Chapter 5: The Sea is Our Domain
"Are you the bastard who leads these fish? Do you know that you ruined everything I had?! My status, my position, my wealth, all destroyed because of you..."
Whoosh!
The only response he received was the sound of air being torn apart. Sebastian hurled his war hammer toward Tribal Bruchi. The sheer momentum behind it was so terrifying that Tribal dared not block it, scrambling to dodge to the side.
Tribal could dodge, but the ship beneath his feet could not. Under the impact of the war hammer, the already sinking vessel was smashed into an even more ruinous state.
"How many people have you slave traders ruined everything for? Where do you get the nerve to question me like that?
It seems it's not just that you don't understand our combat style; you didn't even investigate our situation. No wonder you're so fearless."
Sebastian dug a finger into his ear as if he had heard something filthy. Before Tribal could retort, several splashing sounds erupted from the deep sea.
Three massive Sea Beasts revealed themselves. Although their bodies were aquatic, resembling fish, they bore the heads of a giraffe, a rhinoceros, and a chimpanzee, respectively.
Counting the submerged parts of their bodies, each of these Sea Beasts was about fifty meters long.
This was the basic characteristic of Sea Beasts—they were neither Sea Kings nor fish, but special marine mammals.
Babel was currently standing atop the head of the Sea Giraffe, holding a war hammer in his hand—the very one Sebastian had thrown.
"Sebastian! You bastard, did you aim that hammer at me?!"
"Yeah. Otherwise, I'd have to go down and pick it up myself. Didn't you just bring it back for me?"
"You...!"
Seeing that Sebastian didn't deny it but openly admitted it, Babel's anger flared, though it quickly subsided.
"Hmph. Is that so? Then I'll hold onto your hammer for you. You've got about one minute left. Let's see how you fulfill your promise to Big Bro.
If you beg me now, I don't mind helping you out."
"No need. It's not like I'm a 'Hammer-Man' who can only fight with a hammer. I think you're just trying to stall me."
The two seemed to be bickering, but their actions didn't stop. Sebastian assumed an attacking stance, while Babel blew a specific rhythm on his conch shell to signal the attack.
The three Sea Beasts, receiving the command, immediately charged toward the ship ahead. Never mind that the ship was already snapped in half; even a fully intact warship would only meet one end in the face of such an assault: sinking to the bottom.
Tribal knew this, but he had no time to worry about the Sea Beasts. Sebastian's attack had already arrived.
"Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Brick Fist!"
Thick Armament Haki coated his fist. The air seemed to ripple with the force of his punch.
Tribal gave it his all, narrowly dodging the center of the impact, but his body was still sent flying uncontrollably by the shockwave.
This was the essence of Fish-Man Karate. Its principle lay in manipulating the moisture in the surroundings to inflict damage. The moisture in the air became an extension of the attack, making the range far larger than what the naked eye could see.
Blood surged within his body, his muscles and bones trembling helplessly. Yet, from the corner of his eye, Tribal saw something even more terrifying.
He had dodged part of the attack, but the wreckage of the ship beneath him could not.
Coupled with the arrival of the Sea Beasts under Babel's command, utilizing their massive size to ram and tear at the vessel, the ship was easily reduced to fragments.
The crew suffered heavy casualties under this assault. Blood, mixed with seawater and splinters of the ship, drifted away with the currents.
"Help... Save me... Spare me..."
"Captain... Save me..."
Faint cries for help could be heard but were quickly swallowed by the waves. Tribal had no mind to pay attention to them. Although there were only three Sea Beasts, their division of labor was extremely precise. At this point, there was no footing left on the sea surface for him to use.
This was the most common tactic Nereus's subordinates used at sea, and also the most practical: sneak up from the deep sea to the ship, sink the enemy vessel first, and then utilize the ocean as their home turf for battle.
The main purpose of taming those Sea Beasts was precisely to attack enemy ships.
As long as executives like Sebastian could keep the enemy's strong fighters busy, preventing them from attacking the Sea Beasts, the beasts could withstand cannon and musket fire to destroy the ship in a short time.
Once the ship sank, unless the enemy's strong fighters could fly or stay airborne, it was difficult for them to win against Fish-men—especially if they were Devil Fruit users.
Ace could fight Jinbe on land for five days, but lasting seven minutes underwater would be considered a testament to tenacious vitality.
From the moment the ship was destroyed—or more accurately, from the moment Tribal set out on this path and was spotted by the Fish-men before even landing—his defeat was already sealed.
Tribal realized this, but it was too late. As gravity pulled him down, Sebastian shot forward, appearing right beside him.
"You should be grateful. I promised Big Bro I'd finish you in five minutes. Letting trash like you die this quickly is the greatest mercy I can offer.
Fish-Man Jujutsu: Shoulder Throw!"
Mid-air and unable to find leverage, Tribal was seized by Sebastian. Using his monstrous strength combined with Fish-Man Jujutsu techniques, Sebastian hurled him into the sea.
The cold seawater, mixed with the metallic scent of blood, brought a moment of clarity to Tribal's panicked brain. He finally realized just how dangerous his situation was.
"These damn fish..."
Tribal struggled, trying to swim to the surface, but his limbs felt like they were filled with lead, refusing to obey him.
Water could cushion impact, but it depended on how you fell.
Even diving into a pool from a high platform could cause injury if the posture was wrong—let alone being thrown in by Sebastian.
To him, the sea surface was no different from hard concrete. He didn't know how many bones in his body had broken upon impact.
The essence of Fish-Man Karate was striking water, while the essence of Fish-Man Jujutsu was throwing water.
Because the human body contains water, when Tribal was thrown by Sebastian's Shoulder Throw, not only did he suffer external damage, but the blood inside him also surged violently.
Although the seawater washed over him constantly, a closer look would reveal that his skin was oozing blood almost everywhere—a result of the tiny capillaries on his body surface bursting.
But that wasn't the deadliest part. Driven by the will to survive, Tribal stubbornly tried to float to the surface, only for a massive force to suddenly grab his lower body.
"Just die quietly. It'll be less painful. It seems you didn't quite understand me."
Sebastian was also in the water now. Compared to Tribal's struggle, he appeared completely at ease.
For the Fish-man race, who possessed two respiratory systems, the sea was no different from land—in fact, it was even freer.
Under the influence of the water, Sebastian's voice became muffled and deep, sounding like a death knell from hell in Tribal's ears.
Glub, glub...
Countless bubbles floated from Tribal's mouth toward the surface. He looked like he wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't speak at all.
Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu could utilize the air and the moisture in an opponent's body, but those were far less convenient than using the actual ocean.
The surrounding seawater became Sebastian's aid, crushing Tribal's body.
The surface wasn't far; sunlight still penetrated down here. Yet, Tribal would never touch that warm sunlight again. Accompanied by a wave of despair, his vision soon faded into darkness...
Under Babel's command, the Sea Beasts cleared the surface. This group hadn't even made a splash before they were annihilated in the sea.
When Sebastian surfaced with the corpse, only a few surviving slavers remained nearby.
"Babel! You bastard, didn't you know to wait for me?!"
Sebastian ignored the remaining survivors and instead cursed loudly at Babel, who was already riding a Sea Beast away.
"Hahahaha! Swim back yourself! I followed your promise and stuck strictly to the time! Five minutes are up, so we're heading back immediately!"
Babel's laughter was laced with smugness. Just like Sebastian throwing the hammer, this was their way of communicating—comrades, yet rivals.
"Did we... did we survive?"
A slaver, clinging to a broken barrel and floating on the surface, watched the departing Fish-men and muttered to himself.
It was the relief of escaping death. However, that feeling lasted only for a fleeting moment.
Accompanied by the whistling sea breeze, the sound of another conch horn drifted over. Following it, a sharp horn pierced through his body.
From the deep sea, a school of large fish—horned, with mouths full of sharp teeth and bodies as sturdy as calves—began the final cleanup.
These were the Fighting Fish that lived in the New World, another ferocious species of marine life. Like the large Sea Beasts, they were just another part of the army.
"If I let you go, where would the people you sold go to cry? Hope you get reincarnated into a better life next time... No, wait. People like you should rot in hell forever."
On the head of the Sea Giraffe, Babel blew another conch shell and chanted something that sounded like a spell—though it was unclear if he was cursing them or performing last rites.
Then, he patted the Sea Giraffe's head.
"Swim faster! Don't let that guy catch up. I'll give you an extra two hundred pounds of seaweed tonight!"