This time, the two slashes cut straight through the massive body of water without any suspense, forcibly tearing it open and creating a huge vacuum zone beneath.
The price, however, was the destruction of two Navy battleships.
"Ah—!"
Several Marines who failed to retreat in time were swept up by the aftermath of the attack and fell from midair.
If not for the sea below, they would have been smashed to their deaths.
The moment the ocean was split apart, Momonga and Huo Shaoshan rushed downward, not wasting a single second of this opening.
"Die, you damned pirate!!"
They roared in unison, their blades slashing down mercilessly toward Jin!
Slash!
The terrifying cuts not only tore Jin's body apart, but also split the battleship beneath him clean in two!
There was not the slightest hesitation in their attacks—both strikes were launched with absolute killing intent.
"Did we finally get him…?"
On the deck, a Marine who had barely managed to catch a breath muttered weakly.
He was one of the unlucky ones who hadn't escaped in time, surviving only because his breath-holding ability was slightly better than most.
"Unfortunately—nope~"
A man's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, instantly freezing his body in place.
"H-he's… not dead…"
Jin paid him no attention.
He walked past calmly, smiling as he looked toward the two Vice Admirals in the distance.
"Even if you split the water, so what?"
"Are you really sure the one you killed was my real body?"
"Or rather…"
"Are you certain that I am the real one right now?"
"Hm?"
As he spoke, the seawater on both sides of the rift began surging violently—yet did not rejoin—almost as if mocking their wasted effort.
"This is… really the worst possible situation," Huo Shaoshan said grimly.
He had thought Observation Haki could lock onto the enemy's presence—
But it was meaningless.
They couldn't distinguish between the real body and the clones at all.
Momonga remained silent, his expression no better.
Only now did he truly understand what Jin meant earlier by not needing to fight head-on.
From beginning to end, the enemy never gave them a chance for close combat.
He relied entirely on bizarre, unfamiliar ninjutsu—
And they still had to guard against poison.
Otherwise, Onigumo and Doberman were living examples.
Doberman was still foaming at the mouth.
"Damn it—what exactly do you want?!" Momonga roared.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jin replied lightly.
"I'm here to stop the Buster Call."
Momonga: ...
Just that?
"Then you've already succeeded," Huo Shaoshan said.
Only a few battleships remained operational.
All the shells had been soaked in seawater.
Completing the Buster Call was impossible.
"Not necessarily," Jin chuckled.
"What if I feel like killing a few more Marines?"
"…Arrogant bastard."
"Calm down," Huo Shaoshan said quietly.
"His clones can't appear out of thin air."
"Even if their auras are identical, the real body must be nearby."
From past experience, abilities required proximity to function.
Even if he wasn't a Devil Fruit user, the principle should be similar.
"…Then where is he?" Momonga frowned.
He looked at the water domain.
At the Jin standing beside Onigumo.
Then at the sea beneath the warships.
Where… was he?
BOOM!!
The water surged violently, then reformed into a perfect sphere once more—
Declaring their plan a complete failure.
"What terrifying monsters…" Sanji muttered.
Being able to cleave the sea apart proved just how powerful the Vice Admirals were.
But even so, Jin's ninjutsu was clearly superior.
"Damn pirates! You still have time to watch others?!"
A Navy captain who had crawled toward a lifeboat roared.
"Just wait—we'll wipe you all out soon enough!"
The time the Vice Admirals bought for them would not be wasted.
They would slaughter every last pirate!
"Tch. Looks like it's a defensive battle now," Zoro said.
"Everyone—don't die."
"Yeah!!"
Until Luffy and Jin finished their fights, they had to hold this place!
"…Wait. Something's wrong."
Usopp suddenly spoke up.
As if sensing something, he sprinted toward the broken bridge.
Because of Jin's attacks—and Luffy's later kick—the bridge had completely collapsed.
Usopp could only stand at the edge and look across.
The moment he saw Luffy, he froze.
Luffy was lying on the ground.
"Hey!"
"Luffy, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Get up!!"
Hearing Usopp's shout, Luffy slowly turned his head.
"…Usopp… you're here…"
"Damn it! What are you doing, you idiot?!"
...
Jin, standing atop the Sea King corpse, turned his head toward the battlefield.
He saw Luffy lying there.
"…Luffy got knocked down?"
That man—who never stayed down no matter the odds—was actually on the ground?
Watching Usopp scream insults at Lucci, Jin frowned.
What was that idiot trying to do?
Was he planning to use his own life to push Luffy back onto his feet?
"You done talking, pirate?" Rob Lucci said coldly, stepping forward.
That massive water sphere was shocking—but killing a long-nosed fool was easy.
"Stop!"
"Usopp, stop talking! He'll kill you!"
"Shut up!" Usopp roared.
"You don't get to say that when you can't even stand!"
"I'll defeat him myself!"
"Then stop looking half-dead and stand up already!!"
"We got all the keys! Robin's been rescued! Jin stopped the Buster Call!"
"This isn't hell—so stand up!!"
"Finished?" Lucci said icily.
"Then prepare yourself."
But before he could strike, he sensed something behind him.
He turned.
"…Still refusing to fall?" Lucci snarled at the sight of Luffy standing again.
"Beat him, Luffy!!" Usopp screamed.
"We're all going back alive!!"
"As if I wouldn't!!!" Luffy roared.
"Why won't you just stay down…" Lucci muttered.
"I never said I surrendered," Luffy growled, staring straight at him.
"Until I beat you—I'm not falling again!"
"Then let's see who dies first!!" Lucci shouted.
"Shave!"
BOOM!!
"…Looks like he'll be fine."
Jin withdrew his gaze.
Then he slowly turned toward the far side of Enies Lobby.
"The real main course…"
"…is still coming."
On the distant sea—
A lone figure was riding a bicycle across the water, heading straight toward them.
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