I stared at Gyaro in complete bewilderment, my mind struggling to process what I had just witnessed.
'What the fu*k is going on?'
"Nice try, Sorcerer-kun," he panted, his breathing labored but stable.
"But it'll take more than these tricks to bring me down," Gyaro said as he looked at me with a triumphant confidence.
'…Yeah…this would not be easy, as expected…'
Around us, the chaos of battle had paused for some moments during our fight. Luffy, who was usually about as observant as a brick wall, had stopped mid-punch to gawk at our confrontation.
Roronoa's three swords were frozen mid-swing, Sanji's leg suspended in the air like he'd forgotten how to kick, and Usopp—well, Usopp looked like he was about to wet himself, which was probably the most reasonable response anyone was having right now.
The remaining fishmen from the Arlong Pirates, including their shark-toothed captain himself, were staring at Gyaro with expressions that ranged from shock in the case of Arlong to what I could only describe as immeasurable awe in the case of the remaining fishmen.
Even Johnny and Yosaku, the two bounty hunters who'd seen their share of weird shit, looked like they'd just witnessed a miracle.
The villagers of Cocoyasi were frozen in place, their borrowed weapons trembling in their hands as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing.
But I pushed all of that background noise out of my mind because right now, I had bigger problems. Like figuring out what the hell Gyaro had just done and how he'd managed to do it with my sword.
'The Barbossa sword shouldn't work like that.'
I knew its capabilities better than anyone—I'd traded a Devil Fruit to my Stand for the damn thing. It could manipulate water, air, and objects, sure, but it had never shown the ability to create those kinds of precise, moving constructs. And it definitely couldn't control people, which meant...
'Fishman...Jujutsu…' I recalled in my mind, remembering what he'd shouted before launching that attack. Not Fishman Karate, which I'd heard about in my travels. Something different. Something more advanced.
'So it's not just the sword. He's using some kind of advanced martial art—judging by the name—in combination with the Barbossa sword's power.'
From what I'd gathered during my two years of wandering this insane world, Fishman Karate was already impressive enough. The ability to use their natural affinity with water to enhance their physical capabilities was formidable.
'But this? This was on a completely different level.'
I glanced at the other fishmen who were still standing, noting their expressions of pure shock.
"...Jujutsu…"
"…And this advanced too..."
"...where did he learn..."
'Even they are shocked by what he just did. This is either extremely advanced or extremely rare.'
Gyaro noticed my analytical stare and let out a low, rumbling laugh that sounded like rocks grinding together in a cement mixer.
"Impressive, right?" Gyaro's voice cut through my analysis, drawing my attention back to the immediate threat. He was twirling the Barbossa sword with casual expertise, water droplets forming along its edge with each movement.
"Your skills with sword and your strange abilities have certainly improved since our last encounter."
"But you're not the only one who has grown stronger," Gyaro continued, his grin widening to show more of those razor-sharp teeth.
"I, too, have improved, especially now that I wield the true treasure of Fishman Island."
I felt my eye twitch. 'Treasure of Fishman Island? What kind of delusional—'
"What the hell are you talking about?" The words came out harsher than I intended, but I was getting really tired of his grandiose proclamations.
'There's no way the Barbossa sword is from this world, let alone some ancient treasure. I literally created it through my Stand's power by trading away a Devil Fruit. It's from an entirely different universe.'
This bastard is having delusions of grandeur.
Gyaro's eyes flashed with something that might have been pity if it weren't so condescending.
"An inferior and ignorant human like you would never understand."
He raised the sword, and I could see more water gathering around the blade like it was being drawn by some invisible force.
"This weapon was made by fishmen, for fishmen. Allow me to show you what weak humans like yourself will never be able to accomplish with this blade."
'Made by fishmen? For fishmen?' The sheer audacity of this guy was actually impressive in its own twisted way. 'He's completely rewritten the sword's origin story in his head to make himself feel better about being a thief.'
Gyaro passed his free hand along the Barbossa sword's blade, and immediately, dozens of water droplets materialized across its surface like tiny pearls.
My Mantra suddenly screamed a warning!
'Danger! Immediate, overwhelming danger!'
"Fishman Karate—Shark Arrows!" Gyaro's voice boomed across the battlefield as he swung the sword in my direction.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!!!
The water droplets launched themselves at me like bullets, each one whistling through the air with a sharp sound like a machine gun made of liquid death.
They moved faster than anything should have the right to, leaving trails of disturbed air in their wake.
'Shit!'
I immediately channeled Hamon through my custom flintlock, and golden light erupted from the second barrel, forming into a complex but natural-looking geometric pattern that shimmered in the air in front of me.
VOMVOMVOMVOMVOMVOMVOM!!!
The barrier intercepted the water bullets. Each impact created a sharp sound followed by the hiss of vaporizing water as the Hamon energy neutralized the attacks.
CRACK! BOOM! CRASH!
But some of the droplets had been aimed wide, beyond the range of my barrier. When they hit the ground and nearby structures, they left craters the size of my fist, punching through stone like it was paper.
'Holy shit.' Cold sweat ran down my back as I realized just how close I'd come to being turned into Swiss cheese. 'If even one of those had hit me...'
"HAHAHAHA!"
But Gyaro was absolutely ecstatic about his handiwork. His laughter echoed across the battlefield, a sound like grinding coral mixed with the rush of a tsunami.
"AHAHAHAHA! This is the power that belongs only to us fishmen!" He spread his arms wide, the Barbossa sword gleaming in his grip. "With this treasure, our true strength can finally be unleashed!"
'True strength?'
I watched as he stomped down hard on the ground, his foot crushing what looked like a water pipe. Immediately, water began gushing up from the broken line, creating a small fountain that sparkled in the afternoon sun, leaking through the smoke rising from the sea of fire in front of the park.
SPLASH! GUSH! BUBBLE!
Gyaro gently slashed at the rising water with the Barbossa sword, and I watched in growing horror as the liquid followed his movement like it was being controlled.
The water bent and twisted, defying gravity as it danced through the air according to his will.
'This is bad. This is really, really bad.'
"Now then," Gyaro said, his voice dropping to a predatory growl, "let me show you what this real power looks like! Fishman Jujutsu—Sea Current Serpent!"
He swung the sword, and the controlled water immediately formed into the same serpentine shapes I'd seen before. But this time, there were more of them—at least seven writhing constructs of liquid death, each one easily as thick as my torso.
The water serpents lunged at me with terrifying speed, their forms rippling and undulating as they carved through the air. But even as I prepared to dodge, Gyaro was already setting up his next attack.
"Fishman Karate—Shark Arrows!"
More water droplets launched from the sword's edge, creating a deadly crossfire that would have made any military strategist proud. I had water snakes coming at me from three different angles and a barrage of liquid bullets trying to perforate my internal organs.
'I can't just block this! The Ether barrier won't hold against something this big!'
BANG! CRASH! WHIZZ!
I threw myself to the side, rolling behind a pile of rubble as the Sea Current Serpents crashed into the ground where I'd been standing. Stone exploded in all directions, sending fragments whistling past my head.
'Hamon—Crushing Wave!' I channeled energy through the Sword of Gryffindor, its blade erupting in silver light as I swept it through one of the serpents.
The construct burst immediately, but two more were already curving around to flank me.
This bastard is dictating the pace of the entire fight.
'I can't let this go on.'
WHOOSH!
VOMVOM!!
SLASH!
SIZZLE!
I dashed forward, using my Mantra to weave between the remaining attacks.
The Hamon Ether circle spun in front of me, deflecting the smaller projectiles while I used Gryffindor to slice through the larger constructs.
Each serpent I destroyed burst into harmless water, but Gyaro just kept creating more.
'I need to close the distance. Get inside his range before he can set up another—'
But Gyaro had been watching my movements as I sprinted toward him, dodging and weaving through his attacks. He suddenly shifted his stance.
The Barbossa sword rose above his head, and I felt my Mantra screaming warnings at me.
'This was going to be big...'
"Fishman Karate—Shark Tile Hammer!"
Gyaro swung the sword through empty air, not even aiming directly at me. For a split second, I wondered what the hell he was trying to accomplish.
Then—
WHAAAAMMMM!!!
—The shockwave hit me.
It felt like being struck by an invisible sledgehammer the size of a building, the force picked me up and hurled me backward through the air, my body spinning like a ragdoll as pain exploded through every nerve ending!
'What…how…he didn't even touch me!'
'Shit!'
I managed to twist in mid-air, using my experience from countless battles to land on my feet instead of face-planting into the stone. But my legs nearly buckled, and I could taste iron in my mouth.
'What was that?! How did he do that?!'
I channeled Hamon through my breathing technique, using the ripple energy to stabilize my condition and heal the worst of the internal damage.
The familiar warmth spread through my body, but it couldn't completely negate the shock of what had just happened.
Gyaro was laughing again, clearly amused by the confused expression on my face.
"Surprised, are we?" He hefted the Barbossa sword like it weighed nothing, water still clinging to its surface in defiance of physics. "This is the true power of Fishman Karate, human."
'True power?' I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth, never taking my eyes off him. 'Again, what does he mean by true power? This is completely different from anything I've heard about Fishman Karate.'
"You see," Gyaro continued, clearly enjoying this, "the real strength of Fishman Karate—and its other forms, Fishman Jujutsu and Merman Combat—lies not in physical strikes, but in the manipulation of water itself."
He gestured broadly with the sword, and I could see droplets forming in the air around us, drawn from moisture in the atmosphere, from the broken pipes, from sources I couldn't even identify.
"We fishmen can utilize any water in our vicinity," he explained, his voice taking on the tone of a professor giving a lecture. "From the sea, from the air, from the land..." His smile turned predatory. "Even from the water inside our enemies' bodies."
'Water inside...' The implications hit me like a second shockwave. 'He can attack the water in my body directly.'
"The power flows through the water," Gyaro continued, "transferring force without requiring direct contact. We can strike our enemies without ever touching them." He paused, his shark-like grin widening.
"This is the blessing of the sea to our race."
'A counter to Devil Fruit users.' The pieces were falling into place now. 'At higher levels of skill, Fishman Karate can bypass external defenses entirely by attacking the water content in a person's body. No wonder it's considered such a threat.'
And then the truly horrifying realization struck me.
"'All of this,'" Gyaro said, as if reading my thoughts at the same time, "'reaches a completely different level when combined with the power of this blade.'"
'The Barbossa sword amplifies water manipulation. If he can already attack through the water in my body, and the sword can control water with perfect precision...'
I didn't have time to finish that thought because Gyaro was already moving. He swung the sword diagonally through empty air, his form perfect despite the fact that he wasn't aiming at anything visible.
"Fishman Karate—Shark Tile Sword!"
/A Large Cutting Attack Directly At His Front/
My Mantra was going absolutely berserk, screaming warnings about something cutting through the air toward me.
An invisible blade of air moisture, sharp enough to slice through stone.
The ground in front of me suddenly split open with a sharp crack as the invisible attack carved a line straight toward my position.
I threw myself to the side, but I wasn't quite fast enough. The edge of the attack caught my cloak, slicing through the heavy fabric like it was tissue paper.
"Fu*k!" The word escaped before I could stop it.
'An invisible sword attack? And at that range?! Are you kidding me?!?!'
But Gyaro wasn't giving me time to process. He was already launching another Shark Tile Sword, and another, each invisible blade carving up the battlefield as I desperately dodged and weaved.
SLASH!
CRACK!
WHOOM!
The air itself seemed to be screaming as the compressed water attacks cut through it, leaving temporary vacuum trails that filled the displaced atmosphere.
When I finally managed to get some distance, Gyaro switched tactics again.
The water he'd been gathering throughout our fight—from the broken pipes, from the moisture in the air began swirling around the Barbossa sword.
"Fishman Jujutsu—Water Heart—Shark Pack!"
The collected water exploded outward in dozens upon dozens of shark-shaped projectiles, each one as large and powerful as the serpents from before, but far more numerous.
They filled the air like a deadly rainstorm, their forms rippling and undulating as they homed in on my position.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The sound was overwhelming, like standing in the middle of a waterfall made of predators.
I can't block them, and I can't slash through them.
My Mantra was overloaded from the sheer number of threats approaching from every conceivable angle.
'Way, Way too many!'
I dashed to evade like my life depended on it—which it did—using every ounce of speed and agility I'd developed over the past two years.
BANG! SPLASH! CRACK!
The water sharks crashed into the ground behind me, each impact sending up sprays of liquid and fragments of stone.
But as I ran, I realized what was happening. Gyaro wasn't just trying to kill me with that barrage. He was herding me, driving me deeper into Arlong Park, away from the main battlefield where the others were fighting.
'He wants me isolated...'
The sounds of battle grew fainter as I was forced to retreat further into the park's interior.
'I need to turn this around. Go on the offensive...'
I pulled out my flintlock and loaded a Mini Bazooka round into the chamber as I took careful aim at Gyaro's position.
BANG!
The round streaked through the air as it arced toward the fishman. But Gyaro just smiled and raised the Barbossa sword.
"Fishman Karate—Shark Tile Hammer!"
The invisible shockwave intercepted my explosive mid-flight, detonating it harmlessly in the air between us.
KABOOOOOMM!!!!
Smoke and flame filled the space, but when it cleared, Gyaro was completely unharmed.
"Close," he said with that infuriating smug tone, "but not close enough."
'He's getting cocky. Okay. Cocky enemies make mistakes.'
I looked around, taking in my new surroundings. We were now deeper in Arlong Park, surrounded by the destroyed architecture that was now nothing but pieces of rubble.
'He's got the environmental advantage now. Every piece of rubble and debris in this place is a potential weapon in his hands.'
But that also meant he felt confident enough to stop holding back. Which gave me the opening I needed.
I put on my best expression of confusion and wariness, letting a note of concern creep into my voice. "What are you planning now?"
Gyaro's grin widened, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth. "You're very ignorant for someone who claims to be the rightful owner of this sword."
He swung the Barbossa sword gently through the air, and immediately, debris from the earlier bombardment began to tremble and shift.
"Of course, I want to kill you swiftly and take every valuable thing you have without the others knowing!"
Direct object manipulation. That's one of the Barbossa sword's three abilities—water, wind, and inanimate objects.
'This is my chance.'
I channeled Hamon through my body and weapons, the golden energy providing a convenient excuse for my apparent fear.
The glow was bright enough that anyone watching would assume I was preparing for a desperate last stand.
Gyaro looked at me with undisguised satisfaction, clearly enjoying my apparent terror.
"Now I don't need to hold back," he said, his voice dropping to a threatening rumble. "Away from prying eyes, I can use the full power of this treasure to crush you directly."
The debris around us began to arrange itself into threatening patterns—walls of stone and metal that could crush me from multiple directions simultaneously.
"Consider this a reward," Gyaro continued, his tone mockingly generous, "for being the reason this treasure returned to the hands of its rightful owners. I'll let you witness its true power before I kill you and claim every other valuable item in your possession."
'Rightful owners. This bastard really has convinced himself that he's not just a common thief.' But his monologue was exactly what I needed. The longer he talked, the more time I had to prepare my real attack.
"You keep saying this sword belongs to the fishmen," I said, injecting just the right amount of indignation into my voice while maintaining my wary stance.
"Like somehow, I'm the one in the wrong here. It's my sword, and you're just a pirate who stole it from me." I paused, letting a taunting note enter my tone. "Is being a petty thief hurting your conscience so much that you have to make up elaborate lies to justify it?"
Gyaro scoffed, his expression darkening.
"You humans are always like this. Always twisting the truth to make yourselves look innocent." The debris around us continued to pile up, forming what looked like the walls of a stone coffin. "We are simply reclaiming what was stolen from us long ago."
"You keep spouting shit," I shot back, putting every ounce of skepticism I could muster into my voice.
"Spouting shit?" Gyaro's voice rose, anger creeping in for the first time since our fight began.
"A weak, narrow-minded human like you could never comprehend the true worth of this weapon. You're like an animal that finds gold but only sees shiny rocks."
'Perfect. He's getting emotional. Emotional enemies make even bigger mistakes.'
"This sword," Gyaro continued, his voice taking on an almost reverential tone, "is the ancient weapon known as Poseidon. It has been the property of Fishman Island since time immemorial, until you surface dwellers stole it from us twenty years ago."
'Huh?' I blinked in genuine surprise.
'The ancient weapon Poseidon? Twenty years ago? He thinks my Barbossa sword is one of the legendary weapons of mass destruction?'
I knew he was completely wrong, of course. The Barbossa sword was a creation of my Stand's power, something from an entirely different universe. But the sheer audacity of his delusion was actually impressive.
"You're completely delusional," I said, not having to fake my incredulity. "Even if this sword is powerful, calling it an ancient weapon is ridiculous. Those are just fairy tales."
"Fairy tales?" Gyaro's eyes blazed with fanatic fervor. "I'll tell you the truth, human, since you'll be dead soon anyway."
The stone walls around me continued to rise, reaching nearly twice my height. "This sword, other than controlling just water and wind. It can command inanimate objects, especially ships."
'Especially ships?' I kept my expression neutral, but internally I was paying close attention. 'Yeah, I know that, you ran away from me when I used it against you. Where are you going with this?'
"Deep beneath the ocean, at Fishman Island, there lies a ship called Noah, an ancient relic of the fishmen race that existed there for centuries, with no one knowing what its purpose is," Gyaro continued, his voice taking on the tone of someone declaring an immemorial secret.
'Noah?...Like Noah's ark from the Bible…?'
"A vessel the size of an entire island, built without sails or any conventional means of propulsion. Everyone in the fishmen Island always wondered who built such a thing and why."
"All until I got this sword. The only thing that can move Noah, is this sword, Poseidon!"
"Imagine it," Gyaro said, spreading his arms wide as the Barbossa sword gleamed in his grip.
"A ship as large as an island, armed with every weapon imaginable, all under the absolute control of a single person. That is the complete ancient weapon, Poseidon. The power that will be in our hands soon."
He paused dramatically, letting his words sink in.
'A ship the size of an island…? Something like that exists…? And that name on a ship of this size…?'
Despite knowing that his entire theory was wrong, I found myself genuinely intrigued by the new information and the seeming connection.
'That's... actually pretty interesting, if it's true.'
"And the first two abilities—water and wind control—are perfectly matched to our fishmen's natural affinity with the sea. The techniques of Fishman Karate, Fishman Jujutsu, and the secret arts of the royal family are the only fighting styles truly suited to wield this weapon."
'Secret arts of the royal family?' That was new information, even if it was wrapped up in his delusional theory. 'So there are even more advanced forms of their martial arts.'
"This is the truth of the sword," Gyaro concluded, his voice filled with absolute conviction. "Something that can never be comprehended or properly used by the mind and hands of a filthy surface dweller."
The stone walls were now tall enough to block any escape route, and I could see water beginning to seep up from the ground through cracks and drainage channels. He was creating the perfect killing ground.
"Now that you've had your little history lesson," Gyaro said, raising the Barbossa sword above his head, "it's time for you to die. I won't make the same mistake of leaving you alive this time." His smile turned vicious.
"And after I'm done with you, I have an entire village to destroy."
The rubble around me began to move with increasing speed, grinding together as it prepared to crush me from all sides. The sound was like a rockslide mixed with the growl of some enormous predator.
GRIND! RUMBLE! SCRAPE!
"Any last words?" Gyaro asked mockingly.
I looked up at him, letting a small smile cross my face as I raised my flintlock and began expanding the Hamon Ether circle to its absolute maximum size.
"I do have one last thing to say," I replied, my voice calm despite the chaos of grinding stone around me.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, humming with concentrated life energy as air began to spiral into its center.
Throughout his entire monologue, I'd been feeding power Hamon energy into the Ether, giving it enough juice so I could use the technique I have been keeping hidden for a while now.
The air around the circle was now spinning fast enough to create visible distortions, like looking through a lens made of pure motion.
WHIRRRRRRR!
The sound was getting louder, more dangerous. The compressed air at the center of my Hamon circle was now glowing white, spinning so fast it was creating its own miniature tornado.
WHOOOOOOM!
From expanding the Ether circle, to the wind sphere forming, to me aiming at Gyaro directly, it didn't even take one second.
"You are completely wrong; I made that sword myself."
Gyaro's confident expression faltered as he realized something was wrong.
'Hamon—Wind Cannon!'
KAAAABOOOOOOMMM!!!!!
The concentrated burst of air and Hamon energy erupted from the circle like it had been shot from the world's most powerful cannon.
…
A/N: Sigh, That's it for now.
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