Recently, in order to recruit members for his pirate crew, Rocks had fought quite a few powerful pirates—among them several with bounties exceeding one billion Beli.
Among all those opponents, Chu Qiye's strength and speed could absolutely rank in the top three.
Seeing his full-force kick blocked, Chu Qiye showed no surprise.
He swiftly adjusted his posture, planted his hands on the ground in a handstand, and sprang upward like a coiled spring, both legs kicking toward Rocks.
This time, Rocks failed to block in time and was struck solidly on the chin.
Although the hit connected, Chu Qiye knew full well—it was nothing more than a scratch to someone like Rocks.
Rocks twisted his slightly misaligned jaw and said calmly, "If that's your limit, there's no need to continue."
Chu Qiye couldn't help but sigh inwardly. A week ago, that would've been true. The gap between them would've been insurmountable.
But now—he still had one desperate chance!
"Five Thunder Talisman—First Layer!"
With a shout, Chu Qiye rapidly formed a sigil.
The talisman completed, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm materialized out of thin air and shot toward Rocks.
"You've got quite a few tricks. You keep surprising me."
Rocks made no attempt to dodge. There was no need.
He simply raised a hand and slapped the lightning head-on—dispersing it by force.
Before Chu Qiye could react, Rocks vanished from where he stood.
"Behind me!"
Chu Qiye foresaw the attack with Observation Haki—but foresight didn't mean he could evade it. The level gap was too great.
The speed was overwhelming. He didn't even have time to turn before Rocks' fist descended.
"Game over."
Just as the punch was about to land, a blue glow suddenly flared across Chu Qiye's back. A massive talisman manifested behind him.
A surge of black qi erupted from it—blocking Rocks' punch and generating a tremendous force that blasted him backward.
Seizing the opportunity, Chu Qiye widened the distance between them. As long as there was enough space, even Rocks' speed would leave him reaction time.
The Shangqing Five Strength Warriors Talisman allowed the temporary borrowing of the Five Plague Gods' strength for offense or defense.
Its drawback was its small effective range and complex incantation. At Chu Qiye's current proficiency, forming it required at least a full minute.
So he had pre-arranged it on his body as a lifesaving measure—activated only when facing fatal danger.
He hadn't expected Rocks to burn through his trump card in a single exchange.
"How many strange tricks do you have? Use them all. Stop wasting time," Rocks said impatiently.
After all, being repeatedly surprised by a mere 500-million pirate was bound to irritate him.
Chu Qiye remained silent, thinking rapidly.
His strongest offensive move was Five Thunder Talisman—Third Layer. But judging by the First Layer's performance, even the Third wouldn't cause serious damage to Rocks.
"In that case…"
Chu Qiye tore off his coat, revealing sculpted abs and a body of hardened muscle.
"Rocks! From here on out, I'm going all in. Don't hold back!"
Rocks simply smiled.
Chu Qiye inhaled deeply and began forming sigils again.
"Golden Armor Talisman—Second Layer!"
Two golden talismans formed and adhered to his body and arms. Interwoven runes spread across him like a shimmering golden chainmail.
Then he coated himself entirely in Armament Haki.
Golden runes layered over black Haki—visually dazzling, radiating raw power.
But he wasn't done.
"Divine Movement Talisman—Second Layer!"
Two blue sigils slithered like serpents to his feet.
Maintaining both Divine Movement Second Layer and Golden Armor Second Layer simultaneously drained him heavily. He had to end this quickly.
"Let's begin, Rocks!"
The moment he spoke, Chu Qiye shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Each step cratered the ground beneath him.
"So fast!"
Rocks' eyes sharpened.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Qiye was upon him. Rocks remained calm and punched straight at his face.
If Chu Qiye wanted to decide the match in close combat, Rocks would grant him that wish. Only then would he submit wholeheartedly.
Their fists collided almost simultaneously.
The shockwave shattered the ground across a hundred-meter radius, their clashing force surging skyward.
Across Hachinosu, powerful pirates sensed it instantly.
"Gurararara… Qiye's been hiding deeper than I thought."
"So strong! That pressure isn't weaker than Edward's fight with Rocks."
"Who's fighting Rocks? Edward? The Golden Lion?"
…
Though each pirate had their own thoughts, they all reached the same conclusion:
The Rocks Pirates had gained another monster.
Blow for blow, kick for kick—their close-combat duel raged on.
Gradually, Chu Qiye fell into the disadvantage, barely holding his ground.
The longer he fought, the more alarmed he became. Without the dual enhancement of Golden Armor and Divine Movement, he would've been flattened long ago.
And this still wasn't Rocks' full strength.
"I can't drag this out! One move to decide it!"
Seizing a brief opening, Chu Qiye struck Rocks' abdomen with his palm and roared:
"Five Thunder Talisman—Third Layer!"
A Five Thunder sigil appeared on Rocks' stomach—then split into three.
Rocks' Observation Haki flared.
"You lunatic!"
Chu Qiye laughed wildly. "Without madness, there's no survival!"
—
BOOM!!!
A massive thunder explosion erupted between them.
From the very start, Chu Qiye had known conventional methods wouldn't defeat Rocks. He needed something desperate—something reckless.
He had pre-drawn the Third Layer Five Thunder Talisman, baited Rocks into close combat, drained his stamina, distracted him—
And then branded the talisman onto him at point-blank range.
But detonating it at such distance meant mutual destruction.
When the thunderstorm faded, Chu Qiye knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. His Haki and talismans had dissipated.
His right arm—the one that executed the talisman—had been blown to pieces, flesh mangled and torn.
But for Chu Qiye—
That was only a minor issue.