"No... I'll let it go."
Seeing that Kiana seemed annoyed, Sanji immediately released her ankle—though the touch from earlier still lingered like a flavor worth savoring.
CRACK!
The planks on the surface of the sea shattered as Crick finally climbed onto Bharati's fin boards. The weight of his alloy armor made him stumble several times on the way up.
"Puh!"
Crick spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with two broken teeth, glaring furiously at me—especially when he noticed that my feet were completely uninjured.
She… kicked my absolute defense head-on. My armor should be unbreakable—and her feet are fine?! Are her feet made of gold or something? What kind of insane hardness is that?!
He didn't dare to think it out loud—but the disbelief in his eyes made everything clear.That woman's body… was not normal.
Crick touched the dented area of his armor where I'd kicked. Even the sharp blade concealed there was bent flat. Completely useless.
There's definitely something wrong with her body… ordinary weapons won't work. Even a sharp knife gets folded? What is she made of?
He grunted, rising back to his feet.
"Your body isn't injured at all… That was unexpected. Let's see where your limits really are."
Crick opened his arms wide.CLICK—CLACK!Muzzles all over his armor popped open.
Then—like a brutal storm—hundreds of bullets were unleashed at point-blank range.
DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA—!!
Time instantly slowed to a crawl.
To me, the bullets barely moved. The world froze and turned dark—the signature sensation of Time-Space Rupture.
I immediately grabbed Sanji by the collar and dragged him out of the fire zone before the bullets could shred him into minced meat.
This was the perfect chance to attack. In this state, I could easily dash straight to Crick and end him in a single blow. His defenses were open—this was THE opportunity.
But… Sanji was still here.If I charged ahead now, he'd be turned into a sieve by endless bullets. A death like that wasn't comedic—it was just tragic.
My arrival already changed too many things. Crick didn't die challenging Mihawk like in the original timeline. Zoro's Yubashiri and Shusui—already broken earlier than they should've been. And Sanji… if something happened to him now… was I really willing to gamble on "protagonist plot armor"?
Absolutely not.
In the span of a single heartbeat, dozens of thoughts flashed through my head.I gritted my teeth—then made the decision.
Save Sanji first. Attack later.
I dragged him all the way to Bharati's side—next to the chefs and Zep—putting him safely out of Crick's firing range.
"Hah… that was intense." Sanji caught his breath. "Is that your ability? Everything around us looked slower."
Just as I was turning to head back into battle—
"Is this… your ability?"
Zep's voice suddenly cut in.
I froze and spun around in shock.
He was looking right at me.
Breathing. Moving. Conscious. Even though we were still inside Time-Space Rupture.
A normal person should be completely frozen. No awareness. No movement. But Zep—he was different. Not fully moving—but still partially reacting.
I narrowed my eyes.Why is he unaffected…? My skill should impact everyone nearby. Unless…
Before I could figure it out—the rupture ended.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!
The bullets Crick fired earlier finally landed—tearing through all the planks on the fins where Sanji and I had just been. Sawdust exploded everywhere.
"Click. Tch…" Crick lowered his smoking guns. "Fast reaction. You actually dodged all that."
He clicked his tongue while retracting the muzzles—cooling them down before they overheated.
But I ignored him completely.
My attention was locked on Zep.Why was he still moving during Time-Space Rupture?My armor's skills should affect everyone. Unless—
"Ugh… cough… That was weird. Kiana-chan… was that your Devil Fruit ability?" Sanji rubbed his neck, still dizzy from being dragged so fast. "I felt like I was being hanged…"
"A-ah. Yes. It's my ability…" I said vaguely.
But internally—I'd finally connected the dots.
Devil Fruit abilities are suppressed by three things:1. Seawater.2. Seastone (Hailou Stone).3. Armament Haki.
Zep… must have mastered Armament Haki.
That explains everything.
He wasn't immune—just resistant. The slowdown effect was still there… just weaker.
So that's it… I thought. I'm lucky to have noticed this now. Against real powerhouses—my Time-Space Rupture could fail entirely. If I had assumed it worked on everyone… I might've died without even knowing why.
This also raised an even more dangerous concern…
…my most reliable defensive ability—Infinite Dodge from the Mei battlesuit—
It might also be countered by Armament Haki.
Infinite Dodge lets me avoid almost any attack as long as the timing is correct. It's practically invincible—normally. Enemies miss. I remain untouchable. The system judges the dodge timing for me, making it nearly impossible to fail.
But that only applies to Devil Fruit-based mechanics.
Against someone using Armament Haki… my dodges would just be fast movements.
And I could still be hit.
The thought made me feel genuinely miserable—like grinding a skill to max level for a month… only to find out the final boss is completely immune.
Domineering… a power that both saves and destroys.
"I wish only one person in the world could use Haki," I muttered internally. But of course that would never happen. This was One Piece world. And I'd have to deal with many Haki users eventually.
My hard-earned Infinite Dodge… useless against elite enemies.
Truly depressing.
"What's up, Kiana? You spaced out." Luffy casually punched a pirate into the sea and tilted his head at me.
"No, nothing. Just thinking about something…"
Yeah. No point dwelling on it now. First priority—beat Crick and protect Bharati.
"Kukuku…"
A filthy, greasy laugh echoed across the fins.
A man climbed up from the water—tall, fully covered in thick iron shields. Every inch of his body was reinforced like a walking fortress.
"Move aside… I'll take it from here."
"Master Bala has arrived! We're saved!!"
"Lord Bala, crush them!"
I blinked."Barra…? Why the hype over a guy dressed like a metal refrigerator?"
Sanji stood up beside me and lit a cigarette."Dressing yourself entirely in shields… what kind of freak are you?"
Barra lazily tapped his armor, pride swelling in his grin.
"Weird? Hehehe… even the Navy's artillery can't penetrate this defense. After hundreds of battles—I remain completely uninjured. I am the pride of the Crick Pirates. Shield Master Barra. No matter how strong your attacks are—I can block them ALL. You have no hope. Give up resistance peacefully—so we may enjoy conquering you…"
Before he could finish—
SHADOW DANCE.I stepped forward—and in one swift motion—
SLASH!
My sword energy carved straight into his armor—
BOOOOOOOM!!
The shield split open. A massive gash tore across Barra's chest—followed by a flying kick that sent him spinning across the water like a skipping stone.
He splashed multiple times—before finally sinking into the sea.
"…"
"…Lord… Barra?"
"He—he sank…?"
"His defense… broken?!"
"That's impossible! His armor tanked cannon fire before!"
Their shocked expressions were strangely satisfying.
"So annoying." I exhaled, flicking invisible dust off my blade. "You call that the strongest defense? Seriously—why are there so many overconfident people in East Blue? Aren't you afraid your bragging might kill you someday?"
"…"
Crick watched the bubbles rise where Barra had sunk.His lips twitched.
This woman… was much stronger than expected.
I turned to him."Well, your turn now, Crick. If you want mercy—take all that armor off. I'll definitely strip it off you if you don't."
And then—my eyes locked onto the giant dazzling diamond in Crick's hand.
Both of my pupils turned into Baileys.
Crick stiffened."…You… saw my money?"
"I can give it to you," he said slowly. "If you help me kill Bharati… all the treasure on my ship is yours."
"…Do you think I'm stupid?"I stared at him flatly. "All I need to do Is kill you."
Even an idiot wouldn't fall for that. Did he really think I'd get fooled into attacking Sanji's side?
Seriously—how dumb does he think I am?!