"Pirate, why don't you flee?"
Bellamy had no reason to fight to the death. He clearly could have escaped, so why insist on staying here to battle him to the bitter end? With Onigumo's proficiency in Life Return, how could he fail to see that Bellamy's injuries had only seemingly healed? In his current state, Bellamy couldn't even reach sixty percent of his peak condition.
"You merely slashed me a few times. You don't think you've already won, do you?" Bellamy had never once considered that he would lose. To him, losing meant dying. Until he closed his eyes for the last time, no one could truly defeat him.
This was his first battle against a swordsman of this caliber; his experience was inevitably somewhat lacking. Bellamy had initially thought of enduring Onigumo's slashes while looking for an opportunity to strike. However, after being brutally cut several times, he immediately realized that allowing Onigumo to swing his sword freely was the biggest mistake he had made since the battle began.
"Still want to struggle?" Onigumo noncommittally flourished the Meito in his hand.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords: Heavenly Wing Streamer. Its blade had an irregular, inverted T-pattern hamon. The body of the sword was black-purple with red, serrated patterns. This sword was renowned for its resilience, not for being particularly sharp. Yet, it was with this very sword that Onigumo had pierced Bellamy's heart.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield below, the Bellamy Pirates had also fallen into an extremely perilous situation. Twelve Marine warships had formed a semicircle, trapping their cargo ship dead in the downwind position. With the advantageous wind position seized, the terrifying firepower of the Marine warships suppressed Drake and the others, leaving them with no ability to fight back. If Bellamy weren't still fighting desperately above, they probably would have turned tail and fled long ago. The Bellamy Pirates seemed to have plunged into the most dangerous moment since their formation.
Just then, the storm finally arrived! The gentle drizzle instantly transformed into a torrential downpour. Accompanied by the roaring fury of thunder, a massive tempest swept across the entire sky. Onigumo, forcibly staying airborne with Moon Walk, had his figure swayed by the sudden gale. Fighting in the air was unlike fighting on land. An unstable stance was an extremely fatal opening.
"Good chance!" The best opportunity since the battle began had finally appeared!
Bellamy cast aside all inhibitions, unleashing all the power within his body in a single, instantaneous burst. It was as if a volcano were erupting inside him; an overwhelming, cataclysmic force caused his body to swell rapidly like an inflating balloon. Bellamy knew he only had one chance. Given Onigumo's experience, how could he possibly allow Bellamy a second opportunity?
In the blink of an eye, Bellamy's form had swelled to more than twice its size. Countless thick, dark tendons coiled around his arms like iron wires. Along with this surging, immense force, Bellamy's heart felt as if it had been placed in a winch, being madly torn and twisted. The astonishing, sharp pain made him want to roar in agony. But the opening was fleeting; how could Bellamy have the mind to care about any pain?
The moment his power fully erupted, Bellamy's legs became a blur of afterimages, furiously stomping on the void hundreds of times.
"Godspeed Shave!"
The instant his body swayed and tilted, Onigumo immediately sensed trouble. If they were on land, he would never have exposed such a massive flaw in battle. Countless battles worth of experience allowed him to react appropriately at once. However, Onigumo could never have imagined that Bellamy would be so resolute, so thorough, so utterly reckless.
Onigumo had just activated Iron Body when he heard the sound of a bowstring being slowly drawn taut from behind him, "Kekekeke…"
King Punch, maximum charge. Hyperbolic structure modification. Full Armament Haki coverage.
This punch—Bellamy was holding nothing back.
Onigumo's Observation Haki also sensed the boiling killing intent in Bellamy's heart. To attempt a counterattack now would be the worst possible choice. He might be able to quickly thrust out a sword, but in the next second, Bellamy's fist would inevitably crash into him with full force.
"Armament Haki: Full Body Coverage!" An incredibly thick layer of Armament Haki rapidly enveloped Onigumo's entire body.
Bellamy's fist finally tensed to its absolute limit. A milky-white supercavitation bubble abruptly leaped out of the void. The effects of 'the Potion' were gradually pushed to their extreme, completely awakening the ferocity in his heart.
"Die for me!"
"Shatter! Void!"
Onigumo's head had just been covered in a layer of black Haki when the supercavitation impact, carrying a frenzied roar, slammed into it. In an instant, his head seemed to be distorted by gravity, rapidly caving inwards. A punch capable of cracking the very void landed squarely on Onigumo's head. Onigumo felt as if a high-speed Sea Train had smashed into his skull; blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth and nose.
The next second, the unventable residual force blasted Onigumo out of the sky. Marine Vice Admiral Onigumo, before the disbelieving eyes of everyone present, plummeted rapidly into the sea.
"Vice Admiral!"
"How is this possible?! Vice Admiral Onigumo was actually defeated!" The Marines couldn't believe, no matter what, that Vice Admiral Onigumo would be defeated in such a place.
Before everyone's shock could subside, Bellamy, having thrown the punch, felt his chest violently explode.
"Ahhhh!!!" A fountain of blood erupted, dyeing half the sky crimson. The recoil from that punch was something even Bellamy himself found difficult to bear.
"Captain!"
Bellamy had seemingly crushed Onigumo, but in reality, it was merely a case of mutual destruction. The two groups below simultaneously ceased fighting, rushing desperately towards their respective leaders.
"Now is not the time to fall." Bellamy could sense that Onigumo hadn't died from that last punch. This madman Bellamy actually still wanted to dive into the sea to hunt down Onigumo.
However, the storm in the sky was growing increasingly violent. The downpour had completely enveloped the entire sea region, and lightning flashed intermittently. He could barely even keep his footing now.
"Captain, quickly, let's go!" Drake yelled desperately from below. Their sailboat was pitching violently in the surging waves, on the verge of capsizing at any moment. If they didn't leave now, they truly wouldn't be able to.
"Damn it!" Faced with the might of nature, Bellamy could only curse helplessly. That punch had landed on Onigumo's head; his brains must have been scrambled. He wouldn't regain consciousness for at least ten minutes. Such a golden opportunity; if he could just continue the pursuit, he would definitely achieve a greater victory. What a pity, truly a great pity. An opportunity like this might not come again even in a hundred battles.
"We'll leave this fight for later." Bellamy knew Onigumo wouldn't die so easily. This was confidence in a Marine Vice Admiral, and also confidence in his own strength. How could a man capable of cutting him up like this die so obscurely?