Chapter 97: Lufia: I Won't Let You Disturb Ralph!
The aftermath of the warship's sinking still rippled across the sea, but Ralph was no longer there.
After stomping the first warship into the depths, he barely paused.
His body pivoted lightly in the air as he activated Geppo again, lunging toward the nearest warship like a black lightning bolt.
The Navy soldiers aboard that ship had just witnessed their companion vessel's tragic fate and were still reeling in shock when they saw the "monster" flying toward them.
"F-Fire! Open fire!" the captain screamed hoarsely.
The Navy on deck frantically raised their rifles, but Ralph was too fast.
Like a diving hawk, he descended directly onto the main mast of the warship.
Then, he raised his right hand.
Fingers pressed together, the edge of his palm gleamed with a metallic black sheen.
A hand formed into a blade!
Armament Haki, coated.
"Cut," Ralph said softly.
His arm swept downward.
"Shiiing—!!!"
The thick mast, which would require three people to embrace, was cleanly split down the middle.
The cut was as smooth as if made by a master-crafted sword.
The divided mast lost its support and, along with its sails and ropes, tilted slowly before accelerating into a collapse.
"Boom!"
It crashed onto the deck.
Wood splinters flew, the hull shook violently, and several Navy soldiers standing near the edge were thrown into the sea.
The entire warship instantly lost its power, the sails collapsing onto the deck.
Ralph didn't even glance at the chaos below.
The moment the mast fell, he leaped up again.
With consecutive Geppo steps, his body traced an arc through the air as he lunged toward the next warship.
His target was clear, his path direct.
Every move he made was dismantling these warships' combat capabilities.
And his ultimate goal was the largest, most ornate flagship anchored at the center of the fleet.
The command ship of Navy Branch 8's Commodore, Nelson Royal.
Capture the ringleader to crush the rebels.
Ralph knew well that as long as he took out that greedy, fat commodore, this absurd siege over the "Elixir of Immortality" would immediately collapse.
The ordinary Navy soldiers didn't care about any Sennenryu or immortality potion.
They were just following orders.
Once the source of those orders vanished, the orders themselves would cease to exist.
...
In the distance, aboard the Merry.
Everyone was staring dumbfounded at the scene.
Usopp stood with his mouth agape, watching the figure leaping between warships, each strike causing massive destruction.
"..." Usopp's voice trembled, "One hit... sank a warship? A wave of his hand... split a mast? Is... is this his true power?"
He had always known Ralph was strong.
Battling Hawk Eye at the sea restaurant, defeating Arlong in Cocoyasi Village, descending from the sky in Loguetown to save Lufia...
But those fights were more about skill, speed, and swordsmanship.
What he was witnessing now was a pure display of power.
Stomping a warship into the sea.
Splitting a mast with a hand blade.
This completely surpassed Usopp's understanding of the word "human."
Sanji lit a cigarette but forgot to smoke it, kicking away another cannonball.
"That guy's legwork..." he muttered, "...is also incredible."
As a martial artist specializing in kicks, Sanji understood full well the terror of Ralph's "Eagle Stomp" technique.
Zoro's expression was even uglier than Sanji's.
"He actually..."
Zoro's voice squeezed through gritted teeth, "...didn't use his sword."
His eyes remained fixed on the distant figure.
He watched Ralph use a Hand Blade to slash through the mast, watched Ralph stomp through the deck with his foot, watched Ralph send Navy soldiers flying with his fists as they tried to stop him—
But he never saw Ralph draw his sword.
Not even once.
Because Ralph didn't even have a sword at his waist!
"Damn bastard..."
Zoro's hand rested on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, "Are you abandoning the way of the sword too?"
His voice was low, carrying suppressed fury.
"I haven't defeated you yet."
Aside from those on the Merry, the one who reacted more strongly was Smoker.
Hovering in mid-air, watching Ralph wreak havoc among the warships, his face completely darkened.
"..."
He muttered to himself, "Is he trying to take down the entire Eighth Branch single-handedly?"
Smoker saw it clearly.
Ralph's target was the flagship.
And the branch commander sitting at the bow of the flagship, his fat body trembling with fear.
"..."
"Trying to kill a Navy commander right before my eyes?"
Smoker clenched his teeth around his cigar, "Don't even think about it."
He suddenly turned.
His body transformed into smoke, about to fly toward Ralph.
But—
"Gomu Gomu no..."
A clear voice came from below.
"—Rocket!"
A red figure shot out from the Merry's deck like a cannonball.
It was Lufia.
She grabbed the ship's railing with both hands, her rubber body stretched to the limit, then suddenly released—
"Whoosh—!"
She launched herself straight at Smoker in the air.
Extremely fast.
Smoker didn't even have time to fully disperse his smoke form.
"Thud!"
Lufia solidly crashed into Smoker's smoke body.
There was no impact sensation, because smoke was intangible.
She passed right through the smoke, then continued flying forward due to momentum before beginning to fall.
"Ha..."
Lufia adjusted her posture in mid-air, grumbling discontentedly,
"Couldn't hit him..."
Her Armament Haki wasn't sufficient to support such an attack yet.
But her objective was achieved.
Smoker's movement paused for an instant due to her collision.
Though only for an instant, it was enough.
Because in that instant, Ralph had already taken down another warship, getting closer to the flagship.
"Move aside, Straw Hat Girl!"
Smoker growled, his smoke body reforming,
"I don't have time to play with you!"
"Ralph is doing what he wants to do!"
Lufia landed on top of a warship's mast, then looked up at Smoker with serious eyes,
"I won't let you disturb Ralph!"
She stretched her arms out again.
This time, a faint black gloss appeared on the surface of her arms.
Armament Haki.
"Gomu Gomu no..."
Her hands moved like two living pythons through the air, grabbing toward Smoker.
"—Snake Shot!"
Smoker's pupils slightly contracted.
"Smoke Clone."
Smoker's body suddenly dispersed into dozens of small smoke clusters.
Lufia's hands passed through the gaps in the smoke, grabbing nothing but air.
The dispersed smoke clusters suddenly changed direction, quickly bypassing Lufia's arms and reforming behind her.
Smoker's figure appeared behind Lufia.
He raised the Seastone Jitte high in his hand.
"It's over."
The Jitte came down.
"Thud!"
It landed squarely on the back of Lufia's head.
The suppressive effect of Seastone on Devil Fruit users activated perfectly.
Lufia's eyes snapped wide open, then her pupils rapidly lost focus.
Completely dazed from the blow, she plummeted straight down from the top of the mast toward the sea below.
At this critical moment, Nami, who had been observing the battle, quickly issued orders for Sanji to retrieve Lufia from the water.
As for Smoker, after striking down Lufia, he didn't pause for even a moment.
Transforming into a trail of white smoke, he rushed at top speed toward Ralph's location.
A few seconds later.
Smoker landed on the deck of a Navy warship.
Right in front of Ralph.
This warship was one of the "stepping stones" Ralph had been using for his assault.
The main mast had already been slashed in half, terrified Navy soldiers crowded the deck, and the ship's hull still swayed slightly.
Ralph had been about to leap toward the next warship.
But Smoker's sudden appearance disrupted his rhythm.
The two stood on the chaotic deck, staring at each other across a distance of about ten meters.
"This ends here, Pirate."
Smoker's voice was ice-cold, "I won't let you advance another step."
Ralph looked at the White Hunter.
"Step aside."
Ralph said, "I don't want to fight you."
"That's not your decision to make."
Smoker raised his Jitte, "Today, neither you nor the Straw Hat Girl will escape."
Ralph sighed.
He glanced toward the flagship.
It was already very close—just two more warships to leap across and he would reach it.
But Smoker stood in his way.
"..."
Ralph flexed his wrists,
"Let's make this quick."
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