"Hyena! Ready to meet your end?!" Yonji roared, pointing directly at Bellamy hovering in the sky, issuing his challenge.
As if Bellamy would ever back down from a direct challenge. Head-on confrontations? He'd never feared anyone. "Enough with the big talk!" he shot back. "So what if you got some power-up? It takes more than raw strength to beat me." Bellamy defiantly tapped his own chest. "Bring it on! Come kill me if you can!"
"Your wish is my command!" Yonji snarled. Tapping his toes, his specialized boots ejected massive jets of gas, launching him forward like a lightning bolt. Compared to his earlier movements, the massive energy infusion had clearly boosted the performance of his Germa Raid Suit significantly. If Yonji's previous flight speed was like a handgun bullet, his current velocity was comparable to a high-caliber sniper round. The sheer increase in speed was astonishing.
Witnessing this incredible velocity, Bellamy made an instant assessment: even his full-power Moon Walk couldn't match this speed. In terms of raw flight speed, he was completely outclassed.
"A pity!" If they were fighting on solid ground, Bellamy would have eagerly tested whose explosive ground speed was truly faster. But their current battlefield was the sky, the chaotic sea, littered with the wreckage of sinking ships. From the outset, the terrain restricted his ability to fight at his absolute peak potential, especially concerning ground-based spring maneuvers. Bellamy didn't waste time complaining, however. He had chosen this battlefield himself, fully aware of its limitations. All he could do now was remain hyper-vigilant.
Maintaining his Observation Haki at full intensity for so long was already beginning to tax his concentration, causing mental fatigue. But Bellamy knew: now, more than ever, was not the time to relax, not even for an instant. Against an opponent moving at this speed, the slightest lapse, the smallest opening, would invite a devastating, whirlwind assault. He himself was an expert in high-speed combat; he understood this dynamic perfectly.
And sure enough, Yonji immediately pressed his speed advantage, rocketing around Bellamy in wide, high-velocity arcs. Countless blurry afterimages flickered around Bellamy, attempting to disorient him and mask the true angle of attack. The scene was eerily reminiscent of Bellamy's own battle tactics against the giant tiger back in the forests of Jaya—using speed and misdirection. He never thought he'd find himself on the receiving end of such a strategy.
Bellamy didn't need to guess Yonji's next move. It was obvious: Yonji intended to use the kinetic energy built up from his high-speed maneuvers to deliver a single, overwhelming blow capable of shattering Bellamy's defenses. A knockout punch.
"Trying to end it in one hit? Arrogant bastard."
Yonji's speed continued to climb, the afterimages blurring further, becoming almost indistinct streaks of green. As the aerial duel intensified, the sheer spectacle began to draw the attention of onlookers below. Capone Bege, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, and even the observing Marines raised their spyglasses, focusing on the high-speed confrontation unfolding above the waves.
Sensing the numerous eyes upon him, Yonji felt a surge of adrenaline, his battle fervor intensifying. He loved an audience. "Ready, Hyena?" he yelled, his voice distorted by the wind. "I'm going to crush you into dust right here, in front of everyone!"
Yonji pushed his speed to its absolute apex, channeling all the suit's stored energy into one ultimate, decisive strike—a blow far exceeding his normal limits. Bellamy felt the raw, undisguised killing intent radiating from Yonji. Every muscle fiber in his body tensed instinctively, coiled to the breaking point.
"Here it comes!" Armament Haki flowed, hardening his entire right fist, ready to meet the impact.
Yonji's velocity was now so extreme that even his afterimages were barely visible, just faint blurs against the sky. The air around Bellamy grew scorching hot from the friction of Yonji's repeated high-speed passes, almost seeming ready to ignite. Under such conditions, the subtle air current reading aspect of Paper Arts became useless. Only his Observation Haki could still track Yonji's true position amidst the chaotic blur.
Finally, having built up maximum momentum and energy, Yonji's true form suddenly materialized directly behind Bellamy. "DIE!" Amplified immensely by the Raid Suit and the external charge, Yonji unleashed a punch carrying power far beyond his normal capabilities. All the stored energy from the charging device detonated outwards in this single, devastating blow. "Winch Overdrive Blast!" The fist targeted the back of Bellamy's skull, aimed to end the fight instantly and brutally.
But just as the blow was about to connect, Bellamy—as if anticipating the attack perfectly—spun violently, lashing out with his own prepared counter-punch aimed directly behind him.
Yonji was utterly shocked. He hadn't expected Bellamy to react—let alone counterattack—to such a high-speed, targeted strike from his blind spot. As a Vinsmoke, he'd certainly heard of Observation Haki. But hearing about it was entirely different from understanding its true capabilities. Without facing it directly, it was difficult to truly grasp the almost precognitive nature of advanced Observation Haki.
"If this strike misses, I won't get another chance like this!" Yonji realized with dawning horror. After their earlier exchanges, Yonji knew better than anyone how incredibly difficult Bellamy was to pin down. Facing Bellamy's equally ferocious counter-punch, Yonji was still confident his own amplified brute strength could easily overpower it and send Bellamy flying. But the external energy charge in his suit was nearly depleted. What would he do in the next exchange if this failed?
"No... I still have one more option." There was one last desperate technique he could employ. But using it now, under these conditions... the consequences... "Screw the consequences!" Gritting his teeth, Yonji made a split-second decision, forcefully arresting the forward momentum of his own punch.
To Bellamy's utter astonishment, Yonji's fist halted abruptly in mid-air, just shy of impact. In that instant, Bellamy's own Armament-coated fist slammed hard into Yonji's abdomen. Although Bellamy hadn't put his absolute full power into the counter (prioritizing accuracy and speed), the force behind it was still immense—enough to blow a hole in a Sea King. Yonji took the blow almost undefended, directly to his gut. Instantly, a spray of crimson erupted from his mouth. Bellamy even glimpsed fragments of what looked disturbingly like internal organs mixed with the blood.
But in that same instant, Yonji's Raid Suit glove shot forward again—not punching, but grabbing—clamping down vice-like onto Bellamy's shoulder. Without the Raid Suit's underlying protection, Bellamy's punch would likely have eviscerated Yonji.
"Finally!" Yonji gasped, blood pouring from his lips. "Finally... caught you!" He was trembling, partly from the pain, partly from manic excitement. He had paid a terrible price—likely suffering shattered internal organs—but he had finally captured his elusive prey. "Maximum Output: Winch Bind!"
Yonji summoned every last reserve of his 'milk-sucking strength,' his enhanced muscles straining, his suit's mechanisms grinding as he attempted to wrap himself around Bellamy, intending to crush him with raw power. The sheer exertion, combined with his devastating internal injuries, caused Yonji to cough up even more blood. Yet Bellamy only felt the crushing force constricting around him growing stronger, showing no sign of weakening despite Yonji's obvious trauma.
"Damn, he's ruthless," Bellamy thought, his expression turning complex as he looked at the Vinsmoke prince. Amidst the assessment, there was a grudging flicker of admiration. To willingly take such a devastating blow, risking death, just to seize a fleeting opportunity… That took a certain kind of resolve.
"But," Bellamy thought, a dangerous glint in his eye, "I'm a Spring Human, you idiot." Trying to crush him to death with brute force? Did Yonji truly comprehend how foolish that was?