The inexplicable financial loss was an extremely painful matter for Nanamo.
That gold coin still existed, but Nanamo’s intuition told her that the coin already seemed to be slipping farther and farther away from her.
This really could only be considered an arena battle, but with the battle having reached this stage, it was no longer something that could simply be stopped on a whim.
“Princess Nanamo, please wait. I… will win this battle!”
“Brat? Who do you think you are? How could a battle possibly stop just because you said so!”
Bullet did not want to stop. To someone like Bullet, who valued the outcome of battle greatly, there was absolutely no way a fight could end like this.
If Bullet had no intention of stopping, then if Alber stopped attacking, it would simply turn into one-sided beatings, so he could not stop either.
“The Roger Pirates… I remember that group was at God Valley too. I heard they even stole the most treasures on God Valley… They’ll have to pay for this loss…”
Nanamo muttered softly to herself. She could understand that a battle of this level could not be stopped with mere words.
Even Nereus would have to personally step in and restrain both of them at the same time to stop this kind of fight.
It was not that Nanamo thought she could not do it, but if she did, even if Alber said nothing aloud, he would still feel uncomfortable inside.
There was nothing wrong with being unable to defeat someone through one’s own strength. If your hard power was inferior, then it simply could not be helped. In literature there may be many firsts, but in martial strength there could only be one victor. As long as it was a battle, a winner and loser had to be decided.
But forcibly stopping it was different.
This sea had always valued clarity of one’s thoughts; if one’s mind is not clear, even a decline in strength can occur.
Gold coins were certainly important, but they still were not more important than a companion’s future.
“Princess Nanamo, that won’t do. Arena matches are rules established by Lord Nereus. How can you make them pay compensation just because they damaged the arena?”
Hermes’ voice sounded faintly from the side, seemingly advising Nanamo to restrain herself a little.
“Hm? Did I say that out loud just now?”
While watching the Roger Pirates, Nanamo really had been muttering quietly to herself, but the words Hermes mentioned were not something she had spoken aloud.
“Of course you didn’t say anything. But as your servant who has followed you for many years, I still understand quite well what you’re thinking.”
“Then you definitely guessed wrong. I was only thinking about whether there’s some suitable reason. I definitely wouldn’t use the arena as an excuse. Still, this big guy’s abilities… Alber’s having a hard time dealing with him.”
Nanamo was not training under Nereus’ high-intensity regime every day with the Flames of Regeneration for nothing.
She could tell that Alber was fighting by relying on his physical talents. If it really came down to Haki strength, Bullet still had the upper hand.
Although the power of the Kirin Fruit was quite impressive, aside from the immortal characteristics of those nightmare monsters, their actual strength itself was tied to the user.
The nightmare army Alber created looked terrifying, but it could only delay Bullet’s movements and rhythm; it could not inflict any effective damage.
Bullet was about the same. Even in the original timeline, after the Clank-Clank Fruit had been developed to the awakening stage, the enhancement effect on Bullet himself was still limited.
In his current form, it merely allowed him to ignore those nightmare creatures. If they continued fighting like this, there would be no result in the short term.
However, as the battle continued, Alber vaguely began to form some new ideas.
“The Strongest Strike!”
At this moment, a bizarre blue Haki surrounded Bullet’s body. As the battle continued, his bloodshot eyes turned completely crimson, and the savage grin on his face made him resemble a devil.
It was precisely because of this unique Haki and combat stance that Bullet possessed title such as “Demon Heir.”
As Bullet unleashed a dense barrage of punches, Alber did not ignite his flames to tank the attacks as he usually did.
At this moment, the flames on Alber’s back had already gone out. Instead, strands of electric current flickered through the Kirin’s mane, eventually gathering upon the horn atop his head.
With the flames extinguished and the electricity surging, Alber left behind afterimages in midair, displaying a speed he had never shown before.
“S-So fast! I can’t even see this guy’s movements anymore!”
Below, Buggy rubbed his eyes, but his eyes could no longer keep up with Alber’s movements. Current Buggy actually had excellent eyesight—not only could he notice countless details, but he was also incredibly persistent.
He had once discovered that Blackbeard had not slept for three whole days and nights, and according to unverified rumors, Buggy himself had also stared at Blackbeard for three days and nights straight.
“Thunder Prison Swamp!”
Turning dreams into reality was the fundamental ability of the Kirin Fruit. Illusory dreams granted the Kirin limitless possibilities, but its abilities did not stop there.
The mane also contained the power of lightning, another ability possessed by the Kirin.
Under the stimulation of electric currents and the enhancement of his speed mode, Alber’s speed had already reached its limit.
Previously, Bullet had been unable to break through the Lunarian’s defense. But now, not only were all his attacks being completely evaded, dense lightning strikes continuously bombarded his body as well.
“A swamp woven from lightning gradually paralyzes its prey, causing them to lose control of their bodies. Prey that falls unconscious is devoured by the monsters from the nightmares.
Legend says the Kirin hunted in exactly this way.”
Alber possessed a unique understanding of all kinds of creatures. Perhaps he had seen this strange hunting method in some picture book.
But no matter what, since the Kirin itself was a mythical creature, anything it did was still far more reasonable than a pteranodon firing arrows from its face.
“You’re celebrating too early, winged b*stard! Attacks like this… no matter how many there are, they’re useless!”
With one punch, Bullet shattered the lightning above his head and began searching for Alber’s position. But Alber’s high-speed movements made him extremely difficult to lock onto.
Naturally, missed attacks caused even greater destruction to the surrounding environment, and that was exactly the sort of thing Bullet enjoyed seeing.
If the surroundings were damaged badly enough, perhaps Nereus would come out.
With that thought in mind, Bullet began attacking wildly without the slightest restraint, but Alber saw things differently.
Long-range attrition could not achieve sufficient results. Wanting to end this battle quickly and reduce the collateral damage, Alber chose close-quarters combat instead.
“Now then… I’ve got you!”
If he had continued using long-range bombardment, Alber would not have run into problems, but engaging in close combat also gave Bullet an opportunity.
Before Alber in his speed form could switch modes, Bullet’s punch slammed directly into his abdomen at close range.
Although Lunarians in speed mode still possessed defenses far surpassing ordinary creatures, it ultimately was not the nearly immovable iron wall of defense mode.
Bullet’s powerful Armament Haki pierced through Alber’s defenses, causing him considerable damage…
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