"One, go together?!"
"...You b*****d!"
"Stop joking! Stop looking down on us!"
"Who do you think Laozi is?!"
Witnessing Bai Ye's "arrogant" attitude and his challenge to take them all on at once, the remaining fighters snapped out of their shock.
A strong man with spiky, hedgehog-like hair had veins bulging on his forehead as he clenched his fists tightly.
The sheer audacity of Bai Ye! He was treating them as if they were insignificant insects.
Even though Bai Ye's abilities were far beyond the information the World Government had provided, their confidence in their own strength was what brought them here.
But Bai Ye's condescending demeanor was the final insult.
How could they tolerate such humiliation?!
The man with the hedgehog hair growled furiously as his body began to change. Muscles bulged, and flesh twisted unnaturally. Within moments, he transformed into a half-orc monster, standing three meters tall, with brown skin and sharp spikes covering his back.
Without hesitation, the half-orc man launched the spikes at Bai Ye with tremendous force.
"Let's do it together!"
The rest of the fighters, seeing the situation unfold, steeled themselves.
Their hearts sank as they realized that underestimating Bai Ye had been a grave mistake.
There were already three casualties, and each death was swift and brutal.
Although some of them still felt reluctant to acknowledge Bai Ye's overwhelming strength, they knew they couldn't afford to take him lightly any longer.
With grim determination, they unleashed their abilities together, each attack exuding terrifying power.
Blades slashed through the air, Devil Fruit powers erupted, and countless vines sprouted from the deck, courtesy of the future Marine Admiral, Green Bull.
A flurry of attacks hurtled toward Bai Ye, all at once.
Yet, despite the chaos, Bai Ye remained calm, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
The massive, almost materialized Reiatsu poured into Ryūjin Jakka. Flames erupted from the blade, burning brightly like a miniature sun descending upon the battlefield.
The scorching heat caused the surrounding sea to steam and boil, and the air itself shimmered with intense heatwaves.
As the combined assault reached him, Bai Ye finally moved.
Swish!
His figure disappeared in an instant, leaving behind a fiery afterimage.
The next moment, all the attacks were engulfed and neutralized by the flames emanating from Ryūjin Jakka.
Bai Ye's form reappeared, standing before the half-orc man.
"He's so fast!"
The half-orc man's pupils dilated as Bai Ye closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
With quick reflexes, he twisted his body, aiming the sharp spikes on his back toward Bai Ye.
But it was futile.
The blazing blade of Ryūjin Jakka cleaved through the spikes with ease.
One swing.
That was all it took.
The half-orc man froze, his body trembling as a sudden realization hit him.
He was staring at his own lower body, still standing in place.
"That… that's my body! What's going on?!"
His pupils widened in horror, but it was too late. Flames erupted from his severed torso, consuming him entirely.
The screams echoed for a brief moment before his body turned to ash and scattered into the sea.
"First one down," Bai Ye said indifferently.
"Go to hell, you b*****d!"
A furious roar erupted from Bai Ye's left.
An obese middle-aged man, wielding a massive sledgehammer, charged forward.
He had witnessed the half-orc's death and knew he could be next.
Fear and desperation fueled his attack.
But as the man drew closer, he suddenly felt the crushing weight of Bai Ye's Reiatsu.
The oppressive aura made him falter, his confidence evaporating.
The middle-aged man hesitated, cold sweat dripping down his face as his survival instincts screamed at him to retreat.
But it was too late.
Bai Ye showed no mercy to those who dared to challenge him.
With a single swing of Ryūjin Jakka, a tornado of scorching flames engulfed the obese man.
The flames twisted and roared, burning hotter with each passing second.
The man screamed in agony, his voice quickly drowned out by the crackling inferno.
When the flames finally dissipated, nothing remained of him but ashes.
"Next," Bai Ye muttered, turning his gaze toward the others.
The remaining fighters, once confident and eager to claim the title of Marine Admiral, now stood frozen in terror.
"There's no way we can win…!"
"This monster… the World Government deceived us!"
One of them, a balding older man, was trembling uncontrollably.
Unable to handle the pressure, he turned and bolted, abandoning all dignity in his desperate attempt to escape.
Bai Ye's eyes followed him, cold and unyielding.
Raising Ryūjin Jakka, he prepared another attack.
Golden light gathered at his blade's edge, illuminating the battlefield.
This time, it wasn't the blue-white lightning of Hadō #4 but a different power entirely.
"Hadō #32: Ōkasen!"
A beam of golden energy tore through the air, splitting the sea as it hurtled toward the fleeing man.
The balding man barely had time to scream before the beam struck him, erupting in a brilliant explosion.
When the light faded, he was gone—obliterated entirely.
The remaining fighters watched in horror as their comrade vanished before their eyes.
The oppressive heat and the sight of Bai Ye's overwhelming power drained them of any remaining will to fight.
Bai Ye turned to face the survivors, his voice calm yet filled with an unmistakable finality.
"Since you chose to become lackeys of the World Government, be prepared to die here. One by one… or all at once. It makes no difference to me."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the distant figure of Kong, the commander-in-chief of this operation.
"Your turn is coming, Kong," Bai Ye said coldly.
The battlefield was silent, save for the sound of the sea boiling under the relentless heat of Ryūjin Jakka.