The golden wave descending from the sky tore the soap bubbles unique to the Sabaody Archipelago to shreds in an instant.
Wrapped in red-black Conqueror's Haki lightning, that terrifying power crashed down directly in front of Jinbe.
"!!!"
Jinbe's eyes instantly widened.
He could feel it — under the pressure of that intense wave, it was even difficult for him to take a single step forward.
Everything in the world around him seemed to have become a part of the wave, and was currently rejecting him.
And Jinbe could even see — in front of Smoker, a figure had already appeared at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
That was a man wearing a uniform similar to Smoker's Star Hunter Unit uniform.
The difference was, the Star Hunter uniform on his body seemed custom-made, with the two large characters for 'Cola' written on it.
In one hand, he was currently holding a cup of cola, happily drinking from it.
He appeared between Smoker and Jinbe, raising his hand and slightly extending a finger towards Jinbe.
He bent his finger, and then lightly flicked it.
The next moment—
BOOM!
Jinbe felt the entire world had changed.
That golden wave — which originally was only blocking and suppressing him — seemed to manifest into a substantial raging tide in this instant.
The already shattered earth had countless crushed rocks fly up out of thin air, turning into fine powder.
That golden impact began to spread.
Ssh!
Ssh!
The next moment, Jinbe saw the water sphere above his right hand instantly begin to disintegrate.
It was turned back into a water stream by the surrounding impact, ultimately dissipating into thin air like foam.
"Wh—?"
The determination on Jinbe's face was replaced by unbelievable horror.
No one knew better than him how strong this strike of his was.
His attainment in Fish-Man Karate could be said to have reached the pinnacle of perfection — unlike other Fish-Men who had to be in the sea to exert the full power of Fish-Man Karate. Although he would be stronger in the water, he could also gather moisture in the air on land to condense a water stream comparable to a sea tide.
He was not an arrogant person, but he was confident that this strike — Fish-Man Karate Secret Art: Vagabond Drill — was a power sufficient to shake an Emperor of the Sea.
But now, it was actually this vulnerable in front of this man before him?
However, despite the horror in his heart, Jinbe's actions didn't hesitate in the slightest.
After seeing the Vagabond Drill destroyed, his clogs decisively leaped backward. His arms crossed in a block in front of him, and pitch-black Armament Haki was already wrapped around them.
He wanted to retreat and defend.
But clearly, it was already too late.
The golden wave hadn't weakened in the slightest from destroying Jinbe's strike.
That tide-like wave still carried the power to destroy everything, instantly crashing against Jinbe's crossed arms.
Then—
Pfft!
Jinbe's burly physique — undoubtedly powerful to the extreme even among the Fish-Man race — was instantly thrown back, as if it were a leaf swept up by a fierce wind.
Blood instantly spewed from Jinbe's mouth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His blown-away body smashed through the ruins of several buildings that were already tottering, kicking up a sky full of dust and smoke.
BOOM!
Finally, his figure hit the ground, smashing a spiderweb-like deep crater into it.
He was embedded in the deep crater, coughing continuously. The Armament Haki covering his arms had been completely shattered.
Clearly — with just this single strike, the victor had been decided.
"..." ×N
The four Straw Hat crew members hiding behind the building ruins couldn't say a single word.
"You're kidding, right..."
Chopper's pupils widened.
"That terrifyingly strong Fish-Man uncle actually..."
Luffy also had a solemn expression. "So strong... that new uncle."
Compared to Luffy and Chopper, the expressions of Zoro and Reiju were even more distinctly grave.
Zoro might appear somewhat unreliable in other aspects — especially in recognizing directions — but he absolutely had considerable understanding when it came to powerhouses.
Reiju needed no further explanation — as a member of Germa 66, she had extensive knowledge of the powerhouses on the sea.
They had already recognized the man who suddenly appeared.
"Former Seven Warlord of the Sea Knight of the Sea Jinbe was actually taken down in one strike... that person — there's no mistake!"
Reiju murmured softly.
"The Vice Commander of the Star Hunter Unit — Marine Admiral Candidate, 'Black Judge' Roy Amos!"
Zoro also tightly gripped the swords in his hands.
"Admiral... Candidate?"
Chopper was stunned. "Eh? Such a formidable guy is a Marine, and he's actually just a candidate?"
Due to Roy's butterfly effect, they hadn't seen a Marine Admiral until now.
Facing Chopper's inquiry, Reiju said in a low voice. "Admirals are the highest combat power of the Marines. Even Admiral Candidates are top-tier powerhouses on the sea."
"Not to mention, Black Judge is not a normal Admiral Candidate. He..."
She fell somewhat silent.
Although up until now, Roy's military rank was still only Admiral Candidate, in reality—
"He is the new Strongest Marine of this era, publicly recognized by the sea — although not an Admiral, he is the figure co-managing the Star Hunter Unit along with the Marine Hero right now."
Reiju's voice was solemn. "He is a true monster, capable of shaking the sea with his power alone."
While Reiju was speaking, Roy had already taken casual steps, walking towards Jinbe in the deep crater.
He leisurely took a large sip of cola from his cup, his face still full of nonchalance.
Sunlight filtered through the soap bubbles of the Sabaody Archipelago, casting light and shadows upon him.
"I heard that after being stripped of the Seven Warlord title, your New Sun Pirates originally wanted to join the Whitebeard Pirates, and even fought 'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace — one of the Supernovas — for Whitebeard, and sank his ship?"
His gaze looked at Jinbe, seemingly somewhat irritated. "Although Fire Fist and I aren't on friendly terms either, and I don't want to provoke Whitebeard because of you, but... couldn't you keep a lower profile?"
"A wanted former Seven Warlord appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago, and even attacking my most prized subordinate — under the current situation, I can't just pretend I don't know."
When Roy mentioned 'most prized subordinate', Smoker's face clearly darkened.
"Ah... I'm truly sorry about that, but this old man... cough cough... has a reason I had to come."
Jinbe struggled to catch his breath, but his trembling figure clearly showed he had no true strength left to fight. "Moreover, this old man must make it clear — this matter has nothing to do with Pops."
"Mm-hmm. The specific details... I'll listen to you slowly after we get back to the cell."
Roy waved his hand, clearly lacking interest.
And right now—
"Luffy, what are you doing? Didn't you hear what Reiju said? We have to run away quickly!"
Within the building ruins, Chopper softly called out to Luffy.
But at this moment, he saw—
"..."
Luffy's fists were tightly clenched, his eyes flashing with an unbelievable solemn expression.
He had clearly noticed the name mentioned in the exchange between Roy and Jinbe just now.
"Ace!?"
His older brother — was killed by that Fish-Man uncle?
(End of Chapter)
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