Akira's Power

5 chapters today as bonus for the power stones

---

Akira's bold declaration sent a ripple of outrage through the ranks of Amazon Lily's warriors. The tension in the air was palpable as their eyes bore into him, their expressions ranging from disbelief to outright fury.

"What did you just say?!" one of the warriors, a tall woman with a jagged scar across her cheek, stepped forward, her voice echoing through the courtyard.

The crowd erupted in furious whispers.

"How dare you speak like that about Lady Boa Hancock!"

"Does he think he can challenge the Pirate Empress?!"

"Such arrogance!"

Akira remained calm, his gaze steady as he met the fiery eyes of the warriors. He had anticipated this reaction — after all, Hancock was not just their leader but their idol. To them, his words must have seemed like nothing but a mockery.

Meanwhile, Empress Boa Hancock, unfazed by their outcry, stepped down from her throne, moving gracefully toward the arena.

"Beautiful! She's so beautiful!" the warriors chanted.

"We are truly honored! Lady Hancock is going to fight personally!" 

Hancock, with her typical haughty demeanor, stood tall in front of Akira, her hand resting on her hip as she pointed a delicate finger toward him. Her chin tilted arrogantly to the sky as she declared, "Man, you're destined to lose. No man can resist my beauty, and none would ever think to defeat me." 

Her fans went wild. 

"She's doing it! The famous 'despise pose! Extreme Looking Down pose'"

"The way she looks down on people—it's overwhelming!" 

Despite the amazement from Hancock's loyalists, the Uchiha clan couldn't help but find the whole spectacle strange. In their experience, Konoha Village had its share of eccentric personalities, but Boa Hancock's mannerisms took that eccentricity to new levels.

"Maybe you're strong, and your clan has some unique powers," Hancock continued. "But with me in the ring, everything ends here. I am the Empress of Amazon Lily"

As she spoke, she formed a heart-shaped gesture with her hands. 

"Mero Mero Mellow!"

She unleashed a pink heart-shaped ray from her hands, aiming directly at Akira. The ray hit him—but nothing happened. Akira stood in place, unharmed and unchanged.

"...."

"Eh?" The entire arena was left in a state of disbelief. Even Hancock was shocked.

"Why aren't you petrified? Are you not tempted by my beauty?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise.

Marigold, standing nearby, was equally astonished. "That's impossible! No man, woman, or even child has ever resisted my sister's beauty!"

Sandersonia, still recovering from her earlier defeat, speculated, "Perhaps the fear of death overpowers any evil thoughts in him... This man is lucky."

Boa Hancock was growing frustrated. "Hey! Are you even a man?!" she shouted in exasperation.

Akira's expression darkened. "You'll find out whether I'm a man soon enough."

The Amazon warriors erupted into cries of outrage. 

"Rude!" 

"Vulgar!" 

Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan members remained silent, knowing Akira's remark wasn't exactly appropriate.

Hancock, her irritation mounting, pressed her lips gently with her finger, conjuring another small, heart-shaped substance. "Pistol Kiss!" she yelled, firing the heart-shaped bullet at Akira.

'Bang!'

Akira swiftly dodged, moving aside just in time for the heart-shaped projectile to explode against the arena walls.

Frustrated, Hancock created a whole line of heart-shaped bullets and fired them rapidly at Akira. But Akira was too fast, evading each shot as he dashed around the platform. His movements were precise, making it look effortless.

In a blink of an eye, Akira reappeared behind Boa Hancock.

However, Hancock was prepared. She raised her leg high and aimed a kick at him.

"Perfume Femur!" she shouted as her leg shot forward.

'Snap!'

Her kick landed, and she felt the solid impact of connecting with her target. As her ability activated, she expected part of Akira's body to turn to stone and shatter. But to her shock, the moment her kick connected, the figure of Akira turned to stone—only to break apart in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a petrified block of wood.

"Body Replacement Technique!"

Before Hancock could react, she heard Akira's voice from behind her. "That was close. If you had hit me directly, I might have been turned to stone."

"Curse you!" Hancock hissed. She flipped backward, planting her hands on the ground and swinging her legs like a whirlwind, attempting to catch Akira with a sweeping kick.

But Akira danced out of her range, effortlessly dodging every one of her attacks. It became clear that Hancock was beginning to share her sisters' frustrations—no matter how much she predicted his movements, she couldn't land a clean hit on him.

"You coward! Do you only know how to run? Fight me properly, or are you not a man?!" Hancock taunted in desperation.

Akira stopped in his tracks upon hearing the taunt.

Hancock smirked, pleased with herself. "Men are such simple-minded creatures," she thought to herself. "One little provocation, and they always take the bait."

Seizing the moment, Hancock launched another powerful kick. "Perfume Femur!"

But Akira was ready. "Earth Style: Earth Wall" he called out, and an earth wall rose instantly from the ground between them, blocking Hancock's attack.

---

The speed of the technique left even the Uchiha clan stunned. "When did he form the seals? We didn't see anything!"

Uchiha Itachi muttered, "It's the one-hand seal technique." 

One of the younger Uchiha members leaned in closer to another, his eyes wide in disbelief. "But to master one-hand seals… that's something only the most advanced shinobi can do."

"It's not just the speed," another elder Uchiha added, his voice filled with respect. "Akira's chakra control is on a completely different level. He's molding and releasing chakra in a split second."

---

After some time.

On the battlefield, Hancock's eyes narrowed as she gracefully landed back on her feet. Her tone was sharp, but there was an undeniable curiosity behind it. "You're quick to react," she remarked. "But do you think defense alone will win you this battle?"

Akira smiled. "Defense can analyze an opponent's strength. But it's time to end this"

Akira's eyes gleamed with the crimson glow of his Sharingan, every movement of Hancock being tracked with precision. 

...