With Arlong defeated, the battle on Stoloberry's side was essentially over. All that remained were a group of insignificant Fishmen, whom the Marines swarmed to either defeat or capture.
Meanwhile, the battle between Borsalino, Tiger, and Jinbe was also nearing its end.
Rather than a battle, it was more like Borsalino toying with the two of them; the disparity in strength was obvious to the naked eye.
"Oh~ What tenacious Fishmen~"
"How terrifying~"
Borsalino's voice drifted down from mid-air. His figure flickered around Tiger and Jinbe, transforming into streaks of golden light.
Tiger threw a punch, but the golden light vanished a step ahead of time, only to reappear in another direction.
"Fish-Man Karate..."
Before Jinbe could finish shouting the name of his technique, the golden light had already appeared behind him.
Bang!
An unadorned Light Speed Kick landed directly on Jinbe's back, sending him flying several meters.
Both of them were covered in injuries, blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, and their breathing became heavy.
Their attacks couldn't touch the opponent at all, while Borsalino seemed to be putting on a leisurely performance.
Just as Stoloberry finished off Arlong, Borsalino in the air seemed to have grown tired of playing.
"It looks like things are wrapped up over there too~"
He crossed his arms over his chest, and his entire body burst forth with light more dazzling than the sun.
"Yata no Kagami!"
Following his drawn-out tone, countless dazzling light bullets rained down like a torrent!
Boom!
Explosions rang out incessantly, and blood continuously spurted from Tiger and Jinbe's bodies.
It was obvious that Borsalino had used the exclusive technique reserved for fighting Teacher Zephyr—True Yata no Kagami.
The dense explosions instantly engulfed the area where Tiger and Jinbe were located.
Smoke and dust soared into the sky!
When the dust slowly cleared, the ground had become pitted like the surface of the moon, looking as if it had been struck by meteorites.
Fisher Tiger and Jinbe lay in the center of the ruins, their bodies covered in bloodstains from light bullet abrasions and explosions. Their clothes were tattered, and they seemed to have completely lost consciousness.
Borsalino lightly floated back down to the ground, dusting off imaginary dirt from his sleeves.
"Time to call it a day~"
After glancing at Tiger and Jinbe, who had lost the ability to resist, he slowly turned and walked toward the warship.
Returning to the shore, he nudged his chin toward Stoloberry, who had just finished his battle nearby:
"Ye~ Rear Admiral Stoloberry~"
"Could you trouble yourself to go and capture those two~ and bring them back~"
"Yes! Vice Admiral Borsalino!"
Stoloberry answered, sheathed his sword, and strode toward the area that had just been ravaged by the light bullets.
His steps were neither fast nor slow, and his expression was relaxed.
Just as he was less than five meters away from Tiger, a sudden change occurred!
Tiger, who had been completely still, as if truly knocked unconscious, suddenly leaped up from the ground!
His muscles were taut, and all his strength, Haki, and rage were poured into this single punch, aimed directly at Stoloberry's face!
"Fish-Man Karate: Secret Technique: Ogre Tile Fist!"
As he delivered this strike, he shouted loudly to Jinbe, who was still dazed from Borsalino's big attack:
"Jinbe! Run!"
But Jinbe's mind wasn't clear right now, and he subconsciously wanted to help.
The subconscious action conflicted with Tiger's current command, causing a momentary struggle between his conscious and subconscious mind.
Furthermore, Jinbe's strength wasn't that great yet; after taking one of Borsalino's major attacks, even standing up was difficult.
As for Stoloberry, facing Tiger's attack, he had absolutely not expected the opponent to have the strength left to counterattack, let alone that this was a long-planned ambush.
Faced with this sudden attack, Stoloberry had no time to adopt a perfect defensive stance and could only instinctively draw his two swords temporarily, crossing them to block in front of him.
Clang!
A massive force was transmitted through the two swords.
Stoloberry was sent flying backward, his legs plowing two deep, dozens-of-meters-long furrows in the ground before he barely managed to stop.
He felt his hands go numb, trembling slightly beyond his control.
Taking advantage of the moment he was repelled, Tiger turned without hesitation, grabbed the still-dazed Jinbe, and charged away from the coast, running without looking back!
"Bastard! You damn Fishman!"
Stoloberry was furious.
He hadn't expected to be ambushed, nor had he expected Fisher Tiger to still have the strength to escape after taking Vice Admiral Borsalino's attack?!
Didn't we agree not to miss this time?
Stoloberry stabilized himself, pushed off the ground, and shot out like a cheetah, pursuing relentlessly.
If he let the opponent escape now, it would be a huge joke.
A bizarre legend of the seas might even emerge—that no one could catch Fisher Tiger when he was running away while carrying someone.
Of course, escaping was not that easy for them.
Tiger was already severely wounded, and now carrying the mobility-impaired Jinbe, his speed truly couldn't pick up.
Before the two had run a few hundred meters, the sound of rushing wind came from behind them.
"Stop right there!"
Stoloberry roared, having already caught up right behind them.
He suddenly swung both his swords!
In a flash of lightning, two terrifying, intersecting bloody gashes instantly burst open on Tiger's back.
Thump!
Tiger could no longer maintain his forward momentum. He stumbled and fell heavily, face down, onto the ground.
The intense pain nearly made him faint; he could only gasp for air, unable to move even a finger.
Jinbe, whom he was carrying, was also thrown forward, rolling several times on the ground before stopping.
Borsalino's attack was not easy to endure.
Fisher Tiger had relied solely on his willpower to sustain the ambush and the subsequent escape.
But willpower cannot be infinite. When Stoloberry's two swords struck him, Tiger's body finally gave out completely.
Now, he lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Stoloberry panicked internally, wondering if he had killed him.
Had the World Government specified capturing them alive?
After all, this was a super criminal who dared to attack Mary Geoise. Given the nature of the Celestial Dragons, they might want to capture him alive and torture him to death.
He thought carefully. It seemed the bounty only stated that he was heinous and that his status (dead or alive) didn't matter, without specifically emphasizing capturing him alive.
Relieved, Stoloberry hesitated for a moment but didn't deliver a finishing blow. Instead, he pulled out handcuffs and shackled the two men lying on the ground.
Jinbe tried to struggle and resist, but Stoloberry unhesitatingly struck him on the head with the flat of his blade, knocking him straight unconscious.
Carrying the two men, Stoloberry finally returned to the coast.
At the ruined dock, Marine soldiers were escorting the Sun Pirates crew members onto the warship, while Borsalino stood nearby, watching the spectacle.
"Vice Admiral Borsalino! Fisher Tiger, Captain of the Sun Pirates, and executive Jinbe have been successfully apprehended!"
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