Ultimate Speed Experience, Explosions Everywhere

At the center of the arena, Vergo's entire body seemed to have swollen by a size. Those solid muscles would definitely have drawn screams in the real world.

It was subtle, even somewhat vague, but 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 hair to every muscle.

"Huff."

With a slight exhale, a vortex of air formed. Without making a sound, Vergo appeared in front of Kuzan, making the latter's scalp tingle.

"Shigan."

A deafening boom rang out. Vergo threw his head back, his right hand pitch-black as he slammed it straight at Kuzan's head.

Ice shards scattered across the ground. Vergo had missed again. Kuzan was clearly on guard at all times, ready to turn into an element at any moment.

With a sweep of his Observation Haki, Vergo vanished from midair and appeared amid shattered ice ten meters away. Aokiji had already restored most of his body. Veins bulged across Vergo's right arm, his muscles flexed, and his boiling Armament Haki radiated tremendous power.

"Bang—crack!"

Kuzan's expression changed drastically. He only had time to cover himself with Armament Haki and raise both hands before his chest.

The immense force blasted through him. Kuzan flew backward, then turned into shattered ice. Vergo had actually blown him apart with a single strike.

After landing, Vergo's face was flushed an unhealthy red, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Such high-intensity movement and attacks were no small drain on him.

Not far away, Kuzan reformed his body and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. He had clearly been injured.

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak."

Freezing air surged forth as Kuzan struck first. A massive ice bird charged straight at Vergo, freezing everything in its path.

Vanishing from where he stood, Vergo moved too fast to be seen and flashed before Aokiji. He swept out with a kick, but Kuzan avoided it by turning into ice.

Cold air rose throughout the arena. Gradually, Vergo began to slow down, because that bone-chilling cold had started to invade his body.

His newly awakened Return Life was also close to running dry.

"Huff... huff..."

His breathing grew heavier. Vergo's face began to turn pale, and frost had already formed on 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 feeling and was beginning to stiffen. There was no need to continue fighting.

"I lost."

Shakily rising to his feet, Vergo looked at Kuzan and directly conceded defeat.

Across from him, half of Kuzan's body was still ice. Wiping the blood from his mouth, his face was also somewhat pale.

"Kuzan wins. Next match, Ye Chen versus Borsalino."

Vergo and Smoker had both lost. Against those 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 to cheer. Though Smoker and Vergo had already lost, the cheers of Hina and the other two carried no sense of defeat.

"It's up to you."

Smoker, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, watched Ye Chen together with Vergo. They believed that Ye Chen would definitely win.

Ye Chen nodded lightly and walked directly to the center of the arena. At the same time, golden light gathered, and Borsalino also appeared on the field.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the arena, and the atmosphere abruptly froze.

"Borsalino."

"Ye Chen."

Both wore serious expressions.

In an instant, dazzling golden light flashed, irritating Ye Chen's eyes and making him instinctively shut them.

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

That lewd voice was right beside him, causing Ye Chen's body to stiffen.

"Boom!"

The ground exploded. Ye Chen's right hand struck his own head, and his body bent halfway over as he shot away like a meteor, tearing through the ground.

Borsalino landed lightly where Ye Chen had just stood and withdrew his right leg.

Everything had happened too quickly. The spectators merely saw a blur before Ye Chen was sent flying.

At the end of the ravine, the ground was a mess. Ye Chen shook his head, wiped the blood from his mouth, and stood up.

At the same time, golden light spread again. Borsalino appeared above Ye Chen, his right foot like 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 and grabbed.

Ye Chen's reaction made the corners of Borsalino's mouth curl upward. Speed was power. Trying to catch him was a fool's dream.

"Boom!"

However, at the moment of contact, the entire arena shook. Smoke and flames soared into the sky, while a violent gale swept up shattered stone and sand, crashing outward in all directions like a tidal wave.

Golden light flashed, and Borsalino appeared in the distance in a disheveled state. His gaze was locked onto the thick black smoke.

He was certain that he had not hit his opponent just now, yet his opponent had exploded, producing a powerful destructive force.

Lowering his head, he looked at his tattered trouser leg, his expression turning extremely grim.

At the same time, Ye Chen stepped out of the smoke. His entire right arm was wrapped in smoke and flames, visibly recovering to normal.

The scene was so shocking that everyone was stunned for a moment.

Though it was bloody, in the eyes of some people, Ye Chen looked incredibly cool.

Once it had recovered, Ye Chen clenched his fist and found that everything was normal. 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 Ye Chen's back.

"Boom!"

Another explosion erupted, collapsing the entire ground. Borsalino reformed his body in midair, his expression ugly beyond measure.

This guy was practically dynamite. He exploded at the slightest touch, making him even more disgusting than elemental transformation.

Raising his hand, Borsalino's fingertip glowed red. A laser pierced straight through the smoke, triggering a chain of explosions.

Immediately afterward, Kizaru spread both hands. Countless light bombs rained down in an unending stream, densely covering the entire arena.

For a time, the arena was torn apart as countless cracks spread across the field.

The bombardment continued for a full five minutes before Borsalino stopped. Breathing lightly, he glared viciously toward the smoke.

Outside the arena, everyone craned their necks, staring without blinking at the center where smoke and fire converged. 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 a degree. Didn't the encyclopedia say that every explosion of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit made its user feel the same pain? Why is it that this guy didn't even frown during those earlier explosions?"

On the elevated platform, Sengoku wore a strange expression. Through his Observation Haki, he could sense that aside from Ye Chen's somewhat unstable aura, he was otherwise completely unharmed within the smoke.

"That is why he has the potential to become strong. Sometimes, physical pain is nowhere near as despairing as the wounds within one's heart."

Rarely, everyone fell silent. Someone who had become accustomed even to pain must have experienced something far more heart-wrenching.

"Ahem. In terms of destructive power, this Bomb-Bomb Fruit is no weaker than a Logia. It's practically the bane of close combat, though it's still somewhat weak at present." 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 seeing what this guy can become."

"What a pity. Borsalino's speed is still a difficult hurdle for him right now. If this continues, the chances of this guy losing are very high."

Tsuru and the others discussed the match from their seats, while Hina and the others in the stands were filled with worry. Many people were sweating on Ye Chen's behalf.

Because no matter how they looked at it, Ye Chen's chances of losing were greater than his chances of winning!