"…A rose with thorns, and you dare to kill my men? Are you ready for the consequences?"
Kiana's calm, deadly composure only fueled Siegel's desire to dominate. She had just shot his men without hesitation, and the sheer audacity impressed him. This woman—no, this creature—was fearless, facing all members of the Blackhorn Pirates without a hint of fear.
"You always seem to be plotting something… it makes me sick," Kiana muttered, narrowing her eyes at Siegel's lecherous gaze. The attention was unsettling. As a boy in her past life, had she ever been ogled like this?
Swish!
Siegel brandished his massive knife, pointing it directly at her. "Don't think a fancy gun makes you untouchable! In this world, firearms are just tools. Let your future husband teach you what true strength is. Your own power—that's what matters most."
"…Husband? I think of you as nothing more than a crystal, and you actually—" Kiana's patience snapped. This perverted pirate deserved a bullet.
Bang! Bang!
She fired. Siegel raised his knife just in time, the bullets colliding with the blade in a deafening clash. He remained unscathed, but several pirates beside him were not so lucky. Blood spurted from their chests, and they collapsed, drained of strength and unable to fight.
This was the difference between Moonlight Armor and Ranger Armor. Both were long-range armors, but the Moonlight's normal attack, once upgraded with the Scatter skill, functioned like a shotgun—hitting multiple enemies in a cone. Damage decreased with distance, but enemies close to the muzzle suffered massive blows. The farther the target, the lighter the impact, while upgrades to Scatter increased overall power.
Moonlight's specialization was mid- to short-range AOE damage, while Ranger Armor focused on single-target long-range strikes, its attack unaffected by distance and enhanced with equipment or stigmata.
Kiana naturally preferred Moonlight. Its dazzling Scatter skill combined with flashy ultimate animations had won her over at first sight.
"Shotgun! Watch out!" Siegel barked, warning his crew to dodge. These weren't just weaklings—they were men he'd trained and gathered. He couldn't afford careless losses.
Kiana wasn't fazed. She recognized the knife-block as an elite shield or block—the kind that only appeared on powerful Honkai beasts in her previous life. Breaking such shields nullified the monster's dominance effect temporarily, and bypassing a block required clever flanking attacks. Right now, Siegel felt like a temple-level Honkai Beast: strong, agile, and infuriating.
"Dodge!" Kiana muttered. She rolled, activating Moonlight Armor's dodge skill. Instantly, the world seemed to ripple into a time-space rupture. Unlike passive evasion skills in Bai Lian or Crimson Armor, which only triggered when an attack was incoming, Moonlight's dodge was active. The rupture occurred regardless of enemy action, granting incredible speed.
Her body felt lighter, acceleration kicking in alongside the passive effect of Sister Moonlight's evasion skill. In moments, she was behind Siegel, moving so fast that anyone watching would swear she'd teleported.
"So fast!" Siegel exclaimed, spinning around—but it was too late.
Bang!
The bullet struck Siegel's face, sending him staggering backward. His massive body hit the deck hard.
"Ugh!"
The impact left him reeling, and Kiana couldn't help smirking. His perverted head hadn't survived, and considering his 300 million Baileys bounty, his body was surprisingly resilient—but in the world of pirates, sheer strength alone didn't guarantee survival. Even Kaido-level brutes could be taken down if you struck right.
"It seems a four-star weapon isn't enough. Time to roll some precise supplies and grab an initial four-star weapon to play with," Kiana muttered, raising her dual pistols to finish the job.
"Go to hell!"
Siegel scrambled up, swinging his knife again. His resilience reminded Kiana how brutal pirates could be.
"Scandium!" Kiana whispered, shifting into Shadow Armor—Mei series, A-rank melee armor specializing in clones and close combat. The appearance switched to Mei, but her enemies already knew it was still her. She didn't care.
Kiana parried Siegel's strike with her pulse sword. The deck cracked beneath her feet while Siegel stumbled back several paces. The pirates looked on, shocked.
"Am I seeing this right? The captain… losing to her?"
"Impossible! It must be an illusion!" whispered another pirate.
Siegel's bloody face twisted with rage. How could he lose—to a woman who looked weak? Qiyana reminded herself that her attributes were already level 55; she was only slightly stronger than average in terms of raw strength.
"Very well… you've pissed me off, woman!" Siegel growled, blood dripping from his mouth, his shattered teeth clattering.
"Unbearable, huh?" Kiana taunted, stepping forward, her pulse sword slicing upward.
Siegel rushed to block, but his broadsword shattered on impact. Kiana's four-star weapon was unstoppable. With a deep, precise cut, she tore into Siegel's chest. Blood spurted, the force sending him flying across the deck.
"Switch! Moonlight! QET Appearance Skill! Light Wings, unfold!"
Kiana leapt into the air, light wings spreading in a silver dance, energy coalescing around her for a devastating follow-up attack.