Testing and combat (III)

"Yingyue, I can't beat Boss Lilith. She's too fast. I can't hit her at all."

Ailik scratched his head and said with a guileless look, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.

Yingyue thought for a moment, then said slowly, "All right, you don't have to fight this time either.

"But in the training to come, I'll find some targeted methods to focus on improving your speed."

Lilith nodded along, looking a little playful. "That works out perfectly. I don't want to bully Ailik either."

"Next up are Emily and Vian," Yingyue announced.

With Emily's aerial advantage restricted, the two were evenly matched.

Neither gave ground during the fight. They clashed fiercely, both suffering considerable injuries.

Seeing this, Yingyue hurriedly stopped the fight and ultimately declared it a draw.

Emily and Vian smiled at each other, then supported one another as they walked aside to rest, their steps slightly unsteady.

Kakarot had been simulating fights against the others in his mind all along.

He had discovered this himself: he could remember everyone's attacks and replay them in his mind, or simulate battles in his head to gain combat experience.

"Next, Kakarot will fight Simba. Whoever wins gets to challenge Lilith for the position of captain."

The corners of Yingyue's mouth lifted slightly as she spoke, sounding somewhat intent on stirring things up.

"Kakarot, I won't hold back. You'd better be careful." Simba looked serious, his eyes filled with firm fighting spirit.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me." Kakarot looked excited, his reply brief and forceful.

In truth, Kakarot had already decided to choose head-on confrontations whenever possible in future battles.

After all, the more severely he was injured in battle, the stronger his fighting power became, and he would also grow rapidly stronger after his body recovered.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Kakarot and Simba charged at each other like arrows loosed from their strings.

Their fists and palms collided violently in an instant. A relentless series of bangs rang out as they exchanged several blows in the blink of an eye.

Simba's palm strikes were fierce and powerful, combining strength with speed. Every attack carried a whistling rush of wind, as though it would tear the air apart.

Kakarot knew how formidable his opponent was. He could only deftly evade attacks aimed directly at his vital points, while resolutely choosing to trade injuries with Simba elsewhere.

Relying on his swift, powerful fists, he targeted the weak points in Simba's defenses and struck him hard.

However, the electricity wrapped around Simba's hands was no joke. The moment it touched Kakarot's body, it paralyzed him.

Kakarot took several heavy blows in succession, but fortunately, a Saiyan's body was extremely adaptable. He soon adapted to the electrical stimulation.

Before long, both of them were covered in wounds, blood streaming from their bodies.

However, Kakarot was clearly in better shape. Although his injuries were more severe, he recovered extremely quickly, some minor wounds healing in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, as his injuries healed, his physique grew increasingly powerful, as though every injury tempered his body.

Gradually, Simba's injuries worsened, and his stamina began to fail. His movements slowed, and he steadily fell behind.

His face full of disbelief, Simba asked breathlessly, "Kakarot, what kind of monster are you?!

"How are you still so full of energy after taking so many of my attacks? I remember your physique wasn't supposed to be as strong as mine!

"And why did my electricity stop working on you after just a few hits?"

The fierce battle left Kakarot in exceptionally high spirits. Even his physical pain seemed to have been suppressed by his powerful will.

He explained heartily, "It's my innate talent. My body recovers very quickly, and it adapts to all kinds of damage very quickly too. The more I fight, the stronger I become."

Hearing this, Simba shook his head helplessly. Not wanting to say anything else, he silently went aside to rest.

He felt both disheartened and happy. People with talents like these really are completely unfair.

Lilith is like that, and Kakarot is even more ridiculous than she is. Still, having a genius like this in our Mink Tribe is a good thing.

Seeing that Simba seemed a little down, Kakarot draped an arm over his shoulders and said, "Brother, don't overthink it. We'll get stronger together!"

Simba looked at Kakarot and nodded, touched.

"Kakarot, you won again. I never expected you to beat Simba."

Yingyue was filled with surprise, almost unable to maintain her normally cold expression.

She wondered to herself, Wait, why does this kid's aura really seem to be getting stronger little by little?

And his wounds heal extremely quickly. Could his talent really be as outrageous as he says?

Yingyue almost doubted what her Observation Haki was sensing. The Kakarot before her truly went beyond her understanding.

"Kakarot, hurry up and get some rest. I've been watching you fight for ages. I can hardly wait anymore."

Lilith's little face flushed with excitement. Her large blue eyes sparkled like brilliant stars, filled with impatient anticipation.

Kakarot hurriedly sat cross-legged. The energy from the meat he had eaten at noon surged like a raging torrent, rapidly repairing the damage to his body.

He calmed his mind and began meditating, concentrating fully on sensing the wondrous process of his body instinctively mobilizing energy.

Suddenly, he keenly sensed a mysterious current of energy quietly moving inside his body.

Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could never touch that current.

Could this be the ki that Saiyans possess? I remember Saiyans can all sense, control, and use ki.

They can gather ki in different parts of their bodies to enhance their strength, speed, defense, and so on. They can also release ki to create powerful attacks.

But I don't know whether I can still master the Haki of the One Piece world, Kakarot mused.

Some time later, Kakarot slowly stood up and indicated that he had recovered.

Although everyone already knew how astonishing his recovery speed was, seeing him recover from severe injuries in such a short time still left the wound-covered Simba unable to help feeling envious.

However, the Mink Tribe naturally placed great value on affection and loyalty. Simba felt no jealousy toward Kakarot whatsoever, only envy and sincere happiness at his friend's astonishing talent.

"Great! Hurry up and settle this with me. Let's see whether I'm the big sister or you're the big brother!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Lilith stood in the dueling area and shouted excitedly.

Once Kakarot was in position, the duel officially began.

After the previous few battles, Kakarot's physique had already caught up to Lilith's in her normal state.

However, once Lilith activated her electrical ability, the situation instantly reversed, and Kakarot was completely overwhelmed.

He could only do everything he could to protect his vital points. Even so, his body was soon covered in claw marks and electrical burns.

Lilith knew these injuries had little effect on Kakarot. Her figure flickered around him like a phantom.

Her electricity-wreathed claws flashed like bolts of lightning, leaving wound after wound on Kakarot's body.

But Kakarot's fighting spirit only rose higher in this predicament. It suddenly occurred to him that offense might be the best defense.

So he threw a forceful punch straight at Lilith's claws.

After the collision, Kakarot retreated several steps to dissipate the force, while Lilith also used the momentum to flip backward.

After this head-on clash, Kakarot seemed to have awakened. He no longer simply dodged Lilith's attacks, instead blocking them again and again with his own fists.

Although both fists soon became bloody messes, he felt himself getting into better and better shape, his excitement growing ever stronger.

Suddenly, the electric light around Lilith blazed brightly. She drove her electricity at full force to stimulate her body, instantly making her strength and speed even greater.

"Lilith's control over electricity has improved during the fight. Unless Kakarot makes some sort of breakthrough, he'll probably lose," Yingyue said evenly.

"Lilith is so strong! She's amazing!" Vian and Emily could not help exclaiming.

The pressure on Kakarot in the arena multiplied, but he still gritted his teeth and did everything he could to withstand Lilith's attacks.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter. He felt the blood in his body flowing faster and faster, as though a force were surging deep within him.

He struggled to mobilize the mysterious ki inside him. As his injuries grew increasingly severe, the pressure also continued to mount.

At this critical moment, the ki inside him suddenly surged toward his fist like a flood bursting through a dam, the current swirling around it.

Lilith suddenly felt an immense force come from Kakarot's fist. Caught completely off guard, she was sent flying more than ten meters, nearly falling out of the arena.

"Impossible!" The startled cry escaped Yingyue's mouth involuntarily.

Hearing her, Kakarot and Lilith instinctively looked toward Yingyue. "Keep going!" she said, forcing herself to appear calm.

How is this possible? This is Armament Haki! How could he have awakened Armament Haki?! Yingyue's mind churned in utter shock.

After he successfully mobilized his ki, his Saiyan talent began to take effect.

Kakarot quickly mastered the method of controlling ki skillfully, successfully using it to strengthen his physique.

In the blink of an eye, his speed caught up to Lilith's. Then he threw several punches in succession, the afterimages of his fists overlapping, each punch seemingly carrying tremendous force.

Unable to dodge in time, Lilith was finally knocked out of the arena.

Kakarot felt exhilarated in body and mind. Although the pain in his body was unbearable, it did nothing to suppress the volcanic excitement within him.

He had never expected ki to provide such a massive boost in combat. He had defeated Lilith without much effort.

"Kakarot, how did you suddenly get so strong? You weren't using electricity, were you?" Lilith asked in confusion.

Kakarot did not know how to answer. He could hardly say that this was a Saiyan's ki.

Just then, Yingyue said, "Kakarot has awakened Armament Haki. Come over here."

Yingyue coated her hand in Armament Haki, turning it black and hardened, like steel.

"This is Armament Haki. But I've coated my hand with it. Kakarot is still at the first stage, only wrapping Armament Haki around his fists, so you can't see it."

Kakarot was inwardly shocked. He had never expected a Saiyan's ki to actually be Armament Haki in the One Piece world. Sensing the vast quantity of Haki inside him, moving at his will, he could not help curling his lips into a smile.