"Light-Speed Kick!"
A dazzling yellow light illuminated Jiang Lin's left leg. He didn't hold back at all when facing the Empress, because he knew that in front of her, hesitation could very well mean death.
"Mero Mero Gust!"
In response to his attack, the Empress raised her head proudly and fired countless red heart-shaped blasts at Jiang Lin's rapidly approaching left leg.
"Not good!"
Faced with her counterattack, Jiang Lin had no choice but to abandon his offensive and use the Yata Mirror to dodge the attack.
"Not having Haki is a pain. Why can't this system give me some other abilities too?"
Jiang Lin muttered helplessly as he panted heavily, looking toward the Empress before him.
"Oh… is it that my beauty doesn't move your heart? Why did you dodge so quickly?"
Boa Hancock puffed out her proud chest, extended her crimson tongue, and lightly licked her right hand. That aggrieved expression made Jiang Lin turn his blushing face away immediately after just one glance.
"Don't look! Don't look! These are all part of her attacks!"
Just one glance at the Empress was enough to scare Jiang Lin into a cold sweat. He currently had no Haki and no other way to counter petrification—if he got turned to stone, he would be doomed.
"You've got pretty good self-control. Not like those disgusting Marines who make me sick!"
Boa Hancock gave a faint smile, crossed her arms into a heart shape again, and launched another "Mero Mero Gust" at Jiang Lin.
"Useless!"
Jiang Lin continued using the Yata Mirror to move quickly while keeping an eye on the system timer. Over forty seconds had passed since the battle started—just twenty more seconds, and he could copy the Empress's Mero Mero Fruit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A dense barrage of heart blasts chased Jiang Lin's movement trail relentlessly. The surrounding members of the Kuja Pirates, seeing their Empress's powerful attacks, backed away in fright.
"The Empress is under attack! Move to support her immediately!"
The citizens within the city dropped what they were doing upon witnessing the battle and grabbed their weapons, rushing toward the outskirts of the city.
"All of you, return at once!"
The Empress raised her head high and pointed toward the city walls, commanding her people to retreat.
"There it is! That classic, condescending pose from Lady Snake Princess!"
The Kuja Pirates were visibly thrilled by Hancock's gesture, some even offering her their "peach blossoms" in admiration. The townsfolk also put down their weapons and gathered at the walls to watch her battle.
"I thought your strength would be formidable, but now it seems… you're not that strong after all!"
The Empress shouted coldly, and a wave of invisible pressure burst outward, directly targeting Jiang Lin.
"Damn! It's Conqueror's Haki!"
The moment he saw her movement, Jiang Lin realized something was wrong. Just as he was about to use the Yata Mirror to dodge, he was hit by her Haki. His eyes widened—and his consciousness began to fade.
"Just one more second! Only one more second!"
Jiang Lin looked at the system interface in frustration. He desperately hoped that one second would pass before her Haki struck.
"One minute elapsed. Mero Mero Fruit successfully copied."
"Host now holds two Devil Fruit Cards. Unlocking Devil Fruit Fusion Function, Devil Fruit Awakening Function, Devil Fruit Development Function, and System Shop."
Just as Jiang Lin was about to pass out, the system prompt finally popped up—but it was too late. His eyelids grew heavy and fell shut.
"Take him away! I'll execute him publicly!"
The Empress waved her sleeve and turned back toward her snake, Salome.
"Enter the city!"
To the sound of a triumphant horn, the Kuja Pirates' ship slowly sailed through the large open gates into Amazon Lily.
"Ugh… Where is this?"
Jiang Lin slowly opened his eyes, feeling as though his head had been smashed by a heavy object—it hurt badly.
"Yo, buddy!"
A familiar voice sounded beside him.
"L-Luffy?"
"This is…"
Jiang Lin suddenly opened his eyes wide. Around him were raised platforms full of scantily clad women, all watching him and Luffy with curiosity and whispering to one another.
"Are we being treated like animals in a zoo?"
Jiang Lin sneered, then turned his gaze toward Luffy. Like him, Luffy was restrained by several small black snakes.
"Come to think of it, I just successfully copied the Empress's fruit and unlocked a bunch of system functions."
A thought crossed Jiang Lin's mind, and he opened the system interface to examine it carefully.
The Devil Fruit Infinite Duplication System only began to show its true potential once Jiang Lin possessed two Devil Fruit Cards.
The Fusion Function allowed him to combine multiple Devil Fruit abilities to enhance one of them. For example, merging the Mero Mero Fruit with the Glint-Glint Fruit would strengthen the latter—and vice versa.
The Awakening and Development Functions granted Jiang Lin the power to awaken and further refine his Devil Fruit abilities.
As for the System Shop, it sold items—but Jiang Lin currently couldn't afford anything, rendering it useless for now.
"Ah… Lady Snake Princess!"
As Jiang Lin studied the interface, a sudden shriek broke his focus.
"The Empress?"
Jiang Lin looked up at the three women on the high platform. Seated between two tall women was the one who had just defeated him—Boa Hancock.
"Now then, I ask you this: with what purpose have you two entered this island?"
The Empress sat firmly atop her snake, her gaze proud and commanding as she looked down at Jiang Lin and Luffy.
"I told you—I don't know either. I was flying through the sky, then suddenly ended up here."
Luffy looked up at the platform, his expression pure and innocent.
"We were both slapped away by Bartholomew Kuma's powers."
Jiang Lin answered calmly, locking eyes with the Empress and preparing for a possible fight.
"Don't lie. Two men—no matter how well you cooperate—you cannot walk out of here alive. Death… is inevitable!"
The Empress's face was stern as she spoke. Her words made one of the women on the platform suddenly turn pale.