Mid-air above Fish-Man Island.
On the deck of the Twin Goddesses, Yemu watched the battle between Jinbe and Barobar below.
With some curiosity, he turned to Tiger.
"What's the relationship between Barobar and Shiki?"
As the most well-traveled and knowledgeable crew member aboard the Twin Goddesses, Tiger nodded and began to explain.
"Well, the pirate fleet led by Shiki's Flying Pirates used to be a massive armada with nearly thirty ships in total. Each ship had its own fleet captain, and Barobar served as the captain of the Third Fleet. His strength ranked among the very best."
"But after Shiki stormed Marine Headquarters alone and was imprisoned in Impel Down, the entire fleet fell apart. Many of the captains were captured, others died. This guy was the only one who survived."
"Using the banner of being Shiki's successor and claiming he would avenge him, he gathered many of Shiki's remaining followers along with pirates who admired Shiki, and rebuilt a new pirate fleet."
"Although there aren't many truly powerful fighters among them, the scale of the fleet is still impressive. Because of that, the Marines and the World Government have been cautious about dealing with them. His bounty has already reached 1.2 billion Belly, slightly higher than yours, Captain."
"1.2 billion Belly?"
Yemu's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I didn't expect to run into such an interesting opponent before even entering the New World."
He stretched his shoulders slightly.
"Looks like I finally won't have to keep bullying little kids."
After saying that, Yemu turned to the others behind him.
"So, does anyone here want his Devil Fruit?"
The group was momentarily stunned. Tiger asked with some confusion,
"Captain, you don't want it? This Devil Fruit actually has pretty good potential. Although it burns through stamina, if used properly it can unleash extremely terrifying power."
Yemu shook his head.
"No need. First, I already have a better choice. Second, my current training is focused mainly on strengthening my body. This Devil Fruit would only get in the way."
Compared to this stamina-consuming Gōka Gōka no Mi, something similar to Kaiōken, what Yemu truly preferred was the absurdly powerful Moa Moa no Mi currently locked away in Impel Down.
Come to think of it, there were quite a few interesting Devil Fruit users imprisoned in Impel Down.
When the time was right, maybe it would be worth paying that place a visit.
"So, have you all decided? Who wants it?"
Enel was the first to shake his head.
"This Devil Fruit doesn't suit me."
With the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel already had plenty of explosive power and speed. On top of that, he had begun training his physical body with Yemu as his benchmark, so he had little interest in this fruit.
Flare and the other girls also refused.
Since the fruit consumed physical stamina as its price, that alone shut the door for them.
There was even less need to mention the Kuro Brothers. They weren't primary combatants to begin with.
"So that leaves only Tiger and Erik. Which one of you wants it?"
The two looked at each other, both hesitating.
Judging from the current battle, the potential of this Devil Fruit was truly terrifying. If one of them gained its power, their strength would undoubtedly jump to a completely new level.
But precisely because of that, both of them were inclined to give the opportunity to the other.
In the end, Erik spoke first.
"Give it to Tiger-san. Tiger-san's powerful physique suits this fruit better."
The others nodded. That was also what most of them had been thinking.
But Tiger shook his head.
"Forget it. Give it to Erik."
Seeing the confusion in everyone's eyes and the surprise on Erik's face, Tiger calmly explained.
"I'm not refusing out of politeness. I'm thinking about how to make the most of this Devil Fruit."
"Our pirate crew is about to enter the New World. Strong combat power is indispensable. Right now, only the captain, the vice captain, and I truly qualify as top-tier fighters. That's still too few."
"But if Erik joins that level, things will be different."
It had to be said that Tiger really did think like a mature man.
Even Yemu had not considered this.
Tiger's words also served as a reminder to Yemu.
Right now, the overall strength of the Sky Pirates was somewhat unbalanced.
If Yemu were a lone wanderer, he wouldn't need to worry about things like this.
But he wasn't.
He was the captain of a pirate crew, and he had to consider things from multiple angles.
Looking at the situation now, compared with the dominant pirate crews of the New World, the Sky Pirates were not lacking in top-tier combat power.
Leaving Yemu aside, just looking at Enel and Tiger alone, although they had not reached the level of a Yonkō, they were certainly strong enough to match fighters at the level of a Yonkō commander or a Shichibukai.
However, the lower ranks were still far behind. Especially Flare and the others. Even though they had undergone special training on Rusukaina, they had only gained the ability to protect themselves against true powerhouses. If they wanted to take the offensive, they were still lacking.
So right now, strengthening their combat power was the most important task.
If Erik's strength could also be raised quickly to the same level as Enel and Tiger, that would be the greatest help to the Sky Pirates.
"I understand. You've thought this through very carefully, Tiger."
Yemu nodded slightly.
"In that case, I'll make the decision myself. This Devil Fruit will go to you, Erik. You can start thinking about where to place this Devil Fruit now..."
...
On the dark, empty deck.
The sharp wind howled through the air, mixed with the thunderous sound of explosions.
High above the deck, Jinbe and Barobar moved at unbelievable speed, their iron fists colliding again and again, sparks flying with every impact.
"Hey, hey, fishman. You don't look as arrogant as you did earlier."
Barobar's manic voice rang out.
"Didn't you say you were going to defeat me? Then take this seriously!"
With those words, Barobar's mountain-like fist smashed straight into Jinbe.
Blood trickled from the corner of Jinbe's mouth. His body was covered in wounds. He barely managed to raise an arm to block, but even using all his strength, he could not fully withstand the blow.
"Damn it! Don't think something like this is enough to defeat me!"
Although he could feel his stamina draining rapidly, Jinbe refused to show any weakness in his words.
At that moment, he remembered the technique Tiger had once taught him.
He knew that if he wanted to defeat the human monster in front of him, there was only one move he could rely on.
His whole body burst with power, and a faint black aura began to gather around his arms.
Seeing this, Barobar's expression showed a hint of surprise.
"So you've awakened Armament Haki?"
Taking advantage of that brief moment to recover, Jinbe suddenly grabbed both of Barobar's arms.
"Huh?!"
Under Barobar's shocked gaze, his huge body was lifted into the air by Jinbe, who was nearly half his height. In the next instant, Jinbe executed a powerful shoulder throw, slamming Barobar's head straight into the deck.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Hikishio Ipponzeoi!"
The massive deck shattered instantly, breaking into countless fragments as debris scattered everywhere. The entire ship was split cleanly in half.
Panting heavily, Jinbe quickly retreated to the side. Blood ran down from the corner of his eye as he stared at Barobar, who was stuck headfirst in the deck without moving.
"Did it work?"
"Nope."
Barobar's mocking voice sounded again.
His hands pressed against the deck as he slowly pulled his head out.
"This..."
Jinbe's pupils shrank sharply.
"Sorry, fishman. Armament Haki is something I can use too."
A dark, hardened sheen spread across Barobar's fat forehead, clearly visible to the naked eye.