"How much longer do you think he'll take?"
BOOM—!
Uvogin shattered the oak doors of the underground casino with a single punch, asking the question as if he were checking the time.
SHING—!
Nobunaga followed, a flash of his blade dropping several enforcers who tried to step in. "How should I know? Just wait. The Leader's intel is never wrong."
"Don't run! Pay your tabs first—!" the staff screamed in vain at the fleeing customers, who were currently more afraid of the two monsters at the door than their gambling debts.
Phinks and Feitan moved like ghosts through the panicking crowd, systematically clearing out the remaining hired thugs.
"You two already got to fight a legend," Phinks said, his voice laced with excitement. "Let me have some fun this time."
"My turn," Feitan replied, his words short and sharp.
Just as the four of them were settling in for a wait, a man stepped through the shattered remains of the doorway. He looked at the chaos with an arrogant, predatory gaze. He had a mop of "forest green" hair, fangs like a wolf, and a face that could only be described as "vicious."
The four Spiders looked at him simultaneously.
Green hair? Checked. Shrew-like face? Checked. Fangs? Checked.
"He's mine—!"
"I call him—!"
"Rock-Paper-Scissors!"
"Ye-hah! I win." Phinks stepped forward, grinning as he pumped his fist. Behind him, three faces looked on with varying shades of annoyance.
"..." A vein throbbed on Bartolomeo's forehead. He roared, "ARE YOU LISTENING TO A WORD I'M SAYING?!"
"You think this is a game?!"
"I am the great Bartolomeo! The brutal gang leader who fired on innocent civilians! I'm—"
FLASH—!
A golden blur crossed the room. Bartolomeo's body was sent flying backward, smashing through an entire wall and disappearing under a mountain of rubble.
Phinks stood where Bartolomeo had been, casually digging into his ear with a pinky. "Who were you again?"
"YOU BASTARD! I'M LORD BARTOLOMEO!"
BANG—!
The rubble was violently thrown aside. A dust-covered Bartolomeo stood up, fuming. However, Phinks noticed that the man's hands were now crossed in front of his chest. A translucent, faint green barrier floated before him.
Despite the fury on his face, Bartolomeo was completely unharmed. Phinks raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
"Interesting. Just like the Leader said—he can generate a barrier with a specific hand gesture. Incredible defense."
"You mean this?" Bartolomeo pointed a finger at the transparent wall. "This is my ability! The Paramecia: Barrier-Barrier Fruit!"
"I can generate barriers in front, behind, or all around me. It's an absolute, flawless defense—!" Bartolomeo shifted his hands, showing off the different angles of his shields with a smug, boastful grin. "What's the matter? Scared? If you're scared, get on your knees and beg! Jahahaha!"
The response he got was...
"Ripper Cyclotron: 10 Rotations—!"
FLASH—!
BOOM—!
While Bartolomeo was busy gloating, Phinks had been winding up his arm. He punched Bartolomeo again, sending him flying through another wall. The impact sent cracks spider-webbing across the ceiling. The entire building began to groan and tilt.
Phinks cleaned his ear again, looking genuinely puzzled. "I don't know the rules of this 'Dark Continent' place..."
"But back where we come from, the conditions and effects of an ability are the most important secrets in a fight. Someone like you, who just spills his guts for free... I only have one thing to say..."
Phinks enunciated every word with mocking precision:
"You... big... idiot."
Creeeeak—
Bartolomeo rose from the debris once more, still unscathed. "DAMMIT! LISTEN TO ME! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Beside the fight, the other three Spiders finally looked genuinely surprised. Uvogin's eyes were practically glowing. "Oh? Now that's a shield."
"The strongest spear versus the strongest shield, huh?" Nobunaga muttered.
"I wonder which breaks first," Feitan added tonelessly.
As they observed, the contrast between the two fighters became clear. While both Phinks and Uvogin were Enhancers, their specializations were different. Uvogin used Nen to reinforce his entire body, turning himself into a physical tank. Nobunaga focused his reinforcement on his blade and the speed of his draw.
But Phinks... Phinks focused everything on his fist.
In the Troupe's arm-wrestling rankings, Phinks sat comfortably at #2, right below Uvogin. Since childhood, his grip strength was abnormal—he could crush solid stone with his bare hands. When he chose his Nen path, he decided to ignore general defense and put every ounce of his aura into his right arm.
> [Ripper Cyclotron (Enhancement Type)]
> By rotating his arm in a circular motion, Phinks winds up his Nen like a mechanical spring. The more he rotates his arm, the more powerful the subsequent punch becomes. There is no known upper limit to the power increase, provided he has the time to wind it up.
"Not bad," Phinks said, his eyes flashing with excitement. "It's been a long time since I've found an opponent like you."
His grin widened. "Let's see who wins when the spear hits the shield—"
Phinks tucked his left arm behind his back and began rotating his right arm. The golden aura surrounding his fist grew brighter and more intense with every circle.
One... two... three...
Bartolomeo's arrogance vanished. He didn't know exactly what Phinks was doing, but he could feel a catastrophic amount of power condensing in that rotating arm.
"It seems you've got some tricks too! Fine! I'll show you everything I've got!"
Crossing his hands tightly, a massive, thick green barrier manifested in front of him—so dense it was nearly opaque.
"Barrier-Barrier: Great Shield—!"
"Ripper Cyclotron: 20 Rotations!"
"BRING IT—!"
"TAKE THIS—!"
The air between them hissed as their spirits reached a boiling point.
BOOM!
Phinks lunged forward, his right fist trailing a tidal wave of golden energy. He slammed the punch directly into the center of the green barrier.
The impact sent a shockwave through the casino, shattering what was left of the furniture. The building finally gave up. With a sickening groan, the roof collapsed entirely, turning the most famous underground casino in Loguetown into a heap of rubble.
Drip... drip...
Dark blood began to leak from Phinks' knuckles where he had struck the barrier. Yet, the dark green shield remained... motionless. Unbroken.
"I WON—!! JAHAHAHAHA!" Bartolomeo laughed maniacally. He thrust his right fist forward, using the motion to send the massive barrier crashing toward Phinks at high speed. "BARRIER CRASH—!"
Phinks, his head bowed, slowly looked up. A twisted, knowing smile played on his lips.
"Heh... I wouldn't be... so sure..."
---
The battle in the ruins is heating up!