Burgess's fighting style was ferocious and unrelenting. Against Ikki, he didn't bother with defense. His sole focus was charging forward with one goal: to crush the thin boy standing before him.
Standing at 3.5 meters tall, Burgess towered over Ikki, making the latter appear small and wiry in comparison.
Ikki, however, had no intention of meeting Burgess head-on. Instead, he relied on his agility and tactical skill to outmaneuver the brute.
Activating his Sharingan, Ikki could clearly track Burgess's broad, sweeping attacks.
Burgess was fast, but Ikki was faster. With the Sharingan assisting his movements, Ikki easily dodged the incoming strikes, weaving through the chaos with precise movements. Not only did he avoid Burgess's punches, but he also landed counterattacks—two sharp punches to Burgess's side as he slipped past.
Ikki's strikes, enhanced with the Water Stream Rock Shattering Fist, could shatter rocks with ease. Yet, when they connected with Burgess's massive frame, they only made the giant tremble slightly before he retaliated.
Ikki dodged again, this time countering with a punch cloaked in a swirling hurricane. The focused force drilled into Burgess's lower back, striking him in the kidney.
"Argh! You hurt me!" Burgess roared, his booming voice echoing through the snowy peaks. (T/N: If you understood it, you, my friend, are a man of culture)
Hearing this, Ikki faltered for a moment, caught off guard by the complaint.
"What the—? How can you say something so cruel?" Ikki muttered, almost getting caught by Burgess's retaliatory swing.
But Burgess ignored the quip and kept pressing forward, launching one relentless attack after another.
After several failed attempts to land a hit, Burgess finally stopped and closed his eyes, ceasing his offensive entirely.
Ikki initially suspected some kind of trickery and kept his distance, wary of a hidden move. But when Burgess continued to stand motionless, Ikki decided to seize the opportunity and take the offensive.
This was a rare chance to spar with a powerful opponent, and Ikki wasn't going to waste it.
As the fight progressed, Ikki's punches grew heavier with each strike. He was steadily increasing his strength, testing how much of his power Burgess's unnaturally durable body could withstand.
Ikki's goal wasn't just to defeat Burgess—it was to refine his own control over his strength. The residual medicinal energy in his body was still enhancing his power with each absorption, and he needed to master this growing force before taking the next step.
Burgess, however, remained eerily calm. Even as Ikki's blows struck harder and harder, causing him to grimace in pain and spit blood, he kept his eyes shut and refused to fight back.
At first, Ikki's punches landed cleanly on Burgess's vital areas, exploiting openings with precision.
But after dozens of strikes, Burgess began to shift ever so slightly. With subtle, almost imperceptible movements, he made Ikki's attacks land on more protected parts of his body.
It was then that Ikki realized what was happening.
"Damn it… He's training his Observation Haki!" Ikki muttered, his frustration evident.
Watching from the sidelines, Kureha also noticed Burgess's purpose.
"Haha… these young people today are something else," she remarked with a wry smile.
Ikki had no intention of letting Burgess use the battle to practice his skills. Though he had initially planned to rely on physical techniques, he decisively switched to magic.
The air stirred violently as Ikki conjured gusts of wind, a magic circle appearing beneath Burgess's feet.
Sensing the danger, Burgess tried to leap away, but it was too late. A massive tornado erupted from the ground, swallowing him whole.
"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
Burgess's screams echoed through the mountain as the white tornado slowly turned red with his blood.
When the tornado finally dissipated, Burgess lay on the ground in a battered heap, his body bloodied and torn.
Despite his gruesome state, Burgess's resilience was undeniable. His thick, steel-like muscles had absorbed most of the damage, leaving only superficial wounds.
Shaking off the dust, Burgess rose unsteadily to his feet. His clothes were reduced to tattered rags, and his bloodshot eyes blazed with fury.
Since his debut, Burgess had never been humiliated like this. His pride demanded vengeance, and his rage could only be soothed by taking lives.
Burgess's gaze shifted to the others present.
First, he looked at Luffy, but quickly dismissed him. Though young and energetic, Luffy looked as slippery as Ikki—too difficult to pin down.
Then Burgess's eyes fell on Usopp, Vivi, and Kureha. A sinister grin crept onto his face as he zeroed in on Kureha, the one who seemed easiest to target.
"Boy, if I can't catch you, I'll go after your friends. Let's see how you like that!"
Without hesitation, Burgess charged at Kureha, ignoring everyone else.
Ikki reacted instantly, releasing a dragon's roar imbued with wind magic to blow Burgess away.
But Burgess wasn't so easily deterred. Planting his hands firmly into the ground, he braced himself and absorbed the force of the attack.
As soon as the wind subsided, Burgess ripped his hands free and continued his charge toward Kureha.
"Damn it… I wish Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji were here to fight him. I could use the backup!" Ikki muttered.
For Ikki, Burgess had been an excellent sparring partner—tough, durable, and even skilled in Armament Haki. But now that Burgess was targeting Kureha, Ikki had no choice but to put the fight aside and protect her.
"Uiihahahaha! Old woman, time for you to die!" Burgess roared, swinging a massive fist toward Kureha's face.
To everyone's surprise, Kureha simply raised a hand and caught the punch effortlessly.
"Who do you think you're calling 'old woman'?" she said coldly.
Before Burgess could react, Kureha yanked his arm forward, causing him to lose balance. Taking advantage of his instability, she struck him under the chin with the heel of her palm.
The blow reverberated through Burgess's skull, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Kureha wasn't done. As Burgess's body began to topple forward, she delivered a powerful kick that launched him into the air. She followed up with a rapid flurry of kicks, each strike landing with bone-cracking force.
The sickening sound of snapping bones echoed through the mountains as Kureha finished with a spinning kick that sent Burgess hurtling away.
Dusting her hands off, Kureha muttered, "I'm just a young and beautiful girl in my 130s. You're the rude one, kid."
Of course, Burgess was far too unconscious to hear her scolding.
The scene left everyone—Luffy, Vivi, Usopp, and even Chopper—staring in wide-eyed disbelief.
Chopper, in particular, was stunned. Though he had always known Dr. Kureha was strong, he hadn't expected this.
The man who had given Ikki such trouble had been effortlessly defeated by Kureha in just a few moves.
Chopper thought to himself, There's no way I could have taken that guy down… but Doctor Kureha made it look easy!