What Makes You Think I'm Not Good at Fighting in Water?

"Same joke, second time around, isn't funny anymore. Big Brother, let me send him on his way."

Haki began to swirl around Babel, eventually taking on the appearance of transparent flames burning around him. It was exceptionally dense Armament Haki, as well as an advanced application of it.

Simply put, it meant releasing Haki outside the body and making it flow around the body, forming invisible armor and inflicting internal damage when attacking.

Because of the flowing nature of Haki, Wano Country called it Ryuo. Babel was quite skilled in this regard.

"No, this guy is kind of interesting. I'll handle him myself."

"Big Brother, if you personally deal with an ignorant fool like this, Sebastian will definitely laugh at me afterward."

"Babel, you'd have no problem dealing with him, but this guy seems to have some skill. It would take you some time to finish him.

We're about to reach God Valley. I was just thinking of stretching my limbs a little. Go on ahead with Rocks and the others. I'll catch up later."

Hearing Nereus say that, Babel stopped insisting. He merely glared viciously in Valentine's direction while muttering something under his breath.

If Sebastian had been here, he would definitely have said that this monk Babel was cursing his opponent again instead of properly sending him on his way.

Then Nereus gave a light leap and landed on Valentine's ship. Some of the other Rocks Pirates even started taking bets on the spot.

However, the bet never got off the ground and was called off halfway through.

Everyone had bet on Nereus winning, so there was no way to make a wager.

On Valentine's ship, when Valentine saw Nereus board alone, he not only refrained from ordering his men to attack immediately, but even took two steps back and bowed to Nereus.

Then he asked in a seemingly concerned tone.

"Mr. Nereus, you jumped onto our ship all alone. Are you really that confident?

Oh, no, that's wrong. Because it's you, you should have that kind of confidence.

That is what the person I admire ought to do. I only hope the person I admire won't flee in fear at the end and show such an unsightly side."

"Don't worry. I won't run, and I won't dodge. Quite a few Pirates in the New World fear me. It's been a long time since I met someone as 'interesting' as you, so I got a little impatient.

You'd better show me something that interests me."

"Attack!"

With a wave of Valentine's hand, the other Pirates on the ship pulled out all kinds of weapons. Unlike the flintlock guns commonly seen at sea, every weapon aboard Valentine's ship was automatic.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

"Die! As long as we kill you, we'll make a name for ourselves!"

"This is what you get for being arrogant! Be good and become our stepping stone!"

In terms of firepower, these men far surpassed an ordinary Pirate crew. It seemed Valentine had spent quite a lot of money in this area.

Under the dense barrage, Nereus's body was torn to pieces. Even the deck beneath where he had been standing was destroyed by the hail of bullets, and a great deal of blood dripped through the cracks in the deck and spread outward.

From a medical standpoint, the amount of blood was far beyond what an ordinary person could lose. It even stained an entire section of the deck red.

Yet the Pirates did not notice that the blood was spreading in a strange manner, gradually reaching beneath their feet.

However, the attack had no practical effect. When the smoke cleared, Nereus was still standing nearby completely unharmed, with an extra bullet head in his hand.

"Silver bullets. Not a bad idea, but they have no practical meaning."

The moment he finished speaking, the blood spilled across the ground seemed to come under his control, transforming into thorns made of blood and turning Valentine's ship into a crimson forest.

The spikes on the thorns became countless blood-red spears, piercing the bodies of the Pirates on deck in an instant. Only Valentine remained outside the range of the attack.

The moment the blood-red spears pierced them, the blood inside those Pirates' bodies seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force and was ultimately absorbed by the crimson thorns.

"Just as I thought, that wasn't enough to kill you. They say the Vampire Fruit can steal other people's lifespans, allowing its user to escape the constraints of time.

With that recovery ability, the rumors in the underworld about an immortal creature must be true, right?

That powerful form... is exactly the target I should kill!"

Valentine's tone carried a sickening admiration. He clearly wanted to kill his opponent, yet he looked more like a devout servant.

"Hmph, boring fellow. Truly ageless and immortal creatures do not exist. You simply haven't found the right method.

Looks like I was overthinking it. You aren't even qualified to serve as entertainment."

This time, Valentine did not reply. Instead, he observed the corpses on the deck. Their deathly pale faces were enough to show that not a trace of blood remained in their bodies.

Using a move on that scale must consume some stamina no matter what. He should have suffered the greater loss. And with how much he looks down on me... I have a chance!

Valentine did not care whether these crewmen lived or died. He saw them only as tools to achieve his goal. If their lives could make Nereus lower his guard, he thought it was completely worthwhile.

Ever since Nereus boarded the ship, Valentine had been preparing.

He suddenly realized that Nereus was not paying attention to him at all. Instead, he had turned to look in the direction Rocks's ship had departed. Valentine instantly shot forward, charging toward Nereus.

At this distance, even if Observation Haki detects me, he won't be able to dodge!

Valentine did not attack. Instead, he tightly wrapped his arms around Nereus's waist and dragged him down into the sea beside them.

Only when the icy seawater soaked through his clothes did ecstasy surge through Valentine's heart.

"Hahaha! Mr. Nereus, no matter how powerful you are, you're still a Devil Fruit user! Even a Fish-Man would lose all strength after falling into the sea upon eating a Devil Fruit!

I may be human, but I was born in Frigid Harbor on Swallow Island in the North Blue! Many people there are skilled swimmers, and I'm no exception!

As a Fish-Man, how does it feel to be defeated by a human in the sea?!"

"Swallow Island... I remember that island. It's also called Petrel Island, isn't it?"

Nereus had his own impressions of certain islands, and Swallow Island was one of them. In the original timeline, it was the island where Trafalgar Law's two crewmen, Shachi and Penguin, lived.

Although the two were merely humans, underwater they could function like a humanoid submarine and a high-pressure water cannon.

Nereus's tone was extremely calm, without the slightest fear of his current situation. After his brief burst of ecstasy, Valentine also realized something was wrong.

By all rights, Nereus should only have been able to stay afloat with Valentine's help. Yet Valentine had clearly let go, while Nereus still floated on the surface.

"H-How is that possible?!"