"He's here."
Under the watchful eyes of Bellamy and his crew, a tall figure walked to the forefront of the warship. The man had a fierce countenance, wore a twin-headed dragon helmet, carried eight swords on his back, and had three flintlock pistols tucked into his belt.
"It's Vice Admiral Onigumo!" His appearance was too distinctive; Drake recognized his identity at a glance. It was actually the renowned Onigumo. This fellow's Eight-Sword Style was no laughing matter like Hatchan's.
Bellamy's expression immediately turned grave. "All hands, listen up! Retreat!" Even if Onigumo hadn't reached the realm of a Great Swordsman, he was definitely an exceptionally strong swordsman, not someone they could currently handle. Even the aftershocks of their battle could potentially wipe out their entire crew.
"Captain, what about you then?!" Ross, understanding the meaning behind Bellamy's words, immediately pressed.
"Naturally, I'm going to meet him personally." Fleeing at first sight was not his style. Today, even if Garp were on the opposing side, Bellamy would have to exchange a few fists before he'd back down. So what if he died here? Hadn't he already prepared himself mentally for that?
"Drake, protect them."
Leaving behind this instruction, Bellamy casually stripped off his shirt and strode towards the sky. A sudden clap of thunder flashed, momentarily illuminating the entire world. Watching Bellamy's retreating figure, Drake suddenly realized why the gap between him and his captain was growing ever wider. A wild thought leaped into his mind: "The Captain's name, sooner or later, will resound throughout the entire world."
Onigumo stood at the bow of the warship, his expression slowly turning serious as he watched Bellamy stride towards him. "What an impressive method of flight." With Onigumo's discerning eye, he instantly recognized the prowess of Bellamy's "Second Gear: Spring Flyer" mode. Bellamy's flight was true flight, not the kind of forced air-stepping like Moon Walk. This move alone was enough to make Onigumo treat him with utmost seriousness.
"Take this!" Six pitch-black arms suddenly extended from behind Onigumo; the eight swords were already in his grasp, though it was unclear when he had drawn them.
"Eight-Sword Style: Storm Slash!"
As the swords grated against each other, a storm capable of tearing the sky apart erupted from the blades. The dense dark clouds in the sky were forcibly swept into it. A tempest, like a natural disaster, surged towards Bellamy.
"What a warm welcome." Bellamy actually charged headlong into the storm, not dodging or evading.
"Iron Body: Steel Balloon!"
The moment Iron Body activated, countless streams of sword qi slashed against his body. Ding ding ding ding ding… A series of crisp clangs, like steel striking steel, echoed as innumerable sparks flew from Bellamy's sides. Unable to tear its enemy to shreds, the storm, encountering resistance, immediately began to weaken.
Bellamy channeled Armament Haki, his arms violently shaking the void. The storm was torn to shreds by an immense force. The clouds in the sky, caught in the aftershock of their clash, were blasted open, forming a large hole. Dazzling sunlight shone through this opening, illuminating the entire battlefield.
"You take one of mine too." After one exchange, Bellamy actually launched a counterattack directly.
"Tempest Kick: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Bold." Onigumo narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on the small vacuum sphere rapidly moving through the air. "Break it for me."
Just as the Vacuum Sphere was about to reach the space above the warship, Onigumo suddenly drew a flintlock pistol from his waist and fired. A pitch-black bullet shot out from the barrel, striking the core of the Vacuum Sphere with incredible precision, dispersing it into the air.
The first round of their probing exchange had officially ended. They both now had a relatively direct understanding of each other's strength.
"Bellamy, you shouldn't be in the Four Blues." From this sentence, it wasn't hard to tell that Onigumo already acknowledged Bellamy's strength.
"Cut the crap." Both Onigumo and Bellamy were beings of incredibly firm will. Neither would back down easily today until a victor was decided by life or death.
"Very well. My orders from Headquarters were to arrest you." Onigumo pursed his lips, the eight swords behind him slowly beginning to dance. "But I believe killing you here would be better for the world."
"Gyehahahahaha!" Hearing Onigumo's declaration, Bellamy couldn't help but laugh wildly. "You're right! I think so too!" Someone like him was the greatest source of chaos wherever he went.
"Come on and kill me, Onigumo!"
This pirate was far too arrogant. Even in the New World, few dared to be so audacious in front of him. The name Onigumo was forged from the blood of countless pirates. The eight swords fanned out behind Onigumo like a peacock displaying its tail. In that instant, the void seemed to freeze for a moment.
A streak of light flashed. Onigumo's figure abruptly appeared behind Bellamy.
"Eight-Sword Style: A Thousand Instantaneous Strikes!"
The sound of nearly a thousand streams of sword qi tearing through the air echoed, followed immediately by innumerable sword shadows slashing onto Bellamy. From the sword draw to the strike, Bellamy hadn't even had time to make any evasive maneuvers. His Observation Haki had perceived Onigumo's movement, but his body couldn't react. This sword strike had surpassed Bellamy's neural reflexes.
In just an instant, Bellamy was struck a full thousand times. But the more Onigumo slashed, the more alarmed he became. "What's going on? Why is his body starting to shrink?" Not only that, but the sensation of the swords striking his body was also becoming increasingly harder. This pirate's body was undergoing an abnormal change.
The moment Onigumo sensed something was wrong, he immediately changed his targets, thrusting rapidly towards Bellamy's various vital points.
Clang!
A crisp sound of steel colliding. Two swords were caught in Bellamy's hands.
"Hey, don't go too far." He truly couldn't dodge that last barrage, but his Body of Steel wasn't so easily cut. After this attack, countless wounds appeared on Bellamy's body, yet none of these dense injuries managed to penetrate more than a few inches into his skin.
"So this is the Spring-Spring Fruit? Impressive indeed." Although it was the first time he had heard of this Devil Fruit ability, Onigumo already had a sufficient understanding of the Spring-Spring Fruit. When subjected to external force, the body would contract like a spring. When compressed to its limit, the body would become incredibly hard – so hard that even he couldn't easily cut through it. What a troublesome fruit.
Bellamy gripped the two longswords tightly. Krakala… Numerous cracks spread across the blades.
"You hurt me quite a bit. Is it my turn now?"
"Of course not."
Their gazes clashed violently in mid-air, an explosive killing intent soaring into the sky. An incredibly dense aura of bloodthirst quietly began to permeate the surroundings.