Killing Hag, Returning to Fish-Man Island

"That hurts."

Bright, who had transformed into a Divine Dragon, whispered.

There was a wound behind the right corner of his mouth.

His scales had been sliced open, his muscles torn, and blood flowed from the wound.

Moments ago, a Flying Slash had shot out from the flames, tearing a gash across his face.

Although his dragon scales could now easily block bullets and cannonballs, they were still no match for a Flying Slash from a swordsman imbued with Haki.

But it didn't matter. This injury was nothing compared to the destruction he had wrought.

Below, on the sea, the massive warship had been completely obliterated, leaving only fragments that had survived the explosions and flames floating on the water.

Marines, burned to charcoal by the flames, were scattered everywhere.

Those who had miraculously survived were now howling in agony.

It was a scene like purgatory.

Is this what they call a battle?

Bright roared, his mighty roar turning into thunder, and lightning rained down upon the sea.

Lightning bolts leaped across the water, and the surviving Marines were once again subjected to the onslaught of thunder.

Now, things should finally quiet down.

"You damn Fishman!"

Hag was still alive.

Despite taking Bright's continuous lightning strikes and fire breath head-on, he was still alive thanks to his Haki-based defense.

However, Rear Admiral Hag was in a terrible state, his entire body scorched black, not from Haki, but as if he had been roasted.

Haki could form a solid armor, but even armor couldn't completely block lightning and flames. Not to mention, the fire breath had also detonated the warship's powder magazine, causing a massive explosion.

Rear Admiral Hag, whose original appearance was no longer discernible, knelt on a piece of wreckage. He looked up at the fiery red dragon in the sky.

"I get it! In the past, Vegapunk tried to replicate Kaido's abilities, but he ended up creating a failed fruit, and everyone was deceived by him!"

Hag staggered to his feet.

Bright began to gather lightning, dazzling currents flowing across his fiery red body.

He had activated the ability of the giant electric eel, which allowed him to generate and store electricity.

Although it was far from mature, it could still be useful.

"That fruit was a success!"

Hag gripped his sword tightly. "He gave that fruit to you! That's why you're in cahoots!"

"What are you plotting?"

Bright had no intention of wasting words with him. He opened his mouth again, and fire and lightning converged within.

"Breath of Lightning and Fire!"

A beam of mixed lightning and fire, silver-white and fiery red intertwined, descended mercilessly upon Hag like a falling meteor.

BOOM!!

Lightning and fire instantly created a massive explosion on the sea, vaporizing water and flashing with electricity.

Huge waves spread out in all directions.

"Huh?"

Bright, floating in the sky, noticed something was wrong.

His previous attack had met no resistance.

Could it be that Hag has no strength left to resist?

How is that possible?

Bright didn't believe he was strong enough to instantly kill a Marine Rear Admiral.

Is that guy trying to escape?

A cold smile touched Bright's lips. There's no way I'll give you that chance.

The explosion stirred up enormous waves, making the ocean currents beneath the surface incredibly turbulent.

But now, these chaotic currents were helping Hag.

He was being swept away from the battlefield at high speed by the currents.

Even though the lightning transmitted through the seawater caused him immense suffering, even though the seawater, heated by the flames to the point of almost evaporating, caused him agony.

"I have to survive!!"

Hag gritted his teeth, enduring the pain with his Haki-covered body.

Fighting that Fishman was suicide.

That guy's power is like a natural disaster; it's impossible to get close to him.

There's only one option: run.

Report the connection between that filthy Fishman and Vegapunk to the superiors! Make Vegapunk and this trash Fishman pay!!

He struggled to hold his breath.

Then.

Puff--

A loud noise.

Not far away, a giant object plunged into the sea. Amidst the spreading and intertwining bubbles, Hag, who instinctively turned his head, saw his pupils contract.

"Trying to escape a Fishman's pursuit in the sea?"

The fiery dragon dove into the ocean, its slender body swimming through the water. Hag heard Bright's mocking voice.

Impossible!!

Hag subconsciously wanted to exclaim, but he forgot he was underwater. Seawater instantly flooded his mouth.

Panicked, he began to drown.

"You chose the worst possible place for a decisive battle."

Bright grabbed the water current with his claws and then opened his mouth wide. "Fish-Man Jujutsu—Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

With a flick of his claws, he threw a stream of water directly at Hag.

At the same time, he opened his mouth and exhaled forcefully.

Fire!

Beneath the surface of the seawater, Bright spat out golden flames!

The flames merged with the water current, transforming into a fiery dragon in the water, instantly engulfing Hag.

Blown away by the water current, Hag's entire body instantly burst into flames.

"..."

He struggled desperately, but the flames had already entered his mouth, nostrils, and ears. They even penetrated his intestines through the seawater, turning him into a blazing torch.

In immense pain, he clawed at his throat, tearing it open as if trying to expel the flames from within.

But it was all in vain.

His eyes dimmed, and his strength rapidly vanished.

I'm not reconciled!!

Damn Fishman!

Bright slowly approached, wary that Hag might still launch a desperate counterattack.

As he drew closer, the flames on Hag's body and in the surrounding seawater began to extinguish.

Hag had completely turned into a charred husk.

He was truly dead.

To his death, he never understood how he was found.

Nor did he grasp why Bright, a Devil Fruit User, could move freely underwater.

He also didn't understand how fire could burn in seawater.

Bright breathed a sigh of relief.

Without a doubt, this guy was the strongest opponent he had faced besides Kizaru!

Yet, he had achieved victory with a significant advantage.

Although it involved some trickery, with his current abilities, even without Haki, he wouldn't be considered weak in this world, would he?

The abilities he gained just over a week ago had been a huge help.

The reason he could locate Hag in the chaotic sea was due to the sensing ability derived from the Reaper Squid. It was similar to electromagnetic wave detection; even without sight, Bright could perceive the presence of life within a certain range, making it a close relative of Observation Haki in a sense.

Although the detection range was still short, it was barely sufficient.

He could dive underwater because a thin membrane now covered Bright's scales, tightly connected to them, helping his body isolate the seawater.

Only partial contact with seawater wouldn't exhaust Bright.

As for the flames burning underwater, it was thanks to the ability provided by the Devil Ray. This creature, which lived about twenty million years ago, could secrete a combustible substance internally.

This substance not only significantly increased the flame's temperature but also contained its own oxygen. This meant that as long as the internal oxygen wasn't depleted, the flames could burn fiercely even in the deep sea.

However, the amount of fuel he could produce now was small, barely enough for one breath, and it wouldn't burn for long.

But overall, this ability experiment was very successful.

Bright flew back into the sky. After confirming that no Marines were still alive, he finally felt at ease.

The disappearance of these Marines and someone returning to report the situation represented two different future outcomes.

"Time to head back."

Bright turned, plunged into the sea, and swam in a certain direction.

It was time to return to Fish-Man Island.

But there was still one problem: he didn't know the way.

It didn't matter, though. Fish-men don't get lost at sea.

Bright searched the water for a while, then spotted a group of whales leisurely floating by.

He immediately reverted to his human form and swam towards them like an arrow released from a bow.

"Friends! Do you know which way Fish-Man Island is? It's a place underwater where many creatures like me live."

The whales stopped swimming, and the largest among them let out a long cry.

"You don't know, but you can take me to someone who might? Thank you so much! As a reward, I'll help you scrape off those barnacles."

Bright smiled and swam to the top of the large whale, sitting down.

It felt good to be back in the sea.

Beneath the dark ocean surface lay the paradise of Fish-men and Mermaids, filled with friends everywhere.

Fish-men and Mermaids were children of the sea, possessing the ability to communicate with fish.

Of course, Sea Kings were an exception; that was a privilege exclusive to Poseidon.

Thank you to the esteemed reader '20220424190730807' for the 500-point reward. Thank you, thank you!