.
If Ray hadn't shown up, he would have used his own body to block the attack, even if it meant getting seriously hurt or killed.
Ray didn't respond to Buggy but glanced at Luffy.
"Life is everything," he said calmly. "Without it, nothing matters. Don't act so recklessly—I'm here."
Ray admired Luffy's spirit, but he didn't approve of it.
It was just like Zoro trying to die against Hawkeye.
"Remember," Ray continued, "don't give up your life unless you've reached a dead end. You're the captain, and you still have your crew!"
In Ray's eyes, Luffy's greatest charm was his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice everything for his friends.
But it was also his greatest weakness.
'If someone with bad intentions ever uses that against him, it'll be easy to get him killed. Reality doesn't give you a bunch of do-overs. I don't just need to make them stronger; I need to teach them to be smarter, too.'
Luffy fell into deep thought, listening to Ray's words.
…
But at this moment, Buggy was panicking.
"Ray, stop the lecture!" he shrieked. "I'm about to be chopped to death by this old hag!"
In the mere ten seconds they were talking, Gion had attacked Buggy no less than fifty times, each strike aimed at a vital spot.
She was slashing at all his detached parts, forcing him to split into a hundred tiny, sweating pieces just to stay alive.
Seeing that he couldn't hold on, Buggy yelled for help.
Ray, hovering in the sky, finally turned his cold gaze on the Vice Admiral.
In an instant, he unleashed his full aura—a terrifying mix of demonic energy, killing intent, and haki.
The pressure was so intense that even Buggy felt dizzy.
Gion's attack rhythm was instantly disrupted.
'Is this Conqueror's Haki?' she muttered. 'No... it's too sinister.'
Feeling this terrifying aura, Gion finally shifted her attention from Buggy and took a serious look at Ray.
(He'd changed back into his white outfit, no sunglasses, and his silver hair was down. Charm value: maxed out.)
That one glance was all it took.
Gion immediately decided to leave Buggy alone.
She absolutely had to claim the man before her!
'Having seen countless men over the decades, this is the first time I've seen one this handsome.'
Slurp~
Gion swallowed her drool, licked her lips, and looked seductively at Ray.
"You're far more captivating in person than on your wanted poster. Your name is Ray, right? Interested in joining the Marines? We could even... share an office."
As she said it, she deliberately showcased her S-curve figure and threw a flirty glance at Ray.
This blunt approach actually caused a slight ripple in Ray's calm expression.
'This woman is even more shameless than Nami.'
He knew this was partly due to that weird system bug he had—the one that made certain women react... strangely to him.
Ray tensed up, knowing his first-meeting "buff" against female opponents was about to kick in.
And when an enemy's 'Groping Hands' activated, it was a devastating attack.
Gion could barely suppress her excitement, her mind filled with one thought.
'Defeat him, then take him back.'
Sure enough, she unleashed her full combat power.
Her body became enveloped in a flowing pink Haki, and her renowned sword 'Konpira' was coated in black Armament Haki and advanced Flowing Haki.
"Sword Slash: Peach Blossom Sky!"
Instantly, the world filled with swirling pink cherry blossoms as hundreds of massive sword slashes converged on Ray.
Buggy retreated in terror, flying straight back to the statue.
Ray naturally sensed the terrifying power of this attack.
'If that lands, the entire island beneath us could be destroyed.'
He enveloped himself in crackling, pale blue Demonic Power.
"Secret Art: Azure Dragon Break!"
A massive, two-hundred-meter-long azure dragon, catalyzed by his demonic energy, surged forth to clash with the cherry blossom storm.
The attacks of the two powerhouses collided instantly.
The resulting shockwaves began to spread out.
Ray was busy channeling his own power to block the residual energy from hitting the statue, but Gion, consumed by lust, wouldn't give him time.
She pushed off the air, executing a rabbit-kick 'Soru', and her blade aimed straight for Ray's lower body.
"Buggy, block the battle aftermath!" Ray only had time to shout that before brandishing his own sword, Tokijin, to engage her in combat.
During their exchange, a cold intent rose in Ray's heart.
'This woman... was she planning to sever my limbs and take me back?'
Ray's eyes turned icy as both Demonic Power and Haki coiled around his blade, and venom began to materialize from his demonic energy.
At this moment, Ray was at nearly full combat power.
He swore to himself he was going to cut this woman down.
-----------------------------
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