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Chapter 380: Imu is Numb: Are all Baldies Absurdly Strong?
The roar of the crowd echoed through the massive martial arts stadium like a tidal wave. The sunlight was blinding, and waves of heat rolled through the air.
Imu sat rigidly in the corner of the stands, her pitch-black robe entirely concealing her perfect figure. Only her Rinnegan, peering from the shadow of her hood, stared fixedly at the arena below.
Although she had forcibly suppressed her killing intent and mentally prepared herself to "just watch the show," when that noseless little baldy strolled onto the stage with a cheeky, grinning face, the corner of Imu's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
That short guy named Krillin. He was the competitor for the first match?
Just a moment ago, he had been acting like a thoughtless squirrel, crunching away and spitting a pile of sunflower seed shells onto the floor. He didn't exude a single drop of a master's aura. His walk was loose and sloppy, and he was even waving cheerfully to the audience.
This is the "powerhouse" that lecherous old man was talking about? Imu sneered inwardly.
Absurd. If a specimen like this could be called a powerhouse, then the Admirals at Marine Headquarters could probably moonlight as Gods of Creation.
In contrast, the opponent standing on the other side of the ring captured more of Imu's attention. It was a tall man draped in a heavy cape, with green skin and antennae growing from his head.
Majunior. Piccolo.
"That guy... has a nauseatingly evil aura," Imu narrowed her eyes slightly. It was an aura she was intimately familiar with. It was pure malice, chaos, and destruction. It smelled shockingly similar to the curse of the Devil Fruits clinging to the Five Elders.
"Contestants, ready!" The sunglass-wearing announcer roared passionately into the microphone. "Match... begin!!"
Dong—!
As the sharp crash of the gong rang through the stadium, Imu's initially nonchalant gaze suddenly sharpened.
Because through her Observation Haki, she sensed the sloppy little baldy's aura... drastically change!
One second, he was a harmless little white rabbit. The next, like a slumbering prehistoric beast awakening, an utterly terrifying wave of energy erupted from his tiny frame!
Swish!
No running start. No charge-up. Not even the slightest precursor movement. The baldy vanished into thin air!
"So fast!" Imu's pupils shrank violently.
It wasn't the Marine Rokushiki "Shave" (Soru). There were no fluctuations of a Devil Fruit ability. It was pure, unadulterated speed generated entirely by the extreme explosive power of his physical body!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Above the arena, the air suddenly crackled with a dense barrage of sonic booms. Two afterimages collided frantically in mid-air. Every clash generated a visible white shockwave, shattering the solid granite floor tiles below!
Fast. Too fast!
Even with Imu pushing her top-tier Observation Haki to its limits, she could barely track the two blurry silhouettes!
"Is this... is this really the speed a human body can achieve?" Imu's fingers, resting on her knees, subconsciously tightened until her knuckles turned white.
In her eight hundred years in the One Piece world, she had seen countless titans renowned for their physical prowess. Garp, Roger, Whitebeard... But even Garp in his prime, relying solely on physical speed without Haki, could likely only match this!
But that bald kid... how old was he? Barely in his early twenties! And judging by his relaxed demeanor, he clearly hadn't even gone all out!
"HAAH!!" A violent shout erupted over the arena.
Krillin's body suddenly materialized mid-air, his right leg slashing down like a battle-axe, wreathed in fierce wind pressure as it aimed squarely for the top of Piccolo's head.
Piccolo sneered coldly, raising an arm to block.
Boom—!
A terrifying shockwave instantly swept across the stadium. The perimeter walls surrounding the arena collapsed instantly, as fragile as tofu dregs. The spectators in the front rows were blown back, screaming in panic.
Yet, even more people were cheering frantically, as if this demolition-level combat was just an everyday occurrence to them.
"Is this the extent of it?" Though surprised by their speed and power, Imu felt a bit more grounded. If this was the limit of their martial arts, it was strong, but still within her comprehension. With her eight-hundred-year-honed Haki and immortal body, suppressing these two wasn't impossible.
However, the very instant that thought crossed her mind, the situation on the field drastically mutated!
Piccolo let out a savage laugh, violently throwing off his weighted cape. Completely ignoring the laws of gravity, his body shot straight up into the sky, ascending hundreds of meters into the air!
Immediately following, the bald Krillin pushed off the ground with both feet. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, with absolutely zero leverage points, he simply hovered in the middle of the sky!
He effortlessly adjusted his posture mid-air, engaging in a fierce aerial dogfight with Piccolo!
"This..." The icy facade Imu had maintained for thousands of years finally cracked.
"No wings... no 'Moonwalk' to kick off the air... no Float-Float Fruit abilities... How... how are they flying?!"
This completely defied physics, shattering the very foundation of power Imu had understood for eight centuries! In the One Piece world, to fly, one needed a Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, or specific Paramecia powers like the Golden Lion's. Even Marine Admirals had to desperately kick the air to stay aloft.
But these two... they were soaring through the air as effortlessly as fish swimming in water! Their movements were buttery smooth, without a hint of stiffness!
"That's Bukujutsu—Sky Dancing."
Nearby, Master Roshi, who had at some point put his sunglasses back on, was leisurely explaining as he watched the sky. Though he was speaking to the blue-haired woman next to him, his words drifted clearly into Imu's ears.
"By manipulating the 'Ki' within their bodies, they negate the earth's gravitational pull. It's the signature technique of those Crane School bastards, but everyone knows how to do it nowadays."
Ki... Ki again! Imu stared fixedly at the bald kid in the sky. Was this the application of "Ki"? Was this the key for mortals to shatter the rules of gods?!
If she could learn this too... that sensation of soaring freely through the heavens without needing a Devil Fruit, without being bound by the sea's weaknesses... an intense, insatiable greed multiplied wildly in the depths of Imu's heart.
But this was only the beginning.
In mid-air, Krillin, having just been blasted back by Piccolo's punch, flipped backward a dozen times before stabilizing his posture. He rubbed his shiny forehead, flashing a wide grin.
"Hehe, looks like I can't get the upper hand with just physical attacks."
"In that case..."
Krillin's expression suddenly turned grave. He slowly drew his hands back to his waist, the heels of his palms pressed together, his fingers splayed out like claws.
An achingly brilliant, azure blue light began to converge madly between his palms!
Vmm—!
Vmm—!!
As the orb of light grew increasingly blinding, the air throughout the entire stadium began to tremble violently. A hair-raising wave of energy rippled outward in all directions.
At that precise moment, Imu's Observation Haki screamed in deafening alarm!
What... what in the world is that?!
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