The Tower of Law was shaking, not just from the physical impact of the cannons, but from the sheer 'Narrative Pressure' of two apex predators facing off. Rob Lucci, in his hybrid Leopard form, stood like a statue of lethal code. His eyes weren't just looking at Luffy; they were scanning for 'Logic Holes'.
Amine sat slumped against a cracked marble pillar, his Golden Stylus flickering like a dying candle. His system screen was a mess of red 'Critical' windows.
[Warning: Physical Body at 120% Thermal Limit.]
[Status: Watching a 'High-Refresh Rate' Combat.]
"You think your 'Gear' makes you special, Straw Hat?" Lucci's voice was a low, digital growl. "In this world, speed is just a variable. And I... I am the 'Master of the Frame'."
Lucci moved. He didn't just run—he "Soru-Skipped". To the human eye, he vanished. To Amine's system, he was moving at 240 Frames Per Second, while the world was only rendering at 60.
"Rankyaku: Gaicho!" A massive, bird-shaped air-blade sliced through the stone, missing Luffy by an inch. The shockwave caused a 'Graphical Glitch' in the air, tearing through the tapestries like they were made of low-resolution pixels.
"Amine! I can't keep up with his 'Refresh Rate'!" Luffy shouted, his skin glowing a violent pink as steam hissed from his pores. "Every time I punch, he's already 'Buffered' his next move!"
Amine bit his lip, tasting the metallic tang of violet ink. He raised his stylus with a trembling hand. "Luffy! Don't try to match his speed! You have to 'Lag' his sensors! I'm going to 'Inject' a 'Latency-Spike' into the air around him!"
[Ability Activated: Network Congestion – The Lag-Zone.]
Amine drew a jagged, stuttering line in the air between the combatants. Suddenly, Lucci's smooth, leopard-like movements started to 'Jitter'. His high-speed 'Soru' was interrupted by 'Stutter-Frames'.
"What is this?" Lucci roared, his claws scratching the air as if trying to tear through a physical net. "My body... it's 'Rubber-Banding'!"
"Now, Luffy!" Amine screamed, his eyes bleeding violet light. "He's 'Stuck' in a 100ms delay! Hit him before his system 'Syncs' back!"
Luffy didn't wait. He pulled his arm back until it turned into a blur of compressed rubber. "Gomu Gomu no... JET GATLING: FRAME-BREAK!"
The punches hit Lucci with the force of a million 'Input Commands'. Each strike caused a 'Visual Artifact'—a burst of purple and gold light that shattered Lucci's 'Tekkai' armor. The leopard-man was sent flying through the 'Logic-Core' of the room, his body leaving a trail of broken code.
But the battle wasn't over. [Alert: 'Buster Call' Fleet has reached the Inner Circle. Deletion Sequence: 5 Minutes.]
Amine looked at the distant ocean through a hole in the wall. He could see the silhouettes of the giant warships. "I need to... I need to reach the Going Merry," he whispered. "She's the only 'Restore-Point' we have left."