A Tooth for a Tooth, a Life for a Life

Zoan Devil Fruits possessed three transformation forms: human form, beast form, and human-beast form.

Belik's current appearance was clearly the fruit's third form: beast form. Having completely transformed into a night owl, he had gained the ability to fly and seized the initiative in this battle.

This was an unexpected development for Long Yi.

But as he had said, only one person would leave this battle alive. No matter what happened, what he had to do would not change.

He would kill the pirate before him and settle this blood feud!

"Damn brat, I'll torture you properly and make you wish you were dead! I'll make you regret becoming enemies with Belik!"

Hovering overhead, Belik beat his wings, his sharp single eye filled with cruelty. When he looked at Long Yi, it was as though he were looking at a lamb awaiting slaughter on the chopping block.

Long Yi sneered, paying no heed to that gaze and acting as if he had not heard Belik's threats. Blade in hand, the power of waves slowly circulated within him. With every breath, his aura withdrew inward.

Silence was the best declaration. Today, they were destined to fight until one of them died.

"Die!"

Belik's dusky yellow pupil suddenly contracted as he launched the first attack. His wings flapped, and with a fierce cry, he dove from the sky. Savage light gleamed from his single eye, while his cold, hard owl beak resembled an iron hook.

"Evil Light Slash!"

Belik's dive was even faster than Long Yi had anticipated. Watching Belik reach him in an instant, Long Yi's heart tightened. He gritted his teeth as the power of waves erupted from his blade.

A silver-white sword light slashed forth, its edge utterly sharp.

But Long Yi had still underestimated Belik's abilities. Though the wave sword energy was fierce, his opponent's movements were even more agile.

With a slight movement of his wings, Belik abruptly changed his flight path, nimbly evaded the sword energy's edge, and instantly rushed before Long Yi.

"Claw Strike!"

With a cry, Belik spread his wings and halted in midair. Borrowing the force of his dive, he thrust out his owl claws. All the strength in his body converged into that single strike, powerful enough to split stone and shatter iron!

With a loud boom, Long Yi was sent flying backward, kicking up a cloud of dust. He rolled across the ground for more than ten meters before finally stopping. By the time he rose again, he was already in a wretched state.

"Cough, cough... So strong. Is this the power of a top-tier Zoan ability user?"

The power of waves within him was in disarray. Long Yi could not help coughing dryly, strands of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Staring fixedly at Belik across from him, he wiped away the blood at his lips and muttered to himself.

Before Belik's attack had landed, Long Yi had already used Guard. Yet he had not expected to suffer internal injuries anyway.

"Put away that broken sword and stop struggling uselessly! Brat, you have no chance of winning!"

Having succeeded in one blow, Belik was arrogant and wild. He circled constantly through the air, looking down upon Long Yi on the ground. He stood high above, utterly disdainful.

Although he believed victory was already assured, vigilance still remained in the sea tyrant's single eye. He had not forgotten that fleeting glimpse of the phantom of a demon god on the shoal.

He truly was a cunning and cautious pirate, a troublesome opponent.

"Heh, so what if I can't win? My goal was never to win. It was to butcher you."

Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, Long Yi forcibly steadied his swaying body. The Marine uniform draped over him fluttered without wind, the bloodstained word "Justice" painfully conspicuous.

"What a stubborn mouth. Let's see who butchers whom!"

Though Belik refused to yield verbally, his heart trembled involuntarily. He had never encountered an enemy like this before. Although Long Yi was young, the obsession he possessed filled Belik with fear.

"The sword is unbroken, the blood has not dried, the soul still endures, and the battle will not cease."

Long Yi lowered his head and muttered in a voice only he could hear. When he raised his head again, a strange azure glint suddenly appeared in his clouded white eyes.

Under the Will of Adversity, he transformed into an Asura demon. The longer he fought, the braver he became; the more setbacks he faced, the stronger he grew!

"Damn it, what a pain!"

Seeing Long Yi stabilize himself, Belik cursed under his breath. His body flashed as he launched another surprise attack at Long Yi.

Having completely transformed into a night owl, his body itself was his finest weapon. His beak and claws were like steel and iron, enough to deal Long Yi a devastating blow.

"Ghost Seal Orb!"

Taking a deep breath, Long Yi unleashed the power of waves within him. Unlike the sword-energy waves of Evil Light Slash, this time he actually slashed out an orb of wave energy. Carrying wind and thunder, it swept forward.

"Too slow! Far too slow!"

As he watched that strange orb of wave energy, a trace of disdain flashed through Belik's heart. An attack like this could not possibly keep up with his current speed.

A mocking glint appeared in his single eye. Belik suddenly vanished, circling around the Ghost Seal Orb Long Yi had slashed out and flashing directly behind him.

"It's over! Die!"

Filled with endless resentment and hatred, Belik's iron claws raked viciously down at the top of Long Yi's head. If that claw strike landed solidly, then no matter how many tricks Long Yi had, he would still die here in bitterness.

At the brink of life and death, everything happened in the flash of lightning.

Just as Belik believed he was about to succeed, Long Yi before him suddenly vanished from the spot.

"It is time to end this!"

A cold voice came from behind Belik. The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh finally brought him back to his senses, and he cried out in pain. The heart-rending agony in his back and the bone-chilling sword energy reminded the cunning pirate that he had fallen into his opponent's trap.

"Ah!"

A chill climbed up his spine and plunged straight into his brain.

At that critical moment between life and death, Belik let out a shrill screech and frantically flapped his wings. Countless arrow-like feathers shot out, forcibly driving Long Yi back. Then, enduring the intense pain, he quickly fled through the air and left the area.

Long Yi, who had reversed offense and defense through the burst of Soru, revealed a regretful look. His body dropped straight down to the ground as he watched helplessly while Belik fled upward.

"As expected of a Zoan Fruit user. He didn't die even with injuries like that. What tenacious vitality."

Long Yi was certain that his carefully planned strike had pierced Belik's internal organs. Yet he had not expected that, with wounds that would kill an ordinary person on contact, Belik would still have the strength to escape.

"A second time... You actually did this to me a second time! I want you dead!"

With his own life threatened, Belik finally descended into madness. Earlier, his carelessness had nearly allowed Long Yi to slit his throat with a single sword strike. He had never expected the same scene to play out on him once more. How could he not fear it? How could he not be enraged?

"Heh, then come if you can do it!"

Overdrawing his stamina to use Soru left Long Yi briefly stiffened. But after azure light flowed through his eyes, he miraculously returned to normal, as if those negative effects had never existed. He gripped his sword tightly and faced Belik as he dove down.

Under the power of Will of Adversity, the stronger my heart, the stronger my sword! I can't fall yet!

Long Yi began considering once more how to defeat Belik. But his opponent had no intention of giving him time to think and attacked fearlessly.

"I'll kill you!"

A savage glint flashed in Belik's single eye, his face twisted viciously. Embarrassed and enraged, he decided to stop holding back. His diving speed suddenly doubled.

"To hell with it! Earth-Splitting Wave Sword!"

From below upward, Long Yi slashed forward. A visible wave surged out, splitting the earth and shattering stone.

But in Belik's eyes, such an attack was merely child's play. Though Long Yi's endurance and ferocity had greatly exceeded his expectations, the victor of this battle would definitely be Belik.

"Iron Claw Barrage!"

Twisting aside to evade Long Yi's sword wave, Belik took advantage of the momentum granted by flight to attack. Every claw strike possessed the force to split mountains and crack stone, and every claw strike carried the resolve to kill.

"Come! Let's see whose life is tougher!"

Facing Belik's storm-like assault, Long Yi did not evade. Instead, he raised the sword in his hand. This was his final strike, and the greatest effort he could muster. He placed all his hopes upon this single slash. If he did not win, he would die.

"Asura Evil Light Slash!"

The power of waves erupted, sword energy blazing like a rainbow.

Belik's savage claw strike slammed viciously into Long Yi's chest, while Long Yi's unleashed slash struck Belik squarely across the chest.

A tooth for a tooth, a life for a life!

As for injuries and victory or defeat, Long Yi stopped thinking about them.

A violent gale suddenly rose, bringing heavy clouds. Thunder roared and lightning flashed as the two figures crossed.

The thunder concealed every sound. Raindrops began to fall, and Long Yi and Belik both collapsed to the ground without moving.

After a long while, one of Belik's fingers, having returned to human form, suddenly twitched. Then a hoarse laugh emerged from his rough throat.

"I'm alive. I won."