Jinbe's Shock

The time returned to a little earlier, at Navy Headquarters, the great fortress known as Marineford.

A man pushed open the door to the Fleet Admiral's office.

"Brother Kong, Jinbe contacted us just now."

The man had a spherical hairstyle and wore a seagull-shaped hat on his head.

"He asked why the last Fish-Man Pirate still hasn't returned."

People across the seas generally referred to this man as Admiral Sengoku.

"What a headache. How did you answer him?"

The man seated behind the desk had a remarkably sturdy build, and his beard resembled the Chinese character for mountain turned upside down.

He was the man who had led all Marines down the path of justice since long ago in the past: the Fleet Admiral, Steel Bone Kong.

Sengoku replied, "I told him the truth. The warship escorting him has vanished. But he doesn't believe it at all. He thinks we've gone back on our word."

"It'd be stranger if he did believe us."

Kong rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"What exactly happened to Hag? How did he suddenly vanish without a trace?"

"There aren't any clues at all, and it even involves the new Shichibukai."

"The search has never stopped, but given the harsh natural conditions of the New World, the chances of finding clues in that vast expanse of sea are minuscule," Sengoku said.

"But we can't just pretend this never happened, can we?"

Kong raised his eyes.

His gaze was exceptionally sharp. No matter how one looked at it, the silent disappearance of a Navy Headquarters Rear Admiral was a major incident worthy of his attention.

"Request Cipher Pol's assistance. Don't overlook any possible leads."

Sengoku nodded gently. "I think we can start with the Science Unit. Okam said that Hag didn't get along with that fish-man."

"I'll leave it to you, Sengoku."

Bright knew nothing about what was happening at Marineford.

But even if he had known, he would not have been surprised.

A Navy Headquarters Rear Admiral was no low-ranking officer.

At that moment, Bright floated in the deep sea.

Not far ahead of him, Jinbe floated quietly in the water as well.

Just earlier, Jinbe had suddenly proposed fighting Bright once.

When Bright asked why, Jinbe answered, "Only after confirming your current abilities can I determine the appropriate intensity for your training."

That did sound reasonable.

In the end, they chose this stretch of deep sea, relatively far from Fish-Man Island but still not entirely beyond Eve's light.

After all, Jinbe had told Bright to go all out. If they fought on Fish-Man Island, the commotion might become a little too great.

But could he really move freely underwater?

Jinbe looked at Bright in the distance and marveled inwardly.

How terrifying would a Devil Fruit user be if he did not fear the sea and could even live underwater?

"Are you ready, Bright?"

Jinbe said with a genial smile, "If you're ready, come at me."

"Then I won't hold back!"

Bright released a string of bubbles.

This was the perfect chance to test how great the gap between his current self and the powerhouses of the sea still was!

Brother Jinbe might not have been one of the world's absolute top monsters, but he was still at a second-tier level.

Even under the Emperors of the Sea, he would have been one of the major officers.

He could let loose to his heart's content!

Splash!

A white column of water tore through the deep sea as Bright shot out like a launched torpedo, astonishing speed erupting in an instant.

Merfolk were the fastest swimmers in the sea, while fish-men came second.

Jinbe smiled, bracing himself against the water with his feet while raising both hands into a stance.

"Come!"

"Fish-Man Karate—Four Thousand Brick Fist!"

Using Fishman Karate underwater was like a tiger gaining wings. The surrounding seawater was drawn in by Bright's fist, forming a whirlpool around it.

"Far too crude!"

Jinbe casually swayed his bulky body and easily avoided Bright's punch.

He even had the leisure to comment, "Fish-Man Karate isn't just randomly swinging your fists!"

"Four Thousand Brick Roundhouse Kick!"

Bright's right leg ripped through the seawater, kicking out a vacuum zone even in the deep sea.

Jinbe raised his right arm before him to block.

Bang!

With an explosive sound, Jinbe was kicked flying by Bright's leg.

"Astonishing strength!"

After being pushed back only a short distance, Jinbe said admiringly, "Of course, your technique is still crude. That power hasn't been released to its fullest."

"Brother Jinbe, at least get serious!!"

Bright shot toward him, his fists raining down like a storm.

"I've already got my nerves stretched tight!"

Though Jinbe was bulky, his reaction speed was astonishingly fast. His hands seemed to turn into afterimages, and every punch Bright threw was swatted away with a palm.

"Is this Observation Haki?"

Bright exclaimed.

It was as though his attacks had been seen through down to his underwear.

"Observation Haki is the power of hearing!"

Jinbe raised a hand toward Bright.

"To Observation Haki, your attacks are far too obvious."

His hand was about to seize Bright's wrist.

But at that very instant, Bright twisted his body, dodging Jinbe's hand and pulling away at the same time.

"Hmm?"

Jinbe froze for a moment.

He had actually reacted in time?

"Almost got grabbed. As expected of Brother Jinbe."

Bright said with a smile.

Good thing his reactions were fast.

Strictly speaking, his sensory ability was merely a byproduct of the abilities provided by the Reaper Squid.

What Bright truly wanted from that creature was its agility and reactions.

Though Reaper Squids were enormous, their bodies were covered in a special type of cell that enhanced touch and accelerated neural signal transmission.

They were unbelievably sensitive and agile. It was said that they could even sense vibrations in the seawater through their skin, determine the movement paths of a massive school of prey, then use their huge tentacles to precisely and swiftly stuff them into their mouths one by one before they scattered.

Combined with their long-range sensing ability, that was how they earned the name Reaper.

"Brother Jinbe, don't be too shocked by what comes next!"

Bright's body began to expand.

There was no point in fighting without using his abilities.

Jinbe surpassed him in both strength and technique.

He really was a Devil Fruit user!

A Devil Fruit user capable of surviving freely beneath the sea!

Jinbe was shaken as he watched Bright transform.

Then an even more shocking sight appeared.

"Th-This is!!"

Jinbe was nearly dumbfounded.

What had he just seen?

Bright had turned into a red dragon!

A very familiar dragon!

"What is this?!"

Jinbe could hardly believe it, as though his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

"Bright, did you obtain Kaido's power?"

Aside from the color, he looked exactly like Kaido!

"It was a replication of Kaido's ability made by Vegapunk."

Bright's long body swam through the water.

"But the ability should be roughly the same as Kaido's."

"Roughly the same as Kaido's?"

Jinbe clicked his tongue.

What Kaido possessed was one of the world's most powerful abilities, the power of a mythical beast that existed only in legends!

Bright possessed the same power as him?

Delight surged within Jinbe's heart.

"Watch out, Brother Jinbe!!"

Bright roared, dazzling electricity blooming over his body as the current instantly spread through the seawater in all directions.

Jinbe had Observation Haki, so Bright could not hit him? Then he would make it impossible for him to dodge.

"What an incredible ability!"

Jinbe burst into laughter. The more Bright displayed his formidable strength, the happier he became.

"But don't underestimate me either!"

His entire body was covered in pitch-black Haki, and the arcs of electricity leaping through the water instantly enveloped him.

"It hurts, it hurts!!"

Jinbe cried out.

But he was only shouting.

The lightning made him feel pain, but it only made him feel pain.

Bright was not surprised.

Jinbe's Armament Haki was strong enough to take an enraged strike from Charlotte Linlin with barely any injury!

Though the current Jinbe was certainly not as strong as he would be eleven years later, the strength of his Armament Haki was still not something Bright could ignore.

He was on a completely different level from Hag.

Since lightning did not work, then he would use a raging gale!

Wind rose from Bright's body, sweeping up seawater and transforming it into white whirlpool dragons on the seafloor that crashed toward Jinbe from all directions.

"Water techniques aren't very effective against fish-men!"

Jinbe held his hands in front of himself as though embracing something.

He actually caught one of the white whirlpools directly, then swung it with all his strength.

"Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

The enormous current was swung by Jinbe like a whip, smashing apart the other whirlpools. Even the surging undercurrent forced Bright backward.

Before the undercurrent had even settled, Jinbe had already shot forward.

"Do you have any stronger moves, Bright?!"

Jinbe laughed loudly.

"Of course!!"

Bright's body began to shrink, transforming into his Dragon Human form.

His towering body was covered in red scales. On closer inspection, a layer of bubble membrane could be seen clinging tightly to those scales.

"Fish-Man Karate!!"

Flames were not useful in the deep sea, and even enhanced flames were not suitable for use against Jinbe.

Lightning could not penetrate Jinbe's defenses, while wind was even more powerless.

Then he would use his fists!

Bright charged toward Jinbe.

"Come on, Bright!"

The two threw punches at the same time.

Boom!

The next instant, their fists collided.

The clash of their fists alone blasted out a vacuum in this stretch of deep sea.

"What astonishing strength!"

Jinbe exclaimed in amazement.

In terms of raw strength alone, Bright was already very close to him!

One had to know that no one on Fish-Man Island was stronger than Jinbe!

But Jinbe was already thirty-five years old, and his body had long since reached its peak.

Bright, on the other hand, was only seventeen. His body was still in a period of rapid development, and he had not even undergone any truly rigorous training or fierce battles to grow stronger!

At the same age, Jinbe had been far inferior even to Bright without his abilities.

Jinbe's eyes were filled with excitement.

Bright, as expected, if it was you—

"Come on! Bright, show me just how far you can go!!"

Thanks to 'The First Ray of Sunshine,' 'Foodie Hmph,' 'No Desire to Compete,' and 'Where Is It' for the one hundred-point donations, and thanks to 'Growing and Setting' for the one thousand-point donation! Thank you, thank you!