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Hearing this, the Red Scabbard samurai immediately moved to guard Momonosuke, looking at Kuzan with vigilance and tension.
This man before them was from the Sky Kingdom, an enemy they had vowed to oppose. His interest in young lord Momonosuke could not possibly be a good thing.
Even the stubborn Luffy understood this, especially since he had formed an alliance with Momonosuke against the Sky Kingdom.
"Don't even think about touching him!" Luffy declared.
Looking at Luffy with clenched fists and the Straw Hats and Red Scabbards standing against him, Kuzan shrugged with a troubled, regretful expression and said, "Really, didn't I say it from the beginning... I don't want to fight."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kuzan's figure blurred for an instant. When the cold air invaded the room, he had already rushed past everyone's defenses.
Seeing this, Luffy crouched down suddenly and touched the ground lightly with his right hand.
Immediately, his legs compressed like springs, and steam began to emerge from his body.
Using his own version of Soru, Luffy blocked Kuzan's path.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!!"
With his right fist imbued with Armament Haki, Luffy struck at Kuzan's head with the speed of Gear Second, seemingly blasting through Kuzan's head in an instant.
The Straw Hats shouted in surprise. They knew Luffy was a skilled Haki user, and that it could counter the intangibility of Logia Devil Fruits!
But their excitement didn't last more than a few seconds before panic set in.
They watched as Kuzan's pierced head reformed, freezing back into place and completely recovering.
"That was dangerous. With that mastery of Armament Haki, combined with such strength and speed, you truly are Vice Admiral Garp's grandson," Kuzan remarked, his tone still relaxed. Despite his words, he didn't seem to feel any genuine threat from Luffy.
"I missed him!" Luffy realized, unlike his surprised companions.
His fist hadn't made contact with Kuzan at all. The former Admiral had turned into scattered ice to avoid the attack before Luffy's fist connected. But because of the high speed, it had appeared as if Luffy had punched straight through him.
Luffy immediately prepared to strike again but suddenly felt his arm grow heavy and numb with a piercing cold. Looking down, he found that his right arm had been frozen solid, the ice rapidly spreading and turning him into an ice sculpture within seconds.
The Straw Hats reacted with shouts of alarm, each launching attacks at Kuzan.
Seeing this, Kuzan merely sighed.
A rapid shockwave of cold air swept from his right hand, freezing the Red Scabbard samurai and the Straw Hats in the blink of an eye.
It took just one person, and in an instant, the entire alliance was immobilized. Momonosuke was terrified at the sight, nearly fainting on the spot.
"This! This!!" King Riku and the others couldn't help backing away in horror, while Kyros bravely stood in front of the three members of the royal family.
"Don't be nervous. I won't harm you. I'll restore everything after I'm done here," Kuzan assured King Riku and the others. Then he turned toward the door and said, "The trouble is resolved. You can come in now."
Momonosuke, paralyzed with fear, initially thought Kuzan was addressing him. But hearing approaching footsteps, he looked up again.
He saw not the frightening black-haired man from before, but a beautiful woman now standing before him.
"Is this the one?" she asked.
Lilith looked at the crying Momonosuke and couldn't see any resemblance to that woman, inside or out. As she suspected, he had only inherited the genes of that foolish lord.
With some distaste, Lilith imbued her fist with advanced Haki and, without hesitation, struck Momonosuke, instantly knocking him unconscious.
The next moment, her Ripe-Ripe Fruit ability began to change Momonosuke's body.
"Did you have to be so harsh with an eight-year-old?" Kuzan asked.
"Those are Lord Alex's orders, and he's not really eight years old anymore," Lilith replied.
She ignored Kuzan, who was observing Momonosuke's transformation, and turned to King Riku and the others. "Lord Alex already knows everything about this situation. Doflamingo was a loyal partner of Lord Alex, bringing considerable trade value to the Sky Kingdom over the years."
These words made their hearts skip a beat.
Although Dressrosa was officially a member country of the World Government, being located in the New World meant they actually feared the current New World overlord, the Sky Kingdom, more than the World Government itself.
Looking at the nervous royal family who dared not speak, Lilith continued, "Regarding Doflamingo, Lord Alex says he won't pursue the matter. You're free to hand him over to the Marines."
"But there is one condition: Dressrosa must compensate the Sky Kingdom for its losses by becoming a territory under the Sky Kingdom's protection."
King Riku, who had been somewhat relieved by the initial news, was stunned again. "But... we are a member country of the World Government," he stammered.
"We're not saying this arrangement needs to be public knowledge. To outsiders, you can still appear to be a World Government member."
Lilith's subject changed again. "Besides, the World Government launches crusades against countries that aren't part of their alliance, and the same applies to our Sky Kingdom. It will be easier and safer to operate under Lord Alex's command."
"These are Lord Alex's words to you. After careful consideration, you can contact us through Miss Viola using Doflamingo's Den Den Mushi."
After speaking, Lilith walked toward the exit.
Viola stared at Lilith's retreating back, shocked that her identity as a spy had been so easily revealed. Did that mean she or Dressrosa had been secretly monitored by the Sky Kingdom all along?
Kuzan looked at the hesitating King Riku and the others, then dispelled the ice and departed as well.
King Riku and the others remained silent, the only sound in the hall being the melting of ice into water.
Not long after, shouts of alarm came from the thawing Red Scabbard samurai: "Lord Momonosuke!!... Who is this person?!!"