Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!

"Hoo... hoo..."

The two of them, back on the surface, greedily sucked in oxygen.

"That kid's speed in the water is terrifying," T-Bone said. "No wonder he was so confident."

T-Bone considered his own speed to be quite fast, yet that kid was even faster underwater!

"It's just a little trick," Strawberry said. "Find an opportunity to break his Ninjutsu!"

Strawberry guessed that the reason the opponent could move so terrifyingly fast in seawater was likely due to the special nature of his Ninjutsu.

Once they got him out of the seawater, it shouldn't be difficult to kill him with their speed.

"Easier said than done..."

T-Bone looked with a headache at Xi Yan, who was provocatively watching them from the water. It was precisely because of his speed that it was hard to break his Ninjutsu.

They had tried splitting the seawater with slashes before, but the water balls quickly reformed. It was purely a waste of effort.

"Bang~"

A distinct sound of Geppo caught the attention of the two.

Seeing Momonga return, Strawberry was first delighted, then confused. "Why are you back alone?"

Where were the other two?

Even though Doberman had lost an arm, he shouldn't have been immediately incapacitated. After all, he was a Hawk Faction member who was ruthless to everyone!

Even if he was out, Onigumo should still have been combat-capable.

"Two, prepare yourselves mentally," Momonga said, taking a deep breath. "The enemy we're facing this time is extremely vicious!"

Under their confused gazes, Momonga recounted what had happened.

Afterward, he looked down and saw that Xi Yan was no longer pursuing the ordinary Marines but was beckoning to them.

His gesture seemed to say: Come down, and I won't kill them.

"He really is... quite vicious..." T-Bone gritted his teeth. "That despicable guy!"

He didn't choose to fight head-on, nor did he use his Ninjutsu to attack. Instead, he used... toxin as his final resort.

That bastard!

"No wonder they couldn't break free from the water balls," Strawberry said calmly. "Two, from now on, you must activate your Observation Haki to its limit. Absolutely do not get hit by his attacks."

"At the same time, be sure not to inhale seawater. If you run out of oxygen, go out to get some air, then come back down to continue fighting."

After speaking, Strawberry paused, then added, "Although I'm not sure if he'd poison such a vast body of water, we... can't afford to gamble."

Two Vice Admirals had already lost their combat effectiveness. If they delayed any longer, it could lead to their deaths.

Therefore, they couldn't afford any more mistakes, or they would truly be finished.

"Then let's go fight him again!" T-Bone said. "At least we need to buy time for the others to escape."

The Marines in the seawater had already realized the problem. Staying here any longer would only result in drowning.

So, from the very beginning, they had been trying their best to swim out. It was just that some of them were caught and eliminated by Xi Yan.

As for the stronger ones, they tried to bring their companions with them.

But it was basically impossible to save everyone. This time... some people were destined to be left behind in the sea.

"Honestly, I really want to slash them," Momonga glanced in the direction of the Straw Hat Pirates, veins bulging on the hand gripping his longsword.

But he knew he absolutely couldn't make a move now, or there would be irreversible consequences!

"Leave them to those guys," Strawberry said. "Not all the Marines who came with us this time are ordinary."

"This bastard kid will eventually understand how firm the will of our Navy is!"

If the Marines could escape this massive body of water, they would have a chance to capture the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates. And this... was one of the purposes of them holding the enemy back now!

"Geppo!"

Strawberry shouted softly and plunged downwards, heading straight for Xi Yan!

Seeing this, the other two said no more and quickly followed.

But this time, the Observation Haki of all three was pushed to its limit, ready to use Armament Haki to protect their bodies at any moment, at the very least to prevent themselves from being attacked by his toxins.

'Kid, die!'

Intense killing intent flashed in Momonga's eyes. Before he even got close, a Flying Slash shot out!

"Whoosh~"

The slash vibrated the seawater, stirring up ripples.

But unfortunately, Momonga's Flying Slash couldn't even hit Xi Yan outside the water, let alone in it.

"Pfft!"

The Flying Slash cut through the water flow and, unimpeded, struck a Marine warship in the sea. With a single blow, a portion of the warship was split open, rendering it damaged.

Momonga: ...

Looking at his masterpiece, Momonga was stunned.

T-Bone came over and patted Momonga's shoulder, signaling him not to worry about such things.

The moment the warship was surrounded by the waters, it was effectively considered damaged, as the enemy could destroy it at any time!

The reason they hadn't done so was likely just to conserve stamina.

'Two Sword Style: Extreme!'

Strawberry's speed suddenly surged. Like a swordfish, he charged towards Xi Yan at an extremely high speed.

As he approached, Strawberry raised his twin blades and slashed!

'Die, kid!'

A cold killing intent flickered in Strawberry's eyes. His Haki-infused weapons mercilessly cut through Xi Yan's body!

"Pfft!"

'Did we succeed?!' the two behind them thought in surprise.

But Strawberry wasn't feeling as good, because he realized he hadn't hit the real body. The feel was completely wrong!

"Boom!!"

The Xi Yan that was cut open didn't dissipate but instead exploded.

Strawberry's pupils suddenly shrank, and he cursed inwardly, 'Damn ninja, did he really think I'd fall for that trick?!'

Having learned from Onigumo and the other's previous mistakes, how could he possibly be trapped by the enemy with a Water Ball again!!

With that thought, Strawberry quickly retreated, intending to escape the target's attack range first.

However, before he could fly far, his Observation Haki sensed something flying towards him, precisely at his retreat path.

'Damn it, I can't dodge...'

'Armament Haki, Harden!'

With no time to think, Strawberry quickly coated his body with Armament Haki, intending to tank the attack.

The next moment...

"Boom!!"

A javelin made of water struck Strawberry. The moment it made contact, it transformed into an incredibly terrifying, giant Water Tornado.

The immense power tore at Strawberry's body, leaving him no room for slack. Armament Haki constantly enveloped him.

Finally, he was swept away by this terrifying force, smashing violently into the sea, creating a vacuum zone!

"Boom!!"

A moment later, seawater began to pour in, burying Strawberry within it.

Blood trickled from the corner of Strawberry's mouth, making his expression extremely grim.

Without Armament Haki protecting his body, this move would have been fatal!

"Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!"

Xi Yan, in a throwing stance, calmly watched the scene.

Then, he shifted his gaze to T-Bone and Momonga, his eyes seeming to say: It's your turn.

'Damn it...'

T-Bone was furious. This guy simply refused to engage in close combat.

In that case... they would have to risk destroying the warship to cleave open this damned water!

He turned and made several hand gestures to Momonga, signaling him to attack together.

Receiving the signal, Momonga didn't hesitate. He and T-Bone rushed onto the surface of the water.

Then, the two of them unleashed their slashes together!

"One Sword Style: Water Sever!"

"One Sword Style: Flame Burn!"

"Boom!!"