Capone: Fortress of Ambition

"Riki, your bounty is almost three hundred million. You can't possibly be this weak."

"Stand up. Show me what you've got."

Bege strode out of the restaurant. Within a few steps, he stood before Riki, looking down at him. His voice echoed through the street.

Inside the restaurant, the members of the Riki Pirates were aghast. They rushed outside.

"Who are you calling weak?!" Riki roared, suddenly looking up. His eyes were fierce, his face contorted with rage.

He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze sharp and wary. That single blow had shown him that this masked bounty hunter was incredibly strong, an unprecedented threat. He took a deep breath, his stomach expanding visibly.

"You think I'll let you build up that pressure?" Bege suddenly charged, closing the distance in an instant. He swung his sword.

But Riki abruptly lowered his head, glaring at Bege with furious eyes. He opened his mouth, unleashing a thick, concentrated blast of high-pressure air.

Bege's pupils contracted. He slashed forward with his sword, the blade meeting the air blast. The sword's energy was instantly shattered. The high-pressure jet struck the blade itself, and Bege immediately felt the impact. The sheer force pushed him back, his feet skidding across the ground for dozens of meters.

Bege forcefully dispersed the air blast, looking back at Riki. The pirate captain was gulping down air, his stomach swelling, his skin turning increasingly red. White steam began to rise from his body.

Seeing this, Bege confirmed his suspicions. From their brief clash, he'd gotten a sense of Riki's power.

Riki had eaten the Paramecia-type High-Pressure Fruit, becoming a High-Pressure Man. His body was like a pressure cooker. He could rapidly compress the air he inhaled, transforming it into high-pressure gas, and then release it through vents on his body, creating devastating blasts.

"You should be proud you've pushed me this far," Riki said, taking another deep breath. His chilling eyes locked onto Bege. "Now, I'll send you to hell."

He leaned forward, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded, leaving two craters. Riki's body moved, the powerful rush of air completely destroying the ground around the craters.

Riki's massive, obese frame moved almost as if he were flying, skimming just above the ground. It was as if powerful jet engines were attached to his feet, providing immense propulsion. Indeed, he had vents embedded in the soles of his feet. With each step, the ground shook violently before exploding. The high-pressure blasts carved out craters.

"Such speed," Bege thought, startled. Riki's speed had suddenly increased five or six-fold, leaving only blurred afterimages in his wake.

In an instant, he'd taken more than ten steps, arriving directly in front of Bege. Then, he unleashed a palm strike at blinding speed.

At that moment, more than ten high-pressure blasts erupted from the vents on his back, further accelerating him. This last-second burst of speed caught Bege off guard. High-pressure air erupted from the palm of Riki's hand.

The blast shattered the ground. As the dust settled, Bege emerged, his clothes once again ripped by the high-pressure air. He'd narrowly avoided the attack.

Bege moved swiftly, dodging and attacking, while Riki continued to release air from his vents, using them to defend against Bege's strikes. It was nearly impossible to land a hit. Riki's speed was now incredibly fast, preventing Bege from even gathering his strength.

Bege's attack missed, and he quickly retreated. Riki reacted instantly, bringing his knee up in a strike. High-pressure air erupted from the sole of his foot, the ground shattering with a roar. The knee strike was incredibly powerful.

Bege's reflexes were equally sharp. He pressed his left hand against Riki's knee. Using the momentum, he flipped backward into the air.

"Don't think you can escape!" Riki snarled, his hands flying, unleashing a barrage of high-pressure blasts. Bege used Geppo to swiftly dodge, the ground and nearby buildings easily destroyed by the blasts.

Riki's body grew redder, and his expression became pained. Clearly, generating the high-pressure air was not a simple task.

Suddenly, Riki's speed doubled again. He was catching up to Bege.

"Don't run!" He slammed a palm down. He was already taller than Bege, and this strike came from above, a high-pressure blast erupting from his palm.

Bege held his sword horizontally, his body spinning in place. He transformed into a vortex of sword energy.

"One Sword Style – Blade Twister!"

A low roar came from within. The vortex of sword energy shot skyward, colliding with the high-pressure blast.

Riki's eyes widened. He pressed down with his other hand, his stomach deflating. The high-pressure air inside him was being rapidly expelled, the blast from his palm growing larger. But Bege's Blade Twister was also intensifying.

The two forces were locked in a stalemate for thirty seconds. Riki was the first to falter, staggering backward more than ten steps. Immediately afterward, a terrifying vortex of sword energy erupted into the sky, exploding outwards and sweeping in all directions.

Bege stood on the spot, holding his sword, his face slightly pale.

"I won't lose!" Riki roared. He began to gulp down air again, preparing to generate more high-pressure gas.

But Bege had no intention of giving him the chance. He dashed forward.

Suddenly, a figure darted out from the side, blocking Bege's path.

"Don't you touch the Captain!" It was Gilon. To buy Riki time, he had to stop Bege.

Gilon threw punches, each one shattering the air. His fist power and speed were astonishing.

Gilon's eyes suddenly widened. He threw a mighty punch, the air in front of him caving in, forming an air cannon. Bege flickered, dodging the air cannon, which struck the ground in the distance, exploding with a roar and sending dust flying.

To create an air cannon with just his body, this man was truly a master of martial arts.

Gilon's attack speed was incredibly fast, his fists a blur, a seamless barrage of punches and kicks, even unleashing vacuum slashes similar to Rankyaku.

But, uncannily, not a single one of these powerful punches, these relentless kicks, connected with Bege.

It was as if he could predict Gilon's every move, precisely avoiding each attack.

"One Sword Style – Leopard Shadow Flash!"

Bege vanished, instantly reappearing behind Gilon. Gilon, his neck held high, coughed up blood. A long gash had appeared across his chest.

"You're too weak."

The faint voice drifted over. Gilon, filled with unwillingness, clenched his fists and turned. But Bege was one step ahead. A powerful roundhouse kick sent him flying dozens of meters away.

"Hmm?" Bege's pupils contracted sharply. He instantly used Soru to flash to the side. A high-pressure blast, as thick as an arm, grazed his hair, slamming into a building in the distance. It pierced through more than ten buildings in a row before finally exploding with an earth-shattering boom.

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