One Way Home, Chapter 17.

Chapter 17: Maki vs Stussy.

—OoOoO—

Three women were in a large room, two facing each other, giving off an aura of tension that could be suffocating. Maki had removed her glasses and placed them in the corner of the room, a sign that she was ready to fight all out. Meanwhile, her opponent, Stussy, seemed to be showing a relaxed expression with a meaningful grin. However, she couldn't lower her guard in front of the girl.

In another corner, Robin stepped aside as a third party to avoid a clash between the two fighters.

Maki reached into her pocket, looking for something inside. Seeing this, Stussy narrowed her eyes to concentrate on whatever the girl would do. However, she didn't want to give her opponent any time. Maki immediately threw a stone from her pocket at high speed, enough to break the sound barrier.

With her incredible reflex, Stussy immediately raised her left hand to block the pebble. However, it was a small mistake because it gave Maki a little gap to escape her attention. Even so, the woman remained calm. Her Kenbunshoku quickly sensed Maki's presence, who was already behind her with a kick ready to hit the side of her stomach.

'What a clever trick, Maki-chan,' the woman thought.

Stussy quickly leaned forward and took a step forward. Then, she immediately turned around to counterattack the girl. However, the middle kick she had expected didn’t happen. Instead, the attack stopped briefly in midair, and Maki changed its trajectory to a high kick.

That move was also known as a question-mark kick in Kickboxing, Muay Thai, or Ppaegi Chagi in Taekwondo.

'A feint?'

Stussy crossed her arms to the side just in time to block the attack. However, the whip-like kick felt too heavy even though she had activated her Tekkai.

Maki didn't stop her attack just like that. She immediately lowered her feet to establish her stance. Quickly, the girl immediately launched a jab to Stussy's face, which was still blocked, and followed it up with a cross using her left hand, causing her opponent to be dragged a few centimetres back.

Not wanting to give Stussy a chance to breathe, Maki immediately spun her body around using her right foot as a pivot.

'Spinning back kick?' the woman thought.

However, her active Kenbunshoku provided other information, preventing the woman from falling for the trick. As she had predicted, Maki changed the kick into a knee with her left foot.

“Not bad,” Maki muttered with a grin as Stussy blocked her knee.

The girl took a step back to set the tempo after her series of combos failed to work.

“You too. You use a variety of setups for your attacks, and it impresses me because most gifted people with a strong physique like you like to fight recklessly.”

“And I thought you were just like your idiot friends, who could be fooled by little tricks.”

“Oh, beats me. They’re not even my friends,” Stussy replied.

Even though the conversation seemed casual, Maki's brain constantly simulated how to defeat her opponent.

'I’ve some plans, but seeing how well she adapted, I need to keep them as surprise elements to make it effective.'

Maki studied the blonde woman in the white dress, looking for a weakness she could exploit.

'However, what's more troublesome is her Kenbunshoku. Unlike Enel, who relies so much on his Devil Fruit that he's easily caught off-guard despite his extraordinary perception abilities, this woman’s a more complete and technically skilled fighter.'

“What's wrong, dear? Are you scared because none of your attacks landed perfectly?” Stussy taunted.

Maki's temple twitched instantly upon hearing that.

“Scared? Me? In your dreams, you old hag.”

Like a snapped nerve, Stussy's eyes immediately bulged at how the girl called her. However, before she could reply to the insult, Maki had disappeared from her spot. That Otherworldly Girl darted and swooped from one place to another. Walls, floors, and even ceilings were used as her footholds to confuse Stussy.

However, with her trained Kenbunshoku abilities, Stussy could still track movements that normal eyes couldn’t follow.

Feeling that no gap was left, Maki appeared before the blonde woman. She was slightly bent and immediately kicked straight to the chin. Stussy avoided it by turning her head back. Seeing an opportunity she could exploit, the woman intended to catch Maki's leg. However, she changed her mind when she felt Maki's other leg about to tackle her with a movement that resembled breakdancing.

Stussy stepped back while Maki was at her feet.

The two women stared at each other for a second. And as if sharing the same brain cells, they immediately took a step forward with complete confidence.

Stussy took the momentum first by throwing a left jab. Although it didn't have full power, it had enough speed to make it happen. With good head movement, Maki avoided the blow. However, Stussy followed up with a body shot aimed at the stomach and an attempt to close the distance.

To keep the momentum on her side, Stussy intended to hit Maki with her left elbow. But instead of dodging, the girl blocked the attack with her right hand, which she raised to the side.

'She 's starting to take risks,' Stussy thought.

The woman wanted to take a step, adjusting her footwork. Unfortunately, when she was about to shift her steps, Stussy felt something stepping on her foot, preventing her from taking a step. She glanced down and found that Maki's foot was the culprit.

'Shit.'

A micromanagement in footwork that brought significant changes, that was what Maki did. When she couldn't gain an advantage at a safe distance, the only option was to take more risks by getting into the opponent's range. However, facing a highly technical person like Stussy at a risky distance without a plan was foolishness. Therefore, to neutralise Stussy's movement, Maki needed to lure her forward and seal Stussy's move by stepping on her feet.

Her balance was slightly unsteady as she tried to move while her foot was stepped on. Stussy cursed herself for being late in realising it. Seeing the opportunity, Maki immediately launched a fast and mighty left hook, which hit Stussy's head squarely. While the blonde woman tried not to fall, Maki stepped on the foot, ensuring her opponent couldn’t escape.

After the left hook, Maki followed up with an uppercut that successfully connected with Stussy's chin. Without pausing, she grabbed the back of the blonde's head and pushed her down to kiss her knee.

Receiving three solid attacks, especially with power as strong as Maki, penetrated Stussy's Tekkai defence. Blood was seen flowing from her nose. However, the woman's eyes didn’t seem to waver at all.

“Kami-e.”

桗湥琠敨琠捥湨煩敵眠獡挠慨瑮摥猠景汴ⱹ愠汬漠 chanted softly, all of Stussy's muscles and bones became extremely nimble instantly. She quickly rotated her ankle, even up to one hundred and eighty degrees. The additional flexibility, which was also strong, created a slight gap in her foot that Maki stepped on. Her spine bent extremely, and her neck also bent sharply, allowing her to avoid the incoming blow by a thin margin.

Stussy quickly broke free and moved behind Maki. Even so, the girl followed her movements closely. However, Stussy did a beautiful jump with her feet now in the air. It wasn't very high, but with her upside-down position, it was enough to make the blonde girl face Maki face to face.

'This is a wide-open opportunity, but it's too good to be true,' thought the girl in the ponytail.

Maki didn't want to fall for the trap. She didn't act aggressively even though the opportunity was right before her, leaving them in reverse positions, facing each other briefly.

Meanwhile, when Stussy felt gravity start to pull her, she kicked the air above her, making her body immediately land on the ground in a crawling position. Maki was entirely surprised by the movement she didn’t anticipate, but her eyes could still follow the sudden movement quite well. However, Stussy immediately kicked Maki in the head from the position below.

“Rankyaku.”

A wave of kicks shot vertically right at point-blank range. Maki was a little caught off guard, but she managed to avoid the attack by tilting her body to the side. However, Stussy, who had returned to her stance, immediately aimed two fists at Maki.

“Rokuogan.”

The powerful shockwave hit Maki squarely. Her eyes widened, and her jaw clenched. The attack seemed to ignore her body's toughness and went straight to her internal organs. Her entire body screamed in pain. The more she tried to endure it, the more damage she received. However, with that much pressure, dodging was also difficult.

'There's no other choice,' Maki thought.

Maki relaxed her stance, letting the shockwave take over her body and sending her flying until she hit the wall, her body embedded in it.

“Quite a quick thinker,” Stussy muttered.

The woman didn't pursue Maki any further. She couldn't move recklessly because she knew her opponent wouldn't be knocked out in just one attack.

“You don’t have to pretend,” Stussy shouted, “I know you want to catch me off guard and ambush me when I rush to you.”

There was no response, only dust flying in the area. However, after waiting for a few seconds, a silhouette was seen standing upright and seemed to walk out of the dust.

"Sometimes it's a bit annoying when your opponent is too smart," Maki said as she wiped the blood from the corner of her lip.

“Even my Rokuogan is the best in my division, and you barely take any damage from it.”

"Don't worry. Your attack was good but wasn't strong enough to take me down."

Stussy smiled lightly at the answer.

"Well, it should be like that, or I would be very disappointed if you got knocked.”

Maki narrowed her eyes at the woman who looked so relaxed. Usually, such a cocky opponent would show weakness unconsciously, just like when fighting Enel. However, Stussy was a fighter with complete technique. Every word that came out of her mouth and her movements were within her calculations.

'The attack just now seemed to bypass my defence and went straight to my internal organs. Although I can withstand it well, it’ll be a problem if I continue to eat it,' Maki thought.

Meanwhile, in another corner, the blonde-haired woman was seen standing casually.

“Why are you so stiff, Maki-chan? You can talk to me. Let's talk, you know? I'll listen to what you have to say,” Stussy said.

Although she appeared carefree, the activity in her brain contrasted with what the woman displayed on the outside.

'It's hard to admit, but Maki-chan is much better at hand-to-hand combat than I thought. I wouldn't be at an advantage if I fought at close range. But I also didn't expect to have to use Rokuogan this soon, even though I was still pulling my punches.'

Stussy sighed as she closed her eyes. With a fluid and elegant movement, she removed her white cape and threw it away, leaving behind a white, thigh-length, sleeveless dress.

"You talk big but seem a little nervous, huh?" Maki said.

"Well, maybe it's because I'm in a bad mood? This mission should have been easy, but some idiots messed it up."

“Is that so?” Maki commented nonchalantly.

Clearly, the girl no longer intended to engage in small talk.

Maki dashed forward at medium speed with a fist aimed at Stussy's face. The woman managed to block it easily, but Maki twisted her body to do a spinning back fist. Stussy blocked the attack again by raising one arm to the side. But still, Maki twisted her upper body again in the opposite direction by doing the same technique, creating a double spinning back fist combination.

Stussy took that punch, causing her body to sway slightly. Although she could have immediately stood up straight, the woman preferred to roll and keep her distance.

'The first two punches were a setup for the final punch. In terms of technique, this girl is really on a different level.'

Maki didn't want to reduce her intensity just like that. Seeing Stussy moving away again, she immediately closed the distance. However, an invisible projectile suddenly shot towards her simultaneously as Stussy made a quick stabbing motion.

Maki tilted her head, but because the distance was less than a meter, it grazed the skin of her cheek. In the next second, the sound of a wall being hit by a projectile was heard, which made Maki take another step back after knowing her opponent had another variation for a long-range attack.

'That wasn’t a devil fruit power for sure. But she shot her fingers rapidly in the air, compressing them and launching them into projectiles. It looked similar to when she kicks the air to fly.'

Maki sighed, her gaze becoming sharper. So did Stussy. 效⁲敢畡楴畦慦散渠潬杮牥栠摡愠瀠慬晹汵猠業敬桔祥戠瑯⁨敲污 a playful smile. They both realised that the intensity of the fight had increased.

Maki raised her fists before her, showing a typical kickboxing stance. Unlike her earlier approach of speed and aggression, she tried to play with the tempo and get close to Stussy with her steady footwork.

'Boxing? After attacking with such speed, agility, and aggression all this time, now she wants to slow down the tempo and make one powerful explosive attack?' the woman thought suspiciously.

When talking about boxing, the most famous figure that comes to mind was Elizabello, a King of the Kingdom of Prodence. He was renowned for his powerful punches, but it took a long time to warm up to charge, making it an impractical attack in a one-on-one situation.

'Even if Maki-chan could overcome it with her martial arts techniques, I doubt she's the type to sacrifice everything for a single-use technique.'

Although Stussy may not know the girl personally, the sessions they have had so far have allowed her to learn Maki's personality quite well.

'Although the girl often sets up her attacks to land hard, every punch she throws has a strong force. It's a very different principle from Elizabello's boxing.'

Maki gestured with her fingers to invite Stussy to attack. The woman was initially uninterested in the game. However, seeing her opponent not taking the initiative, she sighed.

'Fine, I'll take that.'

Stussy launched a kick to the side of Maki's head, which she easily blocked by raising her arms. Maki threw a right jab, but Stussy tilted her head and let the punch pass her. However, a straight left followed with full force. The woman covered her face with her right hand to block the attack, making a loud crashing sound. Yet, a right hook was ready to greet the woman, which, unfortunately, Stussy could dodge.

Maki's concentration and breathing seemed normal. The girl showed no frustration even though none of her attacks were landing. Calmness remained in her eyes as if everything was still within her calculations.

Stussy didn't want to be the one who was just taking the hits. She pointed her index finger and delivered stabs to Maki's head, which also hit the air, creating powerful invisible projectiles.

'Modified Shigan.'

However, with her agile head movements, the girl was able to avoid each of these movements by a narrow margin.

Maki immediately threw a low kick towards Stussy's thigh, but it hit nothing but air as the woman changed her stance with her right leg behind her. As if anticipating the response, the girl then changed her attack to a spinning back kick towards Stussy's chest, but her crossed arms managed to block the attack.

'Gotcha!' Maki grinned silently.

With incredible speed, Maki immediately pulled her right leg back, delivering another low kick to Stussy’s inner right thigh.

This time, the attack connected perfectly. Although Stussy had activated Tekkai, the hard kick left a mark, making her balance slightly unstable.

'Shit!'

An uppercut was ready to greet the woman, but Stussy caught and blocked the punch. However, simultaneously, Maki launched another low kick that connected again to the woman's right thigh.

'Again?!' thought Stussy with an annoyed face.

The woman jumped back to get a safe distance. She did a somersault with an air slash that shot vertically towards Maki.

“Rankyaku.”

Maki dodged the attack well and dashed to catch up with her target. Stussy didn't want to let herself be dominated by the girl, so she launched several punches and kicks at Maki. A series of Shigan attacks were also launched, which, unfortunately, Maki was able to dodge them well.

“Kamie-e, Zasshin.”

The blonde woman dashed using her speed and flexibility, leaving an afterimage that briefly fooled Maki. She moved to her opponent's right side and immediately attacked her with a powerful spinning kick.

Maki ate the powerful attack with her jaw, slightly pushing her upper body. However, her still strong stance showed that the girl wasn’t bothered by it. She spat out saliva roughly and immediately grabbed Stussy's shoulder and the back of her neck. With that clinch, she prevented the woman from doing the same technique as before and immediately greeted her with a hard knee aimed at the stomach.

Stussy blocked the attack with both hands, dampening Maki's power. However, the girl quickly realised the clinch and returned with a jab followed by a straight.

'This pattern…'

The blonde was already quite used to her opponent’s punching patterns. However, when she thought a hook or uppercut was coming next, her Kenbunshoku warned her of a kick coming at her leg.

Unfortunately, the woman couldn't dodge it properly at such a close distance. She focused her Tekkai on the right area and surrendered to the low kick that ate her right thigh again. Stussy winced as she felt the pain start to be felt after the same kicks kept hitting her right thigh.

'Her kicks were very powerful from the start. I slightly underestimated her because the thigh is not vital and thought those kicks were desperate attacks.'

Technically, low kicks didn’t guarantee victory like other attacks that target the head. Moreover, if the opponent had a strong defence like Stussy, attacking the thigh wasn’t a big deal. However, the effects would slowly appear when it came from a fighter with monster power like Maki, and the damage constantly accumulated at one point.

Of course, it wasn’t enough to make Stussy surrender, but the series of low kicks she received were enough to slow her down. At least, that’s what Stussy thought. However, Maki had other ideas in mind.

"Get ready because I'm gonna put you to sleep,” said the girl in the ponytail.

Stussy raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the girl would pull. However, her eyes narrowed as Maki darted towards her. The woman deflected two punches aimed at her face in turn. She retaliated with an elbow aimed at Maki's jaw, but the girl dodged it well.

Maki responded with another punch to her opponent's throat, and as expected, Stussy blocked the attack. However, instead of pulling back her fist, Maki grabbed Stussy by the collar of her dress.

'This movement, she wants to do that throwing technique,' the woman thought.

Stussy immediately grabbed the wrist, forcing her to remove the collar and preventing Maki from throwing her down. Meanwhile, the girl grabbed the other side of the collar with her free hand. Stussy did the same to her, trying to prevent Maki from overpowering her.

'I knew she was strong, but when I clashed with her powers like this, I really felt her overwhelming physical strength. Is this so much power really coming from her little body?' Stussy thought as she clenched her teeth.

Maki pulled the collar left and right, trying to shift her opponent's centre of gravity to her favour. However, Stussy's fierce resistance didn’t allow Maki to act as she pleased.

'As I expected. When I grabbed her collar, she was too focused on my hand. Even though she’s skilled in martial arts, she has zero grappling skill,' the ponytail girl thought.

After ensuring her opponent had no experience in that field, and her focus was fixed on one point, Maki began executing her game plan to dismantle Stussy's defence.

She released one of her grips on the collar and moved to grab Stussy's upper arm on the underside. She pulled Stussy's body to the side and pulled her closer to throw her off balance. Maki tapped her foot on Stussy's inner leg, provoking her as if she would throw her like she threw Lucci during the fight at Franky's base.

Stussy was a brilliant woman. Seeing the girl's movements, she immediately recognised the pattern. Thus, the woman immediately pulled herself back, preventing her opponent from throwing and slamming her. At first glance, it was a good quick reaction. However, her inexperience in grappling made her unaware of the trap that Maki had set.

At the same time as Stussy pulled herself away, Maki loosened her grip on the woman's collar and upper arm. The grips were previously tight. But then Maki loosened them. Coupled with her pulling her own body back, the force on her upper body was more significant than the force holding her. Thus, her body's balance swayed backwards.

Everything was going as Maki had hoped. The setup she had built was working flawlessly. Before Stussy could fix her stance, Maki tripped Stussy's ankle while pushing her upper body.

Osoto Gari, that was the technique Maki used. It was a sweep foot technique from Judo that was often used to trick opponents.

However, even though the girl had managed to take down Stussy, she didn’t proceed to the next step. She didn’t dominate her on the ground, nor did she jump for a choke. She just watched, and eventually, Stussy rolled back and stood up straight.

'Even though she has zero skill in grappling, her reflex and how she can quickly get back on her feet are pretty good.'

Those who knew nothing about grappling generally would stand normally. Even an elite striker like Lucci couldn't transition well after Maki slammed her.

'Good, I’ve gathered enough information.'

After that brief observation, Maki immediately lunged at Stussy. Her target was the woman's waist. She hugged her like a veteran wrestler. When she had her body, Maki immediately aimed for the single leg. Meanwhile, the blonde woman was shocked by the action. She furrowed her eyebrows, pushed Maki's body down, and pulled her left leg to escape Maki's hug.

The effort seemed to pay off when almost all her legs were off her grip, leaving only her ankles. However, Stussy felt uneasy even though her efforts weren’t in vain.

'She purposely loosened her grip on my thigh and moved to my ankle. I knew you were up to something.'

The blonde woman held Maki's head with her left hand to keep her bent with her ankle in her grasp. She then pulled her right hand up, preparing to deliver a deadly blow to the back area. However, before Stussy could execute it, Maki swung the ankle to the inside until she fell because her balance had been destroyed.

“Gotcha!” Maki shouted.

Stussy quickly stood up. However, she couldn't quickly roll back to gain distance because she fell face down. As such, even while she was still on her knees, Maki shot towards her body again. However, this time, she aimed for her side. She grabbed her hip with her right hand, then spun around behind her, sending the woman turning and crashing to the ground.

At first glance, it wasn't significant. However, with Stussy's back on the ground, Maki immediately took side control, pressing down on Stussy's body and right hand. Meanwhile, Maki immediately grabbed her other hand, preventing the woman from struggling.

Stussy's freed legs pressed hard against the ground to free herself from the girl. But Maki immediately neutralised one of her legs by catching and pinning it with her hamstring.

The girl had full control of both of Stussy's hands, with her body still pressing on the woman and also one of her legs. Thus, she immediately mounted her.

The quick transition left Stussy a little overwhelmed. Even as she concentrated on keeping her opponent from getting on top of her, Maki locked her other leg with the same hamstring. Automatically, that girl had complete control of her body.

“What did you say earlier? You asked me for small talk, didn’t you?” Maki said.

The girl released her pressure on Stussy's body, but a raw punch landed directly on the woman's face.

“Then, let's talk!”

Maki slammed her fist into Stussy's nose again.

“Let's talk now!”

The girl once again hit the smooth face without mercy. She continued to do the ground and pound like there was no tomorrow. Her punches were so hard that the concrete under Stussy's head cracked severely.

Not wanting to be a punching bag, the blonde woman raised her arms to cover her face. She also tried to lift her hips to push Maki up. However, the pressure the girl was applying was genuinely incredible.

“Focused Tekkai.”

Maki felt her opponent's skin become tougher than before. Although it didn't make her feel cornered or think her plan had failed, the development still annoyed her. In her final blow, Maki poured more power into her fist and slammed it hard into Stussy's head, making the entire room shake as if it would collapse. A reasonably large crater was even created on the concrete floor.

After that, Maki released all her dominance on Stussy. She did a backward roll and gave a final push using her hands to jump at the ideal distance from the woman.

“You ruined my face, damn it,” the woman cursed.

Her breath was laboured with blood pouring from her nose and mouth. Stussy wiped them roughly with her wrist.

“Then, why don't you combine all your abilities? For someone of your level, there’s no way you’d make such amateurish mistakes,” the girl replied.

The arrogant smile on the girl's face faded, replaced by a gaze that seemed to be able to pierce one's soul.

“So, stop playing around and face me seriously, you bitch.”

Stussy's eyes widened for a few seconds as she heard the accusation. Sometimes, she would blink until she finally regained herself.

“Oh, it’s not like I’m playing with you, you know? It’s just me gathering some information on you just like you did on me," the woman replied calmly, "Like the way you take me to the ground and your weird yet aggressive and dominating wrestling style. Those are all my firsts."

There was no change in expression on Maki’s face when Stussy was yapping. She just kept quiet and listened to what her opponent had to say. Seeing that reaction, the blonde woman seemed to give a provocative smile with a flirtatious look, as if she could see deep into Maki's mind.

"I also know that you're not going all out. You seem very cautious with my Kenbunshoku, so you brought me down to neutralise it. Well, it impresses me that your method worked pretty well."

Kenbunshoku was a perception ability that allowed its users to sense the presence of people and the dangers that threatened them. If the user had high intelligence, speed, and agility, Kenbunshoku would be a troublesome weapon. Maki understood these points very well as someone who also had that skill.

Therefore, the girl continuously attacked Stussy with high intensity in vital areas to keep triggering the Haki, making her think that her fists and kicks were deadly weapons. On the other hand, techniques such as foot sweeps, throws, and wrestling didn’t provide as much damage as her striking, so Kenbunshoku didn’t consider them a major threat when Maki's striking continued to show aggression.

That was why Maki used her punches and kicks as a long setup. When Stussy’s attention and guard were too focused on stand-up fighting, Maki's grappling came in to take over.

“Would it make you feel more at ease if your deductions were correct?” Maki said arrogantly, “Well, even if you’ve gathered information about my fighting style, my domination won’t change, and I’ll dismantle you at once.”

Maki seemed so confident in her words. However, what was on her mind seemed different.

'I'm sure she still has something up her sleeve. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so calm right now.'

“Dismantle me? I’m really looking forward to it, Dear Maki,” the woman said.

Like Maki, even though Stussy appeared calm from the outside, her brain constantly worked to analyse her opponent's techniques.

'Based on everything she's shown me. I don't think there's anything that would allow Maki to finish me off. Is there something I haven't seen?'

Stussy took a deep breath to relieve the tension in her body.

'Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. If something goes wrong, I can use my Devil Fruit ability.'

On the other hand, Maki also felt the same doubts as her opponent. At first, she was confident in her plan. However, seeing that her opponent was stronger than she thought and seemed to still have some things up her sleeve made those doubts slowly weigh on her mind.

Maki closed her eyes for a moment.

'My body has become much stronger and more perfect after coming to this world and leaving the remnants of my cursed energy. Even if that woman strengthens her body to the extreme like last time, I'm sure I can crush her with my raw power. However, what about the things she still keeps secret?'

The girl let out a firm sigh. Her sharp gaze showed the determination and firm decision she had made.

'Nah, whatever it is, I'd win.'

The two elite fighters stood straight, staring at each other with sharp, alert eyes. Not a single word was spoken. Only silence enveloped them like a shadow that refused to move. Their breathing was regular, almost inaudible, as if waiting for the right moment to break the silence. Only the sea breeze filled the space, providing a cooling sensation amidst the high tension between them.

However, when the wind stopped completely, the two women disappeared from sight, ending up in a fist held by the wrist. Stussy pulled her fist back and twisted her body to exploit Maki's defenceless side. With her index finger, she delivered a series of jabs in the air, which her opponent could dodge with agility, leaving only holes in the floor as their victims.

'I know she's going to take me down again. But the question is how?' the woman thought.

Stussy continued to attack and put pressure on Maki, but the girl showed no openings at all.

'It was hard to anticipate her strange way of wrestling, where all her hands, feet, and waist were actively working to slam me down by continuously unbalancing me.'

Stussy jumped back as Maki started to fight back.

'That's so different from the wrestling I know. Is that even wrestling?'

The woman didn’t seem to have solved Maki's plan to drag her to the ground. It wasn’t like she was utterly clueless. However, her dynamic and explosive style made it difficult to dissect the techniques. Not to mention, Maki's pressure when fighting with just fists was deadly enough and would be fatal if she was careless even a little. Stussy also had to be constantly vigilant for the threat posed by the grappling style she had never seen before.

However, the blonde woman was still an experienced fighter. Although she hadn’t found a solution to the threat she faced, she had come to a beneficial conclusion to counter that unique style.

'Regardless of how she's going to take me down, one thing's for sure, she'll grab my collar and my arms, and then she'll try to unbalance me with her legs. If not, she'll grab my legs and swing me around. So, whatever it is, as long as I can keep her from catching me, I'll be safe.'

That was what Stussy thought.

However, Maki was considered the greatest martial artist for a reason. Gojo Satoru would never pin the title of hand-to-hand combat specialist just because she was his student.

Seeing Stussy raise her guard with her hands to close the area before her, Maki quickly closes the distance with her body slightly bent. When Stussy's attention is drawn to Maki's hand, which is trying to throw a punch and catch it at the same time, the girl slips her right leg between Stussy's legs.

Her Kenbunshoku didn't detect it as a threat because Maki's punches were far more dangerous than just that little movement of her feet.

When her right foot was where she wanted it, she moved her left foot closer, giving the other leg more reach. In a swift movement, Maki turned her body to face Stussy. Her right leg, which was tucked between Stussy's legs, lifted up, carrying the woman. Maki also seemed to be throwing her body forward to give her additional momentum.

With that brief movement that happened so fast, Stussy's body was once again thrown to the ground. In fact, she didn't realise it because it happened so fast, even though she had made sure Maki didn’t catch her.

‘Huh? She got me?’

It was a no-hand Uchi Mata. Literally, an Uchi Mata that was executed without grips on the opponent's collar and hand.

A loud thud was heard as the back hit the concrete floor. The blonde wanted to stand up, but Maki immediately caught her again with a front headlock. The woman was quite surprised, but she tried to stand up immediately. However, because of the heavy weight on her head, Stussy could only go to the quadpod position. Unfortunately, that was what Maki had hoped for.

With that position, Maki pulled Stussy's head to her hip as she shifted her weight, forcing that blonde woman over her points of base, which was her head over her hands. Thus, Maki shot her arm through, creating pressure on the left side of Stussy's neck, and connected to her forearm to begin collapsing Stussy off her elbow. With a perfect and quick setup, Maki immediately closed the grip so hard that the muscles in her forearm, biceps, and back seemed to swell and tense to put incredible pressure on Stussy's neck,

Even so, the woman didn’t want to give up. She tried to free herself using her lower body. However, Maki immediately neutralised and limited her movement by trapping the leg, pinning it using her hamstring, and pulling it closer to her body.

It was the yoko-hadaka-jime, a choke technique from Judo. In the West, the move was also known as the D'arce Choke.

'I can't move. I can't breathe!'

Her right hand was pinned down by her own body. Her left hand wasn't as restrained, but with the choke holding it, it was barely able to move freely. Her left leg was clamped by a hamstring, leaving her other leg as the only limb Stussy could move.

However, the problem wasn’t there. The grip pressed so hard, especially when done by someone as powerful as Maki, made the pain in her neck extraordinary. Even though she had activated Tekkai in that area, it wasn’t enough to withstand the pressure that Maki gave. Moreover, one of the main reasons was that the oxygen supply to her brain was drastically reduced, making her body weaker over time.

“Your technique, Tekkai, right? It just makes your muscles harder, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be broken,” Maki said.

Tekkai effectively blocked explosive attacks delivered in one go, such as punches and slashes. However, choke was a technique that applied continuous pressure to a specific area, making it more devastating if executed correctly.

“Now, I'll take you into deep water and make you discover yourself.”

The grip on the forearm tightened after Maki said those words.

Crack!

Something snapping and breaking was heard as Stussy's face turned blue and pale. Her legs, which had been slightly active, now looked limp with almost no movement. Her vision was getting blurry as if she was trying hard to stay conscious as the oxygen supply to her brain dwindled.

'My neck will break soon, and I will die if this continues.”

As a last resort, a murmur escaped the girl's mouth.

“Bushoshoku… Koka.”

With the technique's name chanted, Stussy's entire neck area gained incredible hardening and reinforcement. It was much stronger than before, to the point that Maki's chokehold had almost no effect.

The girl looked shocked at what she had just witnessed. She applied even more pressure to prevent her opponent from gaining momentum. Several areas of her clothes were torn as Maki's muscles expanded with insane power to finish the woman.

However, Stussy was in an advantageous position as the spiritual energy enveloped her neck. The pressure Maki had exerted slowly began to lessen, allowing oxygen to flow back to her head. Even so, the damage she had received remained. Her nearly crushed neck didn’t simply return to normal. In fact, her head still felt very dizzy from the lack of air supply for quite some time.

'I didn't think I'd use this,' the woman thought.

A pair of fangs grew from the woman's teeth. Without further ado, she bit Maki's arm, sucking as much blood as possible until her thirst was quenched.

“Shit!”

The girl in the ponytail stared wide-eyed as two sharp objects suddenly pierced her skin. She was about to escape, but Stussy's free hand stopped her. Maki felt something strange in her body. Her eyes quickly felt dizzy, and the world seemed to be spinning. Not only did her energy feel like it was being sucked out drastically, but she felt an intense heat.

Her fists were ready to slam into the blonde woman. However, before Maki could do so, she collapsed first with her eyes completely closed.

Stussy then immediately released herself from Maki's body. She appeared face down with gasping breath. However, that wasn’t what made her feel excited. All the wounds on her body evaporated. The pain from the strangulation also disappeared. Even her head, which seemed like it was going to explode, gradually got better,

The woman turned to Maki, who was lying on her stomach, unconscious.

"Amazing. I have never felt anything this good. Your blood makes me feel better and stimulates my metabolism so all my wounds heal quickly."

Bat-Bat no Mi. It was a zoan-type devil fruit that allowed its opponent to gain the power of a bat, like a vampire. By sucking the blood of its opponent, it not only made them unconscious, but it could also recover the user's energy to a certain level and prevent the injuries they get from getting worse. However, never in her life had Stussy gotten blood that could even heal her wounds instantly.

“Your blood is very special. It’s really delicious. It tastes sweet and savoury. But more importantly, your blood contains a huge amount of life energy. Or maybe it’s just your body that’s so special?”

No one answered the monologue. But that was understandable because a person who had fainted would not have the consciousness to do so.

The woman stood up while warming up here and there. Cracking sounds could be heard from her joints as if she had been struggling. However, her eyes looked so lively that they immediately fell on Robin, who had been watching the fight silently.

“Well, Nico Robin, it's time for you to follow me.”

—To Be Continued—

Author Note: Sorry for being a little late. Actually, this chapter has been ready since Saturday, but I couldn't upload it on time because I was still a little busy, even on weekends.

So, this chapter focuses entirely on the fight between Maki and Stussy. Well, Maki lost in this chapter even though she had a lot of moments. However, you guys must be familiar with such a trope.

I want to talk about how I love grappling, especially Judo and Wrestling. As you know, I had written a story about MMA even though I didn't continue because writing a fight scene full of technical demands on the ground game was complicated. So, I want to experiment in this chapter to see if I can do it. And yes, it was draining energy to realise what I thought of in writing.

Maki here leaned more towards a modern style. I know she used Kung Fu more often in fighting in the manga. However, I don't know anything about Kung Fu. So, as someone who has been doing Judo for over five years and an MMA fan, I take a more modern approach to Maki's hand-to-hand combat.

Okay, that's all from me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Stay safe and be healthy. See you later.