Mato Mato no Mi

Meanwhile, in a distant sea, a slightly weary figure flew above the ocean.

Her flowing silver-white hair streamed behind her, and her healthy wheat-colored skin leaned more toward brown.

Her sharp eyes were filled with exhaustion, along with a trace of unwillingness.

"Those lackeys of the World Government... they just won't leave me alone..."

She tore off part of her clothes to make a strip of cloth, bit down on one end, and wrapped it around her arm to bandage the still-bleeding wound.

She had lived this life on the run for many years. In the past, she had stayed on deserted islands or deep in mountain forests, moving whenever her trail was discovered.

Based on past experience, once someone discovered traces of a Lunarian, World Government pursuers would arrive before long.

But this time, for some reason, CP9 agents were clinging tightly to her trail, impossible to shake off.

"I'm about to enter the Calm Belt. Their ship shouldn't dare go in..."

Adjusting her breathing rhythm, the Lunarian accelerated toward the distant sea. Yet behind her, several figures were also rapidly closing in.

"I see her! She's right ahead!"

"Same as usual! She's already injured and won't last much longer! Rankyaku: Star Breaker!"

Several slash-like attacks came from behind her. However, they were not sword slashes, but attacks launched by Rankyaku kicks.

Sensing the incoming attacks, flames instantly ignited on the Lunarian's back. After taking several attacks head-on with her body, she swung her blade at the nearest CP9 agent.

"Tekkai!"

The targeted CP9 agent crossed his arms before him, held his breath, and focused his mind. In an instant, his entire body became as hard as iron.

Clang!

The blade struck his body, sending up a shower of sparks. When he saw flames beginning to spread forward along the blade, the CP9 agent hurriedly leaped back. Only after jumping through the air several times did he stabilize himself.

"Geppo! Damn it, didn't they say she didn't have much strength left? Why is she still so troublesome..."

"She's a Lunarian. Don't fight her head-on! Just keep wearing her down! Shigan: Barrage!"

Another CP9 agent took over his companion's position. His arm created a blur of afterimages as he thrust his fingers at the Lunarian before him.

Shigan and Geppo were merely parts of the Rokushiki. The earlier Rankyaku and Tekkai, along with Kami-e, which relaxed the body and let it drift with the wind to evade attacks, and Soru, which enabled rapid movement, together formed the Rokushiki.

Both Marines and agents of the CP divisions could train in these techniques.

Mastering these moves proficiently meant stepping into the realm of "superhumans."

The standard for becoming an official CP9 member was mastery of the Rokushiki.

Facing their encirclement, the Lunarian displayed her own countermeasures. The flames on her back burned even more fiercely, blocking their attacks while unleashing a wide-ranging blaze that forced her opponents back.

Then, the flames on her back suddenly went out, and she flew toward the distance at incredible speed.

This was the Lunarians' innate ability. When the flames on their backs were lit, members of this race gained greater defense. Once a Lunarian had grown strong enough, even Zoro's slashes during the Onigashima arc could not break through their defenses.

When the flames went out, their speed increased instead. Lunarians could adjust the intensity of their flames to control where their strengths lay, allowing them to deal with more complicated environments.

"It's useless! Just surrender! The boss is the user of the Mato Mato no Mi, and you've already been marked by him!

No matter where you run, as long as you're alive, the boss can find you!"

The Mato Mato no Mi was a Paramecia Devil Fruit. In the original timeline, several decades later, this Devil Fruit would become Vander Decken IX's power.

The Mato Mato no Mi's ability was not complicated—coordinate locking.

If the user made physical contact with a target, he could leave a mark on that target. Afterward, anything he threw would fly toward them, no matter how far away they were.

The leader of CP9 had encountered the Lunarian they were currently pursuing. During their battle, his palm had touched her arm, leaving this mark behind.

Each hand could only mark one target. Touching someone else would change the marked target, which was why this CP9 officer had kept gloves on throughout this period.

The things he threw did not arrive instantly either; they required a certain amount of flight time. Human bodies could withstand it as well, which was why he threw his subordinates.

On this open sea, the people he threw would encounter no obstacles. They could reach the target's vicinity without much effort.

The other CP9 members followed the Vivre Cards of the CP9 agents who had been thrown over to determine the direction, then used a rotating battle strategy to drain her stamina.

Once those CP9 agents had been thrown over and made contact with the Lunarian, the Mato Mato no Mi's sustained effect ended.

But as long as they could get close to her, CP9's objective would be achieved.

Geppo was not as convenient as flight for long-distance pursuit, but it was more than sufficient for short-term aerial combat.

"Idiot, why were you explaining the boss's ability to her?"

One of the CP9 agents looked at the one who had shouted earlier. After using Geppo to reach him, he angrily questioned him.

"Her speed is much slower than before, and her attacks have weakened considerably.

It's about time to close in. Don't you think this would crush her hopes and make her give up resisting sooner? Look, she's not even running anymore."

"I don't see that. I only think she's about to fight to the death... Do you have any idea why the boss chose this method to wear down her stamina?!"

Lunarians were already difficult to deal with. For these CP9 agents, the merit of capturing her alive was obviously far greater than bringing back a corpse.

If they forcibly surrounded and attacked her, CP9 would have to suffer some casualties. If they requested reinforcements, the credit that belonged to them would be reduced.

That was why they had devised this tactic of slowly grinding down her stamina. But now, it seemed that because of one teammate's words, the tactic had failed at the final moment.

"So that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't shake you this time..."

It was not that she believed everything her enemies said. This situation was simply too strange. She had been pursued by World Government agents before, but she had always escaped danger in the end.

Unlike this time, no matter how far she flew across the sea, this group of CP9 agents could always catch up to her through bizarre means.

"What a pity. I hope someone suitable finds this..."

She took out something resembling a glass bottle from her body and threw it into the sea, then turned to face the CP9 agents.

"You want to capture me alive? Then come and try. Let's see how many of you I can drag down with me!"