Chapter 179: Resolving the Misunderstanding
Ian hesitated for less than two seconds before he no longer needed to.
Boa Hancock, snapping out of her shock, slightly bent her knee and pulled her leg free from Ian’s grasp.
Because the Three-Day Shield was in his palm, Ian could resist Boa Hancock’s ability, but it also meant he wasn’t actually gripping her ankle firmly. Without skin contact, there was no leverage.
The petrification effect of her Perfume Femur didn’t activate, which surprised Boa Hancock, but she didn’t dwell on it. After retracting her leg, she suddenly kicked upward, aiming for Ian’s chin.
Ian tilted his head back, dodging quickly. Seizing the opportunity, Boa Hancock fired a Kiss Shot at him.
Ian had also activated his Observation Haki. Within his psychic field, every move Boa Hancock made was sensed. He abruptly sidestepped, and the Kiss Shot flew past him.
But behind Ian stood the petrified members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. The Kiss Shot struck Dorry’s raised palm. In his petrified state, Ian saw a small hole appear in Dorry’s hand, with cracks spreading outward.
Damn it! Ian’s heart sank. He knew that damage sustained while petrified would still manifest when restored to normal.
Turning his head, he saw Boa Hancock had noticed this too. She made a kissing gesture, pulling a pink heart from her palm, then drew it back with her right hand, aiming at Ian.
This is Slave Arrow! Ian recognized her attack pattern from her stance.
If he dodged, the arrows might not hit him, but the stone statues of his crew behind him would be destroyed.
Gritting his teeth, Ian ignored the psychic energy drain and expanded the Three-Day Shield’s area, placing it in front of him.
The next moment, the Slave Arrows struck, all embedding into the expanded Three-Day Shield.
He had to admit, the Three-Day Shield was a handy defensive skill. Its rejection force could block almost any attack, especially manifested energy like the Slave Arrows. When Ian had drawn Orihime Inoue’s card, he’d only intended it as a healing card. He never expected it to be so effective against Boa Hancock.
Thump, thump, thump. A series of impacts sounded. This time, Boa Hancock clearly saw the light membrane and was startled, finally understanding why her ability had no effect on Ian.
In that moment of surprise, the light membrane vanished. Ian abruptly retracted the large Three-Day Shield, shrinking it to cover his fist, and vanished from sight. Moving at incredible speed, he appeared beside Boa Hancock and punched her hard in the abdomen.
He couldn’t let this continue. Ian himself would be fine, but if his crew’s stone statues were shattered, it would be a real problem. Even though he was confident he could restore them with the Twin Heaven Return Shield, it would still consume a massive amount of his psychic energy.
Ian’s punch came suddenly. Boa Hancock felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and nearly fainted.
How many years had it been since she’d suffered such an attack?
Because of her petrification ability, anyone who touched her body would be petrified by the backlash. Over the years, no enemy had dared to strike her directly with a fist.
But now, Ian was an anomaly. He used the Three-Day Shield as a buffer, padding his fist, and landed a blow on Boa Hancock.
Unable to control herself, Boa Hancock collapsed to the ground, clutching her abdomen. Ian’s strength wasn’t particularly great, but Boa Hancock hadn’t been prepared for it and failed to defend with Haki. Without Haki’s protection, her young woman’s body couldn’t withstand the blow.
Sweat beaded on Boa Hancock’s brow from the pain. Ian crouched in front of her and asked, “Still want to fight?”
“You…!” Boa Hancock gritted her teeth, sitting on the deck, and kicked at Ian.
Such a struggling resistance was ineffective. Ian grabbed her leg again.
“So fragrant!” Ian sniffed her leg theatrically and chuckled. “With legs this beautiful, you could easily pull off any kind of stockings, right?”
White? Black? Or nude?
Ian’s mind wandered, and he missed the blush of shame and anger spreading across Boa Hancock’s face.
“Let me go!” Boa Hancock shouted, forgetting to use her royal “this one.”
Ian smiled without answering. He opened his right palm, and with a puff, a purple flame burst into existence in front of Boa Hancock.
Seeing her expression shift from shame and anger to shock, Ian found it amusing. He gave a mischievous grin and said, “What do you think? If I burned all your clothes off, how would you get back to your ship?”
Damn, that idea was brilliant!
This was Ian’s mischievous nature acting up again. But Boa Hancock seemed not to hear him. Instead, she asked in astonishment, “You…! Purple flames! You really are the Black-Clad Man?”
“Oh, looks like you’ve done your homework,” Ian said, releasing her leg and shrugging. “I told you before, but you didn’t believe me.”
“But… but!” Boa Hancock’s expression was a whirlwind of emotions. She couldn’t help asking, “I heard the Black-Clad Man can also use black dragon-shaped flames!”
“Black flames?” Ian smiled and began untying the cursed bandages on his right hand with his left.
The reason Ian revealed himself to Boa Hancock was that he knew she bore him no ill will.
She had attacked him only because she didn’t know his true identity.
From a different perspective, this actually showed her protective feelings toward the Black-Clad Man. Her intentions were good, but the misunderstanding hadn’t been cleared up.
Boa Hancock was a Warlord of the Sea, and Ian didn’t want her to keep pursuing him. If the Kuja Pirates relentlessly chased the Dragon Hunter Pirates, it would be a real headache.
Now, Ian needed to resolve the misunderstanding. Once it was cleared, they could sit down and talk about whatever she wanted.
The sound of bells rang out as the cursed bandages were unwound layer by layer. Intense heat began to radiate. Black flames appeared on Ian’s wrist, revealing the fierce black dragon head.
When the bandages were fully removed, Ian’s right wrist blazed with fierce flames. He gently swung his arm, distorting the surrounding air, showing Boa Hancock the extraordinary nature of the fire.
“See this? This is how I escaped from Aokiji,” Ian said with a smile.
Boa Hancock stared at Ian in a daze. The Black Dragon Wave coiled around his arm, accompanied by surging heat, making him look incredibly imposing.
Her heart suddenly raced. She felt flustered, unsure how to face Ian. She had been certain he was lying to her, but the flames now appearing on his hand shattered her earlier conviction.
So he really is the Black-Clad Man! I… I actually fought him?
Seeing Boa Hancock’s bewildered expression, Ian silently rewrapped the cursed bandages, sealing the heat. This Black Dragon Wave was something he had nurtured over time by injecting psychic energy—a full five thousand points of psychic power, one of his trump cards. He wouldn’t have revealed it so easily if not to prove his identity to Boa Hancock.
Crouching down again, Ian said to Boa Hancock, “Alright, now that you’ve found me, can you tell me what this is about?”
Ian understood that while killing a Celestial Dragon had made him an enemy of the World Government and the Marines, it had also earned him goodwill from many. Sea Knight Jinbe was one example. Thanks to Jinbe’s help, Ian had obtained a ship and the chance to send the other slaves away.
Boa Hancock was another. As a time traveler, Ian knew her past well and could roughly guess why she was looking for him.
Still, he was curious about what she would say.
A marriage proposal? Don’t be ridiculous. Ian had never imagined Boa Hancock would throw herself at the Black-Clad Man. In her mind, the Black-Clad Man was probably someone like Fisher Tiger, a fish-man, or an older, powerful figure like Rayleigh. How could she fall in love with him without even meeting him?