On the streets of Sabaody Archipelago's Area 5.
"Hahahaha! This is too hilarious!" Bonney watched the scene before her, one hand clutching her stomach while the other pointed at them. Tears of laughter welled in her eyes as she doubled over, unable to straighten up. "The Seven Warlords' subordinates are this weak? That guy called Ryan must not be anything special either."
"Is that so?"
Just as Bonney was laughing mockingly, a voice suddenly rang out. Her laughter instantly froze on her face, her lips still twisted in a sarcastic smirk while her body instinctively tensed. She turned toward the source of the voice, her pupils abruptly contracting.
A tall young man emerged from the alley entrance, a cigar dangling from his mouth. Though his steps weren't particularly fast, he carried an oppressive aura that made it hard to breathe.
The newcomer was Ryan.
Ryan's gaze fell upon Bonney, scanning her from head to toe. Her long, straight pink hair cascaded over her shoulders, the golden semicircular face stud beneath her right eye particularly striking. She wore a white half-sleeved shirt casually tucked into denim overalls that accentuated her eye-catching curves - perfectly rounded where it counted, boldly perky where it mattered. The heels of her brown knee-high boots clicked against the ground, each step seeming like a provocation.
Despite her youthful appearance, she radiated a delinquent "mess with me and I'll beat you up" vibe. Especially that mouth painted with heart-shaped lipstick, still stained with bits of meat - wild and untamed.
The Age-Age Fruit, capable of making people younger or older, the 'size-changing' ability was indeed extraordinary.
Ever since hearing the children's cries earlier, Ryan had guessed that Daz Bones and his group had encountered the Glutton, Jewelry Bonney. On Sabaody Archipelago, only her Age-Age Fruit ability could regress people into children.
"Hey, what are you looking at!" Bonney grew furious under Ryan's blatant, undisguised scrutiny. She slapped her hands on her hips, the denim overalls stretching taut, her tone full of gunpowder. "Keep looking at me like that and I'll dig your eyeballs out!"
Ryan watched Bonney's prickly, tsundere-like demeanor, a cold smirk curling his lips. Just as he was about to teach her a lesson, an aged voice suddenly drifted from nearby: "C-Captain..."
Ryan followed the sound and saw an old woman propped against the wall not far away. Her face was deeply wrinkled, skin sagging loosely as she hunched over, barely able to stand steady without tightly gripping the wall.
"Mikita!" Recognizing the familiar dress, Ryan's lips twitched.
How did this girl become so ugly when aged? Her face wrinkled like old tree bark, looking like some ghost seen in the dead of night. If not for the clothes, he'd never recognize her even if beaten to death.
"It's... it's me, Captain!" Mikita's voice trembled with urgency, on the verge of tears. Her withered hand tried to reach for Ryan's sleeve but wavered mid-air, nearly causing her to topple forward. After steadying herself, tears pattered down as she whined tearfully: "It's that Bonney! She used her ability to turn me into this! Please change me back quickly! If I stay like this forever, I... I'd rather die!"
An old woman with a face full of wrinkles acting coquettishly toward him - the visual impact was overwhelmingly strong. So strong that Ryan broke out in goosebumps all over, completely forgetting about teaching Bonney a lesson. He could only nod stiffly, mumbling "I know" vaguely before quickly averting his gaze.
If I keep watching this, I'll have nightmares tonight.
It was only then that Ryan truly grasped the scene before him. Two exquisitely delicate little girls were crouched in the corner. One wore the purple frilly dress that Porche often wore, clutching a silver baton tightly in her arms—though the baton now seemed like a "giant pillar," so large she had to wrap both arms around it, her small face flushed red with effort.
The other wore Zala's black miniskirt, frowning as she stood protectively in front of the twin-tailed girl. Though short in stature, her eyes held the alertness of a seasoned officer.
These two were unmistakably Porche and Zala. Shrunken down, they looked rather adorable, with round, chubby cheeks like sticky rice balls. Especially Zala, who usually wore a cold expression—now her puffed-out cheeks and furrowed brow made her seem less distant and more endearingly soft.
For a moment, Ryan felt a strange… stirring, as if something within him was awakening.
His gaze shifted to the floor nearby, where a little bald boy was draped in Daz's oversized black combat suit. The clothes were so long they dragged on the ground, collecting dust, revealing only a round head and two chubby little hands.
The bald boy frowned, lips pressed tightly together. Though he had the appearance of a five- or six-year-old, his face carried the sternness of an adult. Paired with his bald head, he looked like a miniature monk who had escaped from a temple—utterly ridiculous.
Finally, there was BABE. Once a bull-like powerhouse, he had shriveled into a gaunt old man, both hands gripping his baseball bat tightly, his back bent so low it nearly touched the ground. Every breath he took was accompanied by a raspy, wheezing cough.
After scanning his "elderly and infant" subordinates scattered across the floor, Ryan turned to Bonney and said calmly, "Change them back."
"Why should I listen to you?" Bonney crossed her arms, chin held high, her arrogance undiminished. "If you're so capable, do it yourself!"
Even if her opponent was one of the Seven Warlords, she doubted he could evade her Age-Age Fruit. A single touch would turn him into a feeble old man.
"With this." As soon as Ryan spoke, his figure vanished from where he stood with a "whoosh," leaving only a wisp of cigar smoke hanging in the air.
Too fast! Faster than any opponent she had ever faced!
The mockery on Bonney's face froze instantly, her pupils contracting sharply. A violent premonition of death exploded in her heart. Instinctively, she recoiled, her hands glowing pink as she prepared to touch Ryan the moment he approached.
But the instant she moved, a searing, gut-wrenching pain erupted in her abdomen, as if she had been struck by a sledgehammer. Her body flew backward uncontrollably, slamming into the stone wall behind her with a dull "thud."
Before she could catch her breath, a dark shadow closed in. Ryan's figure materialized above her like a ghost, the sole of his shoe carrying a fierce gust of wind as it stomped down brutally toward her chest!
"Boom!" Bonney's back crashed into the ground again, cracking the floor in several places. Blood spilled from her mouth as she struggled to lift her hand and touch Ryan's foot, but her strength had drained away. She couldn't even raise a finger, forced to watch helplessly as his foot pinned her chest to the ground, immobilizing her completely.
"If I kill the Ability User, this bizarre ability will probably be lifted, right?"
Ryan's voice was icy, devoid of any chivalry. In his eyes, anyone who dared lay hands on his subordinates had no right to speak of "gentlemanly conduct"—regardless of whether they were man or woman, a criminal with a bounty over a hundred million, or some Glutton. Those who crossed him would face the consequences.
"You... bastard..." Bonnie gritted her teeth, struggling to breathe under the pressure of his foot on her chest. She could clearly feel that with just a bit more force, all her ribs would shatter. This man had completely subdued her using nothing but sheer speed and strength, leaving her no chance to use her abilities.
Seeing Bonnie's refusal to yield, Ryan increased the pressure under his foot slightly.
"You... bastard... if you have the guts... kill me!" Bonnie instantly felt the crushing weight intensify. Excruciating pain darkened her vision, yet she still clenched her jaw, her voice fragmented but stubbornly defiant.
Hearing this, Ryan raised an eyebrow and suddenly eased the pressure.
Freed from the crushing weight, Bonnie gasped sharply. The searing pain in her chest lingered, but she could finally breathe again. She looked up at Ryan, her eyes filled with wariness. This man had let up for no good reason.
Ryan slowly bent down, reaching out to lightly hook Bonnie's chin. His gaze lingered on her delicate face as a smirk tugged at his lips. "Not bad-looking. It'd be a waste to kill you."
Setting aside certain factors, Bonnie was indeed a rare beauty—especially with her wild, stubborn temperament, far more intriguing than docile women. Taming her would be quite entertaining.
"Sometimes, living is harder than dying." Ryan's smile widened as he watched Bonnie's expression shift dramatically. "I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead."
Bonnie's pupils contracted sharply. Though inexperienced, she wasn't naive. The man's gaze was unmistakably clear—she knew exactly what awaited her. She wasn't afraid of death, but the thought of being treated as a plaything terrified her.
This man was ruthless. He didn't operate by conventional rules, making him a hundred times more terrifying than those Pirates who only knew brute violence.
Just as Bonnie was seething with rage, Ryan suddenly stiffened. A familiar, emotionless pressure descended from behind him, suffocating like an impending storm.
Ryan slowly turned his head and saw an immensely tall figure standing behind him. Dressed in a black trench coat and a bowler hat, the man stood with bear-like hands clenched into fists at his sides, clearly poised to strike.
It was Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
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