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When it came to battle intelligence, Sali was definitely not lacking.
In the brief moment it took him to rush forward, he had already formed a clear plan.
Seeing Sali charging straight at them, the Babancho immediately let out guttural roars, swinging their massive kanabo clubs at him all at once.
Their strength and speed were impressive, but they were nowhere near the level of Kaido.
Sali dodged their attacks with ease and closed the distance in an instant. Finding the perfect angle, he shifted into his hybrid form and drove a powerful punch straight into the face of Hatcha, who stood at the far edge.
The sheer force distorted Hatcha's round face, sending his massive body crashing sideways.
Sali did not let up. He followed with a relentless barrage of punches.
Boom!
Bang!
As Hatcha toppled backward, Juki and Goki, standing beside him, lost their footing and fell along with him.
It triggered a chain reaction.
The tallest Babancho, Hatcha, Juki, and Goki, collapsed first, dragging the massive Imie and Nanki down with them. Their falling bodies crushed Sanki, Niga, and Rokki beneath them, and under the overwhelming impact of all eight, even the smallest members, Yonki and Kunin, were sent flying into the sea.
All ten Babancho ended up sprawled across the ocean.
Sali did not hesitate. In the next instant, he appeared above the water, both hands releasing a chilling frost as he struck the surface.
The sea froze instantly.
The ice spread rapidly outward, swallowing everything in its path. In the blink of an eye, the ten Babancho and over a hundred meters of surrounding ocean were sealed into solid ice.
Watching from the bow of the Dawn ship, Ash's eyes lit up.
"Whoa, Kuzan is going to be out of a job, haha."
Sali hovered in the air for a moment, observing. Once he confirmed that none of the Babancho were breaking free, he returned to the ship.
He spotted Kirk standing beside a massive tray, looking displeased. Sali laughed and said, "No wonder my punches felt a bit off earlier. I forgot to eat meat, hahaha."
The Babancho had made a dramatic entrance, but their defeat was even quicker. The entire fight took less time than it took for Sali to finish a large chunk of roasted Sea King meat.
Kirk rolled his eyes as Sali devoured the food, then glanced at the frozen figures in the distance. "They are nowhere near Oars."
Ash chuckled. "Still, they might end up the same way as Oars, frozen solid in the end."
Kirk shot him a sharp look before vanishing in a blur.
Seeing this, Sali swallowed his food and asked, "Ash, how many Sea Kings did you catch on the way here? Kirk has been at it forever and still is not done."
"Huh? I have no idea. I was at the Boin Archipelago. I only got back when we were close to Wano Country."
Saff rolled her eyes. "We caught twelve small Sea Kings, around five hundred to eight hundred meters, and three medium ones, about twelve hundred to sixteen hundred meters."
Sali froze mid-bite. "Why catch that many? How long are we planning to eat?"
Saff sighed. "If my brother and I had not stopped them, Youki and Pini would have gone after even bigger ones. They kept saying they wanted to taste a two-thousand-meter-class Sea King."
"Those two are insane. Just because the ship can handle it does not mean they should try. Why not aim for three to five thousand meters while they are at it?"
"They would if they could. But those massive Sea Kings live deep underwater and rarely surface. With just Youki's water control, they would be lucky to survive the descent. Catching something over five thousand meters? That would require their full Demon God transformation."
Sali inhaled sharply. "Do not say that. If they hear you, they might actually try it."
Ash cut them off. "If they manage to catch one, fine, everyone gets a feast. But if they get trapped at the seabed, I am not going down there to rescue them."
The group continued chatting, while Nico Robin, Carina, and Nojiko listened with interest.
Only Lanchi, who had been pulled back earlier by Saff, looked uneasy. She glanced between the relaxed group and the chaotic battlefield in the distance, where blood still stained the shore.
Unable to hold back, she finally asked, "Aren't you worried about the others who are still fighting?"
Ash looked at her, confused.
Saff and the others immediately understood her concern.
Among the Dawn faction, the Skypiean warriors had spent the least time with Ash. They had no real understanding of how overwhelming his strength was.
On top of that, among those currently surrounding and attacking Kaido, the ones taking the most punishment were the four Skypiean warriors led by Wyper.
Lanchi's worry made sense.
"Ash, did you tell Wyper why we came to Wano this time?" Sali asked.
Ash hesitated. "I... I think I did?"
"What kind of answer is that?"
"I am sure I told him."
In truth, when Ash received the call from Sengoku and decided to bring his forces to confront Kaido, he had explained the purpose of the trip to both Sali and Wyper.
Sali had passed the information on to his subordinates without delay. That was why Vergo and Fales, who had only recently obtained their abilities, did not join this expedition.
The goal of the journey was to break through their limits. Those two were still growing rapidly, and facing Kaido would only result in unnecessary punishment.
As for the Skypiean warriors, Wyper had explained the purpose to the others, but deliberately left Lanchi out.
The reason was simple. Aside from Wyper himself, the others had not yet reached their limits.
However, Skypiean warriors never backed down from a challenge. In Wyper's view, even if they were not at their peak, this was a rare chance to test themselves against one of the Four Emperors.
Lanchi was different.
Just like when he first met Ash years ago, Wyper had excluded her from any direct confrontation with Kaido.
Even when she blocked Jinbe's attack upon their arrival in the New World, his stance had not changed.
She could handle weaker enemies, but facing Kaido was out of the question.
Because of this, among all the ability users who came to Wano, Lanchi was the only one who did not know the true purpose of the mission. She believed Ash had simply gathered his forces to challenge the authority of the Four Emperors.
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