Ryan and Bakel exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other's eyes that this was only to be expected.
"Tch, competing with the commander in pure strength? Jinbe must have lost his mind," Bakel muttered under his breath, curling his lip.
"The commander isn't called a monster for nothing." Ryan shrugged, looking relaxed.
Jinbe stood there, panting.
He looked at his trembling right fist, then at Lorne opposite him, his heart filled with defeat.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging blood within him, and once again raised his hands into an opening stance before his chest.
"Rear Admiral Lorne, that was only a warm-up. Now I'm going to get serious!" Jinbe shouted, trying to rally his fighting spirit.
"Get serious?" Lorne sneered, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.
"Jinbe, your Fish-Man Karate is certainly good, but before absolute strength, those flashy techniques mean nothing." Lorne slowly took a step forward.
As his foot landed, the entire square seemed to tremble slightly.
Jinbe's pupils contracted sharply.
He could feel an indescribable pressure surging toward him like an overwhelming tide.
"Don't underestimate me!" Jinbe roared, pushing hard off the ground with both feet and shooting toward Lorne like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Fish-Man Karate secret art: Buraikan!"
As he charged, Jinbe concentrated all his strength into his right palm.
Moisture gathered in his palm, forming a rapidly spinning blue ball of water.
The water ball was small, but the energy it contained was terrifying, giving off a piercing roar.
This was his strongest secret art, capable of penetrating defenses and destroying internal organs.
"Hah!" Jinbe roared, driving his right palm hard toward Lorne's chest.
Lorne watched Jinbe approach without dodging or retreating. He did not even adopt a defensive stance.
He simply stood there, letting Jinbe's