The moment his words fell, a soft green glow began to gather around Qizhi's clenched fist.
He smiled lightly.
"Hey, Issho… did you know? I haven't eaten in three years."
Issho paused, clearly taken aback.
"Qizhi, that cannot be true. No one survives three years without food."
Qizhi's smile deepened.
"Oh, you can. As long as your body keeps receiving energy in some form, you don't actually need to eat. In fact… you might even grow stronger."
Issho's brow tightened. He had never heard of anything so strange.
Qizhi continued, his tone almost casual.
"After a plant-type ability awakens, it gains something very important. Do you know what that is?"
Issho hesitated for a brief moment.
That moment was all Qizhi needed.
In a flash, he vanished and reappeared right in front of him.
His fist was already raised high, wrapped in pale green light. A hint of madness flickered across his face.
"Photosynthesis!"
His fist came crashing down.
A heavy impact exploded through the air.
Issho's eyes widened in shock.
Too fast!
His body was sent flying, smashing through trees as the force carried him across the battlefield.
Only after digging his cane sword into the ground did he manage to stop himself.
He pressed a hand against his abdomen, wincing.
At the moment of impact, he had instinctively altered the gravity around himself. Most of the force had been dispersed.
Even so, the pain was overwhelming.
And Qizhi did not give him time to recover.
His figure flickered across the battlefield.
No, flickered was not enough.
He was blinking in and out of existence.
Even Issho's Observation Haki struggled to track him. What he sensed were multiple Qizhis at once, overlapping, shifting, impossible to distinguish.
The speed was simply too great.
Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
"You've lost, Issho."
"Got you."
Issho reacted instantly, confidence returning as he swung his blade backward.
The strike passed cleanly through Qizhi's body.
But there was no resistance.
No blood.
The figure dissolved.
A residual image.
"Damn…"
Before he could react, the real Qizhi appeared directly in front of him.
His fist was already raised.
"Wild Bull, First Star!"
The punch landed squarely in Issho's abdomen.
The ground beneath them exploded as Issho was driven deep into the earth, the surrounding terrain cracking and collapsing under the sheer force.
Dust surged into the air, swallowing the battlefield.
Moments later, Qizhi reappeared a short distance away.
He flexed his fingers, frowning slightly.
"That didn't feel quite right… He changed the gravity again."
Through the settling dust, Issho lay sprawled in a crater, coughing violently.
That had been too close.
He had not even seen it coming.
The gravity field he had set earlier, meant as a trap, had unintentionally saved his life.
Slowly, Issho pushed himself to his feet, one hand still pressed to his aching abdomen.
Across from him, Qizhi stood completely unbothered. Not even breathing heavily.
Issho exhaled.
"…Incredible."
From the viewing platform, the audience fell into stunned silence before a wave of disbelief rippled through them.
"That's insane…"
"He's too strong!"
"That doesn't even look human…"
What had been an even fight moments ago had suddenly turned into a one-sided domination.
Kuzan clicked his tongue.
"Speed and power pushed to the extreme… He really reminds me of you, Fleet Admiral Xu."
In truth, many of them were thinking the same thing.
That same effortless overwhelming strength.
That same monstrous physicality.
But they all knew Qizhi was still far from Xu's level.
Xu waved it off casually.
"Enough of that. Just watch closely. The next exchange might decide everything."
Everyone refocused on the battlefield.
Qizhi rolled his shoulder slightly, eyes locked onto Issho.
"Your gravity ability is troublesome, I'll give you that."
Issho did not respond.
Instead, he raised his blade high.
A deep violet energy gathered along its edge, forming a circular field above him.
Qizhi's eyes narrowed.
"The setup for that meteor technique…"
Issho was already moving.
"Gravity Blade, Meteor!"
With a powerful swing, the attack was unleashed.
Instantly, an overwhelming gravitational force pressed down on Qizhi, locking him in place.
Above them, a massive meteor formed in the sky, descending with terrifying speed.
"It's coming again!"
"That move still gives me chills every time…"
Qizhi looked up at the falling mass.
Then he smiled.
A wild, exhilarated smile.
"Perfect!"
He drew in a deep breath, channeling all his strength into his right fist.
Issho's expression shifted. He expected Qizhi to break free and charge forward.
After all, controlling the meteor left him momentarily immobile.
But Qizhi did not move toward him.
Instead, he faced the falling meteor head-on.
"Wild Bull, Second Star!"
His fist shot forward.
One punch.
Two explosive shockwaves.
The force wrapped in green energy collided directly with the meteor.
"Break!"
Cracks spread instantly across its surface.
One. Two. Then countless fractures raced across the massive stone.
With a thunderous explosion, it shattered into pieces.
Issho stood frozen in disbelief.
"…Is that really a plant-type ability?"
He was not alone.
Nearly every Marine present, including Kuzan and Tina, was equally stunned.
What kind of plant ability was this supposed to be?
Aside from that faint green energy, nothing about it resembled plants at all.
Qizhi exhaled slowly, shaking out his slightly sore fist.
Then he looked at Issho.
Issho stood silently for a moment.
Then, with a calm motion, he sheathed his blade.
"Qizhi… I concede."
The battle was over.