It was only an increase from 80x to 100x, yet Yemu felt a completely different transformation.
As the Kongō Palm coated in Armament Haki came crashing toward him, a sharp sense of danger rose in Yemu's chest.
Compared to the Kongō Palm launched through the sea currents, this one covered a smaller area, yet Yemu felt as if there was no way to dodge it. It was like he had been locked onto. His body seemed to sink into a swamp, while the surrounding air grew thick and heavy.
"Interesting!"
Yemu's excitement surged. Armament Haki wrapped around both hands as he gathered every ounce of strength into his right fist.
"Fish-Man Karate Ogi · Onigawara Seiken!"
In an instant, like thunderclaps colliding, pitch-black lightning erupted inside the bubble, something the fish-men of Fish-Man Island had never witnessed before.
Visible ripples spread across the surface of the bubble as the force transmitted into the surrounding sea, making it feel as if the entire world had begun to shake.
At the center of the battle, the two clashing fighters both felt their blood surge violently.
The overwhelming force broke through the defenses of their bodies and struck directly at their internal organs.
"How is that possible… What kind of monster is this guy? He's still standing? In that case…"
Barobar instantly leapt backward, retreating as the muscles across his body bulged. Drawing his hands back to his waist, he assumed a stance reminiscent of a Kamehameha posture before his figure vanished from where he stood.
In that moment, under the perception of Observation Haki, Barobar moved at an almost unbelievable speed, his presence appearing from every direction at once.
"Rokushiki Ultimate Technique · Kongō Seal!"
Blinding flashes erupted around Yemu.
Using the principles of Shigan, Barobar fired compressed air at extreme speed, blasting it out like mortar shells.
Even though Yemu's reactions were fast, Barobar's speed made it almost instantaneous. There was simply no way to dodge.
In that case, it was time to try the ability he had learned from Anne.
"Demon Bind!"
Boom…
…
At the center of the bubble, countless bursts of compressed air exploded in flashing impacts as they slammed into Yemu. The roaring blasts echoed throughout Fish-Man Island.
Seeing Yemu struck by such relentless and terrifying attacks, everyone's expressions turned uneasy.
With that level of assault, anyone present would probably have been smashed into paste.
Yet Barobar, standing in the center of the battlefield, had looked grim from the very beginning.
Because through Observation Haki, he could clearly sense that his Rokushiki ultimate technique had been blocked.
"That's impossible…"
"What kind of move is that?!"
"Forget it. I can't drag this out any longer."
With that thought, he curled his body into a ball and began spinning rapidly.
"Rokushiki Ultimate Technique · Kongō Jade!"
This was a combination technique of Tekkai, Soru, and Geppo.
Using Geppo to spin rapidly in midair, then accelerating with Soru for an extremely fast impact, and finally relying on Tekkai's powerful defense while coating the body with Armament Haki, the result was an impact as heavy and unstoppable as a mountain.
It was a technique that surpassed both Kongō Palm and Kongō Seal, a supreme move worthy of the name "Jade."
Barobar's body shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight into the center of the blazing explosion.
Boom...
At that moment, even the ordinary fish-men across Fish-Man Island could feel the terrifying force of that strike.
On the Twin Goddesses, Enel and the others, who had looked relaxed moments earlier, now showed a trace of concern on their faces.
But just then, within the blinding explosion, a streak of flame appeared.
The flames surged violently, forming a roaring, colossal dragon head that devoured everything around it.
Immediately afterward, Barobar burst out from the flames, his entire body ablaze, flying backward like a kite with its string cut as he was hurled toward the edge of the bubble.
Just as Barobar seemed about to break through the bubble and fall into the sea...
Boom...
A powerful aura erupted from Barobar's body, blasting away the flames around him and forcibly halting his backward flight.
He seemed to ignore the burning pain on his body completely, staring in shock at Yemu, who slowly stepped out from the raging flames.
At that moment, Yemu's entire body was covered in a flowing layer of pitch-black Armament Haki, while flames and Haki coiled tightly around his right fist.
Seeing this, Barobar's brows knit together.
"Damn it… what a monster. A fusion of Logia power and Haki? If even the hundredfold boost isn't enough, then I'll have to use that move!"
Thinking this, Barobar suddenly let out a long breath.
He had known from the beginning that he might not survive this mission. Still, until the very last moment, he had held onto a faint sliver of hope. But now it seemed...
"Fine. Maybe everything was destined from the start..."
With that thought, Barobar's expression gradually calmed. He looked toward Yemu, whose body was wrapped in Haki.
"Hey, you villain from the Sky Pirates. Didn't you say you wanted to see my strongest power?"
Yemu paused, the pressure around him fading slightly.
"You mean you still have another power?"
"Yeah."
Barobar nodded and raised three fingers.
"I'm an Enhancement Human who ate the Gōka Gōka no Mi. All this time, I've only shown outsiders three stages of enhancement. First, by eating large amounts of food and converting it into energy to strengthen myself. Second, by consuming the fat stored in my body to enhance myself. Third, by burning my physical stamina to power myself up, reaching up to a hundredfold enhancement."
He paused briefly.
"But in reality, there's a fourth stage. That is using my life force to strengthen myself..."
Yemu's eyes widened.
"That doesn't sound like anything good."
"Yeah."
Barobar nodded.
"Life force is like a person's lifespan. Once it's consumed, it's extremely difficult to recover. What's even more troublesome is that this is the final stage ability. By the time I use it, the base strength built through the first three stages is already extremely high."
Yemu understood immediately.
"So it will put your life in danger?"
Barobar shook his head.
"It won't just endanger my life."
"It means certain death."
...
"So you've decided to use it?"
"Yeah. In simple terms, it's a move where both sides are destroyed together."
Barobar spoke with a slightly crazed smile on his face. Looking at Yemu, he continued in a tone that sounded almost like a challenge.
"Once it's activated, I don't even know how strong it will become. But unlike the first three stages, the fourth stage requires some time to activate. So, villain of the Sky Pirates, you..."
Before he could finish, Yemu interrupted him.
"It's fine. I'll wait."
For a moment, Barobar froze completely. He stared at Yemu in disbelief and asked in a low voice.
"Hey… are you really not afraid of dying?"
Yemu shook his head.
"Of course I'm afraid of death. But compared to dying, I'm more curious about how high the limits of this world really are."
"So go ahead."
"Let me see just how dazzling your so-called final power truly is."