At the center of the arena, Vergo's entire body seemed to have swollen by a size. Those solid, toned muscles would definitely have drawn screams in the real world.
Though subtle and somewhat hazy, Vergo felt that his body had never been so full of vitality. It was as if he could control every part of himself, from every strand of hair to every muscle.
"Exhale."
With a soft breath, a vortex of air formed. Without making a sound, Vergo appeared before Kuzan, making the latter's scalp tingle.
"Shigan."
With an ear-piercing boom, Vergo raised his head. His right hand was pitch-black as he drove it straight at Kuzan's head.
Broken ice littered the ground. Vergo had missed again; clearly, Kuzan had remained vigilant at every moment and could transform into his element at any time.
His Observation Haki swept out, and Vergo vanished from midair, appearing amid shattered ice ten meters away. Aokiji had already recovered most of his body. Veins bulged across Vergo's right arm, his muscles swelling as the boiling Armament Haki radiated immense power.
"Bang!"
Kuzan's expression changed drastically. He only had time to coat himself in Armament Haki and cross his arms before his chest.
The immense force burst through him. Kuzan flew backward before turning into shattered ice, forcibly blown apart by Vergo's strike.
Upon landing, Vergo's face was abnormally flushed, and blood was already trickling from the corner of his mouth. Such high-intensity movement and attacks were clearly a tremendous drain on him.
Not far away, Kuzan reformed and immediately spat out blood. He had clearly been injured as well.
"Pheasant Beak."
A frigid mist swept forward as Kuzan made the first move. A gigantic Ice Bird charged directly at Vergo, freezing everything in its path.
Vanishing from where he stood, Vergo moved too fast to follow and flashed before Aokiji. He swept out with a kick, but Kuzan evaded it by transforming into ice.
The entire arena filled with rising frost. Gradually, Vergo began to slow down, because the icy chill had started invading his body.
And the newly awakened Return Life was nearly exhausted as well.
"Pant... pant..."
His breathing grew heavier. Vergo's face started turning deathly pale, while frost formed over his hair and eyebrows. By now, the outcome was obvious at a glance.
Dropping to one knee, Vergo had exhausted his strength. His entire body seemed to have lost all feeling and was beginning to stiffen. There was no need to continue fighting.
"I lost."
Swaying as he stood, Vergo looked at Kuzan and directly conceded defeat.
Across from him, half of Kuzan's body was still frozen. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his face somewhat pale as well.
"Kuzan wins. Next match: Ye Chen versus Borsalino."
Vergo and Smoker had both lost. Facing two monsters, they had ultimately fallen just short. Now, only the other monster remained—the most difficult monster to deal with.
"Go, Brother Ye Chen!"
From the stands, Hina continued cheering. Though Smoker and Vergo had already lost, the cheers of Hina and the other two carried none of the feeling of defeat.
"It's up to you."
Wrapped in bandages, Smoker watched Ye Chen together with Vergo. They believed Ye Chen would definitely win.
Ye Chen nodded lightly and walked straight into the center of the arena. At the same time, a beam of golden light condensed, and Borsalino appeared on the field as well.
At that moment, everyone's gaze gathered on the arena, and the atmosphere instantly froze.
"Borsalino."
"Ye Chen."
Both men wore serious expressions.
He arrived in an instant. The dazzling golden light stung Ye Chen's eyes, making him instinctively squeeze them shut.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
That sleazy voice was right beside him, making Ye Chen's body stiffen immediately.
"Boom!"
The ground exploded. Ye Chen's right hand struck his own head, and his body bent halfway over as he tore across the ground like a meteor, shooting into the distance.
Borsalino landed lightly where Ye Chen had been standing and withdrew his right leg.
Everything had happened too quickly. The spectators only saw a blur before Ye Chen was sent flying.
At the end of the trench, the ground was a mess. Ye Chen shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stood up.
At the same time, golden light spread again. Borsalino appeared above Ye Chen, his right foot resembling a golden sun as he repeated the same move, intending to attack Ye Chen again.
But this time, he was destined to fail.
Armament Haki covered him. Ye Chen's eyes turned cold as he reached out with his right hand to grab him.
Ye Chen's reaction made a curve appear at the corner of Borsalino's mouth. Speed was power. Trying to catch him was nothing but a fool's dream.
"Boom!"
Yet the moment they collided, the entire arena shook. Smoke and flames rose into the air, while a violent gale carried broken stones and sand outward in a crushing wave.
Golden light flashed, and Borsalino appeared in the distance in a bedraggled state, staring fixedly at the pitch-black smoke.
He was certain that he had not hit his opponent just now, yet the other man had exploded, unleashing a powerful destructive force.
Lowering his head to look at his tattered pant leg, Borsalino's face darkened.
At the same time, Ye Chen stepped out of the smoke. His entire right hand was wrapped in smoke and flames, visibly recovering before everyone's eyes.
The sight was far too shocking. For a moment, everyone was stunned silent.
Though it was bloody, in some people's eyes, Ye Chen looked unbelievably cool.
Once his hand had returned to normal, Ye Chen clenched it and found everything fine. The next moment, he vanished and appeared before Borsalino, throwing a punch.
But Borsalino was even faster. He appeared directly behind Ye Chen and swiftly kicked toward his back.
"Boom!"
Another explosion erupted, collapsing the ground. Borsalino reformed in midair, his expression ugly to the extreme.
This guy was practically living dynamite. He exploded at the slightest touch—far more disgusting than elemental transformation.
He raised a hand, and his fingertip glowed red. A Laser pierced straight through the smoke, triggering a chain of explosions.
Immediately afterward, Kizaru spread his hands, and countless light bombs poured down in an endless, dense barrage that blanketed the entire arena.
For a moment, the ground split apart as innumerable cracks spread throughout the arena.
The bombardment lasted a full five minutes. Borsalino finally stopped, breathing lightly as he glared viciously at the smoke.
Outside the arena, everyone craned their necks, staring without blinking at the center where smoke and fire gathered. Faced with so many attacks, few people could possibly endure them.
Ye Chen was bound to lose.
"I never expected this guy to develop the Bomb-Bomb Fruit to such an extent. Doesn't the guide say that every explosion of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit makes its user feel the same pain? Why does it look like this guy didn't even furrow his brow during those explosions earlier?"
In the elevated seats, Sengoku wore a strange expression. Through his Observation Haki, he could sense that aside from Ye Chen's somewhat unstable aura, he was completely unharmed within the smoke.
"That is why he has the potential to become a strong man. Sometimes, physical pain is nowhere near as despairing as the wounds in one's heart."
Rarely, everyone fell silent. Someone accustomed even to pain must have gone through something far more agonizing.
"Ahem. In terms of destructive power, the Bomb-Bomb Fruit is no weaker than a Logia. It's practically the bane of close combat, though it's still somewhat weak for now." Garp coughed and changed the subject.
"Being weak now doesn't mean he'll be weak in the future."
"I'm quite looking forward to what this guy will become."
"What a shame. Borsalino's speed is still difficult for him to handle right now. If this continues, this guy has a high chance of losing."
Tsuru and the others discussed the match from their seats, while Hina and the others in the stands were full of worry. Many people were anxiously sweating for Ye Chen.
No matter how one looked at it, Ye Chen's chances of losing were greater than his chances of winning!
Before you continue