Old Qin, the Gatekeeper

Yun Zhinnan was currently facing off against a marine soldier who called himself Old Qin.

Yun Zhinnan had already exchanged several rounds with him. Although his opponent was not as fast as he was, for some reason, whenever Yun Zhinnan was about to land an attack, Old Qin would always evade it or block it with his hand.

"Young pirate, if this is all you've got, you can only stay here!" After blocking Yun Zhinnan's attack once more, Old Qin spoke.

"Fine! Old man, I admit you're strong, but it's not like I haven't grown at all lately!" Yun Zhinnan said as he stopped a short distance in front of Old Qin.

Whirlwind Kick

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Zhinnan began spinning in place. Before long, a small whirlwind formed where he had been standing.

"Go!" At Yun Zhinnan's command, the whirlwind broke free and hurtled toward Old Qin, while Yun Zhinnan remained where he was.

Before the whirlwind could reach Old Qin, Yun Zhinnan vanished from his spot again.

"Not a bad method of attack! But it's still lacking. Iron Body!" Old Qin's muscles suddenly swelled, bursting through the loose-fitting marine uniform and exposing his upper body.

Bang! The whirlwind and Yun Zhinnan, who had suddenly appeared behind Old Qin, struck him at the same time.

Though Yun Zhinnan's kick landed squarely on Old Qin's back, it felt as if he had kicked a block of iron. There was no reaction at all.

The whirlwind in front had not achieved much either, but it had at least scraped Old Qin's skin.

"Not bad indeed, but still not enough. Finger Pistol!" As Yun Zhinnan's old strength faded before new strength could rise, Old Qin jabbed a finger at him.

Although Yun Zhinnan reacted quickly, the attack still grazed his shoulder, leaving a gash there.

Shave!

Seeing Yun Zhinnan vanish again, Old Qin did not remain where he was this time. He used Shave and chased after him directly.

Yun Zhinnan had only just steadied himself when Old Qin suddenly appeared before him, visibly startling him.

"Kid, you're fast, but it's still not enough!" Old Qin struck at Yun Zhinnan with Finger Pistol again.

This time, however, Old Qin missed, as Yun Zhinnan kicked his hand away.

"Speed?" Yun Zhinnan murmured after deflecting the attack.

"Old man, be careful. The next move won't be so easy to block."

Threefold Speed God Kick! Yun Zhinnan charged at Old Qin once again, faster than before.

"Not bad. Now this is getting interesting." Old Qin smiled as Yun Zhinnan vanished again, then used Shave to meet him head-on.

For a time, the two fought continuously in midair. The shockwaves from their clashes sent the marine soldiers trying to approach flying away.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Young people these days are truly incredible. To think you can fight this old man for so long." After separating once more, Old Qin said breathlessly to Yun Zhinnan, who had also come to a stop across from him.

"Old man, you're not bad either. You're so old, yet you can still fight like this. But you'd better be careful from here on out."

Fivefold Speed God Kick!

With that, Yun Zhinnan continued his assault on Old Qin.

"Faster than before? But this old man isn't slow either!" Old Qin merely laughed and followed him.

This time, however, Old Qin was clearly having trouble keeping up with Yun Zhinnan's speed. Though he could still barely follow him, Yun Zhinnan caught the openings in his attacks and landed many blows.

This old man was formidable as well. He used Iron Body to withstand Yun Zhinnan's attacks head-on, and it gave him no trouble at all.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Kid, I admit you're fast, but your attacking power is still lacking." Old Qin spoke to Yun Zhinnan even as he endured his attacks and prepared to counterattack.

"Hmph!" Yun Zhinnan said nothing, merely snorting coldly.

After another round of exchanges, Old Qin seized an opportunity and kicked Yun Zhinnan flying.

Yun Zhinnan did not possess a defensive skill like Iron Body. Although he had learned how to use Haki not long ago, he had had too little time to become proficient with it. Moreover, True Qi and Haki had certain differences. Haki was energy produced within the body itself, so using it was basically like gaining another limb.

True Qi was different. It was natural energy absorbed from the outside world. Though its effects were somewhat stronger than Haki's, and it could be used just as quickly, it required constant practice.

Although Yun Zhinnan, who had been sent flying, had used True Qi to ward off some of the damage, blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"What? Can't keep going, kid?" Old Qin asked as he looked at Yun Zhinnan, whom he had sent flying.

"It's still far too early, old man." Yun Zhinnan slowly climbed to his feet and wiped the blood from his lips.

"Oh, quite tough, kid. But no matter how fast you are, you can't defeat this old man without enough strength."

"Strength? Fine! Then I'll show you whether my strength can defeat you." Yun Zhinnan replied.

"Oh! Then this old man would like to see it."

"Next, I might not be able to hold back. After all, I can't even control how powerful this move really is!"

Tenfold Speed God Kick!

In an instant, Yun Zhinnan disappeared from where he stood, while the floor beneath him was shattered by the force of his movement.

"Even faster? But it's useless. Iron Body!" Old Qin used Iron Body again.

Bang! The moment Old Qin activated Iron Body, Yun Zhinnan's attack arrived and sent him flying with a single kick.

"What?!" Old Qin had never expected Yun Zhinnan's strength to increase so suddenly.

At this moment, only the whites of Yun Zhinnan's eyes remained, making him look as though he had lost consciousness. He did not answer Old Qin, instead directly pursuing him as he flew away.

Then he continuously kicked Old Qin through the air, keeping his body suspended as he repeatedly spat blood.

"How could this..." After uttering those final words, Old Qin fainted.

At that moment, Yun Zhinnan recovered from his previous state, then spat out a huge mouthful of blood and dropped to his knees.

"Speed is power. As long as I'm fast enough, my strength will keep growing stronger. Cough! Cough! Cough!" Yun Zhinnan spat out several more mouthfuls of blood.

"Looks like my body still can't handle this speed..." With that, Yun Zhinnan collapsed.

The marines around them watched Yun Zhinnan fall and wanted to rush forward to finish him off. However, Big Bear, who had just finished his battle, and Second Bear, carrying Panda on his back, arrived and stood in front of the marines.