Out of Control

Thick smoke slowly spread. Gradually, a faint silhouette began to come into focus, making many people gasp sharply.

Ye Chen stepped out of the smoke, smoke and fire drifting over his body. The severed half of his body gradually regenerated, creating a shocking sight.

Across from him, Borsalino wore a grim expression as he stared at Ye Chen in disbelief.

Ye Chen crouched slightly, then vanished in an instant, so fast that Borsalino nearly failed to react. A blast thundered beside his ear.

Glancing from the corner of his eye, Borsalino's pupils twitched. That guy's feet were gone, replaced by smoke and fire as they regenerated at high speed.

Golden light flashed as Borsalino pulled away, but the next second, Ye Chen was right beside him.

Borsalino froze slightly, then his scalp tingled. The roaring in his ears made his pupils contract.

Whoosh

A streak of golden light crashed down, shattering the ground. Countless rocks flew into the air as Borsalino lay in the crater, blood spraying from his mouth.

In a flash, a battered, smoke-covered foot came crashing down. Without hesitation, Borsalino turned into light particles and vanished from the crater.

Another massive explosion spread out, enlarging the crater once more. Cracks like spiderwebs began spreading outward.

In midair, Borsalino reformed his body, but before he could look around, the sound of something tearing through the air came from behind him.

Golden light scattered as Borsalino reformed again and appeared on the ground. Yet Ye Chen was like a lingering ghost; every time Borsalino reformed, Ye Chen was always right beside him.

For a time, golden light streaked across the battlefield as thunderous blasts rang out without end. The two moved at high speed, leaving afterimages that flashed across the ground and sky.

Many people looked utterly bewildered. They could only see flashes of golden light and hear the rumbling around them; they knew nothing else.

But Sengoku and the others on the platform saw things differently. Borsalino and Ye Chen's high-speed movements were perfectly clear to them.

"That guy is really ruthless!" Garp's smile vanished. His gaze shifted up and down, then from side to side, his expression grave.

"If every explosion from the Bomb-Bomb Fruit brings pain, then I admire that guy."

Tsuru's cheek twitched, and even her eyes trembled.

"To combine Soru with his ability, that guy certainly has some ideas. But the cost is rather brutal." In Sengoku's eyes, Ye Chen's feet exploded, healed, then exploded again in an endless cycle. The force of the explosions gave Ye Chen's Soru terrifying speed, allowing him to temporarily keep up with Borsalino.

"This kind of expenditure will wear his body down over time. If he can't defeat Borsalino during that time, then he can only lose. It looks like he's staking everything on this."

Kong saw through the advantages and disadvantages of Ye Chen's high speed at a glance. The advantage was increased speed; the disadvantage was enduring the pain of his feet being torn apart each time, along with double the physical exertion.

"He can do it!" Zephyr said nothing else from beginning to end. His eyes remained fixed on that unyielding figure, his gaze constantly following Ye Chen's movements.

Pfft

After flashing back and forth repeatedly, Ye Chen suddenly seemed to find a weakness in Borsalino's speed and successfully landed a hit.

Golden light crashed to the ground, tearing up the surface once again. Borsalino's mouth was full of blood, and before he could even catch his breath, he flashed away. The moment he left, Ye Chen attacked where he had been.

"That kid found Borsalino's weakness when moving."

Watching Borsalino constantly retreat, even being forced into awkward exchanges with Ye Chen, Sengoku leaned forward excitedly.

"I've said more than once that the body is the foundation of everything, but Borsalino never listened. He relies too heavily on his ability. In close combat, he can't possibly be Ye Chen's match."

Zephyr revealed a faint smile. Ye Chen could temporarily keep up in speed and had found Borsalino's weakness of only being able to move in straight lines. As long as Ye Chen held on, he could win this battle.

"It's still too early to say who will win or lose. If that guy keeps this momentum up, Borsalino may really be defeated."

"Let's wait and see."

In the arena, Ye Chen's face was deathly pale, blood constantly spilling from his mouth. Borsalino was equally battered, coughing up blood as well.

"Damn it."

His straight-line movement was blocked again. It was as if the opponent knew where he would pass and had been waiting there in advance to attack him.

Most importantly, the opponent's speed could actually keep up with his.

With a swipe of one hand, a sword of light appeared in Borsalino's grasp. He swung it directly at Ye Chen before him.

Close combat?

Ye Chen's eyes brightened slightly. No one knew how much pressure he was under right now. If Borsalino kept moving at such high speed, Ye Chen would not last much longer before collapsing.

But now, Borsalino had lost his composure. The speed he had always been proud of had been countered, leaving him flustered. If he were just a little calmer, he would realize that Ye Chen was already at the end of his rope, nearly spent.

If he only held on a little longer, Ye Chen would undoubtedly lose. No one else could treat this speed as normal the way Borsalino did. To others, his normal speed was already beyond their limits. Without paying a price, they could never match it.

Even if they did match it, it would only be an explosive burst and could not last for long.

But Borsalino could not calm down now. Ye Chen was pressing him too hard.

Ye Chen twisted aside as shattered stones tore through the air. Borsalino's light sword sank deep into the ground, while Ye Chen coated both hands in Armament Haki and drove his right fist straight at Borsalino's chest.

But it was not that Borsalino did not know hand-to-hand combat; he simply was not as proficient as Ye Chen.

Thus, his other hand directly blocked Ye Chen's attack.

However, with that counterattack, Ye Chen's other hand seized Borsalino.

"Finally caught you."

Armament Haki erupted with unprecedented force. Ye Chen tightly gripped Borsalino's left wrist, and his right foot tore through the air as he kicked directly at Borsalino.

Gah!

Borsalino bent over and spat blood. His entire lecherous face twisted in pain, and the light sword in his hand dispersed at once.

Then Ye Chen grabbed Borsalino's head and drove his knee into him again and again, causing explosive booms to erupt throughout the arena.

With every attack, Ye Chen used Armament Haki without holding anything back, each strike more vicious than the last.

In an instant, the entire arena fell silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed as Ye Chen gripped Borsalino by the shoulder and beat him mercilessly. Just watching made their teeth ache.

Crack

The sound of breaking bone made Borsalino scream. He forcibly counterattacked, his fingers glowing red as he fired a Laser.

Blood burst forth as Ye Chen's shoulder was pierced through. Even so, he did not so much as furrow his brow. He still clung to Borsalino and continued beating him mercilessly.

Because if he let go, he would never get another chance to catch this guy. Then defeat would be his only outcome.

So Ye Chen gritted his teeth, avoided vital areas, and endured three of Borsalino's counterattacks, leaving three bloody holes in his body. As for why there were only three, it was because Borsalino could no longer fight back.

But at some point, changes began to appear in Ye Chen's eyes.