Nami was somewhat anxious:
"Then what do we do? Fish-men are best at piercing holes in the bottoms of ships. If we don't stop them, once the ship sinks, no matter how many people we have, we won't be a match for them!"
Ivan raised his hand and adjusted the small round sunglasses that had appeared on the bridge of his nose unnoticed:
"Don't worry, relax... because I am very strong!"
Before his voice had faded, Nami only felt a blur before her eyes. When she looked again, Ivan beside her had vanished without a trace.
Blue Shave!
Invisible gravity pulled abruptly, and Ivan's figure turned into a blur, skimming over the sea surface at an astonishing speed.
But when he landed on the sea surface, he showed no sign of sinking. Instead, he stood directly on the seawater.
Immediately after, he raised his hand and tapped the sea surface lightly. The vibrations penetrated the water ripples, attracting the attention of the shadows underwater.
When the shadows gathered and surged beneath the surface, Ivan slowly curled his lips, revealing a slightly ferocious smile:
"Surprise! Fish-men, I'm here to deliver warmth!"
...
The kissing gourami fish-man Chew stretched his neck, looking curiously at Ivan standing on the sea surface, and said with some apprehension:
"Kuroobi, this guy can actually stand on water. Could he be a Devil Fruit user?
Should we wait first? Wait for Boss Arlong to come over, then deal with him together?"
Kuroobi dismissed it, waving his hand impatiently to signal Chew to relax:
"What are you afraid of? I recognize this guy. Isn't he that Ensign White Dove who came to provoke us a while ago and ended up running away with his tail between his legs after getting beaten up?
With his meager skills, even if he really ate a Devil Fruit, he's definitely no match for me. Besides, we are in the sea right now. This is the fish-men's territory, and a Devil Fruit user's hell!"
Kuroobi looked up, his gaze locking deadly onto Ivan standing on the sea surface, and sneered:
"What an idiot. As a Devil Fruit user, he dares to stand on the sea to duel with us fish-men. Today, I'll make you bury yourself in this ocean!
Fish-Man Karate: Sea Wave!" (Kairyu)
The moment the shout fell, the muscles on Kuroobi's arm knotted, and dark veins crawled over his arm like vines.
Using the unique force-exerting technique of fish-men, he swung his arm fiercely toward the seawater.
The powerful force churned the surrounding currents, actually wrapping a massive amount of seawater into a heavy wave punch that smashed toward Ivan with a boom!
This strike possessed the power of a cannonball. As long as the ability user was hit, they would be swallowed by the seawater and completely lose the power to resist.
Kuroobi, Chew, and the other fish-men wore ferocious expressions, looking forward to what would happen next.
In their eyes, this guy named White Dove was already a dead man!
Above the sea surface, Ivan naturally sensed the movements of the fish-men underwater.
He had to admit, this was indeed a killing move.
If it were an ordinary Devil Fruit user hit head-on by this move, nine times out of ten, they would lose the power to resist on the spot.
Unfortunately, they were facing Ivan.
Let alone the terrifying gap in strength between them, Ivan wasn't even a true Devil Fruit user!
A cold light flashed suddenly, like a bolt of white silk. Ivan drew his long sword and thrust most of the blade into the seawater.
Immediately after, a clear azure blue burst from Ivan's palm, spreading rapidly along the blade. In an instant, the entire long sword was dyed a translucent, glowing blue.
He lowered his eyes to look at the sea wave crashing toward him, his voice solemn as ice:
"One-Sword Style: Blue: Water Flash Cut!"
The blade sliced through the water flow at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The water flow was driven by the gravity on the blade, and a massive sword qi composed of water currents rushed rapidly toward the turbulent flow underwater!
The spear wave struck by Kuroobi was torn apart instantly. The water slash crushed it like a bug, its power barely diminishing as it slashed through several fish-men below in a flash.
The next second, all the fish-men, including Kuroobi, stiffened in unison.
Then, a uniform crack blossomed from their waists, and their bodies were neatly split in two from the middle!
The only remaining fish-man, Chew, felt his eyes splitting open and his heart racing. He looked at this scene in horror:
"What the hell is this thing?!"
Could such terrifying swordsmanship really come from the hands of a swordsman from the Weakest Sea, the East Blue?
Why was such a monster running to the East Blue instead of making a name for himself by killing in the Grand Line?!
Chew didn't dare stay for even a moment longer. He turned abruptly and swung his fish tail desperately, wanting only to escape as far as possible.
He had to go back alive and report everything that happened here to Boss Arlong!
But how slow was his speed compared to the water slash?
A condensed, blade-like water slash chased silently. Chew's body suddenly stiffened. The next second, a large gush of scalding blood shot out from his back, dyeing a large patch of seawater red.
In just an instant, this last fish-man also completely fell silent.
Having dealt with everything, Ivan's figure vanished suddenly from the sea surface. When he reappeared, he was standing steadily on the deck.
In Nami's vision, he had only been gone for a short moment.
She couldn't help but step forward and ask curiously, "Why did you come back? You haven't dealt with those fish-men yet, have you?"
"Why are you still here? Aren't you going to deal with those fish-men?"
Ivan stretched lazily, his tone casual and relaxed: "Don't worry, it's all taken care of."
"Huh?" Nami was stunned, her face full of astonishment.
But before she could recover, she saw a glaring blood color surging up from under the sea surface behind the warship.
Immediately after, broken flesh and limbs floated up, dyeing a large area of the sea red.
Only then did Nami believe that Ivan had really dealt with the fish-man sentries.
This scene gave her more confidence in Ivan.
Perhaps, with Ivan's help, she could really kill Arlong and rescue Cocoyasi Village from hell!
When the warship completely docked at the port, Ivan and his group disembarked one after another.
Their appearance quickly attracted the gazes of the Cocoyasi Village villagers.
However, looking at this group of Marines, instead of joy, the villagers' faces were filled with disgust and wariness.
After all, in recent years, they had often seen Colonel Nezumi calling Arlong his brother.
In their hearts, the Marines were no longer saviors, but bastards who colluded with pirates to oppress the common people!
But when their gazes swept across the crowd and landed on Nami, their pupils contracted suddenly, and the disgust on their faces was instantly replaced by astonishment.
Although Nami had been rude to the villagers in recent years, beating and scolding them at every turn, they all knew the truth.
Nami hadn't truly joined the Arlong Pirates; she was helping the villagers in her own way!
So when they saw Nami standing in the middle of the detestable Marines, an impatient villager immediately picked up a sickle and cursed angrily:
"Damn Marines! What have you done to Nami? Give Nami back!"
Hearing this angry roar, Nami froze, looking blankly at the shouting villager.
Didn't they always hate her?
Why were they so nervous?
The doubt in her heart flashed by, but Nami didn't have time to think about it carefully. She immediately stepped forward quickly, blocking the way between the angry villagers and Ivan, afraid that a conflict would really break out between the two sides.
She took a deep breath and explained loudly to everyone:
"Everyone, calm down! Major White Dove isn't a bastard like Nezumi. He's here to help us!"