The moment Claude finished speaking, his figure flashed again, disappearing abruptly.
Bai Ye, unwilling to be outdone, also vanished from his spot with a slight shift of his shoulder.
In the next instant, both of them were nowhere to be seen. Only afterimages continuously appeared within the coffee shop, while surrounding objects were constantly exploding.
The glass jars displayed behind the counter shattered one by one, spilling their coffee beans. Tables and chairs nearby let out loud noises before being torn apart.
Suddenly...
*Boom!*
After a tremendous crash, the ceiling suddenly developed countless cracks. Immediately, a massive crystal chandelier fell, striking the ground and shattering instantly.
After about two to three minutes, the coffee shop was in ruins. A large section of the ceiling had collapsed, leaving almost no safe place to stand. Following this, Bai Ye and Claude reappeared at the coffee shop's entrance.
The two locked eyes again, and then...
*Bang!*
Bai Ye stomped his foot, lunged forward, and swept his leg towards Claude.
Claude let out a low roar, "Tekkai!"
Claude's skin turned black and incredibly hard. When Bai Ye kicked him, it felt like kicking a block of iron.
"Do you only know Soru?" Claude sneered. "It seems you're truly not from my world. CP9 learns all Six Styles. Other Marines, to train their bodies, also practice them to some extent. Though most don't master all Six Styles, they at least learn three or four!"
As Claude spoke, he suddenly raised his leg.
"Rankyaku!"
Bai Ye quickly dodged backward, but to his surprise, Claude's attack wasn't a typical kick. As he swung his leg, the surrounding air currents were stirred, forming a blade of wind that hurtled towards Bai Ye.
However, Claude's aim seemed a bit off. The wind blade missed Bai Ye, grazing past him and striking the wall beside him.
*Boom!*
The wall instantly shattered and collapsed.
Initially, Bai Ye and Claude's battle hadn't drawn much attention or panic. At most, pedestrians around them would consciously give way and move away.
In the "City of Sin" with its simple folk, gunfights were a daily occurrence. What was a street brawl?
But as Claude kicked through the wall, the surrounding pedestrians realized something was wrong and began to scream before scattering.
They finally understood that this wasn't just a fight; people could die. That kick was more terrifying than any gunfight.
Meanwhile...
Seeing his Rankyaku miss, Claude suddenly reached forward.
"Stardust Bullet!"
This wasn't an ability Claude had brought from his own world but one he had acquired in the World Battlefield, magic from the Magic Zone!
Instantly, countless star-like specks of light appeared before Claude's palm. As Claude extended his hand and pressed forward, the silvery light transformed into silver-white orbs, each the size of a fist, flying towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye immediately used Soru again, sprinting rapidly to the side.
*Boom, boom, boom...*
The Stardust Bullets continuously impacted the ground and surrounding buildings, creating deafening roars, shattering the ground, and collapsing walls.
As he ran, Bai Ye glanced at Claude. It seemed this guy was extremely angry.
Although Claude's words were calm, Bai Ye could tell that this fellow truly wanted revenge for the three he had killed.
As a chosen one from the Order faction, Claude shouldn't be fighting so recklessly.
Because...
It would endanger innocents!
The pedestrians on the street were fine; they had already fled. But people were hiding inside the surrounding buildings, yet Claude attacked without hesitation, completely unconcerned about harming them!
This indicated Claude's attitude: as long as Bai Ye could be killed, nothing else mattered.
He didn't care about losing Order Points or suffering punishment for too many evil deeds.
Bai Ye sighed and suddenly stopped, raising his fist and turning to unleash a punch!
"Fengyan!"
With a punch, scorching flames instantly wreathed Bai Ye's arm. Then, as he threw the punch, a pillar of fire surged forward, colliding with the Stardust Bullets.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
In the next moment, a massive explosion occurred as the attacks met.
The pillar of fire engulfed the Stardust Bullets, but the bullets exploded within the flames, shattering the pillar of fire as well.
Bai Ye no longer maneuvered, instead drawing his famous sword, "Shi Xue," and charging towards Claude.
Direct confrontation!
Claude didn't care about Order Points, but Bai Ye did!
After killing these guys, those Order Points would be converted into Sin Points for him at a certain ratio. How could he let this opponent waste them like this?
On the other side, seeing Bai Ye draw his sword, Claude also produced a pair of bronze metal gauntlets and put them on.
"Seikōken!"
The moment Bai Ye reached him, Claude decisively threw a punch!
The Seikōken clashed with the famous sword Shi Xue, producing a clear ringing sound. Then, Claude swept his leg at Bai Ye again.
"Rankyaku!"
Bai Ye didn't retreat. Instead, he flicked his fingers, and the Ning Shuang sword, hanging behind him, unsheathed and landed in Bai Ye's hand. He then slashed forward, shattering the incoming wind blade and following up with a downward cut towards Claude.
"Tekkai!"
Claude let out a soft cry, his entire body turning black again as he entered the Tekkai state.
The Ning Shuang sword struck Claude's body, making a clear ringing sound and even sparking golden sparks, yet it did not harm Claude in the slightest.
Claude couldn't help but let out a smug laugh, but...
It lasted only for a moment. Claude's smile vanished.
Purple venom seeped from Bai Ye's face, and then Bai Ye violently shook his head, flinging the poison onto Claude's face.
"Ugh..."
Claude grunted, then clutched his face and retreated rapidly. He then looked at his palm, which was emitting white smoke. Even in the Tekkai state, the corrosive venom was still eroding Claude's body.
"Doku Doku no Mi?" Claude took a deep breath. "You're also a Devil Fruit user!"
"Is that something magical?" Bai Ye asked. "In the World Battlefield, you can find everything from your world."
"Makes sense!"
Claude stretched out his arms, took off his jacket, and casually tossed it aside, revealing his well-defined, muscular physique.
Claude's expression had clearly become much more serious.
This was because Claude was acutely aware of the power of the Doku Doku no Mi!
In fact, Claude had witnessed the terror of the Doku Doku no Mi before!
...