Chapter 275: Ralph: Because It's You...
Ralph formed a hand blade with his fingers, his arm slicing through the air with a sharp slash.
Blade Aura shot from his fingertips, cutting through the strand of long hair that Kumadori had wrapped around Lufia.
The hair snapped.
Lufia's body began to fall, and Ralph rushed forward, reaching out to catch her.
Blueno blocked the way again.
After taking the punch from Lufia earlier, sweat still beaded on his forehead.
But he stood firm, fists clenched at his waist, his body straight as a wall.
Ralph's hand blade continued its downward slash.
Blueno gritted his teeth, muscles tensing all over.
"Tekkai!"
CP9's signature defensive technique, tensing every muscle to its limit, making it harder than steel.
This was Blueno's most confident move—he believed what happened earlier was just a fluke.
Yet, the hand blade fell.
Thud!
A long gash appeared across Blueno's chest, from his collarbone to his ribs.
He was sent flying backward, crashing through a low wall and buried in the rubble.
Tekkai had failed to block it.
Ralph continued forward.
Lufia was just three meters away, as Kumadori used his remaining hair to pull her back.
Only a step's distance remained.
A figure crashed in from the side.
Ralph's Observation Haki detected it, but he couldn't dodge in time.
The leopard was too fast.
Lucci, Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard.
His body had grown larger than before, muscles bulging, fingers turned into sharp claws, his face bearing the ferocity of a beast.
After transforming, his strength surged, allowing him to unexpectedly knock Sanji away.
Then, he charged at Ralph from the side, fists clenched together, and unleashed a powerful strike.
"Rokuogan!"
An invisible force blasted into Ralph's organs.
At the same time, Ralph slashed out with his right hand.
Blade Aura cut into Lucci, leaving a bloody gash.
Both were sent flying.
Ralph landed, skidding several meters before digging his left foot into the ground to stop.
He quickly used Life Return to stabilize the damage to his organs.
He looked up to see Lucci had already retreated beside Kumadori, blood seeping from the wound on his body, healing rapidly as well.
At the same time.
Kumadori's long hair wrapped around Lufia's waist again, dragging her back.
This time, it was tighter, squeezing a muffled groan from Lufia.
Usopp woke up.
He struggled to his feet, face covered in blood, eyes swollen to slits.
He saw Lufia bound by the hair, saw Kumadori pulling a dagger from his sleeve.
"Let her go…"
Usopp's legs trembled, his arms covered in wounds, but he still charged forward!
Just as he raised his slingshot…
Kumadori glanced down at him.
A strand of hair hung from his head, its tip sharp as a needle.
Thud!
A hair needle pierced Usopp's shoulder. Usopp grunted but didn't let go.
Thud!
A second one, into his lower back.
Thud!
A third, into his thigh.
Usopp's body shuddered, and he collapsed back to the ground.
"Usopp!"
Zoro gritted his teeth with a sharp crack.
His sword, raised halfway, lowered again.
Because Kumadori's dagger was already pressed against Lufia's neck.
The blade rested against her skin, her carotid artery pulsing just beneath its edge.
Lufia was bound by the hair, Seastone shackles locked around her ankles, her body drained of strength.
But she lifted her head, eyes wide open, staring straight at Kumadori.
Kumadori said nothing.
His hand was steady, the blade pressed against her skin, neither too loose nor too tight.
The fighting on the field gradually ceased.
Zoro retreated to Ralph's side.
Sanji walked over from the other side, his eyes fixed on the dagger at Lufia's neck.
Kaku stood beside Lucci.
Blueno crawled out of the rubble and walked over to stand beside Lucci.
Several people in ordinary clothes stepped out from the crowd.
They were other CP9 agents who had been lying low on the island.
They pinned Franky's subordinates—who had tried to rescue him—to the ground and bound their hands and feet with ropes.
Franky still lay on the ground, unconscious.
The crowd fell silent.
The residents of Water 7 stood on the outskirts, unsure where to aim their clubs and wrenches.
They had been called to capture the Straw Hat crew, but in this situation, it was impossible to tell right from wrong anymore.
Two shipyard foremen and a bar owner had suddenly become allies.
And these strangely dressed strangers—when had they infiltrated the island?
Why was Franky captured too?
No one dared to move.
Sanji watched the knife pressed against Lufia's neck, frantic to charge forward.
He took a step forward, and Kumadori's blade tightened, pressing into her skin. A line of blood trickled down her neck.
"Stop!"
Ralph shouted.
Sanji halted, his face flushed red.
Ralph hauled the unconscious Kalifa up from the ground.
He took the small cross-shaped knife from around his neck and held it against her throat.
"Let her go."
Sanji glanced at him, his lips twitching, but he said nothing.
He normally despised anyone who laid hands on women, but now he could only suppress the fury in his heart.
Ralph looked at Lucci.
"Exchange hostages. Use her for our captain."
Lucci's expression didn't change at all.
"Kill her if you want."
Ralph frowned.
"She's one of your people."
"Mission failure proves her weakness and incompetence."
Lucci stated expressionlessly, "Weakness is the original sin. She deserves to die."
Sanji's eyes reddened.
"What do you think human lives are?"
Lucci didn't look at him.
He stared at Ralph, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
"If you don't believe me, you can try. See who compromises first—you or me."
Ralph didn't speak.
He tightened his grip on the knife.
The tip pierced Kalifa's neck, and beads of blood welled up.
Almost simultaneously, Kumadori's blade tightened as well.
The line of blood on Lufia's neck grew longer, trickling down past her collarbone.
Neither of them stopped.
The blades pressed deeper.
Kalifa woke up, her face pale, her lips trembling, but she gritted her teeth and made no sound.
Kumadori's blade pressed deeper again.
Lufia let out a muffled groan, and the blood from her neck flowed faster.
Someone in the crowd screamed.
"They're insane! All of them!"
"They'll die!"
Zoro's teeth ground audibly.
Sanji clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
He wanted to shout at Ralph to stop, but he also knew the other side wouldn't back down first.
Whoever stopped first was afraid—and lost.
Ralph watched the blood on Lufia's neck, looked at her face.
Her lips were already turning pale, but her eyes remained wide open, fixed on him.
He let go.
He pushed Kalifa away, and she staggered a few steps before being caught by a nearby CP9 agent.
Someone pressed gauze against the wound on her neck.
Ralph stood there, the small knife hanging at his side.
"State your terms."
"What will it take to release Lufia?"
Lucci glanced at Kumadori.
Kumadori didn't move, the blade still pressed against Lufia's neck.
Lucci observed Ralph.
Ralph's face was tense, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
His eyes were fixed on the knife at Lufia's neck.
Lucci made a gesture.
Kumadori withdrew the blade.
The agents responsible for treatment stepped forward to bandage the Straw Hat Girl.
Lufia struggled.
"Don't touch me!"
Blood seeped again from the wound on her neck.
"Ralph!"
Lufia shouted loudly.
"Aren't you the best at handling hostage exchange situations? Do it! Why are you negotiating with the other side? Where's your decisiveness?"
Her voice was so loud that everyone could hear it.
Ralph replied,
"Because the hostage is you, Lufia."