Old Tricks Again?

Luo Ya slashed horizontally, sending a wave of flame-infused sword energy to force the two men back and create some distance.

Principle and Honey Badger were both masters of physical combat; as soon as the flames dissipated, they lunged from the left and right to sandwich him.

Castle Wall Flame!

Luo Ya used Scorching Cloud, its blade wreathed in intense, bright yellow flames, to force Principle back, but Honey Badger seized the opening to slam a fist into his left shoulder. A crisp crack echoed as bones shattered.

Luo Ya let out a muffled grunt. The flames coiling around Scorching Cloud rapidly contracted, turning the blade a dark, ominous red as he followed through with a diagonal slash downward at Honey Badger.

Honey Badger was a ruthless man. He channeled all his Armament Haki, compressing it into his right arm until it glowed with a deep, obsidian luster—clearly reaching the level of hardening.

I'll take this hit and at most suffer an injury, but I'll use this chance to blow your head off! Honey Badger thought. He tapped his feet, his left fist coiled and ready, aiming for Luo Ya's chin with an uppercut to end the fight.

Squelch! Honey Badger was cleaved in two from his right shoulder as if he were butter sliced by a hot knife. His powerful arms went limp, and his eyes widened, filled with disbelief. The wide-eyed expression Honey Badger had dreamed of having was finally achieved in his death.

Gushing blood and viscera splattered all over Luo Ya. He wiped his face, breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto the stunned Principle standing nearby.

"You brat! I'm going to crush every bone in your body and slice you into mincemeat piece by piece!" Principle roared, unable to believe what he had just seen. Honey Badger had been his right-hand man, second only to him in strength.

Seeing him cut in two sent Principle into a blind rage.

Bang! Principle charged at Luo Ya, his eyes bloodshot. Luo Ya swung his blade defiantly. Principle's strength was indeed superior to Honey Badger's; despite his wariness of the Setting Sun Blade's power, his fists struck Scorching Cloud's blade with pinpoint precision, neutralizing Luo Ya's offensive entirely.

He unleashed a storm of attacks upon Luo Ya, following up with elbows and knees, as if his entire body had become a lethal weapon.

Luo Ya was no longer the man he once was. Though forced to retreat step by step, he countered Principle's onslaught with equal ferocity.

Finally, Luo Ya seized an opening and forced Principle back with a direct kick.

Luo Ya leaned on his sword, half-crouched on the ground, gasping like a broken bellows. "Ha... ha... ha." It was impossible to tell if it was blood or sweat streaming down his forehead.

Principle wasn't faring much better. His elbows, knees, and fists—even protected by Armament Haki hardening—were shredded, exposing stark white bone.

Under the enhancement of the Setting Sun Blade, Scorching Cloud maintained a temperature of three thousand degrees. It burned Principle so badly that he kept sucking in cold air, single-handedly contributing to the global cooling effort.

"Huff... huff... the next strike will send you to reunite with Honey Badger!" Luo Ya finished, sheathing his sword.

He stepped forward with his left foot, assuming a Flash Draw stance, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

A sense of crisis, like needles pricking his skin, warned Principle frantically: this strike could kill him!

I can't dodge. Turning my back on a powerful swordsman is suicide. At that moment, Principle's brain raced. His muscles tensed, his fists clenched, and ignoring the agonizing burn, he searched for a solution. His eyes remained locked on Luo Ya, hunting for a flaw.

Luo Ya lowered his stance further, eyes shut tight, his breathing calm. The air between them seemed to solidify.

Flash Draw!

Luo Ya's eyes snapped open, and Scorching Cloud left its sheath in an instant, slashing toward Principle's waist. Principle roared with a Lion Roar! The powerful sound wave caused the air to tremble violently.

It was Principle's signature move, the Lion Roar, the technique that had defeated countless mafia rivals and secured his current status.

Luo Ya was suddenly stunned by the roar, blood streaming from his eyes, nose, and ears. His movement faltered.

Principle seized the opportunity, stepping back to narrowly evade the scorching blade; the high heat set the hair on his chest ablaze.

Ignoring the agony of his burning flesh, he slammed both claws toward Luo Ya's ears.

Even in perfect health, a double-ear strike would cause instant unconsciousness and bleeding from the seven orifices, let alone in Luo Ya's current battered state.

Picturing the result of this strike, Principle wore a savage grin.

If this had been a standard draw-slash, it would have been impossible to escape, but this was the unique double-draw technique of that old fox Maynard—a move Luo Ya had plagiarized and dubbed "Flash Draw."

Just as the surging palm pressure began to deform Luo Ya's face, a powerful suction force pulled at Principle from behind, causing him to stumble.

The dark red blade slashed diagonally downward from the right toward his neck. Squelch! In an instant, a headless corpse knelt before Luo Ya, blood erupting in a fountain.

"They don't lie when they say Zoan-types have top-tier physical reinforcement! This is like a fountain; if I didn't know better, I'd think you were Zhu Dachang, the brother of the man who could swallow a sword."

Luo Ya wiped his blood-and-sweat-smeared face and kicked Principle's headless corpse over. He picked up the head lying nearby, eyes still wide open.

"Oda, you've ruined me! Damn it, how is a mere mafia boss in the West Blue this tough? The original story didn't have this many brutes who knew Armament Haki! Ugh!"

Luo Ya vomited a mouthful of blood and slowly looked down at the sword tip protruding from his chest.

Behind him, a familiar, delicate voice giggled. "Lord Fire Ghost, I'll graciously accept your heads. If I have the chance, I'll visit your grave to pay my respects, hee hee. Though, that nickname of yours is truly hideous."

Bang! Before she finished speaking, Luo Ya was kicked to the ground. The newcomer snatched up Principle's head from the floor and reached for Scorching Cloud in Luo Ya's hand. She tugged twice, only to find Luo Ya still gripping the hilt with a death grip.

She grabbed Luo Ya by the hair, hoisted him up, and severed his right hand with a single stroke. Luo Ya struggled to look up and saw a striking head of red hair. The woman was none other than Amilisa, the auction house host.

"I actually wanted to leave you with a complete corpse, considering you helped me so much," Amilisa smiled, raising her long blade high and bringing it down heavily upon Luo Ya.

Crack! Luo Ya's eyes widened! His headless body slumped forward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.