"My, you're so fierce, little brother." Stussy clutched her chest, a wronged expression on her face.
But when had Bellamy ever cared for a woman's charms? He had sensed malice, which meant this newcomer was hostile. She wouldn't answer his question? Then she could die.
Bellamy raised his hand and thrust out his palm. An explosive gust of wind, roaring like a tornado, shot toward Stussy.
His sudden attack only slightly surprised her. He really was just as the rumors described—a man with no sense of chivalry.
Paper Drawing: Pliant Martial Body.
Stussy's body seemed to transform into a willow leaf, dancing within the storm. The explosive force mixed into the wind seemed unable to see her, drifting harmlessly past. After the attack, her small boat was torn to shreds, but Stussy herself was completely unscathed. Her figure floated down gracefully, landing on the surface of the sea as lightly as a dragonfly.
Seeing this, Bellamy's pupils contracted sharply. "Such exquisite control."
This was a master of physical combat. The surface of the sea was in constant, chaotic motion. To stand on it was no easier than standing on air.
"Woman, state your name."
A master of this caliber couldn't possibly be a nobody. Yet, as Bellamy looked at her, he only found her vaguely familiar and couldn't connect her to any known powerhouse.
"Why did you attack so suddenly, little brother? I was just trying to ask for directions." Stussy hadn't given up on her plan, still trying to dispel Bellamy's hostility.
But Bellamy was used to being domineering. Seeing that she refused to answer him directly, he sentenced her to death in his mind. He stomped heavily on the ground, sending countless shards of rock and dust flying.
"Time to send you on your way!"
Bellamy's figure shot into the air. Silently, his arms had already transformed into their hyperbolic shape.
"Fish-Man Karate: Eight Thousand Tile True Punch!"
This was a high-level Fish-Man Karate technique, a ferocious punch said to be able to shatter eight thousand tiles. Bellamy had modified it and integrated it into his own fighting style. He treated the surrounding dust and gravel as a substitute for water, blasting it all forward.
In an instant, a torrent of mud and rock rained down from the sky. Countless stone fragments, mixed with the afterimages of his fists, shot toward Stussy like a dense curtain. An attack this concentrated was impossible to escape through evasion alone.
Stussy knew this well. If she merely wanted to counter this move, she had at least ten different ways to do so, even turning it back on him. But this woman was clearly aware of how dangerous Bellamy was. She knew that against an opponent of this level, a single misstep would put her at an absolute disadvantage, making a comeback nearly impossible.
"No choice. I have to get serious."
She hadn't expected to be forced into this situation so quickly. Before coming to the Boin Archipelago, Stussy had thought this would be an incredibly boring mission.
"Banshee's Wail!"
Stussy suddenly threw her arms wide, as if abandoning all defense, and opened her mouth to the sky. An incredibly shrill scream erupted from her throat.
In that moment, the falling debris, as if struck by some invisible force, was completely pulverized. Not only that, but after shattering the rocks, the sonic shockwave didn't dissipate. It continued its relentless assault toward the figure in the sky.
The instant Bellamy heard the scream, he knew something was wrong. When he saw the debris silently turn to dust, he immediately understood it was a powerful sonic attack that he couldn't block head-on. With a flicker, he dodged the impact as if teleporting, moving so fast that he didn't even leave an afterimage.
"I've never seen an attack like this."
To think there was such a hidden powerhouse in the world. Considering the unique nature of the Boin Archipelago, Bellamy had already guessed something.
"Which CP division are you from?"
Stussy's brow furrowed. She heard something off in Bellamy's tone. "How does this guy seem to know so much about CP?"
All information about Cipher Pol was top secret. Even within the Marines, one had to be a high-ranking officer to access any intelligence about them. Bellamy was a pirate from one of the Four Blues; he shouldn't, and couldn't, know of CP's existence. Suddenly, she remembered something. Bellamy's intelligence file did contain an analysis questioning his origins.
"That's a question I should be asking you," she retorted. "Who are you?"
For a moment, neither could figure out the other's identity. The only thing they could confirm was that they were enemies—the kind that fought to the death.
"Hey, woman." Bellamy cracked his neck, looking down from the sky at this strange woman. "I happen to need an opponent to test some moves on. Try not to die too easily."
How long had it been since Stussy had heard such an insolent taunt? In all her years ruling the Pleasure District, anyone who had dared to speak to her like that had their ashes long since turned to dust.
"Pirates like you really are better off dead."
She finally dropped her pretense. A sharp, murderous aura emanated from her petite frame. It was a bloody scent that Bellamy was all too familiar with.
"Another killer!"
How fortunate. He had just been agonizing over his next steps, and a decent opponent had delivered herself to his doorstep. When Bellamy said he wanted to test his moves, he wasn't just talking. Of course, once he started fighting, he wouldn't show the slightest mercy. "Testing moves" simply meant trying out techniques he wouldn't normally use.
This kind of merciless combat was impossible to replicate when sparring with his crew. The sheer killing intent alone ruled out practicing with Drake. A full-power punch from Bellamy now could crush steel to powder. Even with his defenses at maximum, Drake could be killed in a single blow. How could he possibly take that risk?
This woman's arrival was truly perfect. No matter who the opponent was, as long as they weren't at the level of an Emperor or an Admiral, Bellamy was confident he could win. His current Armament Haki was strong enough to resist the vast majority of bizarre Devil Fruit abilities. Hax-like powers such as the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, which could activate on touch, no longer posed any threat to him under his thick layer of Haki.
This was the biggest reason Bellamy had traveled all this way and was willing to overdraft his own body. Armament Haki was currently the only known method to successfully resist the various cheat-level Devil Fruit abilities that existed in this world. The only known method. Devil Fruits like the Hollow-Hollow Fruit or the Pet-Pet Fruit, which activated silently and could instantly incapacitate an opponent, were surely not uncommon. If Bellamy didn't have enough Armament Haki to cover his entire body, no matter how strong he became, he would eventually suffer a disastrous defeat.