Chapter 029: The Speed of a Punch

Wearing a mask, Marin swept her cold gaze over the Kuja Pirates and said slowly, "I don't care where you pirates come from, but the port ahead is not a place for you to run wild. If you're here to resupply, leave immediately after you've done so."

"But if you're here to plunder, then get out of here now!"

The members of the Kuja Pirates all looked grim, mainly because Marin's manner of appearance was too unusual. They all had keen eyes and could tell at a glance that Marin was no pushover.

Someone like that would be hard to deal with.

After thinking it over, the pirate crew member Rindo stepped forward and said, "Then let me see if you have the skill to back up those words."

She kicked out, her leg wrapped in Armament Haki, the very air bursting with a sharp whistle.

But Marin merely extended a hand and casually blocked Rindo's attack.

Rindo's expression changed. She quickly withdrew her leg and leaped back, staring at Marin with a grave face, her right foot trembling uncontrollably.

Her kick had felt as if it had struck not a palm but the hardest substance in the world. Her right foot was numbed from the impact, momentarily unable to exert force.

The other members of the Kuja Pirates saw this and knew Rindo had come off worse. This made them even more solemn.

"What are you doing?" Just then, a massive figure emerged from the cabin.

When the Kuja Pirates saw this woman, they all bowed.

"Lady Marigold, a strange woman has come aboard our ship to cause trouble."

"This woman is strong."

Marin looked up. The woman who came out of the cabin had long orange hair, a large build, and was at least four meters tall.

She had never seen a woman like that before.

Could she be a woman with some kind of giant bloodline?

Marin couldn't help but wonder, but she wasn't afraid. As a powerful Saint, she didn't sense any threat from this woman.

So Marin repeated what she had just said.

After hearing her out, Marigold burst into laughter. "I don't know who you are, but no one has ever dared to speak to the Kuja Pirates like that. I'll cut you down!"

She swung a huge guandao, slashing it down fiercely at Marin's head.

Marin sighed. Why wouldn't these people listen to reason?

She raised her right hand and effortlessly caught Marigold's attack. Before the other could react, she clenched her fist and punched out with force.

Meteor Punch!

In an instant, Marin unleashed hundreds of punches. Before Marigold could even process it, her massive body was sent flying, crashing onto the deck with a thud.

The entire ship rocked violently.

All the crew members stood dumbfounded, the scene dead silent. A few seconds later, they erupted in thunderous cries.

"Lady Marigold has been defeated!"

"Quick, summon Lady Snake Princess!"

"Lady Snake Princess, we've encountered a powerful enemy!"

Marin stood expressionless, waiting for someone in charge to appear.

Before long, a woman stood before Marin. She was tall, with peerless beauty, long black hair in a hime cut, deep blue eyes, and a pair of snake-shaped golden earrings.

Beside her was a giant serpent with a horned skull on its head and a white body covered in vermillion patterns.

"So it's you who defeated my little sister," the woman said, looking down at Marin with contempt rather than fear in her eyes.

Marin felt exasperated. What was wrong with this woman? Why did she look down on her right away?

Didn't she understand the gap between them?

But to complete the mission Athena had given her, Marin repeated her words once more.

After hearing her, the woman said nonchalantly, "Why should I listen to you?"

Marin sighed. "It seems I'll have to use force to make you listen."

"Impudent woman, do you dare to fight me?"

Meteor Punch!

Her only response was Marin's fists—hundreds of punches hurtling toward Boa Hancock in an instant.

Marin's only thought was to complete the mission Athena had given her as quickly as possible: to subdue all these pirates. If they wouldn't listen, she'd beat them until they did.

But Boa Hancock was not her sister. As Marin threw her punches, she instantly used Observation Haki to track them.

Though surprised by the speed of Marin's punches, she dodged them with swift, evasive movements.

Then, she touched her lips with her finger, creating a small, heart-shaped pink substance, and aimed it at Marin like a bullet from a finger gun.

Slave Arrow!

Marin punched out, her Cosmo exploding, shattering the Slave Arrow.

"Perfume Femur!" But Boa Hancock's second attack followed immediately, kicking at Marin's head.

Marin did not retreat; she blocked Hancock's attack with her right hand again.

But the next second, Marin found her right hand turning to stone.

"What a fool, daring to catch my attack with your hand." Having landed a hit, Boa Hancock did not press the attack but instead looked at Marin with a hint of pity.

Another fool who didn't know her ability.

"Embrace despair and turn into... Impossible!!!"

Marin's Cosmo erupted, completely purging the Devil Fruit's power. The petrified part cracked, the stone skin flaking off to reveal a perfectly unharmed right hand.

Boa Hancock was stunned at the sight.

Her Devil Fruit ability had been broken—how was that possible?

"An ability that petrifies on contact?" Marin remarked. Such an ability might be troublesome, but it was far too naive to think it could defeat a Saint.

"Now it's my turn. Take this: Meteor Punch!"

This time, Marin got serious, increasing her speed dozens of times over.

In one second, she unleashed thousands of punches, each capable of shattering the earth and crushing rocks.

This was the true power of a Silver Saint.

Though Boa Hancock tracked Marin's punches with Observation Haki, Marin's attacks were simply too fast.

In that instant, the speed of Marin's punches reached dozens of Mach.

Even if Hancock tracked them, she couldn't fully dodge, because Marin's speed was too great.

Too fast for even herself to react.