"You know me?" Mr. 1's surprise matched Hyaku's revelation, "That makes things easier. Turn around and leave, and I'll pretend I never saw you."
His voice dripped with menace.
Whoosh, Whoosh...
In response, Hyaku drew his massive Beginner's Tachi, the heavy blade singing through the air as he swung it.
"Bounty of ฿75,000,000. I hope you won't disappoint me too much." Hyaku leveled his Tachi at Mr. 1.
"Hmph! No swordsman has ever wounded me." Mr. 1 declared, eyeing the blade with arrogance.
The Supa Supa no Mi had granted him the power to transform any part of his body into blades, making even his basic strikes lethal.
Moreover, this ability turned his entire body — including his internal organs — as hard as steel. Regular attacks proved futile against him, and even Marine firearms couldn't pierce his defense.
"Then I'll be the first." Hyaku countered with matching confidence.
Silence fell between them, heavy with anticipation.
Thud!
Mr. 1's patience broke first.
He slammed both feet into the ground, sending clouds of desert sand billowing upward. In the same motion, he launched himself at Hyaku with explosive speed.
Click, Click, Click!
As he moved, Mr. 1's arms transformed into gleaming metallic blades.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Hyaku, launching a pincer attack with both arms.
"Hmph!" Hyaku let out a cold snort.
Just as Mr. 1's blade-arms were about to strike, Hyaku dropped into a crouch.
Clang!
The blade-arms clashed above him, sending sparks showering through the air.
Seizing his chance, Hyaku slid his right foot back and gripped his Tachi with both hands. In one fluid motion, he channeled his entire body's strength into an upward slash.
Clang!
Screech!
The powerful strike connected with Mr. 1's chest, metal screaming against metal as sparks flew.
The Tachi's edge carved upward across Mr. 1's body, completing its arc.
Clang!
The force of Hyaku's slash sent Mr. 1 staggering backward.
The retreating man glanced down at his chest, where his flesh had instantly hardened into blades upon contact.
Despite his defense, Hyaku's strike had left a deep gouge that had nearly shattered his blade-transformed flesh.
Mr. 1 lifted his gaze to Hyaku, his earlier arrogance completely gone.
"The next strike will definitely shatter your 'shell'." Hyaku raised one finger in contempt.
Whoosh!
Humiliated by the near injury and provoked by Hyaku's taunt, Mr. 1's anger erupted.
He lunged forward, his feet transforming into blades that propelled him across the ground toward Hyaku.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
As he charged, Mr. 1 shook his arms, causing blades to burst forth and cover them completely.
Still not satisfied, his eyes flashed with cold fury as the blades on his arms began spinning furiously, emitting a terrifying buzz.
After witnessing Hyaku's power, Mr. 1 held nothing back!
✣ Spiral Hollow! ✣
Whoosh...
Despite Mr. 1's dramatic display, Hyaku stood unmoved.
With steady breath, he focused his entire strength into a single point. As Mr. 1 closed in, Hyaku raised his sword high and brought it down in a mountain-splitting vertical slash.
Clang!!
The heavy Tachi, powered by Hyaku's tremendous strength, crashed against Mr. 1's spinning, overlapping blades.
Metal shrieked against metal as the Tachi's full force met Mr. 1's arms, the rotating blades grinding relentlessly against the sword.
The impact sent shock waves rippling through the air, kicking up sand and stones around them.
The fierce clash ended quickly — Mr. 1's rotating blades ground to a halt just as Hyaku's downward pressure subsided, both fighters' strength momentarily spent.
"What an intense battle!"
"No kidding! That's a pirate with a bounty of nearly ฿100,000,000!"
"But Hyaku is also strong — he seems to have the upper hand!"
"It's hard to say, they've both stopped now."
"..."
On the sidelines, the watching Marine soldiers discussed among themselves.
While amazed by Mr. 1's Akuma no Mi ability, they were equally shocked by Hyaku's display of strength.
Crack!
Just when everyone thought the combat round was over, a crisp sound of breaking metal rang out.
Mr. 1's face contorted in shock!
"I told you the next strike would break through your defense." A smug smile spread across Hyaku's face.
He tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
Crash!
The blades on Mr. 1's arms shattered completely.
Rip!
Without the protection of metal blades, his body was defenseless against Hyaku's Tachi.
A horrifying wound carved deep into Mr. 1's arms, reaching bone. Blood dripped continuously, staining the ground beneath.
"Ahhh!!" Mr. 1 cried out in pain.
"It's over." Hyaku showed no intention of stopping.
He would fight until his opponent had no strength left to retaliate!
Thud!
Stepping forward, Hyaku gave Mr. 1 no time to react. He kicked him squarely in the chest.
A muffled thud rang out as Mr. 1 staggered backward.
Whoosh!
Hyaku raised his sword again. The blade gleamed with silver light, humming like a tuning fork. He swung it through the air at the retreating Mr. 1, bringing down a single slash.
Whoosh!Boom!
The blade trembled, and a powerful sword intent transformed into a blue-green crescent slash, streaking straight toward Mr. 1.
"Don't even think about it!" Mr. 1 roared in anger at the incoming attack.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he transformed his entire body into hard blades!
✣✣✣
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