One Piece: The Multiverse Simulator

Bang——!

Amidst a cloud of smoke rising from the gun, a bullet as large as a child's fist shot at high speed toward Hancock once more.

Zephyr, who had once trained Ain, had commented that her talent far surpassed that of Wood.

Though she had slight shortcomings in hand-to-hand combat and was unable to fully master the Navy's Six Powers, Ain excelled in every other area.

Whether it was swordsmanship, Haki, or shooting skills, Ain was the top student of her batch in the Navy.

Ain was not a sniper, but when using a pistol, she could easily hit a target over a hundred meters away without relying on Observation Haki.

Seeing the bullet speeding toward her, Hancock, who had witnessed its power earlier, wasn't foolish enough to take it head-on. Using her hands as support, she executed several flips on the ground before leaping onto her pet snake, Salome. She then touched her lips with her index finger, drawing a large heart.

"Slave Arrow!"

Countless pink heart-shaped arrows, resembling Cupid's arrows, shot out from the pink heart in front of Hancock and swiftly collided with the bullet Ain had fired.

The bullet struck by the arrows was petrified mid-air but suddenly erupted into a brilliant white light as if triggered by something.

Boom——!

With a deafening explosion, a small mushroom cloud rose into the air once again.

As Ain prepared another bullet and began reloading, the spectators around them were completely dumbfounded.

The power of that weapon was already absurd, but the fact that it could continuously fire without needing time to cool down, unlike a cannon, was utterly ridiculous!

The sword in Ain's hand was Kanji, one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades, a gift from Gion. As for the pistol, it was far from ordinary.

The gun, named Grubshot, was a renowned firearm gifted to her by Wood. As for the powerful ammunition, it was naturally another product of Wood's weapons company.

These special bullets not only had immense explosive power but also contained traces of Seastone powder. If a Devil Fruit user was hit, even those with Logia powers couldn't use their intangibility due to the effects of the Seastone. Such an attack would undoubtedly leave them in a bad state.

However, the major drawback of this special ammunition was that only one bullet could be loaded at a time. Loading more would risk detonation in the chamber, and only a few firearms were capable of handling them. This was why Wood specifically sought out the Grubshot.

Turning Seastone into powder and incorporating it into ammunition was a challenging process, making these bullets incredibly expensive. Each bullet cost a staggering ten million Berries to produce.

And Wood had gone so far as to manufacture dozens of these bullets, gifting them along with the Grubshot to Ain. This generosity had left Robin, the finance officer at the time, more than a little jealous, calling Wood a "sister-obsessed maniac" more than once.

Under normal circumstances, Ain wouldn't use the Grubshot, knowing from Gion how outrageously expensive the bullets were—ten million Berries per shot.

Wood had given her fifty of them, totaling five hundred million Berries. Adding the value of the Grubshot itself, the cost was even higher.

Due to the expense, Ain rarely used such a money-burning weapon. But facing Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and one of the strongest women in the world, the situation was different.

Looking at the scorched ground in the distance, Hancock, as a Devil Fruit user, noticed a disturbing aura and quickly understood why her "Slave Arrow" had failed.

Luckily, she had kept her distance while using the "Slave Arrow" rather than attempting close-range moves like the "Perfume Femur." Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

"I can't let her use that strange weapon again, or I'll be in serious danger."

Seeing Ain reloading the Grubshot, Hancock used Salome as a springboard, launching herself at high speed toward Ain with her long legs in motion.

Although Ain's weapon was powerful and effective against Devil Fruit users, it had a significant flaw—it required time to reload after each shot.

By closing the distance while Ain was reloading, she wouldn't give her the chance to fire!

Just as Ain was about to show off her stylish one-handed gun-flipping reload, a long white leg came straight at her.

Left with no choice, Ain abandoned reloading the Grubshot. Instead, she coated the gun with Armament Haki and used its body to block Hancock's kick, while countering with her sword, Kanji, in her other hand.

However, just as Kanji slashed down, Hancock displayed incredible flexibility, twisting her body and whipping her other leg at the blade.

The collision sent both women skidding back several meters. Almost simultaneously, they unleashed their Devil Fruit abilities at each other.

Hancock kissed her index finger and made a gun-like gesture. In the next second, a pink heart bullet shot out at Ain like a projectile.

"Love Gun!" One of the abilities of the Love-Love Fruit, it was said to have a "guaranteed hit" property. Even Luffy, with his rubber body, felt pain when hit by this move.

"Retro Flame!"

Unlike the diverse abilities of the Love-Love Fruit, Ain's Return-Return Fruit had fewer techniques. The so-called "Retro Flame" was merely the fruit's ability manifested as a pink flame, thrown as a ranged attack.

With no age restriction on abilities, the "Love Gun" and "Retro Flame" collided mid-air, creating a massive pink storm.

What Ain didn't expect was that before the storm dissipated, a barrage of pink heart-shaped arrows suddenly shot out from it, sweeping toward her position.

Initially, Ain could rely on her Observation Haki to predict and dodge the "Slave Arrows." However, a wave of an unfamiliar Haki, distinct from Armament and Observation, assaulted her directly, causing a brief lapse in her consciousness.

The third type of Haki, said to be possessed by only one in a million—Conqueror's Haki!

Conqueror's Haki was a spiritual shockwave. For those with weaker wills, merely standing in its presence could render them unconscious.

Though Ain was strong enough not to faint under Hancock's Conqueror's Haki, the brief disorientation left her unable to evade the "Slave Arrows." As a result, one of her legs was hit and turned to stone.

In a battle between the strong, even the smallest opening could be fatal. And now, with one leg petrified and immobile, the fight was undoubtedly over for Ain.

Whether using "Soru" or "Geppo" from the Navy's Six Powers, both required two functional legs. With only one, Ain had no chance.

Facing Hancock's relentless advance, Ain tried to resist with her sword and gun. However, her efforts were futile. Soon, Hancock's whip-like leg struck Ain's back, sending her flying dozens of meters!

Smoker wanted to intervene and rushed over in his smoke form, but having already been battered and bruised earlier, he was no match for Hancock then, let alone now.

Glancing at the fallen Ain and Smoker, Hancock hesitated for a moment before deciding to eliminate the more dangerous of the two. She slowly walked toward Ain, her long legs covered in Armament Haki, ready to stomp down and crush Ain's head.

Although the Warlords of the Sea were technically aligned with the World Government, Hancock was still a pirate at heart. Killing a Marine was of no consequence to her.

Besides, with the battlefield in such chaos, even if she "accidentally" killed a Marine captain or two, it was unlikely anyone would notice or care.

"You might want to think this through. She's not just a Marine captain; she's also the sister of Wood, the Ancient Weapon.

Even as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, can you afford to provoke him? If you kill his sister here, your Amazon Lily Kingdom might very well face his wrath."

Seeing Hancock about to deliver a fatal blow to Ain, Smoker, unable to move, desperately invoked Wood's name, hoping to scare off the Pirate Empress.

Though Smoker despised pirates and hated relying on someone like Wood, Ain had fallen into this situation trying to save him.

And regardless of his personal feelings, Wood's name carried significant weight on the seas.

Pirates might not fear the Marines, but they were definitely wary of Wood, the man known as an Ancient Weapon.

Boom——!

The sound came from Hancock's high heel shattering the ground, but the blood-soaked scene Smoker imagined did not occur.

At the moment Hancock heard Smoker's words, her attack angle abruptly shifted.

In other words, she deliberately missed.

"You're Wood's sister?"

Hancock, who had been cold and indifferent just moments ago, suddenly underwent a dramatic change in attitude. Her icy tone softened as she looked at Ain and asked gently.

Even if Ain didn't confirm it, Hancock had already begun piecing things together.

Smoker had no reason to lie about something so easily verifiable. Offending Wood, the Ancient Weapon, over a lie would be utterly foolish.

What's more, the weapon Ain carried, Grubshot, and the devastatingly powerful bullets she had used, were further evidence.

It didn't take much thought to realize that the only person on the seas capable of producing such weapons was Wood's company.

And a weapon as powerful and unique as Ain's—a weapon lethal even to Devil Fruit users—was clearly no ordinary product of Wood's company.

For a mere Marine captain like Ain to possess such a weapon, the answer was obvious: she must have a special relationship with Wood. She was likely, as Smoker said, Wood's sister.

"I have nothing to do with him. He's a pirate, and I'm a Marine. It's as simple as that."

Ain was well aware that her brother Wood was an undercover agent for the Marines. She also knew their relationship couldn't remain hidden if investigated.

However, familial ties between Marines and pirates were not uncommon within Marine Headquarters.

The most notable example was Vice Admiral Garp, a Marine hero, whose son was the most notorious criminal in the world, Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, and whose grandson was a pirate and one of the Supernovas.

To protect Wood's identity, Ain didn't want to publicly show any close relationship with him. She chose instead to emphasize the divide between Marines and pirates, ensuring no one would suspect Wood.

"My apologies, I nearly hurt you, little sister," Hancock said, her tone completely transformed.

Whether or not Ain was a Marine no longer mattered. After confirming Ain was indeed Wood's sister, everything else became irrelevant to Hancock.

"Little sister…?"

Hearing Hancock address her as such, and watching as Hancock helped her up with a smile, Ain was utterly dumbfounded.

"That's right. You're Wood's sister, and once he and I get married, you'll be my little sister too. So, calling you that isn't wrong at all," Hancock said dreamily, cupping her flushed cheeks in her hands as she imagined herself in a white wedding gown, being led down the aisle by Wood.

"Wood's going to marry you?! No, that's impossible. He's always said that someone like him, a 'single dog,' doesn't deserve love.

And as far as I know, the world's most beautiful woman, Boa Hancock, has no connection to my brother Wood," Ain protested, disbelief written all over her face.

First, Robin had threatened her status as Wood's "little sister," and now Hancock had come out of nowhere claiming she wanted to be her sister-in-law.

If it were just anyone, Ain wouldn't care. She had confidence in her looks and figure. But standing before Hancock, Ain couldn't help but feel defeated.

After all, this wasn't just any rival—it was the world's most beautiful woman!

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