Wright's sudden attack didn't surprise Bege. He'd been wary of Wright from the very beginning. The instant Wright moved, Bege was ready, catching the whip-like kick with a single hand.
Wright's brow furrowed. He knew the power behind his own kicks; even he would have to brace himself against such a blow. He hadn't expected Bege to block it so effortlessly, one-handed.
"Interesting. I see why you were able to conquer over a dozen islands in a single month."
Catching the kick hadn't been easy for Bege, either. His right arm was numb, though he didn't let it show on his face.
Bege snorted coldly and lashed out with a kick of his own, aimed straight at Wright's chest. Wright moved back instantly, dodging the attack.
"If you want a sparring match, I'm game. But this place is too cramped. Let's go outside," Bege said with a faint smile.
"Intriguing. Fine, I'll play along," Wright replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
In the courtyard of the Capone family mansion, the two men faced each other. Bege held his long sword, his gaze cold and focused. He felt an intense pressure from Wright, forcing him to go all-out.
At the same time, this intense pressure filled Bege with excitement. Ever since he'd returned from his training on Monster Island, he hadn't had an opponent who could push him to his limits. He'd been craving a truly satisfying battle, and perhaps today he would finally get one.
Bege's eyes suddenly turned fierce, like a wild, ravenous beast about to pounce on its prey. He exuded a palpable sense of danger.
A terrifying aura erupted from both men simultaneously, startling Modi and the others inside the mansion. They rushed out of their rooms.
"Stay where you are. Don't move. This isn't your fight," Bege barked at Modi and the others.
"Mr. Wright, I'm making my move," Bege said, a grin spreading across his face.
"Come," Wright replied, his expression serious. The ferocious, untamed aura emanating from Bege had put him on his guard.
With a powerful stomp, and a thunderous boom, Bege was off.
The speed he unleashed in that instant was like a bolt of lightning, bringing him face-to-face with Wright in a blink.
"Whoosh!"
A fierce wind whipped around them. Wright's eyes narrowed, shocked by the speed Bege displayed.
His reaction speed was equally astonishing. He instantly raised his leg, lifting it high above his head, and then brought it down with the force of a battle-axe.
Bege's eyes contracted, and he dodged instantly. With a resounding boom, the long leg slammed down, creating a huge, cutting blade of air that sliced the ground in two.
It was a kick that produced a slicing attack, somewhat similar to the Navy's Rokushiki technique, Rankyaku.
After dodging, Bege immediately pushed off the ground, his figure vanishing as he closed in on Wright, his long sword slashing towards him.
Wright lifted his long leg upwards.
Boom!
The sword and the long leg collided, unleashing a torrent of power. The impact instantly transformed into a gale that spread outwards.
Wright had blocked Bege's ferocious strike with his leg.
"Armament Haki!" Bege realized, seeing the large black patch that appeared on Wright's leg where the sword had struck. It was the effect of Armament Haki.
"You've seen a few things," Wright said with a light chuckle. He kicked, forcing Bege back, then used his long legs to launch himself at Bege. His legs swung like two battle-axes, whistling through the air with tremendous power. And with the added Armament Haki, Bege's sword couldn't harm Wright at all.
Each of Wright's kicks generated a cutting attack no weaker than a swordsman's strike. The two exchanged dozens of blows in rapid succession, with Wright even managing to subtly push Bege back.
"I've never seen anyone push the Godfather back before," Hank said, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Who is this guy? His kicks are insane."
"He's a true powerhouse of the Grand Line," Modi said gravely. He was a former Marine Captain and had trained at Marine Headquarters; he'd seen the strength of powerful Marines. He recognized that this person was already at the level of a true strongman on the Grand Line.
"One Sword Style – Dragon Bite!"
Bege roared, his long sword erupting with a brilliant glow. A white dragon of sword energy surged forth, snapping at Wright.
"Interesting!"
Wright raised his right leg high and brought it down in a mighty chop, even faster and with a stronger slicing attack.
"Kick Technique – Wave Sever!"
The enormous cutting attack struck the dragon of sword energy, splitting it in two.
"Show me everything you've got," Wright said with a chuckle.
The ferocious aura around Bege intensified, becoming even more dangerous.
"Ichi Gorilla!"
"Ni Gorilla!"
"San Gorilla!"
Bege's arms expanded three times in succession, becoming thicker than his thighs. Simultaneously, the phantom image of a giant, demonic ape appeared behind him.
Wright's expression changed. The current Bege was undeniably even more dangerous.
"One Sword Style – Demon Ape Slash!"
Bege attacked in a fury, his long sword radiating a fierce light. A powerful and terrifying beam of sword energy shot out.
Wright's expression changed drastically. He danced on both legs simultaneously, sending out a flurry of kicking-based cutting attacks that collided with the sword beam. However, all of these attacks were shattered upon contact.
The sword beam was incredibly sharp and swift, closing in instantly. Wright brought his right leg down in a powerful stomp, directly onto the beam. His Armament Haki-enhanced foot resisted the sharp sword light, but the impact of the beam pushed Wright back more than ten meters.
"Break!" Wright snarled, unleashing the power in his leg. He actually shattered the sword beam with a single kick, sending fragments of the shattered energy flying in all directions, carving countless, dense lines into the ground.
Meanwhile, the ferocious aura around Bege continued to intensify. Wright raised an eyebrow and said, "Enough. I'm not here for a death match. You've proven yourself worthy of partnering with us."
"What a shame. I was just getting warmed up," Bege said with a frown, instantly retracting his aura. The ferocious energy vanished without a trace.
The Shipping King was not someone Bege could currently contend with, so he naturally couldn't afford to offend Wright.
"Mr. Wright, please come inside."
In a secret room within the mansion, Bege, Rod, and the core members of the Capone Family gathered to discuss the terms of their cooperation with Wright.
The Shipping King dealt in all sorts of illegal businesses, such as smuggling, arms trafficking, and the slave trade. Anything profitable, the Shipping King was involved in. If they could establish a connection with the Shipping King, the Capone Family would undoubtedly gain access to a major channel for expanding their business.
Wright's mission this time was to integrate the sea area controlled by the Capone Family into the Shipping King's smuggling routes, which, of course, came with numerous benefits.
After Rod and Wright had a discussion and confirmed the partnership, Bege spoke up, "Mr. Wright, I know Your Excellency the Shipping King has vast connections. I was wondering if I could purchase something from him."
"We also deal in merchandise. As long as you can afford the price, we can find anything you desire," Wright said proudly.
"Would it be possible to purchase the training methods for Haki?" Bege asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Wright chuckled lightly. "Of course. But the price isn't cheap, you know."
"Please, tell me."
"In the underground black market, the training method for Armament Haki is worth 500 million Berries, and Observation Haki costs 600 million. However, even if you obtain the training methods, you aren't guaranteed to learn Haki," Wright said.
Bege's expression darkened. A total of 1.1 billion Berries for both types of Haki was no small sum. He recalled that the bounty of the Big Mom Pirates' strongest Sweet Commander, Katakuri, was only 1.057 billion in the future.
"Bege, I have a way for you to obtain the training methods for both Armament and Observation Haki for free, and I can also ensure you learn both types of Haki," Wright said, a glint in his eye.
"Oh? Please, tell me."
"With your skills, if you were to join the Shipping King's crew, he would certainly bestow the Haki training methods upon you and dispatch Haki experts to personally instruct you," Wright said with a smile. Everything he'd said before was leading up to this point. Bege's strength and potential had piqued Wright's interest, and he was confident that the Shipping King would invest in Bege.
Bege smiled faintly. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
"Bege is used to his freedom and can't stand being constrained by rules. Besides, Bege has no great ambitions. He only wants to be a local tyrant here on Sassi Island. Mr. Wright, I hope you can understand," Bege said, politely declining with a cupped-fist gesture.
Wright's expression turned slightly displeased. He chuckled lightly and said, "If you ever change your mind, you're always welcome."
"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Wright."