The man was incredibly fast, closing the distance in an instant, and his punch was utterly savage. Onigumo hurriedly raised his swords to block, but the brutal force of the fist blasted right through his guard, slamming into his chest. He was sent flying backwards, shattering the ship's railing. He continued to fly, crashing through the railing of the adjacent warship and plowing into the melee, knocking aside everyone in his path before finally slamming into the warship's mast and snapping it in two.
Onigumo coughed up blood, his energy completely spent.
He looked up at the figure standing on the pirate ship, the man who had wounded him so grievously.
He was a dark-skinned Fish-Man with a ferocious face, a mouth full of sharp fangs, and a large, black shark fin on his back.
"Captain Black Shark, thank you for your assistance," Red-Eye Squafo said, his expression somewhat reverent as he cupped his fist in thanks.
This Fish-Man was none other than the captain of the Black Shark Pirates, Morton, also known as "Black Shark."
Originally a major criminal on Fish-Man Island, he had escaped with a group of Fish-Man convicts and formed the Black Shark Pirates. In the New World, they had thrived, using their natural advantages in the water to grow their crew into a major pirate force that could not be ignored.
"The three of you joined forces and were still getting beaten by the Marines? You're all useless," Morton said, glancing contemptuously at Red-Eye Squafo.
Squafo's expression soured. He lowered his hands and snorted coldly.
At that moment, figures began to swim rapidly toward the pirate ship. One by one, Fish-Men leaped from the sea; they were all members of the Black Shark Pirates.
"Kill every last one of these Marines!" Morton roared at his men, baring his fangs in a savage display.
The Fish-Men cheered, raised their weapons, and charged toward the Marines.
At the same time, a fleet of pirate ships appeared on the horizon. The pirate alliance, led by the Black Shark Pirates and the Vulture Pirates, had arrived.
Morton leaped onto the warship and charged toward Onigumo, intending to finish him off.
"Protect the Vice Admiral!" the Marines shouted, immediately forming a wall in front of Onigumo. Morton sneered, stomped his left foot, and a vortex of air erupted from under him as he shot into the crowd of Marines. A series of screams rang out as Marines were sent flying, crashing heavily to the deck with gruesome gashes torn across their necks.
Morton's fingertips were covered in blood. He lifted his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers, a twisted, excited smile spreading across his face. "Human blood is as sweet as they say. Vice Admiral, let me have a taste of yours."
"You bastard," Onigumo growled, struggling to his feet. His hair writhed behind him, twisting into six Haki-coated longswords as he charged recklessly at Morton.
"Eight-Sword Style—Spider Hunt!"
Eight swords danced through the air, creating a dizzying array of afterimages that formed a cage of blades, trapping Morton within.
Morton's expression grew serious. This sharp cage of blades was indeed troublesome. He coated his hands in Armament Haki, then drew back his right fist and punched.
"Fish-Man Karate: Five Thousand Tile True Punch!"
A violent shockwave slammed into the cage of blades, shattering the countless sword images in an instant. The terrifying force of the impact blasted all six of Onigumo's hair-swords to pieces and struck him head-on. He was sent flying once more, crashing through the ship's cabin and onto the deck of the warship next to it. He coughed up a torrent of blood, struggling to get up, but every movement sent another fit of bloody coughs through him.
Morton sneered and leaped over, striding toward the fallen Vice Admiral.
"I'm going to rip your head off."
"Admiral Zephyr will be here soon. You're all going to die," Onigumo said, staring at Morton with a grim expression, not a hint of fear in his eyes.
A contemptuous sneer appeared on Morton's lips. "Admiral Zephyr? Hmph, he's already been held up by my men. He may be strong, but in the sea, we Fish-Men are the strongest. My vice-captain and his team are more than enough to delay Zephyr's support fleet. By the time he gets here, all of you will be dead. We're going to ambush him here. Zephyr is our real target."
Onigumo's eyes blazed with fury. "You think you're worthy of ambushing Admiral Zephyr? You don't have the right!"
Morton laughed even louder, his expression growing more ferocious. "We don't have the right, but an Emperor-class crew does. This is an alliance of all the pirates in this sea, and our goal is to drive you Marines out of the New World. All the major powers have made their move. Since we knew Admiral Zephyr was stationed on Promin Island, of course, one of the Emperors would be sent to deal with him. This time, you Marines are finished."
Onigumo's face fell. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with despair.
Morton stepped forward. Onigumo swung his two swords, but Morton caught them with his bare hands. He kicked Onigumo in the face, pinning him to the ground, and began to stomp on him, laughing maniacally.
Suddenly, a sharp sonic boom ripped through the air. Morton's expression changed. He snapped his head up, his pupils constricting as he saw a figure plummeting toward them, arriving in an instant.
He thrust his hands up to catch the figure, but the immense impact slammed him directly onto the deck. The deck splintered, and Morton was driven down into the ship's hold, crashing all the way through to the warship's steel-plated bottom and leaving a massive dent that nearly tore through the hull itself.
Morton's eyes widened as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He pushed the body off of him. It was a large tiger-shark Fish-Man, now lifeless.
He knew this man all too well. It was his own vice-captain, the one he had sent to delay Admiral Zephyr's warship.
How could he have been killed and dropped from the sky?
An angry gaze locked onto him, and a terrifying pressure descended, making the dented steel around him creak and groan.
He looked up through the shattered hold and the broken deck and saw a powerfully built old man in a Justice coat standing on the deck above.
His purple hair was unmistakable.
"Admiral Zephyr," Morton whispered, his face filled with terror.
Zephyr looked at Morton, his expression impassive. "Your plan has failed," he said calmly. "None of you are escaping now."
When the Black Shark Pirates had sent their men to obstruct the support fleet, the Fish-Men had indeed used the ocean currents to slow the warships down.
Zephyr knew then that the advance group must be in serious trouble. So he had dived into the sea and dealt with the Fish-Men himself, chasing down Morton's vice-captain and intercepting him midway. Then, without returning to his own ship, he had used Geppo to travel the rest of the way.
He had arrived just in time to stop Onigumo from being killed.
Morton's face was grim. He punched through the remaining steel plate of the hull and dove into the sea, disappearing from sight.
"It's Admiral Zephyr! Brothers, kill these pirates!"
The Admiral's arrival immediately caught the attention of the Marines. Their morale skyrocketed, and they fought with renewed vigor, as if they'd been injected with steroids. The pirates, on the other hand, were intimidated by the Admiral's reputation, and their morale plummeted.
The tide of the battle, which had been in the pirates' favor, was instantly reversed.
"Little Spider, can you still fight?" Zephyr asked, looking at the battered Onigumo.
"Of course I can, Instructor," Onigumo said, a look of excitement on his face. He struggled to his feet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and took a deep breath, suppressing his injuries as he forced himself to grip his swords. With Zephyr here, his confidence was completely restored.
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