Yamcha's words stunned everyone present.
Especially since Jonathan had just easily shattered a stone with a Ripple-infused punch—if that landed on a person, it might send them straight to the hospital, or worse.
"This…" Naturally, Jonathan couldn't bring himself to attack Yamcha. Beyond the fact that Yamcha was Uncle Erina's friend, he was also his father's savior—there was no way he could raise a hand against him.
"Still not giving up, Sir Potter?" Zeppeli stroked his mustache, frowning deeply at Yamcha. "The power of the Ripple is not something an ordinary person like you can handle."
"Even a child, once they've mastered the Ripple, can easily defeat a strong man."
"You're underestimating this power."
He was practically saying "Don't overestimate yourself."
"Please, don't be so quick to judge," Yamcha replied. He had no intention of heeding Zeppeli's warning. He was determined to learn Ripple breathing—if he couldn't learn it here, he'd go straight to JoJo Part 2: Battle Tendency and seek out Caesar, Lisa Lisa, or even Straizo to study under them.
"I just want to feel the power of the Ripple for myself."
"To see how miraculous it truly is."
"Hmph, stubborn fool," Zeppeli said, annoyed by Yamcha's persistence. "Jonathan has only just started learning Ripple. He doesn't yet have full control of its strength. He might accidentally hurt you."
"How about I do it instead? What do you say?"
Yamcha nodded. "Much appreciated."
He didn't care who used the Ripple on him—what mattered was that he experienced it firsthand.
That was crucial.
Seeing Jonathan's worried face, Zeppeli tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on him."
Then he extended his pinky finger toward Yamcha. "First, I'll stimulate your diaphragm slightly to generate a minor Ripple. Pay close attention."
"By the way, it'll hurt a little at first," he added mischievously.
"No problem."
"Then here I go."
Zeppeli punched Yamcha in the abdomen. Even without using the Ripple to strengthen his body, the punch was powerful enough to take down a full-grown man.
He intended to teach Yamcha a lesson.
However...
Instead of the expected softness, Zeppeli's fist hit something like steel. The searing pain shooting from his knuckles almost made him stumble.
So hard.
Is this guy's abdomen even human? Did he tape a steel plate to himself?
Looking up, he saw Yamcha grinning smugly, eyes half-closed.
"Baron Zeppeli, that was just a regular punch, wasn't it?"
"Or is Ripple breathing just like that? Surely not… Can it really defeat vampires? At that level, it didn't even tickle. Honestly, pretty disappointing."
"Taunts won't work on me," Zeppeli stood upright, now fully serious. With a wave of his hand, he used Ripple energy to heal his injured fist.
A pale golden light, like sunlight, enveloped his body.
"Now pay attention. This time, I'm really using the Ripple."
Seeing Zeppeli take on this form, Yamcha finally nodded in satisfaction.
"Come on, then."
BAM!
Zeppeli's fist struck Yamcha again—this time with true Ripple power. The immense force sent Yamcha flying, tracing a graceful arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
'Crap, I went too far!'
Zeppeli suddenly panicked, guilt rising in his chest. After all, Yamcha was a normal human—any regular person would have at least broken a few ribs from that blow. He shouldn't have hit him that hard.
Hopefully he's not—
Yamcha casually stood up as if nothing had happened and exclaimed, "That punch had at least five times the force... no, ten times! What a miraculous power!"
'This guy's body…' Zeppeli's eyes widened. When his fist had made contact with Yamcha, he was certain there was no Ripple energy in him at all.
And yet...
This terrifying physical resilience rivaled Zeppeli's own body—honed over decades of Ripple training.
What on earth is this guy made of?!
But Yamcha wasn't done surprising him yet.
He raised his right hand toward Zeppeli.
"Baron Zeppeli, look..."
A pale golden light, just like the sun, enveloped Yamcha's entire right arm.
The color and radiance were identical to Zeppeli's. Yamcha's entire body was now surrounded by rippling energy waves.
'Ripple breathing?!'
"I think I've got the hang of it. It's not as hard as you made it out to be, Baron Zeppeli."
"Uncle Potter, you're incredible!" Jonathan said with sincere admiration. As a beginner himself, he had no idea what it meant for Yamcha to instantly master the Ripple.
Zeppeli looked from Jonathan to Yamcha.
A genius among millions, mastering the Ripple in a single afternoon. And now, this monster who could instantly learn Ripple just by getting hit once?
A freak?
A monster?!
'What kind of monsters am I dealing with?!'
Normally, he couldn't even find one person with Ripple potential. And now they were popping up like items at a department store clearance sale.
Zeppeli suddenly felt like his decades of training weren't all that impressive anymore.
Ripple breathing, or Hamon, is essentially a technique that uses special breathing patterns to generate Ripple energy throughout the body—much like how a stone creates ripples when dropped in water. It's a form of life energy that can even emulate the sun's effects, closely resembling the "aura" from Nen in Hunter x Hunter.
That's why, for someone like Yamcha—who had already mastered Nen—learning Ripple was drastically easier than it would be for a regular person.
Yamcha had already realized this. But he couldn't figure it out on his own—he was just one step away.
In the Hunter x Hunter world, some people have awakened Nen after being attacked by a Nen user.
Yamcha planned to do the same—feel the Ripple directly by taking a punch filled with Ripple energy. There's no more direct way to experience it.
As expected, it worked.
Zeppeli's punch unlocked something in him, like clearing his meridians—allowing Yamcha to unleash Ripple energy.
That was his Plan B.
Of course, if that had failed, he had Plans C, D, E, and F. But now, he didn't need them.
"Baron Zeppeli, teaching one or two makes no difference. Why don't you teach us even more Ripple techniques?"