The mockery enraged the Giant, filling him with humiliation. Despite his high level and massive size, not only had he failed to destroy the city, but he hadn't even gotten close—in fact, he was now farther away than when he first appeared. This was utterly disgraceful.
The Giant roared, "Don't get cocky! I'll crush you and the city into dust soon enough! You've angered me! Now that Phantom is gone, your death begins!"
Secretly, the Giant felt relieved. Fortunately, Phantom had only attacked once before disappearing. If Phantom had possessed the same strength as Ye Yu, even he would have found the situation troublesome. But with only one opponent left, he was confident of victory.
Lin Muxue, seeing the Giant's fury, smirked with delight. "How foolish of Ye Yu to provoke him like that. Now that he's even angrier, you're in for a world of pain."
Li Cang gloated, "With his trump card gone, it's time to enjoy the show. Ye Yu will gradually fall into disadvantage, suffer heavy injuries—or even die."
...
The Giant leaped into the air, causing the sea to boil and the ocean floor to collapse into a massive crater. Deep fissures radiated outward from the impact, swallowing seawater and lowering the sea level once more.
With a thunderous crash, the Giant landed on the shore, glaring down at Ye Yu.
Ye Yu stood before the Giant, his figure tiny as an ant, yet his aura was undiminished—even surpassing the Giant's.
Enraged, the Giant struck first, raising his colossal leg like a towering pillar before slamming his foot down toward Ye Yu. The sheer force of the motion sent sand and stones flying, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
Ye Yu's eyes sharpened. Instead of dodging, he charged forward, his foot stomping the ground with such force that the shockwave dispersed the dust, allowing the Giant to see clearly—Ye Yu had launched himself upward like a cannonball. Black Blade Night had been sheathed, and now he clenched his fist, aiming a punch directly at the descending foot.
The Giant sneered. "Abandoning swordsmanship for body techniques? Are you insane? Trying to brawl with a Giant like me?"
To him, Ye Yu was courting death.
But Jin Mo and the others frowned slightly. They knew from experience that Ye Yu's body techniques surpassed his swordsmanship.
Ye Yu smirked. "Now, I'll go all out."
The Giant was stunned. Did that mean his swordsmanship wasn't his strongest skill?
Still, he remained utterly confident.
"Even if your body techniques are stronger, you'll still lose. The difference in size and power is too vast. Fighting me hand-to-hand is suicide."
Ye Yu replied calmly, "I've contracted with Giants before. And the others I've contracted with—their strength is no less than a Giant's."
"Only level 29? How much power can you really draw from that?"
The Giant's foot crashed down with devastating force. Ye Yu's fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki Coating, erupted with power as it collided with the sole of the Giant's foot.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out as fist and foot met midair, like two small stars colliding.
The moment of impact shocked the Giant—his foot had been stopped mid-descent, unable to reach the ground. Despite the vast difference in size between his foot and Ye Yu's fist, the smaller figure had blocked the attack.
A shockwave of force rippled outward, spreading for miles. Distant mountain peaks beyond this height were instantly shattered at their summits—just from the residual energy. The sheer terror of the collision was unimaginable.
The tremendous impact caused the giant's massive body to tremble slightly, tilting backward a few degrees. Ye Yu followed up with another fierce punch, forcing the giant to retract its foot and stagger back five steps, once again stepping into the seawater.
Ye Yu was also thrown back by the recoil, but he flipped midair and landed steadily, his feet sinking deep into the ground, carving two ten-meter-long trenches in the earth.
Excitement surged through Ye Yu. Close-quarters combat was the most thrilling and exhilarating—this was a chance to fight freely, push his limits, and even break through them. This battle would temper him. A true warrior had to face enemies strong enough to plunge him into crisis.
And until now, he hadn't encountered one. But here it was.
The giant was astonished. Indeed, Body Techniques surpassed swordsmanship. Battle intent burned fiercely in the giant's eyes as power surged within him like raging waves. Even without Phantom, he would fight with everything he had.
Ye Yu erupted with momentum, his entire body shrouded in pitch-black Haki. Armament Haki covered him flawlessly, making his aura even more terrifying. Clad in darkness, he looked even more imposing.
Ye Yu knew the battle ahead would be relentless. He couldn't afford to take early injuries—he had to fight and defend with equal intensity.
Ye Yu leaped into the air, kicking off nothingness to shoot forward, his fist wreathed in Flowing Sakura and coated with Conqueror's Haki.
The giant sneered. "Worthy of my full strength. Though I lack Conqueror's Haki, my Armament Haki is no lesser—I, too, can project it outward."
Instantly, the giant's fist radiated Armament Haki—Flowing Sakura.
Ye Yu shuddered. The pressure mounted, but this was good. He had expected as much.
Jin Mo and the others watched with gleaming eyes, thrilled.
"Excellent! The giant can project Armament Haki too!"
"We haven't mastered Flowing Sakura yet."
"I, Wang Quanshi, don't need to learn it. At level 30, I'll inherit it directly. The Azure Dragon Ability User among the Pirates must know Flowing Sakura."
"I, Song Ling, will surely master it by level 30—and Conqueror's Haki Coating as well."
...
Li Cang grinned excitedly. "The giant's going all out. Ye Yu is finished. This clash will definitely injure him."
Lin Muxue scoffed. "Foolish to brawl with a giant instead of dodging and stalling until the three hours end. Now you're dead."
...
BOOM!
Their fists collided, unleashing an even more terrifying shockwave. Ye Yu's fist was the size of a heart, while the giant's dwarfed his entire body. Yet, the two locked in a stalemate, arms trembling as they pushed against each other.
The giant was stunned. Such strength!
After a brief deadlock, Ye Yu was flung back twenty meters, stopping himself by kicking off the air. The giant retreated two steps into the sea.
Clearly, the giant held the advantage this time.
Even so, the giant was once again shaken by Ye Yu's power.
WHOOSH!
Ye Yu dashed downward at blinding speed, plunging into the sea with a splash.
The giant frowned, peering into the shallow coastal waters. What was this? Trying to hide underwater?
Before, the giant would've headed straight for the city. But now, fury drove him to crush Ye Yu first. As he bent down, his fist clenched tight.
However, Ye Yu wasn't dodging. In the seawater, it was no different from being on land, and he could manipulate the currents to become part of his own strength. With a low shout:
"Fish-Man Karate! Sea Current Shoulder Throw!"
Combining his own terrifying power with Fish-Man Karate, Ye Yu exerted his full strength to lift the seawater. In an instant, with a thunderous crash, a towering wave surged up, surpassing even the height of the Giant in the blink of an eye.
The Giant had initially scoffed—was this just a tsunami triggered by brute force? But when struck by the wave, it felt an overwhelming power. Pain shot through the Giant's entire body, as if an ordinary person had fallen face-first into the water from dozens of meters high. The impact was excruciating, and the Giant was sent flying backward.
At the same time, Ye Yu unleashed his Secret Skill: Muraille Thrust. A massive water sphere blasted forth, striking the already airborne Giant and sending it flying even farther.
With a resounding splash, the Giant plunged into the sea a kilometer away, where the depth reached a full two hundred meters. The Giant was completely submerged—exactly what Ye Yu wanted. He intended to fight the Giant in the water, where the environment would give him the upper hand.