Lucci glanced at him, then strode up to Matthews. "You escaped back on the shore," he said coldly. "You won't be so lucky this time."
Matthews gave a scornful laugh. "Hmph. Things are different now. There are far too few of you."
He beckoned, and four allies came over. Each had a bounty of more than 100 million Beli.
One of them was his younger brother, Mathis. The brothers' combined bounties alone exceeded Lucci's.
But a higher bounty had never guaranteed greater strength. Two men worth 300 million each might still fail to beat one worth 400 million.
Lucci swept his gaze across all five of them, excitement flashing in his eyes. "Now this is interesting. I hope you don't disappoint me!"
"Watch that mouth of yours, brat!"
Rice, an Antelope Fruit User, was so furious he charged.
As soon as he got close, he thrust his sharp horns at Lucci. Lucci shot out both hands, seized them, and used Rice's momentum to throw him backward. With a thud, Rice slammed into the ground.
Rice howled in pain, then hurriedly rolled over and sprang back to his feet.
Unwilling to give up, Rice charged again, all four hooves flying beneath him. Lucci sidestepped, but a figure flashed out behind him with the speed of a gale. It was Matthews.
Matthews had cut off Lucci's retreat.
He swung his iron staff in a full arc toward Lucci's right leg. Just before it struck, Lucci leaped into the air, twisted, and kicked.
Rankyaku!
With a boom, an air blade tore forward. The fierce shockwave hurtled toward Matthews, but he spun his staff like a windmill and blocked Lucci's attack once again.
All five joined forces against Lucci. He met them calmly, wielding Rokushiki Ogi with ease. Though alone, he showed no sign