Chapter 226: Mikita Displays the Power of the Float Fruit, Leaving Everyone in Awe!

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"This is... no contact?!" Hancock exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise as she faced Mikita. "It's clear you're just a little Shichibukai. How could you possibly comprehend this power, a power that even some of the Four Emperors may not wield?"

Mikita's lips curled upward, and she increased the concentration of Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki around her right leg. Although her physical abilities were not on par with Hancock's, her mastery of Haki surpassed that of Hancock.

Even if Hancock employed the power of her Devil Fruit at this moment, it would be impossible to bypass Mikita's Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki to petrify her.

As Mikita enhanced her Haki, Hancock suddenly experienced an agonizing sensation in her own leg. Mikita's strength caused Hancock's leg to weaken, and a Tempest Kick wind blade, infused with black and red Haki energy, struck Hancock's body directly.

A red gleam flared in Hancock's eyes as she used the Tempest Kick wind blade as a platform to leap higher. Despite the excruciating pain in her ankle due to the close-range Tempest Kick, Hancock pressed on.

She knew that her only option was to defeat Mikita and petrify her after this skirmish. With Mikita's formidable power and the presence of Robin and the other Black Pearl Pirates members watching from the sidelines, Hancock believed that waiting for Rifan to emerge from Smoothie's ship was not an option.

She might not be able to resist their combined efforts!

"Slave Arrow!"

Hancock tapped her fingers to her lips, conjured a massive pink-peach heart-shaped object, and pulled it taut like a bowstring. A multitude of pink arrows rained down toward Mikita from the heart-shaped construct!

Mikita grinned, lightly stepped on the deck, and leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding Hancock's arrow.

Mikita possessed Advance Observation Haki, granting her the ability to foresee the future. As long as Hancock's attack didn't exceed a certain speed, she could effortlessly dodge without the need for Armament Haki.

Yet, Mikita chose to evade.

Gion and Hina, who observed the battle from a short distance away, were unable to evade Hancock's arrows. The moment the pink projectiles pierced their chests, they transformed into stone statues.

"Oh, this is really bad~" Robin remarked.

"In this state, we can't allow the Nine Snake Pirates to escape," Vivi added.

Robin's gaze shifted from the petrified Gion and Hina to the parts of the deck transformed by Hancock's powers. She shook her head before turning his attention back to Mikita in the sky.

"Mikita, let's shift the battlefield slightly," she advised. "If Gion and Hina's stone forms are accidentally damaged, it will complicate matters. Moreover, the Black Pearl is not immune to petrification."

As Robin finished speaking, she motioned for Nami and Vivi to follow her as she hurried towards Gion and Hina.

Upon hearing Robin's instructions, Mikita looked down at the petrified Gion and Hina. Her brow furrowed in frustration.

"Damn it, is Gion really so powerless that she couldn't avoid that arrow?"

What Mikita didn't realize was that Gion might have escaped Hancock's petrifying arrows if she had merely been anesthetized. However, Gion had been affected by her advanced Conqueror's Haki, and Hina had fallen unconscious, making their escape impossible.

"However, now that Gion and Hina, both Marines, have been petrified, it means I can use my other abilities."

Mikita turned her head, revealing a cruel smile to Hancock, who had landed on the Nine Snakes pirate ship with a stern expression. Ignoring the apprehensive gazes of Hancock and her crewmates, she descended swiftly onto the Nine Snake Pirates' ship, landing approximately three meters away from Hancock and the others.

"Alright, time to take flight, all you Kuja Pirates!"

"I believe this move is called 'Lion Majesty,'" Mikita mused, raising her left hand to tap the deck of the Nine Snakes pirate ship.

In the next instant, under the bewildered gazes of the Big Mom Pirates, including Charlotte Citron, who stood nearby, and the horrified expressions of the Nine Snake Pirates, the Nine Snake Pirates' ships were lifted as if gravity had suddenly abandoned them, soaring rapidly into the sky!

In the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight, ascending to a height that even Citron could no longer perceive.

"What in the world just happened?"

"Could it be that the Nine Snake Pirates' ships went berserk due to that woman's ability?"

"But this ability... it's eerily similar to the Golden Lion's ability Mother spoke of."

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence?"

"She does seem to float in the air with that parasol of hers, which is somewhat reminiscent of Golden Lion's powers."

"Could there be a Devil Fruit similar to the Float Fruit among the Devil Fruits?"

Charlotte Citron squinted her eyes, staring at the sky and muttering to herself.

Meanwhile, Robin, who had originally been on the bow of the Black Pearl, had retreated to the rear and joined Nojiko.

"Nojiko, what are your impressions of Empress Hancock?" Robin inquired.

"She's undeniably stunning, although she does have a somewhat haughty air about her. Still, she might be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"In that case, why not seize an opportunity to gather data from her? If you could mimic Empress Hancock, Captain Rifan would be quite thrilled~"

"That's a good idea. I'll find a chance to get close to her face later."

"I have faith that you'll find your opportunity. But for now, I think you should head over to the Big Mom Pirate ship. Captain Rifan seemed quite interested in Smoothie."

"Oh, I nearly forgot about her! Robin, thanks for the reminder. I'll leave you in charge here. I'm heading over to Smoothie's ship~"

After Nojiko finished speaking to Robin, she quickly ran to the pirate ship where Smoothie and Rifan were.

"Wait, what are you planning to do?"

Nojiko suddenly leaped off the Black Pearl.

Citron had initially been drawn to the conflict between Mikita and Hancock. However, when she was contemplating Mikita's abilities, she was taken aback when she saw Nojiko.

"Don't worry, I'm Nojiko, a nurse of the Black Pearl Pirates," Nojiko reassured Citron. "Captain Rifan may need me to attend to Smoothie's injuries."

"If you've investigated the Black Pearl Pirates, you should know about me." Nojiko placed her hands behind her back as she observed the tall Citron in front of her kindly.

'This figure is unusually tall; this must be the long-legged tribe.'

'It's a shame that she's a bit on the plump side. Captain Rifan probably wouldn't prefer to interact with someone of this type.'

'Well, let's skip the idea of copying her body data,' Nojiko thought to herself.

While Nojiko was pondering, Charlotte Citron also looked at her thoughtfully, deep in contemplation.

"Among the Black Pearl Pirates, Nico Robin, with a bounty of 80 million Berries, possesses the power to defeat Smoothie,"

"This Nojiko also has an 80 million Berry bounty. Does she have abilities similar to Robin's?" she wondered.

"May I proceed?" Nojiko asked politely. "If possible, I'd like to assist Captain Rifan as soon as possible."

Citron squinted her eyes, contemplated for a moment, and finally nodded, stepping aside. She understood that if Rifan and his group truly intended to attack them, the members of the Big Mom Pirate group would have no means of resistance. At this moment, she could only place her trust in Nojiko's words, believing that Nojiko wouldn't take actions that jeopardized the personal safety of the crew on board.

What she didn't know was that while Nojiko wouldn't endanger their personal safety, she would engage in actions that would leave them feeling quite embarrassed!

Nojiko made way for herself, transforming her expression into a big smile, and then walked towards the cabin of Smoothie's pirate ship.

Meanwhile, on the other side, high above the sky:

"What kind of Devil Fruit ability user are you?" Hancock pointed at Mikita, her expression more serious than ever. Although Hancock had never encountered Golden Lion personally, she had gained some knowledge about Golden Lion's abilities since his reappearance at sea. The ability Mikita was currently employing immediately reminded her of the powers of the Float-Float Fruit used by Golden Lion.

"Hehe, you'll find out soon enough. Try to defeat me," Mikita taunted. "If you manage to defeat me, I'll tell you the answer."

Mikita's lips curled up, and under the influence of the float devil fruit, she leaped away from the Nine Snake Pirates' ship. She extended her right hand, and the thick clouds surrounding her seemed to respond to some mysterious force. After a moment, Hancock was astonished to witness the clouds transforming from cotton-candy-like shapes into the menacing form of a colossal lion's head!

"Is this... truly the power of Golden Lion Shiki?!"

"But how is that possible?!" Marigold rubbed her eyes vigorously, as if trying to dispel the illusion. However, no matter how much she rubbed, the immense lion's head created from the surrounding clouds refused to dissipate.

"Captain Rifan might need a little more time," Mikita said confidently. "Since Captain Rifan wishes to meet you, woman, allow me, the deputy captain of the Black Pearl Pirates, to educate you on the importance of showing respect to Captain Rifan."

"Woman, there's no way for you to escape from this 10,000-meter height. And I, Mikita, will never again fall victim to your abilities."

Mikita fixed her gaze and clenched her hands tightly. The lion's head formed by the surrounding clouds lunged towards Hancock and her elite Kuja Pirates with relentless force. In response, Hancock, Marigold, Sandersonia, and the other elite members of the Kuja Pirates tightened their grip on their weapons and scrambled to defend themselves.

At the same time, Blue Star World.

—•—|Rifan Live Broadcast Chat Room|—•—

[Damn, after Robin defeated Charlotte Smoothie, one of the four generals of the big-mom pirate group, will Mikita defeat Boa Hancock, one of the Shichibukai again?]

[Goat Audience: Obviously, Mikita has such strength, if she is willing, she may soon be able to end the battle with Empress Hancock by relying on the power of her Conqueror Haki!]

[Kangaroo Audience: It's amazing... If Rifan really has the strength of a Marine Admiral, maybe the Black Pearl Pirates can be considered the Four Emperors Pirates!]

[Green Pheasant Audience: Impossible, absolutely impossible, Rifan's pirate group will definitely not be so strong, and the reincarnated people in our country will definitely have a chance to catch up!]

[Eagle Audience: Yes, I believe that powerful reincarnations such as Ethan, Tina, Sarah, etc., as long as they are given a chance, they can surpass Rifan in ten steps!]

[Camel Audience: There are also Huuli, Yuza, and Nasser from our country. They just lack an opportunity now. ]

[Come on, whether it's Smoothie or Hancock, who among your reincarnators can compare to them. Having said that, Tina, Sarah Brian, Yuza and others are even inferior to Leigh who followed behind Hancock. ]

[Wait! Leigh?! Damn, Goddess Mikita, take it easy, don't affect our Leigh!]