Bai Ye curled his lips and chuckled.
"A final warning," Bai Ye said. "If you don't let go, something bad is going to happen."
The young Ghoul Investigator sneered, trying to drag Bai Ye out of the room.
But at that moment...
*Zzzt!*
An electric current suddenly surged from Bai Ye's body. A stinging sensation shot through his palm, and the young Ghoul Investigator was instantly flung backward.
With a bang, he slammed hard against the corridor wall.
Seeing this, the older Ghoul Investigator immediately swung the case he was holding towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye instinctively leaped backward.
At the same time...
"Quinque!"
The case in the investigator's hand suddenly split open, and a long sword was drawn from it.
The sword's hilt was ordinary, appearing to be made of common steel, but...
The blade itself resembled red crystal, strikingly similar to what Bai Ye had seen covering the arms of a Ghoul the previous day.
With the sword in hand, the older investigator lunged at Bai Ye, swinging the blade with great force.
Bai Ye's toes lightly touched the ground as he dodged the attack.
*Boom!*
The wall, struck by the sword, instantly shattered and collapsed to one side.
The investigator, however, did not pause. He turned and continued to advance on Bai Ye.
Bai Ye raised his hand. Steel Slime began to writhe on his body, then rapidly gathered at his palm, solidifying into Lei Ya Nu Shou.
*Clang!*
Bai Ye casually raised his hand, blocking the opponent's attack.
The older Ghoul Investigator showed a hint of surprise. "Is this your Kagune? It looks very peculiar, distinctly different from a typical Ghoul's Kagune."
Bai Ye retorted, "I'm human!"
*Bang!*
As he spoke, Bai Ye parried the opponent's sword, then twisted his body and delivered a sweeping kick to the Ghoul's abdomen.
The intense pain caused the Ghoul Investigator to double over. Bai Ye seized the opportunity, gripped the man's neck, and hurled him away.
But at that very moment...
*Rumble!*
The wall to the side collapsed with a roar, and a whip-like object swung down towards Bai Ye.
The structure was still similar to red crystal, segmented like a scorpion's tail. The young Ghoul Investigator had broken free from his paralysis and was now attacking Bai Ye.
*Zzzt!*
A large amount of electricity surged from Bai Ye's body, and then...
"Lei Zhen!"
Lei Zhen (a supersonic shockwave generated by electricity breaking through the air, repelling incoming attacks)
The arcs of electricity wrapped around Bai Ye surged forward. A piercing sound filled the surroundings, followed by the formation of a shockwave that repelled the opponent's weapon, sending it crashing into the adjacent wall.
Then...
The sound of a gust of wind suddenly appeared behind Bai Ye.
Bai Ye quickly dodged to the side, as the older Ghoul Investigator lunged again, swinging his sword down at Bai Ye.
After retreating several steps to evade the attack, Bai Ye glanced at his hand.
There was a small cut on the side of his palm, likely from a glancing blow by the opponent's blade.
The injury was minor, almost negligible. For Bai Ye, such a degree of harm didn't even count as an injury.
What slightly surprised Bai Ye was the fact that he had actually been injured!
The opponent's attack was clearly a physical one.
But why hadn't the elementalization ability of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit taken effect?
Physical attacks should have been ineffective against Bai Ye. When touched by a solid weapon, his body would turn into electricity, making him impossible to hit.
Yet, Bai Ye was injured.
"This weapon..." Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. "It's quite interesting."
In that instant, Bai Ye felt a strong urge to possess this weapon.
After all, if the Rumble-Rumble Fruit allowed for elementalization, other Devil Fruits could likely do the same. Having such a special weapon might allow him to counter future encounters.
"You attack low, I'll attack high."
At this point, the two Ghoul Investigators lunged at Bai Ye again, attacking him simultaneously.
Bai Ye snapped back to attention, a glint of killing intent appearing in his eyes as he looked at the two.
He would deal with other matters later. For now, he needed to eliminate these two.
*Zzzt!*
Suddenly, a large amount of electricity erupted from Bai Ye's body. The instant the attacks reached him, Bai Ye vanished without a trace.
Inside the room, electrical appliances were affected by the current. The lights flickered wildly, and the television screen was filled with static.
*Boom!*
The scorpion-tail-like weapon struck the ground first, pulverizing a section of it.
Following that, the older Ghoul Investigator, sword in hand, arrived, but his strike landed on empty air.
Then...
The sound of surging electricity returned, and Bai Ye reappeared directly behind the older Ghoul Investigator.
*Zzzt!*
Electricity crackled once more!
Bai Ye raised Lei Ya Nu Shou, wreathed in electricity, and slashed sideways.
*Hiss!*
Bai Ye's blade struck the opponent's neck. Immediately, the man's head flew off.
His eyes wide, it tumbled through the air.
"Sensei!"
The young Ghoul Investigator's eyes turned blood red. He roared, then swung his weapon at Bai Ye.
*Clang!*
Bai Ye casually raised Lei Ya Nu Shou to block, and a crisp metallic clash rang out.
After the initial clash, Bai Ye reached out, grabbed the scorpion-tail-like whip, and yanked hard.
The young Ghoul Investigator was yanked forward towards Bai Ye, and then...
*Hiss!*
Bai Ye casually thrust Lei Ya Nu Shou forward, piercing the opponent's chest and easily punching through it.
"Cough!"
The young Ghoul Investigator opened his mouth, spitting out a large amount of blood.
*Hiss!*
Bai Ye smoothly withdrew his sword, a wisp of blood scattering. The opponent then collapsed to the ground, quickly losing consciousness.
Bai Ye casually extended his hand. Lei Ya Nu Shou transformed into black mud and merged back into Bai Ye's body.
"I don't know what's going on, but this place doesn't seem safe to stay in."
Bai Ye muttered, then walked towards the door. Just as he reached it...
A round iron ball suddenly rolled from the side of the corridor, landing at Bai Ye's feet.
Bai Ye looked down...
"Damn it!"
Bai Ye cursed, then lunged violently back into the room.
*Boom!*
The sound of an explosion suddenly erupted.
A massive fireball burst at the doorway, completely demolishing a section of it.
In the corridor, a shrill alarm blared.
The fire detectors glowed red, and then, one by one, sprinkler heads began to spray water.
Bai Ye executed a cartwheel and sprang to his feet.
But at this moment...
A red umbrella appeared in front of Bai Ye, its tip fitted with a sharp blade, stabbing directly towards Bai Ye's face.
...