From the castle gate that had opened on Bege's chest, the young crewman was panting, gasping for breath.
This young man was Bege's secret weapon, Simon, who had absorbed the powers of Silver Fox Foxy, gaining the abilities of the Slow-Slow Fruit.
The Slow-Slow Fruit was said to possess a heaven-defying power, capable of instantly slowing a person's movements. In a duel between masters, victory and defeat, life and death, were decided in a mere instant.
The Slow-Slow Fruit was one of the secret weapons he had planned to use to defeat Andrew. From the start of the battle until now, he hadn't used its power, waiting for the moment Andrew's stamina waned to ensure that a single Slow-Slow Beam would allow Bege to grievously wound, or even kill, his opponent.
Andrew's combat experience was vast and seasoned. Even as his movements were restricted, he had perceived Bege's attack and had focused all his strength on reinforcing the Armament Haki on his leg, preventing Bege from severing it.
The sword strike that followed, however, had truly and severely wounded Andrew, causing him immense damage.
Bege took a harsh breath and then lunged forward, pressing the attack.
An old fox as experienced as Andrew had to be dealt with quickly. He couldn't be given any chance to breathe.
Bege flashed forward, his cursed sword slashing down. A massive arc of blood-red energy tore the ground apart.
Gritting his teeth, Andrew dodged the attack and scrambled to run, but a wave of blood-fire energy swept towards him, leaving him with no escape.
Andrew crossed his arms, bracing against the blood-fire slash. The force sent him flying once again, crashing into the distant ruins. Just as Bege moved to follow, a thick pillar of black energy erupted from the dust cloud, instantly clearing it away as it swept outwards.
Bege was brought to a halt by the force of this black energy. In an instant, it had swept across the entirety of Fear Island and even rushed out into the surrounding sea, causing the ocean itself to roil and churn.
Bege's expression changed. This black energy held a great terror within it, one that tugged at his heart. He immediately understood it was Andrew's doing; this black energy could draw out the fear in others, allowing Andrew to absorb that fear to strengthen himself.
Bege would absolutely not give Andrew any opportunity. He exploded forward, charging towards his foe.
Andrew's appearance at this moment had changed dramatically. A black spot the size of an egg had appeared in the center of his forehead. This spot rapidly spread across his body, dyeing him completely black and causing him to radiate a terrifying aura.
Black energy swirled around him, forming what looked like a suit of black armor, making him truly look like a demon king.
Moreover, the terrifying power of his aura was growing stronger, still climbing higher and higher.
Bege flashed forward, slashing with Hannya.
Andrew's large hand shot out and grabbed the cursed sword. Sparks flew as his Haki-clad hand withstood the sharp blade energy.
Bege twisted his body, his left hand swinging the Fire Cloud Sword in a wide, fast arc towards Andrew's waist.
Andrew's other hand shot out like lightning and caught the Fire Cloud Sword. Coated in Armament Haki, he was unafraid of its scorching heat.
His left leg shot out, the immense force of the kick smashing into Bege's chest like a meteor. The earth-shattering power slammed into Bege, shattering his invisible barrier and his Armament Haki.
Bege was sent flying with a thunderous boom, smashing a large crater into the ground.
In the crater, Bege stood up, his face grim, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The Castle Skin on his chest had only partially shattered, not completely.
At the critical moment, Simon, inside the castle, had hit Andrew's right foot with a Slow-Slow Beam. With Andrew's speed reduced, Bege had seized the opportunity to retreat, mitigating a large portion of the force.
Even so, his internal organs had still suffered a massive impact, and several of his bones were broken.
Andrew's brow furrowed. He strode out of the crater, his black aura surging to the heavens, his presence overwhelming.
"You should be proud of yourself for forcing me into my awakened state, Capone Bege."
At this point, Andrew, feeling the pressure and damage dealt by Bege, had directly unleashed his fruit's Awakening.
Before awakening, his aura of fear could cover the entire island. After awakening, it could break past the island's shores, expanding for thousands of meters out to sea.
Any living creature touched by this aura of fear, whether human or animal, would generate the power of fear. The fear from the entire island surged into his body, and the fish in the sea provided an even vaster supply.
It was because of this power of fear that Andrew's presence was skyrocketing.
"It doesn't matter how many little tricks you have left. In the face of absolute power, they are all useless."
His thick arm twitched, and large veins bulged along its entire length. Andrew glared, and his abyss-like, terrifying aura instantly shot through the air and pressed down on Bege.
BOOM...
Their gazes met, and the ground between them exploded. The earth beneath their feet shattered once again. In a flash, they shot forward like two beams of light, like colliding meteors.
An afterimage appeared. A thick arm, wreathed in terrifying power, carrying an unparalleled force, tore through the air and smashed towards Bege.
"Beast King!"
Bege slashed without hesitation. The iron fist and the cursed sword collided like Mars crashing into Earth. The blade energy was instantly shattered, the force slamming into Hannya itself.
With a deafening roar, the ground beneath them exploded, torn to shreds as rubble shot through the air. Wave after wave of terrifying shockwaves swept out, destroying everything in their path.
The Armament Haki on Bege's right arm completely collapsed. Even his Castle Skin shattered. The veins in his arm burst, his muscles were crushed, and his bones cracked and broke. A pain that felt like his entire arm was exploding shot through him. Bege gritted his teeth so hard that blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Die!" Andrew balled his left hand into a fist and threw a punch that broke the sound barrier, aiming for Bege's head.
"Slow-Slow Beam!"
"Twisting Vortex!"
In that instant, a Slow-Slow Beam struck Andrew, repeatedly hitting his body.
At the same time, Bege enveloped Andrew in his external space, twisting the very air around him to bind his body and further reduce his speed.
Bege's left arm swelled in an instant, veins bulging grotesquely, some even bursting open. A terrifying power roiled in his left arm.
"Beast God!"
Bege's gaze was sharper than ever before. The blood-fire on the Fire Cloud Sword roiled and boiled. He suddenly swung the blade, and it tore through the distorted space, instantly striking Andrew's body.
Andrew's face contorted in horror. The Armament Haki on his body surged towards the point of impact, reinforcing the defense around his waist.
However, the Fire Cloud Sword suddenly lifted upwards. A terrifying arc of blood-fire energy grazed Andrew's body in a diagonal slash, severing his left arm along with the flesh on his side. If Andrew hadn't tilted his head in time, his head might have been cut off as well.
An arm flew through the air, spraying blood everywhere.
The powerful, blood-red slash shot into the sky, where it exploded with a boom, the terrifying blast scattering the clouds.
Andrew screamed in agony. He didn't retreat. Instead, his face contorted in a snarl, and he kicked out. Even with the Slow-Slow Beam's effect, his kick was still incredibly fast.
After using Beast God, Bege's body was in a state of severe weakness. He hastily retreated but was still caught by the kick. He shot backwards like a cannonball, crashing into the ruins.
Andrew clutched his severed left arm, sucking in sharp breaths and howling in pain.
The left side of his body had been flayed by the sword's energy, and blood was gushing out uncontrollably.