Ares kicked his legs, propelling himself through the seawater like a missile, moving as freely as a fish.
Except he wasn't a mermaid.
He was a violent, muscle-bound brute!
His momentum and speed were like a small submarine at full throttle.
Although his speed still couldn't match that of the fishman Sebastian, he tailed Sebastian closely, carefully memorizing every detail of the fishman's movements.
This was his learning material!
Seconds later, Sebastian shot out of the water, agilely climbing up the ship's hull with both hands and feet.
"Sebastian?!"
One of the Wald Pirates' officers, Geiramu, a Cube-Cube Fruit user with a giant iron hammer strapped to his back, rushed over and asked anxiously, "What happened? Did you take out that kid?"
Before Sebastian could answer,
Splash!
Water burst up as Ares climbed up the ship's hull and appeared before them, water cascading down his bronze, rock-hard muscles, splashing across the deck.
"You didn't kill him?!"
The ship's doctor, Neichin, stared in shock. Sebastian was one of the strongest officers on the ship, a hybrid of fishman and giant blessed with a monstrous physique and unmatched power in the sea.
Even underwater, he hadn't been able to take this guy out?
Sebastian's face tensed as he nervously warned his comrades, "Don't underestimate him. This guy is weird!"
"His strength is terrifying, and his swimming speed underwater is almost as fast as a fishman's!"
Recalling the monstrous power of Ares's fists, Sebastian's own chest and knuckles throbbed with a dull ache. This guy's strength surpassed even the giants.
"So, he's weird, huh?"
Geiramu calmly unstrapped the colossal hammer from his back, a confident smile on his face. "Against my Cube-Cube Fruit ability, even the most terrifying strength is useless."
He raised his massive iron hammer and slammed it down on the deck.
Bang!
The wooden deck didn't shatter. Instead, glowing grid lines spread out, dividing the deck into floating square cubes.
"Cube-Cube Disorder!!"
Countless cubes floated up from the deck, suspended in mid-air.
"Devil Fruit powers, huh?"
Ares's eyes flashed with intrigue. He had learned the basics of Devil Fruits from Golden Lion and Whitebeard.
He understood that Devil Fruits were categorized into three types: Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia.
Each had unique abilities.
He immediately became cautious.
In the next instant, the floating cubes shot toward Ares like cannonballs.
Unfazed, Ares met them head-on, punching each cube away one by one, his fists thundering like war drums.
He muttered, "The power to disassemble objects into cubes… what a strange ability."
His body stood firm, as unshakable as a towering mountain.
"Impressive. Try this one!" Geiramu laughed, setting his hammer down as a glowing cube suddenly appeared between his hands.
Ares immediately sensed the danger. Something was off about that cube it was compressed air!
His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "So, his Devil Fruit can even compress air? But what happens when air is compressed? What kind of attack is this?!"
He'd never seen such an attack before. It was fascinating.
"Air Cube!!"
Geiramu hurled the glowing white cube toward Ares.
Ares swiftly raised his arm and chopped forward.
"I don't know what this thing is, but I shouldn't touch it recklessly!"
Whitebeard had taught him: when fighting Devil Fruit users, never engage directly until you understand their ability.
As his arm swung down, a fierce gust roared.
"One-Sword Style: Vertical Bamboo Slash!!"
A brilliant blue slash erupted from his arm.
Boom!!
The instant it collided with the glowing white cube, a deafening explosion rocked the ship.
A thick white cloud of smoke billowed across the deck.
"This guy… he actually cut out a slash with his bare arm?!" Neichin, her face painted with heavy makeup, screamed in shock, disbelief flooding her expression. "How can he be this fierce?!"
Slashes were typically achieved through immense speed and power, requiring mastery even with weapons.
But this towering, muscle-bound man had unleashed such a devastating slash with just his arm!
Now she understood why Sebastian had called him bizarre and terrifying.
This guy was a total monster!!
All the pirates on deck were visibly panicked, their faces pale with fear as cold sweat dripped from their foreheads.
"Compressed air… with more power than a cannonball. Air…"
"I get it now!!"
Ares's eyes lit up as realization struck him. A grin spread across his face as the mysteries of slashes began to unfold in his mind.
The key lay in how powerful speed and force manipulated the surrounding air.
His huge eyes gleamed like those of a hungry beast as he stared at the pirates on deck. He grinned wickedly.
"Thank you all for teaching me so much about combat."
"Captain Rocks was right. Battle can forge a man into an indestructible sword."
"Now…"
"I think I'm starting to crave battle more and more!!"
In just a few minutes, he had already learned how fishmen moved swiftly underwater, how they used water-controlling punches, and now, from this cube of compressed air, he had grasped part of the secret behind slashes.
The battle wasn't over, but his gains were already immense.
Water dripped onto the wooden deck beneath his feet as his towering body radiated an overwhelming, savage fighting spirit. The aura rolling off him was like a ferocious beast unleashed.
The pirates of the Wald Pirates, frozen under his piercing gaze, couldn't help but shiver as the hairs on their bodies bristled as though they had encountered their natural predator.
"This guy… now you all understand why I said something is seriously wrong with him!" Sebastian's face darkened, his heart pounding in panic.
If he couldn't defeat Ares in the sea, he had even less of a chance on the ship.
But at least he had his crew.
One of Wald's officers stepped forward, the one with pink lipstick painted in a heart shape, laughing coldly. "Hmph… he's just one man."
"We have the numbers. He can't possibly win against all of us!"
"Let's teach this reckless fool what the Wald Pirates are really made of!"
As she spoke, she pulled out a paper-wrapped packet of medicinal powder, dumping the pink powder directly into her mouth.
Excited, she shouted,
"Chinese Herbal Fist Secret Drug Korean Ginseng!!!"
Author's Note:
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