Despite it looking like Hanbei was trampled by the wave of people the man he was talking to yelled out to his boss that Hanbei was coming his way. How would he know such a thing? Maybe he was just taking a precaution, but it didn't really matter, it was good he had those communication skills. Hanbei didn't want his takedown on the behemoth to be called a sneak attack, he wanted to be able to relish in his victory without having to hear excuses should he come out of this thing on top. Hanbei would sustain a pocket of space within the crowd by using his arms to box out those around him. This would mean people wouldn't be able to get close enough to accidentally trip him and stuff like that. It should also be said that contrary to what was said, Hanbei wouldn't have any issues with his Haki giving him too much to process or sending him constant warning signals. No one was intentionally trying to trip him or hit him and none of the peons had caught up to him, so no one was stabbing at or shooting him. This meant his mind would be clear and his Haki would be able to warn him when the real threat came. That would come when Hanbei was still 5m away from Jack, albeit int he crowd a bit. This put Hanbei on the better side of the distance scale when it came to having time to react before getting hit.
"Hm?"Now, since a real threat to his well being had been released, Hanbei's Haki would notify him of his impending doom should he not move. Push coming to shove, he figured he wouldn't be able to save people if he was caught up in the incoming attack, so he'd have to throw his weight and strength around a bit. That wave of snow that had actual body and density to cause immediate damage was 5m in width coincidentally was centered on Hanbei's positioning. Hanbei wasn't aware of this, but this put 2.5m of snow to his left and 2.5m of snow to his right. This was with Hanbei facing Jack of course. The crowd of people running to Hanbei's left, he figured he'd go with the flow of the crowd with his movements. While he'd keep his momentum, he'd run faster than he was before when heading towards Jack. Using his strength he'd push the people in front of him and knock them over in the process. He'd take long strides as to step on them as little as possible and when he did it'd only be on butts, so damage caused wouldn't be anything serious. Once a fair distance over to the left, figured he was out of range of whatever the hell it was he supposed to be dodging, at least he hoped.
Jumping both upwards and to his left to make diagonal movement, his jump would move him 2m to his left and 2m high up, luckily sailing over the heads of those who were in his general area. His feet pulled up to ensure he didn't graze any scalps, he'd have the space to execute this jump because he was sustaining a box of space around him in the crowd and bowled the ones in front of him over with extended arms so he could move at a fast pace. He wouldn't really register this or look to focus on it, but it should be noted that this jumping movement would place him 2m away from the closest bit of the snow wave, Hanbei having moved out of the way before the snow could hit him. He was focused on taking Jack down, especially since he started harming innocents . . . well more than Hanbei did.
As soon as he was at his peak height where a moment of stability was achieved he'd immediately move his right hand to the handle of his sword which was on his left side, the sheathe of which being gripped tight by the left hand. (switch included in my last post having not yet happened) Without pause and as fast as he could Hanbei would then draw his blade, simultaneously slashing outwards into empty space in front of him. This would trigger the emergence of one of the techniques he possessed. This technique being birthed from a myriad of sparks he created with his draw. His sword being pulled out of the sheathed and dragging against the metal that composed it may it be the lip of the sheathe the inside, whatever, that would be the medium oforf these sparks. This dragging wouldn't be done with enough pressure to dull his blade or slow down his movements however. These sparks created were immediately giving significance as they expanded to an inch in diameter and adopted a glow brighter than sparks would normally emit. Starting the moment they were brought into existence, they'd be sailing towards Jack's body and only his body. No civilians or anything of that nature. Their flight space that was 6.7m was clear of any unaccounted for obstructions and would remain so. No extra tall civilians running by to accidentally get struck, no birds, etc. Just Jack and a portion of his snow wave, but it wouldn't stand a chance.
Should they collide with Jack, clearing this gap between him and their conjurer in two shallow seconds, he'd find even in his intangible state he was vulnerable to being burned by Hanbei's flames. The burns normally would be of the third degree, but Hanbei's flames actually naturally reigned over Jack's snow. So in this case if the guy got hit, he'd be scorched to the bone or maybe since he was snow he'd just get permanent holes melted through him. In the case that they caused burns to his bones, his clothing would also be set ablaze from the affliction and the hunger of the fireflies. Maybe Hanbei should call them locust. Not even the cold or moisture his fruit could produce would quench the flames as they were a potency greater than something he could conjure up.
The assault wouldn't be that simple though, for Hanbei too had numbers on his side. The fireflies amounted to twenty so a straight forward assault would be tasteless and a waste of their true potential. All the previous details would still be stapled meaning they wouldn't collide with some random civilian, they'd arrive in a shallow two seconds, etc. What details needed to be specified is that they'd converge upon Jack's person in a formation. This formation was actually an array or plot of fireflies in the shape of a messy looking rectangle. It wasn't perfect due tot he way the fireflies were brought about, but it was close to it and something like it. Some were ahead of the others and stuff like that. They would be in five rows with four columns, so five by four. In between each firefly was five inches of space, so the attack occupied twenty five inches length wise (horizontal) and twenty inches height wise (vertical) It would be centered on Jack's upper body including his head. While normally it might make for an easy dodge depending on the circumstances, the behemoth' own blizzard would work against him. The snow not reaching Hanbei when he was taking evasive action against Jack's snow wave, it was now beginning to reach him and clouding his vision. Luckily he had sustained his Haki, so he'd be able to aim his attacks perfectly fine. Jack however would be experiencing the effects of his blizzard during its entire duration since it stemmed from him. Meaning those fireflies probably wouldn't have a chance of being perceiving unless they burned the man's flesh.
All of Hanbei's actions would be done without a pause in between and at the fastest speed he could do them. He'd be able to launch his attack as soon as he jumped since his Observation Haki would keep him keyed in on Jack's positioning even if he moved. Even in the event Jack moved, Hanbei would still launch his attack at him, for he wasn't aiming at the location Jack was at, but at Jack.
After he attacked he'd land safely with no more people around him. Given Jack would have made a blockade with his wave of snow no more people would be able to run in Hanbei's direction. The few that did make it before the wave hit them would have cleared Hanbei's landing space and surrounding area when he was in the air. This also applied to Jack's henchmen, so Hanbei didn't have to worry about people who
snuck into the crowd given they would have been at the back of the crowd. This was because they were making sure the crowd was shepherded towards Jack and Hanbei. You can't do that from within the crowd or from the front, you had to corral people from the back perimeter. Jack himself hadn't moved from his spot and would have actually sandwiched himself in between the wall he was leaning on and his snow wave. So actually dodging Hanbei's attack was even more difficult now. Even should the behemoth try to move against the wall to escape from this sandwiched position he put himself in the fireflies would easily melt through the snow from the snow wave and potentially get to him. A certain quote would ring through Hanbei's mind when he landed safely in the cleared area.
"Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place." What did this have to do with the current situation? Potentially everything.
It probably wasn't over yet, the large man still had options, but Hanbei too was just getting warmed up.
"Little chilly" His eyes would be trained on Jack thanks to his Observation Haki allowing him to see even in these visually enabling conditions as he paced backwards to get out of the range of the blizzard. His body would be facing him and he'd slip his sheath securely into his sash as to free up his left hand while simultaneously stabbing his blade into the wooden deck of the docks once getting out of range.
- Spoiler:
- Hanbei's flames operate on the same level of the Mera Mera no Mi and Hie Hie no Mi, giving all these skills and techniques +1 Tier of Efficiency when pit against the Yuki Yuki no Mi.
Speed: 3
Tier 2 Skill Name: Firefly
Tier 2 Skill Type: Melee Weaponry
Tier 2 Skill Range: 12m
Tier 2 Skill Duration: 1 Post
Tier 2 Skill Description: Hanbei uses his sword in a way that births sparks, may it be drawing his sword, striking a material, etc. The sparks are far more numerous than what would normally be produced and they are small orbs of flames about an inch in diameter. They follow the path of his sword's swing and set ablaze what they can according to the material destruction list or imprint their heat onto the object causing 3rd degree burns. Up to 20 fireflies can be produced from this skill.
Stamina: 225