Boa Hancock felt the same dread—this was the first time she had encountered someone with such terrifying Haki.
You couldn't tell from a distance, but once close, the pressure was overwhelming.
It was like standing against a tidal wave, an endless, crushing pressure that battered her will.
"Won't you... spare me?"
Hancock suddenly adopted a pitiful, vulnerable expression.
Roy chuckled. "I've been married for thirty-five years. My son is sixteen. Do you really think your charm works on me?"
Hancock's face darkened. Unwilling to give up, she clasped her hands together into a heart shape.
"Mero Mero Mellow!"
The pink beam hit Roy, but had no effect on him. Behind him, however, several Marines turned to stone.
"This man… has no interest in me at all," Hancock thought.
This was the second time she'd met such a person.
The first was Luffy. But Luffy wasn't affected simply because he didn't understand beauty.
To him, everyone was just people, no one was more beautiful than another.
Roy, on the other hand, had a wife and a child. Normally, he should appreciate beauty.
Yet her power didn't work, despite working perfectly on others.
That left only two explanations: either Roy had a will as unshakable as Luffy's and was deeply loyal to his wife…
Or his Haki was so powerful that it made him immune to the influence of Devil Fruits altogether.
"Such unshakable will… and Haki. This man has no weaknesses." Hancock felt a sense of despair. She couldn't beat him at all.
Hngggg~
Suddenly, they heard a metallic hum. Looking up, they saw Mihawk slashing toward Roy.
From their perspective, the slash struck Roy, even cutting through him.
"Did it hit?" Doflamingo inhaled sharply.
Mihawk's pupils shifted, his slash extended outward, hitting both marines and pirates alike.
"That scared me. That almost hit." Roy's voice came from the side. The previous image of him vanished, and the real Roy stood a short distance away, barely evading the strike.
"That's some powerful Haki… no, wait. He didn't move at all. It was my slash that veered off."Mihawk's eyes widened in shock.
Mihawk's mind raced. He had definitely aimed at Roy. Yet, his attack had deviated.
So only one explanation remained: His senses had been deceived.
"You distorted my perception," Mihawk said, eyes narrowing at Roy.
"You noticed, huh?" Roy smiled.
"How did you do it?"
Mihawk had never seen anything like this. Haki so strong that it affected his six senses, causing misjudgments.
It felt like spinning in place dozens of times and then trying to walk in a straight line.
The brain received incorrect input. Movement became distorted and disconnected from thought.
Seeing is no longer believing.
Mihawk had fought countless powerful foes, many masters of Haki.
His ongoing clashes with Shanks spanned years.
But this level of Haki, this was something new.
"You want to know?" Roy smiled again.
"You won't tell me," Mihawk replied.
"It's simple, really. My Observation Haki is just stronger than yours. I don't want to waste my energy fighting you. Leave now, or I won't hold back." Roy's tone turned cold.
Doflamingo and Hancock felt the weight of those words. If they refused, they'd end up like Moria.
"Fufufu… seems like this war isn't for me." Doflamingo turned away without hesitation.
Hancock also glanced at Roy. "I'm leaving."
"And you?" Roy looked toward Mihawk.
"I want to give it a try," Mihawk said.
"I'm not interested." Roy pulled a pistol from his waist and fired at Mihawk.
Bang!
From the others' view, the bullet seemed to miss Mihawk entirely. Mihawk didn't even dodge.
But to Garp and Tsuru, the bullet clearly was aimed at Mihawk.
Sensing danger, Mihawk twisted at the last second—
Ssshhk!
The bullet grazed his arm, drawing blood.
"Mihawk... was hit?!"
Akainu, who was fighting Whitebeard, turned and looked in shock.
"Gurararara… Did you really think Roy was weak?" Whitebeard laughed. That swordsman doesn't stand a chance!"
Mihawk calmly looked down at the wound on his arm.
The bullet had been fired from his side, yet it nearly pierced his heart.
Just barely missed.
If he hadn't reacted in time, he might have been dead.
"Oh, looks like you caught on." Roy grinned.
"My senses... were fooled again," Mihawk muttered as he stepped back, putting distance between them.
Roy withdrew his Haki. The pressure on Doflamingo and Hancock vanished.
They looked at Mihawk, shocked that he still wanted to continue.
"I'm done here," Doflamingo said, walking away.
Hancock gave Roy one last look, then also left. Neither headed toward the Marines' side—they moved toward the battlefield's edge.
"Doflamingo! Boa Hancock! Where are you going?" Vice Admiral Doberman called out.
"We've already lost. Just consider us dead," Doflamingo waved.
"What do you mean? Are you betraying the World Government?!" Doberman roared.
"I never followed orders to begin with. There was no betrayal," Doflamingo snapped back.
"And I never joined the World Government either. You were the ones who begged me to be a Warlord. But now the enemy is too strong, this fight is pointless," Hancock added.
She wasn't foolish. If the fight continued, she'd be finished.
She had tried to use her powers on Roy. When she realized he had zero interest in her, she knew it was over.
Two Warlords had left the battlefield, one was down and critically injured, and only one remained.
Everyone looked at Roy. With one move, three of the Seven Warlords were out of the picture.
"If Mihawk falls, I'll step in. Otherwise, Sakazuki and the others won't be able to handle it." Garp said, tearing off his cape and loosening his joints.
"This war… was lost from the very beginning," Vice Admiral Tsuru said.
They had neither the timing, the location, the morale, nor the people.
From the moment they sailed across the sea to wage war on the Whitebeard Pirates, defeat was already sealed.
Worse yet, intel suggested the situation was deteriorating—pirates from the New World were starting to gather.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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