So What If She Was the Empress? Nothing Special!

At the same time.

The air between them seemed to be torn apart by two powerful auras. Invisible shock waves spread in every direction, churning the sea into towering waves. The surrounding waves were crushed by the two bursts of Conqueror's Haki, sending salty spray flying across the sky.

Where the two bursts of Conqueror's Haki collided, purplish-red lightning crackled into existence, stirring the empty air until it warped slightly.

Hummm—!

A terrifying pressure swept over everyone. Sandersonia and Marigold's expressions changed drastically, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Under the crushing force of the two bursts of Conqueror's Haki, the Kuja Pirates' warriors felt stabbing pain in their heads and their blood surging. Many gripped their snake spears tightly, barely managing to keep their swaying bodies upright.

Even the two Gorgon sisters could not stop their legs from trembling. The slightest lapse would send them to their knees.

Their pupils contracted as they stared at Feng Lei on the sea, their hearts filled with shock.

This young man could unleash Conqueror's Haki terrifying enough to rival their elder sister Hancock's.

When had such a terrifying figure appeared on the seas?

As their auras continued to rise, their Conqueror's Haki climbed all the way to its peak.

However.

Hancock's Conqueror's Haki was steadily driven back by Feng Lei's vast, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, which bore down on her like a mountain.

Finally.

Hancock's Conqueror's Haki collapsed completely.

Feng Lei's Conqueror's Haki swept over everything like a raging tide, crashing mercilessly into the Kuja Pirates.

At that instant.

Apart from Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold, the Kuja Pirates' crew could no longer withstand the pressure and collapsed unconscious one after another.

Seeing this, Hancock knitted her brows, her peerlessly beautiful face turning grave.

My Conqueror's Haki was actually overwhelmed by this man's!

Although she had expected it to some extent, experiencing it firsthand still came as a tremendous shock.

Behind her.

The two sisters, still struggling to remain upright, watched their sister Hancock lose the clash of Conqueror's Haki with their own eyes. They were filled with disbelief.

Ever since escaping the clutches of the Celestial Dragons, they had never seen their sister lose to anyone in Haki.

And her opponent was a stranger.

He was practically a monster!

"Do you still want to continue?"

Feng Lei looked at the grim-faced Hancock and spoke in an even tone.

His Conqueror's Haki still surged around him.

It could be said that.

Apart from the Four Emperors and the handful of other top-tier powerhouses in the world, he feared almost no one when it came to the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki.

Faced with Feng Lei's provocation, pride rose once more in Boa Hancock's eyes.

"I admit that your Conqueror's Haki is indeed formidable, but power has never been limited to that alone."

"If you want to defeat me, then show me what you can really do!"

She was a Shichibukai.

She had earned that illustrious reputation through her own blades and fists, fighting her way across these cruel seas.

As soon as she finished speaking, Hancock's figure flashed forward, swift as a streak of pink light. She crossed the distance like a phantom, appearing right in front of Feng Lei in the next instant.

A rich, alluring fragrance swept toward Feng Lei and filled his nostrils.

"You still want to fight?"

Feng Lei did not retreat a single step.

"Perfume Femur!"

At point-blank range, Hancock's long, slender, fair leg shot straight toward Feng Lei with a whistling rush of wind, carrying a bewitching power of petrification.

As a Love-Love Fruit user, every one of her attacks carried the terrifying power to bewitch and petrify.

"Turn to stone!"

Hancock's kick was unimaginably fast.

She had also struck without warning, leaving Feng Lei no time to react. In her mind, this attack had already decided the outcome.

Once the fight was over, she would undo everyone's petrification, preserving the dignity of the Kuja Empress while teaching Feng Lei a lesson.

The best of both worlds.

However.

What happened next made Hancock's pupils contract.

Feng Lei stood rooted to the spot. Facing Hancock's swift, fierce kick, he slowly raised his hand, and dense, powerful Armament Haki instantly coated his palm.

Bang!

Hancock's kick, powerful enough to shatter a boulder, was caught firmly in Feng Lei's palm, unable to advance even half an inch.

"He blocked it?!"

"That man actually caught our sister's kick!"

Sandersonia and Marigold stood on the scarlet deck, staring at the scene in disbelief.

They knew Hancock's strength better than anyone.

Their sister's body was extraordinary. Even a warship forged from alloy would be petrified by the Love-Love Fruit's power and then shattered by that kick.

Yet Feng Lei had simply caught it with his hand.

Pitch-black Armament Haki coated his entire arm in layer upon layer.

"Could it be that even his Armament Haki..."

Sandersonia murmured under her breath.

Ordinary Armament Haki could not withstand their sister's attacks. Even the two of them, who were also proficient in Armament Haki, would be petrified and gravely injured if they took a kick from Hancock head-on.

Only if their Armament Haki was on a comparable level could they resist the encroaching petrification.

But judging by how at ease Feng Lei looked, he was clearly not just barely holding his own.

Perhaps his Armament Haki is even stronger than our sister's.

The thought occurred to both sisters at once, weighing heavily on their hearts.

It was frightening enough that his Conqueror's Haki had surpassed their sister's. Was his Armament Haki also considerably stronger?

Armament Haki could not be mastered overnight. It had to be honed in life-and-death battles, day after day.

Even they had trained hard for more than a decade.

And even so, they still could not withstand their sister's kick, imbued with the full power of her fruit, with their bare hands.

How had this man of unknown origins honed his Armament Haki to such a level?

They couldn't understand it!

They really couldn't understand it!

At that moment, aboard the warship.

With one hand gripping Hancock's slender, smooth ankle, Feng Lei stood perfectly still.

A kick that seemed impossible to dodge and terrifyingly powerful to others was nothing to Feng Lei, nothing to fear.

The ease with which he caught her finishing move shook Hancock to her core.

"He caught my attack that easily?"

The thought flashed through her mind, and Hancock abruptly exerted force, trying to pull her leg back.

Feng Lei released his grip, allowing Hancock to use the momentum to drift backward and land on the warship's deck.

Armament Haki!

This man had not only awakened Conqueror's Haki, but had also mastered Armament Haki to perfection.

And its level was no lower than her own.

Otherwise, he would have been unable to resist the Love-Love Fruit's bewitching power and would have turned to stone in that instant.

For a moment, a storm raged in Hancock's heart.

What kind of brutal training had this man undergone?

Looking at Hancock, whose expression had darkened slightly, Feng Lei spoke calmly. "Well, Your Majesty the Empress, do you still want to fight?"

Seeing Feng Lei's unperturbed manner, Hancock felt anger surge in her heart.

The more casually he treated her, acting as though she meant nothing to him, the angrier she became.

If you were one of the Four Emperors or a Marine Admiral, that would be one thing.

But you're just a nobody. Do you think a little strength gives you the right to act so arrogantly before me?

"Don't get cocky, Marine!"

Hancock's face turned completely cold, a trace of anger appearing on her beautiful features as her chilly voice echoed over the sea.

"This time, I'm going to get serious!"

Although she was angry, she did not underestimate Feng Lei.

Their brief exchange had already allowed her to judge that his strength was unfathomable.

Even so, she would never allow herself to show weakness and bow her head to a strange man.

"Again?"

Feng Lei frowned slightly.

As expected, this woman was proud and stubborn. Even after seeing the gap between them, she still refused to let the matter rest.

In that case, he no longer needed to hold back.

Only by utterly defeating this proud empress would she settle down.