"You monster!"
How has he grown this strong in such a short time? Onigumo even suspected that this was the result of Bellamy's Devil Fruit Awakening. The power of an awakened Spring-Spring Fruit, able to spring away any injury... it seemed to be the only way to explain the scene before him.
Onigumo was filled with regret. If he had known it would come to this, he would have sacrificed his entire fleet to take down Bellamy back in the North Blue.
Bellamy, of course, had no intention of explaining the miracle of the Life Essence Apertures to him. Even if he did, Onigumo wouldn't understand. It was just as Bellamy couldn't comprehend the nature of that malevolent sword aura. These were the fruits of specializing in a single field, born from countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears.
"Are you ready to give up already?"
Seeing Onigumo's devastated expression, Bellamy felt a wave of boredom wash over him. The fight had only just begun; he hadn't even had a chance to warm up.
"And here I went to all this trouble. You're a great disappointment, Onigumo."
"Now come and cut me!"
In the short time they had been fighting, the minor wounds from Onigumo's earlier frenzied slashes had already completely vanished.
Onigumo glared at the arrogant Bellamy, his teeth grinding so hard they were in danger of shattering. The force of his own wild slashes had rebounded back at him from Bellamy's body; the harder he struck, the stronger the rebound. By the end of it, his hands had actually gone numb from the shock.
After his failed pursuit of Bellamy last time, Onigumo had returned to Headquarters and immediately looked up all the information on the Spring-Spring Fruit. According to the records, the fruit could not only absorb damage but also convert that damage into energy for the user. This meant that his last round of attacks might not have harmed Bellamy in the slightest, but instead provided him with a good deal of energy.
Looking at this man, for some reason, Onigumo was suddenly reminded of Kaido of the Beasts. The same arrogance, the same madness, the same astonishingly powerful defense.
This bastard... could he be the next Kaido?
If Bellamy knew what he was thinking, he would surely let out a derisive snort. Kaido? Who the hell is he? Sooner or later, I'll smash his head in.
Onigumo took a deep breath, casting aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind. Although he had made a mistake, he still had a chance to rectify it.
"In the name of absolute justice, I will wager my life! Today, I will cut you down right here!"
"All Marine soldiers, hear my order! Open fire immediately!" Onigumo roared, unhesitatingly giving the command to bombard the area.
Cannonballs don't have eyes. The area was adjacent to a civilian district. Once the bombardment began, there would inevitably be a large number of innocent casualties. He was willing to pay any price to kill Bellamy here and now. Accustomed to sacrifice, he could use anything as a price. The justice Onigumo protected had always been for the sake of an intangible order. The lives of civilians were nothing more than numbers in his eyes.
"Is this the justice you believe in?"
"Gyahahahaha!"
Bellamy could actually understand Onigumo's thinking. A man like him, who could so casually sacrifice his own life, how could he possibly care about the lives of civilians?
"But a mere cannonade... what can it do to me?"
Bellamy stomped hard on the ground, and a terrifying force shot into the earth. The next second, the entire street was torn from the ground. Countless bricks and tiles shattered, mixing with dust to form a massive torrent of debris in the air.
Fish-Man Karate: Stone Current Shoulder Throw!
Bellamy seized this torrent of rock and mud in his hand, whipping it out like a steel chain. Countless fragments of stone and tile transformed into a rain of bullets, flying towards the Marine soldiers.
"I won't let you!"
Onigumo held his eight swords, the half-broken Heavenly Feather still gripped tightly in his hand.
Demonic Aura All-Encompassing: Eight-Sword Style: Burial!
An incomparably cold, demonic aura shot into the sky, slicing the whip of rock and mud in two. Then, the sword aura actually turned back in mid-air, continuing its high-speed assault on Bellamy.
Bellamy sneered, and his fist was instantly coated in Armament Haki.
"Shatter the Sky!"
With his body now this strong, his former ultimate move, Shatter the Sky, had become one of his standard attacks. With a casual punch, the immense force created a supercavitating bubble in the air. This instantaneous acceleration had already surpassed the limits of a mantis shrimp.
The moment the bubble and the sword aura collided, Bellamy's figure moved, silently appearing behind Onigumo.
Silent Step.
Assassination Finger.
It was a seemingly ordinary finger poke, yet it was filled with a sinister and deadly intent. The finger was aimed directly at the back of Onigumo's neck. If it connected, it would blow a large hole right through him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just then, the Marine soldiers opened fire. Massive cannonballs, each weighing several tons, descended from the sky with a whistling roar. The power of these several hundred advanced cannons was enough to level the entire port district. These were the standard cannons of a large Marine warship; their power was not comparable to the obsolete junk found on the black market. The Marines' Buster Call used these very cannons to completely annihilate entire islands.
Onigumo's plan was to use his own life to hold Bellamy down and drag him to hell with him. This man had never intended to survive from the very beginning.
The timely cannon fire inadvertently provided some cover for Bellamy's assassination attempt. By the time Onigumo sensed something was wrong, the force of the attack was already at his back.
But perhaps this wasn't a bad thing for him.
"Let's die together," a hint of madness flashed in Onigumo's eyes.
And even now, Bellamy had yet to realize Onigumo's true intentions.
The rain of cannonballs from the sky was falling relentlessly. The battle was beginning to enter its most intense stage.