Knov stayed perfectly calm.
The moment Youpi's severed limb began to swell, he was already defending himself.
But the real threat wasn't the exploding flesh—it was Youpi himself.
As the limb detonated, Knov spotted flesh twisting and forming sharp, blade-like appendages on Youpi's body.
That was the real killing move.
Yet before the strike landed, several Morels burst from the mist overhead, flinging their pipes at Youpi in unison.
Youpi's eyes narrowed.
This was a new form of attack—he hadn't seen it before.
Given how essential that pipe was to Morel's Nen, tossing it away seemed reckless.
Surely he wouldn't throw it if it were his actual weapon—unless this was a trap.
With that in mind, Youpi grew wary.
Explode? Dodge? Counterattack?
If he triggered an explosion now, he could likely hit Knov—
but the brief vulnerability during reconstruction would leave him wide open.
In a second encounter, that weakness could easily be exploited.
Knov could "open doors" at any moment,
and Youpi knew that if he missed the chance to inflict heavy damage, he'd be the one punished.
He quickly made his choice:
dodge and counterattack.
His En had been active this whole time.
If Morel and Knov were too tricky, maybe he should go after the ones who had approached him earlier.
Youpi's wings flared.
He launched himself into the air just before his severed limb detonated.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The thrown pipes collided and burst into clouds of smoke where Youpi had just been.
Below, the explosion hurled Knov into the mist, slamming him into the concealed 4D Mansion.
As Youpi soared forward, he could feel fury surging toward his left shoulder.
The pipes had been smoke all along—harmless.
He'd been tricked.
If he'd stood his ground, he could've landed a solid hit on the suit-wearing man.
Now, seeing how easily Knov retreated, the explosion likely hadn't even grazed him.
This was a blunder.
He'd fallen for a feint—outplayed.
The gap in experience and tactical planning was massive.
Even as rage boiled, his brain calmly acknowledged this fact.
SHHKK.
His blade-arm slashed through another smoke double—expected.
They had completely read him.
Youpi stopped midair, hovering a half-meter above the ground.
"Time's up. Calculating interest."
Potclean's voice echoed beside his ear, as the Nen piglet grew slightly larger.
Youpi paused, reflecting.
From aura alone, only Morel was worth respecting.
Everyone else was weaker—not even one-tenth of his strength.
And yet… here he was, being toyed with.
Nen truly was a deep and treacherous thing.
The situation was bad.
But also… strangely fun.
A grin twitched at the corners of Youpi's mouth—
And then it vanished.
Replaced by a fury so immense
it overwhelmed even the grotesque face on his shoulder.
It swelled—twice the size of the one that had vaporized a 200-meter smoke field.
Because—
He saw Nen bullets approaching.
A man with a massive gun entered his field of vision.
There could only be one explanation:
Pouf had lost.
Shame. Disgrace. Betrayal of the King's trust.
BOOM.
Before the Nen bullets could even reach him, before Kite could approach—
Youpi exploded.
His vision landed on the pink figure beside Joey.
That silhouette—
The one the King briefly glimpsed emanating from Komugi after Pitou died.
That was it. That was the one.
And now Youpi understood:
That thing killed Pitou.
That thought alone pushed his fury into detonation.
A massive crater carved open the earth before the Royal Palace.
Kite halted mere meters from the edge, joined by Killua.
Joey's Nen bullets disintegrated mid-air, swept away by the sheer force.
Even the First Bomb-tagged projectile was prematurely detonated by a stray rock.
In the center of the pit, Youpi reappeared, standing tall.
Potclean again announced the interest payment.
But this time—
Youpi was calm.
He locked eyes with the group—
then suddenly turned and charged straight for the palace.
"He's going for Komugi!" Joey shouted.
But Kite's reaction was different.
He rotated his rifle—
and pointed it at Joey.
And at that moment—
Youpi's body twisted.
Dozens of monstrous faces emerged.
Jets of rage burst from their mouths, steering him suddenly—
straight toward Joey.
Why?
Joey thought, as Killer Queen stepped in front of him.
CLANG. BOOM.
Two sounds at once.
First, Kite's shot pierced Youpi's lower body.
Second, Youpi's blade-arm smashed into Killer Queen's raised left hand.
That arm housed Sheer Heart Attack.
And although the stand blocked the blow without a scratch,
the force snapped Killer Queen's left arm clean off—
bone shattered, the limb severed.
Blood sprayed.
The arm spun through the air.
But Joey had used the distraction to create distance—
and immediately recalled the Stand.
The missing arm didn't bother him.
Just blood.
Minor pain.
He'd fix it soon.
He flipped a coin in his fingers—
then flicked it at Youpi.
It was imbued with First Bomb,
and modified further with Gold Experience.
Touch it—
and it's over.
Evade it—
and the coin will chase him.
Youpi made his choice.
He raised his rage-charged arm,
aimed its grotesque cannon—
and fired directly at the coin.
A concentrated beam of explosive aura—
The coin dissolved in the air before it could reach him.
Killer Queen detonated it midair,
but it only neutralized the beam.
Then the second beam came.
Before it could hit Joey,
a large cat leapt from his coat pocket and slammed into the blast.
BOOM.
The explosion shredded the cat
and launched Joey backward, blood spraying.
But in that moment—
Joey's severed arm unleashed Sheer Heart Attack,
which rolled straight toward Youpi—
BOOM.
The explosion landed,
but Youpi had already regrown his legs
and was charging again.
Kite and others weren't just watching.
Knov appeared through the 4D Mansion portal,
joined by a wave of smoke soldiers.
But Youpi was faster.
His blade was already raised—
about to cleave Joey in two.
At the last instant—
A fist struck his arm, redirecting it.
Then—
two floating hands, wrapped in aura, grabbed Joey and yanked him away.
Youpi's blade-arm fell to the ground.
He could still sense the aura from it,
but there it was, lying uselessly.
Bizarre.
But he understood.
Shootro.
He'd seen those hands before—
but three of them?
How?
Then he shook off the question.
No time to think.
Another blade-arm grew instantly,
and as it regenerated,
he slashed downward—
targeting the severed limb.
Even discarded,
his arm was a weapon.
The bloody limb and fallen blade twisted, swelled—
BOOM.
But Joey was already gone,
vanishing into the smoke troops.
From behind Youpi—
Sheer Heart Attack let out a smug jeer, mocking him.
Youpi's rage…
was gone.
His body still worked,
but the anger had burned out.
What replaced it was a gnawing unease.
Especially seeing the ever-growing fat baby—
Potclean.
He glanced toward Joey.
That pink Stand…
That was it.
That was the reason for Pitou's death.
That alone justified every ounce of wrath.
Even now—
That jeering voice again.
Youpi turned,
grabbed Sheer Heart Attack with a newly grown arm—
and hurled it away before it exploded in his face.