'Manipulation? Emission? Transmutation?'
After just a few brief exchanges, even someone as experienced as Gel found herself unable to determine Law's Nen Category.
She kipped up from the ground in one swift motion, then casually stripped off her raincoat, revealing a sleek black combat outfit underneath.
Law's punch hadn't actually injured her, not because Law's speed was too slow, but because Gel's mastery of Ryu was strong enough that she could gather Aura for defense in time. Of course, it also helped that Law had held back.
This is a rare sparring partner before finding Atomu. Law felt that if it ends too quickly, it would be a waste of a good opportunity.
However, Gel had no idea that Law was going easy on her. She assumed that punch had been Law's full strength, and since she had blocked it without much trouble, she felt confident that Law wasn't a major threat.
On the top of the mountain, the two stood facing each other from dozens of meters apartther.
Gel's expression was slightly solemn, but there was a hint of amusement in Law's eyes.
'The needle is very thin and not long, so its lethality is almost zero… which means they're probably poisoned.'
Law reached out and plucked one of the hovering needles between his fingers. Just as he expected, the White Smoke Font gave the answer. The needle was coated with a powerful paralyzing toxin that would take effect ten seconds after breaking the skin.
The first time there were four needles, which he had sent back, but was easily caught by Gel. Although there were eight needles this time, Law did not intend to send them back like before.
He took all the needles, held them behind his back, activated his ability to extract the poison, and then crushed the needles into dust.
'Putting aside her Nen Ability, this woman's attack relies on poisoned needles, and since these poison needles are not conjured items, the number must be limited. If I could destroy her stockpile, her threat level would be reduced by half.
Watching Gel take off the raincoat that was in the way but standing still, Law didn't rush. He could isolate himself from the cold rain, but Gel couldn't. The longer the fight dragged on, the more it would affect her body.
that was exactly what Law wanted, to prolong the battle and maximize Gel's value as a sparring partner.
"Are you standing in the corner as punishment?" Law suddenly teased.
A flicker of irritation flashed through Gel's eyes, and she suddenly moved, skirting around the crater Law had created earlier.
Her hands swiftly brushed across her body, discreetly retrieving several more poison needles.
Her speed wasn't slow, but she didn't attack immediately. Instead, she maintained a thirty-meter distance, as if waiting for the perfect moment.
Rumble…!
The moment the lightning disappeared, the world darkened, and Gel took the opportunity to rush over. Before the next lightning flashed, she had already rushed to three meters in front of Law.
At such a close distance, she did not throw out the poison needles, but instead swept her leg, sending a surge of rainwater splashing toward Law's face.
Splash!
A wave of water rushed toward Law's vision like a crashing tide.
Law frowned slightly. If he used his Domain to stop the water, his vision would be obstructed. But if he allowed the water to splash over him, his vision would still be obstructed.
So, he kicked his heel backward, injecting Aura into the ground within a two-meter radius, setting a trap. At the same time, he stepped back, trying to avoid the water's obstruction.
Shhhtt!
But just as he retreated, six needles shot through the water splash from behind, aiming straight at him.
Law had anticipated this and stopped the needles mid-air with his Domain. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he wrapped them in his own Aura and fired them back toward both sides of the water splash.
Law assumed that Gel used the water splashes to cover the needles, and then would attack from both sides. However, when he retreated, he had already hollowed the rocky ground near where he was. As long as Gel dared to chase after him, the trap plus the counterattack needles would be enough to defeat her.
However, Gel didn't choose to flank him, so the needles that Law reflected missed.
Instead, Gel went up.
Having already fallen for a ground trap once, she chose to be more cautious. The water splash not only blocked Law's vision but also her own, meaning she couldn't see what tricks he was pulling. To play it safe, after launching her needles, she leapt into the air, avoiding any ground-based ambushes.
This move caught Law off guard.
Law looked up at Gel, snapped his fingers, and a Nen Bullet shot towards Gel, who was falling diagonally.
Sshhtt!
Gel also flicked her finger and shot out a thin needle, which accurately pierced the Nen Bullet dead center and shattering it into pieces. The needle didn't stop there and continued to fly towards Law's eyes.
Law dodged the needle with a quick side step. He did not use his Domain to stop the needle, but instead generated a burst of resistance, which prolonged Gel time in the air and prevented her from landing faster.
'Resistance? This is the force that struck my waist earlier.'
Gel's face changed slightly. This mysterious resistance was slowing her descent, dampening some of her momentum.
Law used the opportunity to retreat, creating distance while simultaneously gathering rainwater around him.
As soon as she landed, Gel bent her knees and pushed off, sending up a spray of water as she lunged toward Law like a hunting leopard.
Although she frequently used poison needles for ranged attacks, her actual Nen Category was Enhancement, not Emission.
'Why is she so fixated on close combat?'
The thought flashed through Law's mind, and at the same time, he whipped the gathered rainwater forward, coating it in Aura to form a barrage of water arrows, attempting to slow Gel down.
'Obstructed vision works both ways.'
Gel smiled coldly and flicked her hands, sending out eight poison needles that pierced straight through the water arrows, shooting toward Law.
At the same time, she suddenly crouched and assumed a runner's starting position.
The next moment, she launched forward, keeping her upper body low. Her motion resembled both a swordfish slicing through the ocean and an American football tackle!
The water arrows soared harmlessly over her head as her rushing figure carved out two streaks of water in her wake. In a flash, she had closed the gap to Law.
Law had just tightened his Domain to stop the poison needles, but before he could redirect them in a counterattack, Gel was already in his face, raising both hands.
Crack!
A rock suddenly rose up from the ground in front of Law's feet, blocking Gel's body. When Gel couldn't see, Law put away the eight poison needles.
Gel had a cold expression on her face and didn't notice Law's actions. She slammed both hands into the rock, shattering it into fragments. The force generated pushed the rubbles towards Law.
However, the moment Law controlled the rock to stand upright, he had already dodged to the right in advance, thus avoiding the rubbles. After that, he did not increase the distance because it was too late.
Gel quickly adjusted her posture, stepped in front of Law, and instantly threw out a series of punches. Each punch was wrapped in Aura and packed serious power.
With the distance now closed, Law calmly met her attack head-on.
A flurry of fists clashed in rapid succession, sending deep reverberations through the air. The force of their blows shattered raindrops midair, reducing them to a fine mist.
In just five seconds, the two had exchanged nearly twenty punches. Then both fighters threw a final, fully charged strike at the same time, and the collision sent them both reeling back over ten meters.
"Ten seconds, do you know what this time means?" Gel looked at Law, who was dozens of meters away, with a confident expression, as if victory was already assured.
Law smiled and replied, "The venom of the black scorpion in the Biru Desert can paralyze a person's entire body in ten seconds with just one milligram. The venom is not fatal, but the paralysis effect is very strong and can last for at least 24 hours. The more troublesome part is the antidote, which is quite complicated to make."
Hearig Law said, Gel's expression darkened.
Law seemed not to notice Gel's expression. He paused for a beat before continuing, "This is the poison you coated your needles with. You keep attacking with the poison needle to create an illusion, right? I really didn't expect that your real method is... poisonous hands."
"You researched me? No, what is your relationship with Biscuit?"
Gel was slightly surprised. She didn't believe that Law could have figured out so much just from exchanging twenty punches. Moreover, if Law had known about her abilities, he shouldn't be so calm at this time.
After all, the poison was supposed to activate in ten seconds.
"Eight seconds."
Law did not answer Gel's question. Instead, he casually reminded her of the countdown.
Gel's brows suddenly furrowed, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.
Law flipped his palm over, revealing a single thin needle between his fingers. He then said calmly, "The tricky thing about the black scorpion venom is that there will be no signs within ten seconds before the poison takes effect. Only when the whole body is paralyzed will the victim realize that they have been poisoned."
"Handling this kind of poison requires extreme caution. Since you are using this poison, you should have an antidote on you, right?"
"You should probably take it… now."
After hearing Law's last words, Gel finally understood where her unease came from. Without hesitation, she quickly pulled out a small vial from the inner lining of her clothes.
'I got hit.'
This was the thought that came to her mind the moment she took out the antidote.
Her body was paralyzed at this moment, which should have had the effect of the poison, causing her to instantly become stiff as a log and fall to the ground.
However, she was a Poison Hunter and her body was very resistant to poisons. The poison that normally would have taken ten seconds to take effect took about twenty seconds on her.
Gel's face turned grim. Then, under Law's calm gaze, she quickly stabbed the antidote into her arm and injected it directly into her bloodstream.
Compared to oral consumption, an injection worked faster.
Still…
She had been using poisons for a long time, but today, she was the one being poisoned.
She had no idea how she had been poisoned, but Law was completely fine.
This outcome…
She couldn't accept it!