Chapter 152: 10,000 Kilo Press!
Mr. 3's strike was fast, ruthless, and precise.
And treacherous.
So different from those who shout their move names before attacking!
But Ralph simply sidestepped.
Effortlessly, he dodged it.
"Hmph!"
Mr. 3 sneered, "You think it's that simple?"
The moment Ralph dodged—
The ground beneath his feet suddenly "melted."
No, not melted.
It was… wax liquid.
White, viscous wax liquid surged from the ground like a tidal wave, instantly submerging Ralph's ankles.
Then it solidified.
"Crack, crack…"
The moment the wax touched Ralph, it rapidly solidified and hardened, turning into rigid white shackles that tightly locked his legs in place.
With his legs restrained, his movements slowed for an instant.
And in that instant—
More wax surged upward.
"Whoosh—!"
The surging wax enveloped Ralph's entire body.
From head to toe, leaving no gaps.
Then it solidified.
In the dense forest, a white wax statue now stood.
Lifelike.
Even the final "surprised" expression on Ralph's face was perfectly replicated.
Mr. 3 looked at the wax statue and let out a long sigh of relief.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he regained his contemptuous smile:
"All mysterious, spouting nonsense… I thought you were something special."
He walked up to the wax statue and tapped its surface with his finger, producing a dull "thump, thump":
"And yet, in the blink of an eye, you've been turned into a wax statue?"
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine watched this scene, their minds filled with doubt.
This guy… talked so big, he shouldn't be this weak.
Could it be...
Had they just been "scared" all along?
Very likely.
At Whiskey Peak, when they were about to take Ralph down, it was the Straw Hat Girl who made the move.
So, even if he really was the so-called "former boss"…
He was still a "weakling boss."
No wonder he hid behind the scenes, too afraid to show his face, and had his authority seized by the current boss.
Just kill him outright and be done with it!
This thought arose simultaneously in all three of their minds.
But just as they broke into "victorious" smiles—
"Crack."
A faint sound.
Came from the wax statue.
Mr. 3's smile froze.
He stared wide-eyed at the surface of the wax statue.
There, a crack had appeared.
"....."
Mr. 3 muttered,
"Once my wax solidifies, its hardness rivals steel… How is this possible…"
He didn't finish his sentence.
Because—
"Whoosh—!!"
The white wax statue exploded.
The force was like a detonated bomb, white wax fragments flying in all directions, shimmering with a crystalline glow under the sunlight.
And inside the wax statue—
Ralph stood in place.
His exposed skin gleamed faintly with a… black luster under the sun.
He even wore a smile on his face.
"Not bad."
Ralph flexed his wrist, producing a soft "crack":
"What other tricks do you have? Show me."
His so-called "hunt" today wasn't about killing them.
It was about… subduing them.
Since it was about subduing, he needed them to submit wholeheartedly.
Not convinced?
Beat them until they were.
In fact, he didn't need to remind them—they would do it anyway.
"Die!"
Mr. 5 Jem roared, digging a finger into his nostril, and then...
Flicked out a booger.
Yes, a booger.
But this was no ordinary booger.
This was the booger of a Bomu Bomu no Mi user.
The Bomu Bomu no Mi allows its user to turn any part of their body into a bomb.
"Booger Bomb!"
Ralph: "..."
With his current level of Armament Haki, he could easily withstand an explosion of this magnitude.
But...
Blocking a booger bomb?
That's a bit disgusting.
So, he raised his leg.
His right foot traced an arc through the air.
"Rankyaku."
"Whoosh—!"
A crescent-shaped air blade shot out, precisely slicing through the booger bomb.
"Boom—!!"
An explosion.
Dust and smoke billowed up.
Ralph's figure was swallowed by the smoke.
And in that very instant—
"10,000 Kilo Press!"
A bright yellow, slender figure descended from the sky.
It was Miss Valentine, Mikita.
Unnoticed, she had already flown into the air, her green parasol opening like a parachute.
During her descent, her weight adjusted from one kilogram...
Instantly to ten thousand kilograms.
A full ten tons.
Dropping from the sky.
She possessed the Kiro Kiro no Mi, allowing her to freely adjust her weight between one kilogram and ten thousand kilograms.
This was her most frequently used technique.
First, reduce her weight to one kilogram to ride the wind and fly up, then adjust to ten thousand kilograms to plummet down.
Countless times, she had used this move to stomp enemies into the ground, even crushing their necks in a single blow.
But this time—
Her descending body suddenly stopped.
Stopped in someone's... arms.
The dust cleared.
Ralph stood in place, arms extended, steadily catching the falling Miss Valentine.
His feet didn't even sink deeply into the ground.
Only the soil beneath them was slightly indented.
His robust forearms and well-developed chest muscles, clearly defined, gleamed with an obsidian-like luster under the coverage of Armament Haki.
And on his face...
Was a smile.
Confident, arrogant, even a bit... wicked.
[Innate Physical Strength (Beginner)].
Truly terrifying.
Ralph mused inwardly.
He had unconsciously revealed this smile.
But he didn't know—
At this moment, Miss Valentine in his arms was experiencing... an inner storm.
She felt the iron-hard muscles beneath her.
The warmth, penetrating her thin dress, reaching her skin.
She looked at the face so close to hers.
Handsome, young, with sharp features.
And those eyes... reflected her image.
And that smile.
Wild, domineering, yet carrying a hint of... nonchalance.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Miss Valentine heard her own heartbeat.
Loud.
Urgent.
Like a little deer frantically crashing around in her chest.
Her face suddenly flushed.
From her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.
"You..."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But the words on her lips turned into a soft:
Ralph casually tossed Miss Valentine aside.
Miss Valentine hurriedly landed on the ground, staggering slightly, almost falling.
She steadied herself and looked up at Ralph.
Facing this man who could withstand her ten-thousand-kilogram pressure, she couldn't suppress the turmoil in her heart.
Ralph looked at her and smiled.
Then, he turned his head and looked at the other three.
"Alright."
He said, his voice calm:
"Warm-up's over."
"It's..."
"Time to get serious."