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Kaji's calm voice rang out again, full of confidence and just a hint of contempt.
"Looks like… we're getting arrested this time."
Sanji's hands were shaking a little as he lit his cigarette and took a deep drag.
"Damn it!"
Zoro stared Kaji down, full of frustration.
He swore he'd never lose again.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper—the Straw Hats' infamous trio of cowards—were totally freaking out.
They were on the verge of tears.
"Shut up! I'll send you flying!!"
Luffy growled, still clutching his swollen face, glaring at Kaji like he was planning his payback.
"Impel Down? Nah, that's not happening."
At that moment, Bai Ye slowly stood up from where he'd been knocked down by the slash wave. He wiped the blood from his mouth and said:
"The Straw Hat crew's journey isn't ending here."
Even backed into a corner, he still spoke with conviction.
Then suddenly, Bai Ye gave a grin.
"Sorry, but could you hang out with me for a bit…"
"…Vice Admiral Kaji?"
[Gen Hexagram – Mountain Flip Seal!!!]
Bai Ye suddenly stepped forward, slammed both hands on the ground, and shouted.
With a powerful heave, a massive wall of rock—nearly twenty meters tall and super thick—rose between Kaji and the Straw Hats.
"You think this will stop me?"
Kaji almost laughed. Even without using Observation Haki, he knew what they were up to.
Trying to use the wall as a distraction to escape.
Kaji raised his right hand, ready to slash through the stone with his blade.
But before he could—
[Zhen Hexagram – Thunderclap!!!]
A huge bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky.
BOOM!!!
It struck the mountain of rock, raw power exploding across the surface.
Cracks started forming everywhere.
BANG!!!
The stone couldn't handle the divine wrath of thunder. It shattered from top to bottom—
Breaking apart into boulders two meters wide.
Everyone—Kaji included—was momentarily confused by what was going on.
But Bai Ye's expression stayed serious. His hand signs changed again.
[Li Hexagram – Exploding Flames!!!]
Blazing fire suddenly ignited in front of him.
The falling chunks of rock were instantly engulfed in scorching flames.
The heat was so intense it made the air shimmer. Naturally, the already-fractured stone couldn't handle that, either.
As the flames roasted them—
The rocks that had just been struck by lightning began to melt.
Within the blink of an eye, the stone blocks transformed again…
…into blazing, lava-like magma wrapped in fire!
Seeing this, a flicker of seriousness finally flashed across Kaji's face.
He gripped his sword tighter.
But Bai Ye didn't seem to notice—or care.
His eyes were bloodshot now.
And again, his hands moved into a different set of signs—
[Xun Hexagram – Tornado!!!]
The wind howled.
Molten lava wrapped in blazing flames was suddenly swept up by a raging hurricane and shot up into the sky.
The moment the lava reached its peak—
The intense flames lit up the entire sky.
Even the clouds above were burned away, turning into glowing fireclouds!
Then, the lava came crashing down toward Kaji—
BOOM!!!
For the first time, Kaji looked genuinely shocked.
Because what he was seeing now... looked way too much like that man's move.
[Meteor Volcano!!!]
Bai Ye let out a low roar, pressed his hands down through the air, then suddenly slammed them downward.
Using his Qimen techniques, he'd perfectly recreated one of Admiral Akainu's signature attacks—Meteor Volcano!
At the same time, blood gushed from Bai Ye's mouth.
The deep cuts Kaji had slashed across his body all burst open again.
Blood streamed down, soaking Bai Ye's robe.
In just moments, he looked like a man dipped in blood—barely conscious, barely standing.
As mentioned before, Qimen Dunjia works by channeling Qi to lay down a spatial formation on the ground.
Based on his chosen direction, the user can unleash the corresponding Bagua technique.
This is usually the safest and most efficient way to use it.
At the peak of mastery, one could even use "I am the direction", becoming the formation itself.
But Bai Ye hadn't even mastered the Qian and Kun trigrams—there was no way he could do that yet.
And if you forcefully use a Qimen move that doesn't match the direction—or worse, one that clashes with it—
The backlash hits the user instead!
That's why, in past fights, Bai Ye would usually only use one Qimen technique at a time.
But right now, he had no other choice. He had to go all in—even if it meant using a forbidden move.
Bai Ye!!!" ×6
Watching him spit blood, Luffy's eyes went wide. His voice cracked—it sounded like it came from deep inside his chest.
In the past…
No matter how bad things got, Bai Ye would always smile, always handle it like it was nothing.
But now…
For the first time, Luffy felt helpless—and it hurt.
Zoro and Sanji had the same look of worry on their faces, and deep down, the same guilt.
They were the Straw Hats' main fighters—
And yet they couldn't do anything for their vice-captain.
Even Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, normally more timid, were stunned by the sight of Bai Ye covered in blood.
Chopper even reenacted his classic scene:"Bai Ye's hurt! Somebody call a doctor—ahh wait, I am the doctor!!"
But Bai Ye didn't have time to pay attention to any of that.
He bit down hard on a Rejuvenation Pill, feeling the spiritual energy flow through his body, slowly healing the damage inside.
He stood back up—unsteady but firm.
He turned to Kaji—who had now drawn his sword.
The meteor-like lava attack coming down from above covered a massive area and packed devastating power.
If it had been Kizaru here, he could've dodged it easily with his speed and light powers.
He might've even kicked the lava away mid-air using light.
If it had been Aokiji, his ice powers would've handled it just fine too.
But Kaji wasn't either of them.
He could run, sure. This wasn't some isolated island—it was a port city belonging to a World Government member nation.
If the lava hit the ground, the damage would be unimaginable.
He had to stop it in the air.
Realizing this, Kaji launched into the sky using Moonwalk (Geppo).
With his sword coated in Armament Haki, he slashed at the nearest chunk of lava with all his strength—
"Break!!!"
Back on the ground, Bai Ye's wounds finally started to stabilize a bit.
He bit down on another pill, then turned to Luffy and the others.
Seeing their worried faces, he still managed a smile through all the blood and pain.
"Heh… That last move… was pretty damn cool, right? Hahaha…"
"Uwaaahhh!!!"
Suddenly, Luffy lunged forward and hugged Bai Ye tight, tears and snot pouring out of him like a flood.
He didn't say anything. Just hugged him.
Bai Ye froze for a second, then his expression softened. He sighed and said helplessly:
"Seriously now… I can't even lift you right now, Captain."
"So how about you…"
"GET OFF ME, YOU IDIOT!!!"
And with that, Bai Ye socked Luffy right in the face.
"....."