Fruit

Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu are both techniques that manipulate water.

Bright couldn't casually fire off shockwaves strong enough to pierce a giant like Jinbe could, or flick water droplets more powerful than cannonballs, but if he put in a bit of effort, making water droplets hit with the force of bullets was still fairly easy.

Blood flowed across the wide corridor.

Bright was silent. He wasn't deliberately aiming for the marines' vitals, but he wasn't avoiding them either.

In his past life, he was just an ordinary person—hadn't even killed a chicken from childhood to adulthood.

But in this life, he was a violent, savage shark, raised from a young age in the Fish-Man District, a place crawling with bad kids.

He took a step forward and stomped on a hand—a hand reaching for a Den Den Mushi that had fallen to the side.

Bright looked down at the marine captain, whose face was flushed with frustration as he stared up at him.

Iron Body?

No wonder his neck was so tough.

"You... are this strong?" The captain's voice was hoarse, laced with disbelief.

"Just wasn't the time to show it before."

Bright kicked the captain hard in the chest, sending the man flying like a cannonball into the wall. The special metal wall was dented slightly from the impact.

"Now we're even."

Bright took a deep breath.

The first step of the plan was perfectly executed. No doctor had come, which meant he didn't have to make his move inside the cell, cutting down a long stretch of distance.

Next, he had to charge straight to the base's harbor in one go, leap into the sea, and then no one would be able to stop him.

Who could stop a fish-man in the ocean?

He had to thank the base's builders for making it so large and complex that even the personnel got lost easily, forcing them to carve maps at key locations.

Now, it was time to put that to use.

Bright stretched his body.

Once he burst out of here, there would be no chance to catch his breath. He had to sprint to the finish in one go.

Otherwise, everything would end.

After regaining the memories of his past life, Bright didn't really have grand ambitions.

He had originally planned to just spend a year in Impel Down, then go back to Fish-Man Island to find a job, learn Haki and physical combat from Jinbe, and wait until the Straw Hat Kid set sail and the Revolutionary Army overthrew the Celestial Dragons.

After all, Joy Boy would eventually fulfill the promise he made to the Mermaid Princess eight hundred years ago, right?

But unfortunately, he was brought here.

He didn't want to grow old in a prison cell, and even less did he want to be quietly disposed of by the government once he lost his value.

So, he chose to resist.

Too bad his body was too big—none of the marines' clothes fit him, or things might have been a lot easier.

Bright took a few steps forward, slowly exhaled, and kept replaying the base's structural map he had seen before in his mind.

Then, he lowered his body and took a deep breath.

"Ready—"

Every muscle in his body was taut.

"Go!"

Explosive power erupted, turning Bright's tall frame into a blur as he shot forward.

In the blink of an eye, he had already burst out of the bathhouse area—in other words, he was back in the surveillance zone.

Bright swung his hands repeatedly, smashing the surveillance Den Den Mushi along the way with water droplets.

But that only covered the area he was familiar with.

As he ran further ahead, this was a zone he had only seen on the structural map.

He couldn't take out the surveillance Den Den Mushi immediately.

Even worse, a squad of marine patrols was coming straight at him from the corner ahead.

"You're—"

Seeing Bright charging toward them, the marines were stunned, still unaware of what was happening.

"Shark Skin Palm Strike!"

Water gathered in his legs, then transformed into explosive force. Bright shot into the air like a shadow, and before the marines could react, he kicked off the ceiling to change direction.

The next second, he crashed into the marine formation like a cannonball.

"3000-Sheet Whirlwind Kick!"

Like a tornado sweeping through, the marines were caught in the storm, scattering like leaves in the wind.

Bright didn't pause for a moment. He strode forward.

Not much further now.

Now it was a gamble—whose speed was faster, the Science Unit's reaction time or his own movement speed?

In the surveillance room, the Marines finally sensed something wrong.

"That fish-man!! He's escaping!!"

"Damn it! Something's wrong! His target is the harbor—notify the control room, lower the blocking gate!"

"Hurry and report to the higher-ups, stop him before he escapes into the sea!!"

The sharp wail of the alarm tore through the silent night of the base, flashing red lights snapping everyone's nerves taut.

"Water Strike!"

Bright flung out a chain of water droplets, blasting away the last few Marines in front of him.

But there was no hint of joy on his face.

This was already the fifth patrol squad he had taken down.

The intervals between their appearances were growing shorter and shorter.

No surprise there—his movements were always exposed, and the longer he dragged things out, the more people would block his path.

"Shark Skin Palm Strike!!"

Water gathered once again in his legs.

This kind of explosive technique wasn't originally meant for travel, but at this point, he couldn't afford to care.

Bright shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Seventeenth Squad defeated!"

"Ninth and Thirteenth Squads defeated!"

"Damn it, even Lieutenant Commander Koonitz has been taken down!!"

"Don't worry, he won't get far!! Waiting ahead of him is the Iron Wall!"

"Huff—huff—huff—"

Bright gasped for air, his right hand clutching his left shoulder, where a not-too-deep bloody hole was still bleeding. That wasn't all—his body bore numerous other wounds.

The enemies blocking him were growing more numerous and stronger. Just now, he'd run into someone skilled in the Three Forms, Six Styles, and while being ganged up on, he'd slipped up for a moment, letting the guy open a hole in his shoulder with a Finger Pistol.

Luckily, he'd still managed to fight his way out, narrowly escaping danger.

Past the temporary warehouse ahead was the harbor.

Bright took a deep breath and pushed open the warehouse door.

"Fire!"

A sharp shout came from behind the door.

Then came a storm of crackling gunfire.

Bright ducked behind the doorway at a distance, watching helplessly as the wall outside was riddled into a honeycomb.

He knew there'd be an ambush.

With that kind of firepower, there had to be at least a few hundred men.

When the gunfire briefly paused, Bright leaped forward, stuck his head out for a look.

Just one glance, and then he turned and bolted without a second's hesitation.

The warehouse was packed with a dark mass of Marines.

Behind them, the gate leading to the harbor had already been sealed shut.

And at the front of the Marines stood a man—a man draped in a Justice Coat, with a Rear Admiral's rank on his shoulder!

No way to win. Breaking through head-on was absolutely impossible.

Damn it, he'd have to fall back on Plan B!

He had to gamble!

Bright strained to recall the base's structural layout and began his second round of escape.

In the surveillance room.

"What's going on? That guy's running back!"

"Damn it, did he realize he couldn't break through the encirclement?"

"Hurry and notify the higher-ups—stop sending troops to the harbor! He's moving toward another area!"

The Marines quickly adjusted their direction. This time, it was no small skirmish—every unit was led by officers of Captain rank or higher, each composed of over a hundred men!

Bright knew full well that as time passed, the Marine squads blocking him would only grow stronger, so he had to use his head.

Instead of heading straight for his target, he began destroying the surveillance Den Den Mushi along the way while circling around. Once he'd taken out enough of them, he started pulling back.

"Damn it! I can't see that guy anymore!"

"Where did he hide?"

"It's fine, we've already surrounded that area! He can't escape!"

Bright knew that even if he temporarily evaded surveillance, the Marines would soon compress this space to zero—he had no time to catch his breath.

But that was enough.

Bright turned around directly and charged toward his true destination.

More Marines should have been lured to another direction by now, right?

When Bright reappeared on the monitors, the Marines in the surveillance room were startled.

"What's going on? Why is that guy heading deeper into the base?"

"It's fine! Captain Ronald is nearby! He won't get away!"

Bright ran with all his might, calculating as he moved forward.

Then, finally, just as he was getting close to his destination, a squad of Marines blocked his path.

"Halt! This is as far as you go, fish-man!"

The Marine captain, wielding a longsword, shouted, "You have nowhere to run! Surrender now!"

Behind him, hundreds of Marine soldiers aimed their guns at Bright.

Without any hesitation, Bright burst forward at full speed.

He was gambling.

And he gambled right.

"Damn it!"

The captain gritted his teeth. "Don't shoot! Draw your swords! Capture him!"

This fish-man was important experimental material for Doctor Vegapunk.

The Marines drew their blades and charged at Bright under the captain's lead.

"Shave!"

Bright only saw a blur—the Marine captain had already appeared right in front of him, mercilessly swinging his sword down.

So fast!

Bright gritted his teeth—literally.

He opened his mouth wide and bit down on the incoming blade.

Crack!

A crisp sound.

"What?!"

The captain's face changed instantly.

His sword had been cracked by this guy's bite!

Though it wasn't a famous blade, it was still a finely tempered high-quality weapon!

He didn't know that what sharks prided themselves on most was, of course, their bite force.

"3000-Sheet Straight Punch!"

Blocking the captain's sword, Bright drove a fist into the captain's stomach.

"Iron Body!"

The impact felt like hitting steel, but the captain was still sent flying, crashing like a cannonball into the wall on the side.

Bright paid no attention to the Marine captain. Repeating his trick, he leaped up, rebounded off the corridor wall, vaulted over the Marines who dared not fire, and sprinted forward at top speed.

"Ugh—!"

The captain, crumpled on the ground, clutched his chest, his face deathly pale, blood spilling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. This guy had terrifying strength!

But he wiped the blood away at once and shouted angrily, "After him!"

Bright kept running forward.

The Marines were all wondering—where exactly was he trying to go?

The deeper he went, the fewer escape routes there were.

And then, soon enough, something that shocked them happened.

Bright arrived in front of a large door.

He pushed it open, walked inside, and locked it from within.

Finally, he had made it.

"Huh? Isn't that the place for storing discarded items?"

"Yes, all of the doctor's failures are here."

"Is that guy's destination here? Does he mean to use one of the tools inside to escape?"

"That idiot, those are all useless failures—things the doctor only kept as mementos instead of tossing into the dump!"

"There's no surveillance Den Den Mushi installed inside. We can't confirm the situation in there."

"It doesn't matter. It's sealed off in there; he has nowhere to run. Once we gather a few more people, we'll break in head-on!"

The Marines felt victory was already within their grasp.

Bright locked the door. He had no time to take a detailed look at the room's contents and began his search.

It didn't take much effort. He soon found what he was looking for on a platform in the corner of the room.

It was a fruit casually placed there.

Fiery red, its skin resembling scales.

He had bet correctly.

It really was here!

Thanks to the two big shots, 'Today's Rain Is So Heavy' and 'Winter Evening Breeze,' for their hundred-point tips. Much appreciated.

Also, the contract is signed. Please throw some votes my way!