Raiden Ei, who was walking along the road with two pirates, suddenly sensed many people approaching with her Observation Haki. She stopped walking and stood still to wait.
"So many people, it must be the Iron Horse Pirate Crew."
When the two pirates turned to glance back, they saw that the woman in the cloak hadn't followed them. They dared not continue walking either. Seeing that the other party was just standing still, they cautiously asked.
"Milady, why have you stopped?"
Raiden Ei did not answer them. A very noisy sound was already coming from the distance, and soon a group of people appeared in her line of sight.
Bukia, tall and strong, walked at the very front, wearing a rose-red coat and a black Captain's hat. He wore a glittering hook on his left hand, dressed in the traditional pirate style.
He was followed by a group of large men, almost his size, all carrying weapons. Looking around, every pirate had a fierce and evil face, the kind that could scare an ordinary child to tears.
The group of pirates chattered noisily and soon arrived in front of Raiden Ei. Some people saw that she was truly a woman and sized her up, as if trying to see through the cloak. Their gazes also turned greedy.
Raiden Ei, who was less than two meters tall, appeared very petite compared to the group of men who were generally around two meters tall. However, the aura emanating from her was not something that could be suppressed by mere height.
Bukia, who was experienced, could tell at a glance that this woman in the cloak was not easy to mess with. But he had his brothers with him, so he didn't need to be afraid. Still, he became vigilant.
"I am Bukia, Captain of the Iron Horse Pirate Crew. I heard you were looking for me."
"Yes, you are heading to the Grand Line, so you must have a log pose, right?"
"Of course. How about this, I don't mind that you are a woman. As long as you join me, I can take you to experience the Grand Line, which is called the Pirates' Paradise."
"No need. I just came to take your log pose."
"Hahaha, bastard, what kind of joke are you playing? Do you think I would give it to you? Don't delude yourself. Since you're here, don't even think about leaving. Brothers, don't you agree?"
As soon as Bukia finished speaking, the group of pirates echoed him, their voices as loud as a thousand ducks quacking in their ears.
"I don't need you to give it. I will take it myself."
Raiden Ei stopped holding back. Her purple eyes narrowed slightly, and Conqueror's Haki surged within her body, spreading outwards.
Before the surrounding pirates could react, the Conqueror's Haki swept over them. None of them could mount any resistance, and they all fell to the ground unconscious, rolling their eyes back.
Raiden Ei carefully felt the sensation of Conqueror's Haki, trying to learn the method of infusion. Unfortunately, she failed. She had watched the entire process of how Sengoku infused Conqueror's Haki into his shockwave. She believed she could definitely learn it after analyzing and experimenting a few more times.
She walked up to the unconscious Bukia, took the log pose hanging on his belt, and thus her objective was achieved.
"Now I can head to the Grand Line. I'm one step closer to the Sky Island."
"Clap, clap, clap."
Raiden Ei, who was checking the log pose, suddenly heard the sound of applause coming from the nearby forest. She looked over there alertly. With just one glance, she knew who it was.
A man in a white suit appeared there. He was tall, estimated to be over three meters, wearing a hat and a mask on his face, clapping as if praising her.
"Truly impressive! Criminal lady, you actually possess that Conqueror's Haki that only one in a million people can manifest. The World Government still underestimated you."
"The World Government's running dogs are truly persistent! I run into them everywhere I go."
The CP agent walked to not far from Raiden Ei, and his voice sounded annoyingly smug: "Hehe, I went to great lengths to find you! I've been waiting for you here for a long time."
Raiden Ei took off her cloak, revealing her figure which was as beautiful as ever, and the demon blade zanmian appeared in her hand: "Oh, you knew I would appear here?"
"Hehe, the World Government's intelligence-gathering capabilities are beyond your imagination. This place was just Bait to lure you in. Surrender obediently; you cannot escape the grasp of the World Government."
"You certainly dare to speak! Do you think you alone can kill me? It seems the World Government's judgment isn't great either!"
"Hehe! Well, you better be careful in a moment. Let's see if I can kill you. The World Government only sent me, so they must be confident that I can deal with you by myself."
"It seems your confidence isn't as strong as your words. Are you stalling for time here? Have you already notified people to come here to support you?"
"Sigh, I'm really not good at this kind of thing. It's a pity the superiors required that I notify others immediately upon finding you, so you couldn't run away again. I had no choice but to complete the mission assigned to me.
Since you've guessed it, I don't need to pretend anymore. Let's fight directly! Tearing you to shreds fits my style."
Raiden Ei gripped the demon blade zanmian in her hand. She actually didn't need to fight him; if she wanted to leave, this man definitely wouldn't be able to stop her. But she didn't want to just leave like that.
As long as the opponent's strength wasn't overwhelming her, as long as she had even a slight chance of winning, she would never run away. She would face challenges head-on. No matter how many or how strong the opponents were, she would never retreat.
"Clang!" The demon blade zanmian was unsheathed and held in her hand. She put the scabbard away, her purple eyes staring directly at the opponent. Her aura pressed down on him, and the surrounding atmosphere instantly became tense, the sea breeze even blowing more rapidly.
"Come on! You are so confident, let me see what your strength is like."
"Hehe, what a straightforward woman, worthy of being the Raiden Ei who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon. My name is Hengkitari, and I am the user of the Zoan type, Ancient Species, Deinosuchus Form ability."
Hengkitari said this while taking off his hat, tossing it, the greatcoat on his back, and the mask on his face aside, stretching his limbs.
His entire body underwent a massive transformation. His whole body turned into a humanoid crocodile. His head became a crocodile head, his mouth filled with sharp teeth, dark brown scales bulged out, his skin turned into tough leather armor, and his limbs became sharp claws that gouged two ravines in the ground. A large tail dragged on the ground, kicking up dust when it swung.
Raiden Ei was also slightly surprised by his transformation. Were all Zoan types this wild? If she had seen this in another world, she wouldn't have doubted that he was a crocodile.
Hengkitari's voice came from the crocodile's mouth: "Hehe, what do you think? I've shown you enough respect! I've revealed my strongest form right from the start."
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