Chapitre 19: Chapter 19: The Clash
Hancock didn't fully understand the concept of kiting, but she grasped Bardock's strategy of attacking from a distance to wear down their opponents. She entered the cabin and grabbed her weapon—a bow and arrows.
Bardock raised an eyebrow, puzzled as to why she wasn't using her Devil Fruit abilities to attack. But now wasn't the time for questions.
"Let's take down those with long-range attack abilities first, then deal with the rest slowly."
"Hmph, no need to tell me," Hancock retorted.
The two of them continued their relentless assault. Their opponents were visibly struggling, watching helplessly as their comrades fell one by one, unable to even get close to their foes.
"Quick, hide in the cabin!" someone shouted.
"If we hide inside the cabin, they won't be able to see us and attack us!" the captain thought of a defensive tactic. It was the turtle strategy: use the cabin to shield themselves from sight and avoid being sniped. They hoped that their opponents would eventually give up unless they dared to come aboard. At that point, it would be time for a counterattack—how could just two brats kill so many of them?
"Bring the ship closer," Hancock commanded Bardock while continuing her assault. Every arrow she released pierced through the ship's planks, followed by a scream.
"You've already mastered Observation Haki and Armament Haki?" Bardock asked in surprise.
"So what? In our Kuja tribe, we start training from a young age. I awakened Haki when I was twelve," Hancock replied confidently.
"Oh, is there some secret to it? I've been following Shanks' guidance for a month now and still haven't felt a thing," Bardock admitted.
Hancock paused her attack and looked at Bardock. "Listen to yourself—just one month, and you think you can awaken Haki? Who do you think you are? I trained for years from a young age to get to where I am. You need to be more grounded and realistic."
"Alright, how many opponents are left? Do you have enough Haki for this?"
"I can keep shooting like this all day," Hancock replied with a smirk.
"Alright, Captain of the Kuja Pirates, Boa Hancock."
When the turtle strategy proved ineffective, the pirate captain fell into despair. He had never imagined that a casual attack could lead to such a disastrous outcome. If he had known, he would have stayed home fishing instead.
"Are pirates in the New World really this weak? They didn't even put up much of a fight. I still have so many tricks up my sleeve that I didn't get to use," Bardock mused.
"The strong are always in the minority. Small fries like these are everywhere on the seas. Resting is enough; let's get moving," Hancock responded.
"Hold on, we haven't collected the spoils yet," Bardock reminded.
"I'm not going over there. Small-time pirates like these probably spend whatever little money they have immediately. There's no real treasure to be found," Hancock replied disdainfully.
Bardock didn't mind her attitude and boarded the pirate ship alone. Whether there was treasure or not didn't matter; he enjoyed the thrill of collecting spoils.
As he searched through each cabin, Bardock marveled at the power of Haki. He already had exceptional dynamic vision and long-range sight, but he lacked the ability to see through objects. When the pirates used the turtle strategy, he couldn't snipe them. However, Hancock could sense their positions using Observation Haki and use Armament Haki to enhance her arrows, killing them through the ship's walls.
"One, two, three, four... This wood is like paper, piercing through four layers and still retaining lethal force—each shot a kill," he counted.
"There he is, the captain. What a pitiful sight, skewered by five arrows. Ugh, so poor. Only a few Berries... Forget it, I'll head to the captain's quarters," Bardock muttered.
As Bardock turned his back, the seemingly lifeless pirate captain suddenly opened his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he swung a cutlass toward Bardock's neck. He had been playing dead all along.
"Idiot, you should have made your move earlier," Bardock sneered. While searching the captain, he had already noticed the man's ruse, but the captain was bleeding out and probably wanted to drag someone down with him before he died.
Seeing the blade about to strike, the pirate captain's eyes gleamed with excitement. Yet, in the next moment, everything stopped. An arrow shot through his skull, and Bardock, partially transformed into his beast form, blocked the cutlass with a single finger.
Awkwardness filled the air. Bardock had initially intended to put on a display, blocking the blade with a single finger in a "cool" manner, but instead, he ended up in an anticlimactic situation.
…
When Bardock returned to his own ship, he didn't have much treasure on him, but he had made some gains. From the captain's quarters, he had found a map of the surrounding area, a Log Pose pointing to the Kingdom of Prodence, and a navigation journal.
As the ship soared back into the air, Bardock opened the navigation journal and started flipping through it.
"During the fight earlier, why didn't you use your Devil Fruit ability?" Bardock asked curiously.
"How do you know that? I don't recall mentioning that I ate a Devil Fruit," Hancock's face turned grim, and it seemed that unless Bardock gave a satisfactory explanation, she would attack.
"Didn't I mention it before? Oda told me. He said Boa Hancock is the world's most beautiful woman and that you have the powers of the Love-Love Fruit, which can turn people into stone."
"No, you never mentioned that. Also, if I ever meet this Oda, I'll turn him into a stone that never speaks again," Hancock replied sharply.
Despite her words, her expression visibly relaxed, and even a slight smile played at her lips. It seemed she was quite pleased with the idea of being the world's most beautiful woman.
"So, can you really turn people into stone? Can they be turned back? If someone is turned into stone, does their time stop? For example, if someone were badly injured and dying without medical treatment, could you turn them into stone, take them to a doctor, and then undo the petrification to save them?" Bardock bombarded her with questions.
Hancock initially pondered, then frowned, and finally grew frustrated. "Will you ever shut up? If you're so curious, why don't I turn you into stone and see?"
"I'd rather not; I still have to steer the ship. It's a pity we didn't try it on those pirates," Bardock replied.
After a moment of silence, Hancock finally spoke, "I hate this power. It always reminds me of bad memories from my past."
"All the misfortunes in life stem from one's lack of ability. Since you have this power, why not use it to become stronger and make misfortune avoid you?"
"Stop your nonsense and steer the ship," Hancock ordered.
…
"There's an uninhabited island ahead. Let's stop there for today. I'm starving and want a big meal," Hancock said.
"Then I'll go hunt something!" Hancock immediately jumped off the ship and headed inland.
Bardock anchored the ship, stretched his body, set up the cooking utensils, and prepared the seasonings. Before long, Hancock returned with a huge brown bear.
"Today's your lucky day. I'll let you taste my cooking," Bardock declared.
After some hustle and bustle, they both ate to their hearts' content and rested comfortably.
"Hancock, can your Armament Haki flow?" Bardock asked.
"Not yet, but I'm close. Why? You can't use Armament Haki either," she replied.
"My beast form has a strong defensive ability. I want to test its limits. Could you hit me and see?"
"I've never heard of such a request before. If you get hurt, don't blame me."
"Don't worry, I promise I won't. Let's digest our food first, then we can start."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone