"Eden?"
"That guy you just sent flying… Was that Crocodile?!"
"Did you really go after Crocodile like you told me you would? And from the looks of it, you've already defeated him?"
Smoker stared at the suddenly arrived Eden, then at the sputtering Crocodile, who was miserably drenched and choking on water from Eden's magic. He spoke, his voice filled with shock.
"Erza, let's put on a show for him."
"Smoker doesn't know about our relationship."
"I think it's best we keep it hidden for now."
Ignoring Smoker, Eden used his Telepathy Magic to speak directly into Erza's mind.
"Put on a show?!"
"I understand…"
Upon hearing this, Erza nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you really understand?"
Watching Erza's sudden look of enlightenment, an ominous premonition suddenly surfaced in Eden's heart. He had a feeling that she hadn't understood his meaning at all.
"Eden!"
"To think I'd find you again after we parted ways in the East Blue."
"This time, I absolutely will not let you escape!"
Erza didn't give Eden any more time to think. The moment her words fell, she was already brandishing the katana in her hand, charging straight for Eden…
Her steps were fast, but the blade in her hand was faster. In the blink of an eye, a silvery, flying slash was already hurtling towards Eden.
"Wait!"
"Rear Admiral Erza, please wait a moment!"
"I think there might be some kind of misunderstanding between you two!"
Seeing Erza charging at Eden with her sword drawn, Smoker's expression turned to one of panic as he shouted for them to stop.
Although, Smoker had no idea how he would even begin to explain things to Erza.
In truth, he had no intention of letting any pirate go.
But now was clearly not the time to fight Eden. They currently had a common enemy: one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile.
Boom!
However, neither Eden nor Erza had any intention of stopping because of Smoker's words. The two had already clashed in a flurry of close-quarters combat.
Erza's gaze was as sharp as a hawk in the sky. The katana in her hand swung rapidly towards Eden, its glint fierce, its movements impossibly nimble…
In a single breath, she had unleashed dozens of strikes! Each one was aimed at Eden's head, neck, heart, limbs, and torso—every single one was a fatal blow.
"Haaaah…"
As for Eden, the target of Erza's relentless assault, he let out a long, slow breath. At some unknown point, his limbs had become covered in a layer of transparent scales that shimmered with an azure glow. The scales were exceptionally hard, tough enough to withstand the entirety of Erza's onslaught.
"Impossible?!"
Not far from the two…
Watching this scene unfold, Smoker momentarily forgot his plan to stop them. His eyes were wide as saucers as he muttered to himself in disbelief.
Just how sharp was Erza's blade?!
Perhaps no one knew better than Smoker himself at this very moment…
Forget common materials like steel rebar and concrete; even the cage made of Sea-Prism Stone had been cleaved in two by a single slash from her!
It seemed there was no substance in this world that Erza could not cut.
And yet, such a terrifyingly sharp attack couldn't easily break through the transparent scales covering Eden's body.
In other words, the seemingly thin, transparent scales on Eden's body were far harder than steel. They might even rival diamond in toughness, or perhaps surpass it entirely.
"You've gotten stronger, Eden."
After several of her attacks failed to connect, Erza praised Eden, but the speed of her blade did not slow. She first brandished her sword with her right hand, slashing towards Eden's chest.
"An attack like this could never hit me."
Naturally, Eden wouldn't be so easily struck. He brought his right arm down, directly blocking the vicious strike.
"It's not over yet."
As Eden blocked her slash with a single hand, the corners of Erza's mouth curled upwards. To everyone's astonishment, she let go of her sword, allowing the katana to hang in the air for a split second before her left hand shot out to catch it…
In a fraction of a second, she had switched her sword hand from right to left.
And before anyone could react, a brilliant magic circle lit up around her right hand. From within the circle, she pulled out another katana and slashed it towards Eden's abdomen.
BOOM!
The next second, all anyone heard was a deafening roar!
Before the crowd could even process what had happened, Eden had been sent flying like a cannonball by Erza's sharp and sudden blow…
In that instant, Eden's body had broken the sound barrier. By the time everyone turned towards the sound, he was already gone from the room.
Only the shattered wall proved that something had, in fact, been sent flying by Erza, crashing through the hall and continuing its trajectory at high speed until it finally crash-landed in the street outside.
"Hoo~"
Back in the prison hall, Erza still held the pose from which she had launched Eden. She took a deep breath, steadying her breathing…
Then, she gently flicked the dust from one of her blades, pointing it towards the rubble, remaining on high alert!
The other blade she rested on her shoulder, ready for action!
Only then did she turn to the dumbfounded Smoker and Tashigi and ask, "Are there any other enemies?!"
"Uh…"
For a moment, Smoker felt like his brain had completely shut down. He had forgotten what he had even come here to do.
He just felt that the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
"What's happening?"
"I don't know!"
"It looks like that person flew out of Rain-Diners (the casino)."
In the street, countless passersby wore looks of shock, gathering around the deep crater Eden had made after being flung from the casino's prison, whispering amongst themselves.
"Was that 'putting on a show,' Erza?"
As for Eden, he ignored the gawking crowd, standing up from the ground and lightly dusting himself off…
Then, he looked up at the casino bearing the large sign "RAINDINNERS" and sneered, "You're the one who got serious first. So don't blame me for what comes next."
As everyone knows, the internal battles of the Fairy Tail guild are never held back.
As for how heated a fight between Fairy Tail mages could get?
To put it simply, when two mages from the Fairy Tail guild started fighting, any onlooker who didn't know better would never assume they were comrades from the same guild. On the contrary, they would be absolutely certain that the two people locked in fierce combat were mortal enemies from rival guilds.
"Erza, you've got the wrong person!"
"Our opponent is Crocodile, not that guy Eden!"
"It's hard to explain, but for now, you could say he's our ally."
Inside the prison hall, Smoker finally found a chance to speak to Erza. His expression was frantic, and his words were rushed as he tried to explain the current stakes in the simplest terms possible.
BOOM!!
Before Smoker could finish his explanation, the sound of a rushing waterfall suddenly thundered in their ears.
Everyone turned towards the sound. From the massive hole Eden had created, a torrential amount of water began pouring into the prison…
Having activated his Dragon Force, Eden, now covered head to toe in scales, walked towards them step by step, the water flowing at his feet…
A savage grin was plastered on his face. He looked at Erza and Smoker inside the hall and said softly, "Haha, now it's my turn, isn't it?!"
"Sea King Dragon's Water Formation Square!"
Eden had no intention of holding back. In front of everyone, he clapped his hands together forcefully. A massive magic circle instantly rose from the ground…
Immediately, gigantic pillars of water erupted from beneath everyone's feet, rushing towards everyone present in a merciless, indiscriminate torrent.
"Eden, wait a second, I think there's been a misunderstand—"
When Smoker saw Eden emerge from the ruins, he had wanted to say something more.
However, before he could finish his sentence, he was completely submerged by the endless spring of water gushing from beneath him.
Gulp. Eden, considerate of the water shortage in Alabasta, had specifically summoned fresh, drinkable water instead of seawater!
But that didn't change the fact that Smoker was drowned by the deluge, choking on a large mouthful of it.
However, compared to the relatively well-off Smoker, the sand-man Crocodile's fate was far more tragic. He didn't care what kind of water Eden was using; as long as it was water, it was his weakness. He was once again a drowned rat, tossed about by the massive volume of water, completely unable to control himself.
"Requip: Sea Empress Armor!"
In an instant, azure armor enveloped Erza's stunning, curvaceous figure. Wielding the Sea Empress Sword, she declared to Eden, "If that's how it is, then I'm getting serious too! Prepare yourself, Eden!"
"That's my line."
As Eden spoke, he cracked his neck, producing a crisp sound. He then directly channeled his magic power, drew back his fist, and lunged at Erza, yelling, "Sea King Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
"Sea King's Slash!"
Seeing this, Erza showed no sign of retreating. She raised her sword to meet Eden's fist head-on, shouting her attack.
In an instant, Erza's blade and Eden's fist collided in mid-air! The terrifying shockwave instantly created a vacuum.
Then, an endless torrent of water erupted from both Erza and Eden, transforming into a titanic dragon of water that surged outwards in all directions.
"Hey, hey, hey…"
"Aren't we about to get caught in the crossfire?"
Tashigi, who had been watching from the side, saw her face change dramatically. She finally understood the meaning of 'a calamity for the fish in the moat.'
Yes, this was, in every sense of the word, a calamity for the fish!
The endless water slammed into Tashigi, sending her flying. It broke through the walls and gushed out of every crack and crevice of the casino…
SPLASH! RUMBLE!
Outside the casino, the passersby only heard a roaring sound. With strange expressions, they muttered, "Weird, have we been in a drought for so long that we're starting to have auditory hallucinations? Why do I hear the sound of flowing water?"
BOOM!
Before they could think any further, the casino bearing the name "RAINDINNERS" was blown apart by pillars of water. A massive current exploded outwards like a fountain, transforming into waterfalls and tidal waves that rushed in all directions.
"It's water!"
"This is all fresh, drinkable water!"
Upon seeing the scene before them, the people in the streets were initially filled with despair. But when someone realized the water was drinkable, they all began to cheer, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Whatever is happening, please let the water flow even more fiercely!"