The surging waves crashed around him.
In the churning sea, Ares quickly noticed the massive blue fish-man speeding toward him like a torpedo.
"An enemy?"
His eyes suddenly gleamed with an intense light, a blazing desire for battle burning within them.
Ares bared his teeth in excitement, his broad grin revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "Perfect, I'll use this enemy to test the results of my training over these past few days!"
His enormous eyes, several times larger than an ordinary person's, locked onto the approaching fish-man, his heart pounding wildly with exhilaration and anticipation.
What a surprise!
"His swimming speed is incredible!" A spark of excitement flickered in Ares' heart. "If I can learn his swimming technique, could I move just as fast in the water, maybe even faster?"
Without hesitation, Ares stopped moving and focused entirely on the oncoming fish-man.
Sebastian, the fish-man, sneered smugly. "What a foolish pirate, frozen in fear by my speed in the water?"
"In the sea, we fish-men hold an innate advantage!"
"This is a gift from the gods to the fish-men!"
In the blink of an eye, the distance of several hundred meters between them had shrunk to just a few dozen.
Sebastian extended his finned hand, scooping up the seawater, and in a seamless motion, flung it toward Ares.
The seawater split into over a dozen small, deadly spheres.
They shot through the water like bullets, each carrying powerful piercing force, the sound of their rapid movement cutting sharply through the sea.
"Fish-Man Karate: Mizu-Bullet Barrage!!"
This was a combat technique derived from Fish-Man Karate, capable of transforming harmless water droplets into lethal projectiles that could rival, or even surpass, bullets.
"What an amazing technique!"
Ares was genuinely intrigued. This kind of attack was completely different from the close-quarters combat Whitebeard Newgate had taught him.
The move instantly burned itself into his memory.
Facing the fish-man's vicious assault, Ares crouched sharply like a coiled frog and suddenly kicked his legs backward.
Boom!
A huge splash burst from the water as Ares shot forward over ten meters, easily dodging the incoming water bullets.
Three seconds had passed.
Including the earlier moments, roughly ten seconds had now elapsed.
Sebastian was suddenly in front of Ares, his voice cold and disdainful, as if pronouncing judgment. "Die!"
"Anyone who stands in the way of the Waldo Pirates must die!"
His legs came together like a fishtail, flicking powerfully to instantly close the final few meters between them.
His fist swung forward, the surging seawater adding to the force as he aimed straight for Ares' face.
In the next instant.
Sebastian's expression twisted in shock, his heart jolting violently as he shouted, "Impossible!"
"How can a human move so fast in the sea?!"
His confident punch had completely missed.
His face darkened, his mind racing. "No, just moments ago he wasn't this fast. Could it be... this guy has always been this quick in the water, and he was just hiding it?"
Sebastian glared at Ares, who had surfaced to catch his breath, and sneered, "Almost had me fooled. But in the sea, you have no chance of victory!"
"Five seconds! Five seconds and I'll finish you!"
Ares quickly inhaled, plunging back into the water, exhilaration surging in his heart. "What a unique swimming style! My underwater speed has already improved significantly!"
"I haven't fully mastered it yet, but I've already learned a lot."
"Still, I can't replicate that water-based attack technique just yet."
He reached out, trying to mimic Sebastian's movements by grabbing at the seawater, but the flowing water simply slipped through his fingers. He couldn't form the dense water bullets like Sebastian had.
Ares firmly believed that if he kept training, he would one day master this special Fish-Man attack style.
But now was not the time to figure it out. Sebastian was already swinging another heavy punch toward him.
This time, Ares met the punch head-on.
The moment he thrust his fist forward, he felt the water's resistance sapping much of his power.
The resistance of the sea was far greater than that of the air.
His punches felt awkward and sluggish, not just slower, but noticeably weaker.
Only now did he understand why this strange, blue-skinned fish-man had been so arrogant.
Boom!
The two fists, nearly equal in size, collided underwater with a deep, muffled impact.
The surrounding water roiled chaotically from the collision.
"What?! This kid's strength is insane!" Sebastian was shocked. Even with the suppression of the seawater, Ares' punch was still powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with his own.
An absolutely terrifying level of physical strength!
His face contorted with rage. "Damn you!"
Sebastian roared and launched another ferocious punch. "Fish-Man Karate: Giant Impact!!"
Ares countered with a thunderous shout of his own. "Armament: Mountain-Splitting Fist!"
His arm instantly turned crimson, growing hot to the touch as bulging veins, thick and menacing, sprang to the surface like coiled serpents.
Even the frigid seawater began to sizzle against his arm, releasing clouds of white steam that rose rapidly toward the surface.
The sight of Ares' grotesque, steaming arm made Sebastian's heart skip a beat, a wave of unease flooding his chest.
Boom!!
In the next instant, Sebastian felt a monstrous, unstoppable force surge through their clashing fists and blast through his body.
His massive frame was sent flying backward.
A burst of blood shot from his mouth, bubbling and swirling into the surrounding sea, rising toward the surface in clusters of crimson bubbles.
Ares grinned broadly, pleasantly surprised. "Captain was right. Nothing sharpens you like a real fight. His punches cut through the water like there's no resistance at all."
"If I can learn that, I'll be even stronger."
But he didn't pursue the advantage. Instead, he kicked his legs together and swiftly shot back to the surface, gulping in a deep breath before plunging back under.
"I need to learn as much as I can from this fish-man."
This was Ares' mindset.
It was just like back on his home island when he hunted wild beasts. He would always push them to the brink of exhaustion, to the point where they hovered between life and death, before finally stopping.
He would squeeze every last bit of strength and skill out of them.
Unlike ordinary children, whose toys were actual toys, Ares' "toys" had always been the ferocious beasts that roamed his island.
The harsh environment where he grew up meant his childhood "games" were drastically different.
But they all had one thing in common: they were truly fun, and he was obsessed with them.
When Ares resurfaced a second time, Byrnndi World frowned and muttered in irritation, "What's Sebastian doing?"
"It's already been thirty seconds. Why hasn't he finished the job yet?"
----------------------------------------------------
Ares's rampage has only just begun. Linlin's plans crumble, the balance of power shifts, and a deeper, terrifying truth stirs within Ares's mind. Want to know what happens next? Dive into the advanced chapters now!
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