Life Return Secret Art: Imitation

The instant he saw Jinbe, Beiyuan Heng's heart sank.

His mind raced, and a thought immediately surfaced: since Jinbe had appeared here, Fisher Tiger was very likely nearby.

He had never intended to work for the World Government, much less had any interest in hunting down Fisher Tiger.

He cleared out pirates only to build up his reputation. As for the Marines' orders, they were merely an excuse for his actions.

If hunting Tiger cost him the reputation he had built so far, it would be more trouble than it was worth.

Beiyuan Heng's thoughts flashed like lightning, and within a few seconds, he had made up his mind.

Without further hesitation, he flicked his wrist. The Demon Cutter in his hand carried fierce sword energy as it precisely slashed at Hatchan, who had been relentlessly pursuing him from behind.

Already in a miserable state from being suppressed by Beiyuan Heng, Hatchan was caught off guard by the slash. It struck him hard in the chest, sending him crashing onto the stone-paved road, unable to get up for the moment.

Having dealt with the trouble behind him, Beiyuan Heng immediately sheathed Demon Cutter.

The next second, Beiyuan Heng sprang forward, driving off with both legs. Like an arrow released from a bow, he plunged straight into the seawater beside him, sending up a massive splash.

This scene stunned every fish-man present.

A human had actually jumped into the sea on his own initiative while surrounded by fish-men?

That was practically suicide!

Even Jinbe, who had always been calm and steady and had weathered countless storms, froze for a moment at the sight of such abnormal behavior, forgetting to make a move.

Before the fish-men could recover from their shock, a nimble figure began swimming swiftly through the murky seawater.

His speed was astonishing. He did not look like a human who had lived on land all his life, but more like a merman who had grown up in the deep sea and was thoroughly skilled in the water!

[Swimming Mastery (Green)]: Your understanding of swimming has reached the level of mastery. You are highly proficient in all manner of swimming techniques and can learn various swimming skills more easily. Your movements in water will become freer.

Like a true fish-man, Beiyuan Heng moved freely through the sea, dodging the water vortex attacks launched by the surrounding fish-men. In only a few seconds, he had swum rapidly to Jinbe's side.

"Officer, hang in there! Reinforcements will arrive soon! We've already sent the signal!"

At that moment, the small group of Marine soldiers trapped beside an abandoned building on land saw Beiyuan Heng jump into the sea and shouted.

Beiyuan Heng heard the soldiers' cries but did not look back. He merely turned his head slightly and raised a reassuring hand, signaling that they need not worry.

His thinking was simple: since Jinbe had appeared here, Fisher Tiger could show up at any moment.

If he took the initiative to test him now, and Jinbe's strength did not greatly surpass his own, he would seize the chance to capture this group of fish-men. That would both increase his influence among fish-men and add another achievement to his Marine record—a win-win.

But if Jinbe's strength was on par with his, he would pretend to tangle with him for a while, then find an excuse to let them go.

After all, he was not sure when Fisher Tiger would appear.

Facing the human Marine rapidly approaching him with calm, unruffled eyes, a trace of resolve flashed through Jinbe.

"Fish-Man Karate: Karakusa Gawara Seiken!"

Jinbe shouted low, clenching one fist as dense water pressure gathered around it. He threw a fierce straight punch at Beiyuan Heng.

In an instant, a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree shockwave with no blind spots erupted from Jinbe's fist, carrying immense water pressure as it surged toward Beiyuan Heng.

The surrounding seawater churned violently under the shockwave, forming rushing undercurrents that made Beiyuan Heng's breathing grow labored.

Sensing the terrifying pressure carried by the water, a sharp glint flashed through Beiyuan Heng's eyes. Without the slightest panic, he turned his wrist, and Demon Cutter flew from his waist. A brilliant blade flash streaked through the seawater, its fierce sword energy cleaving the all-encompassing shockwave in two.

The severed shockwave spread to both sides, whipping up waves dozens of meters high on either side of Beiyuan Heng. The sea surface instantly erupted into raging billows.

Using the giant waves and seawater as cover, Beiyuan Heng flashed through the murky sea, evading Jinbe's sight as he swiftly circled into Jinbe's blind spot from behind.

Before Jinbe could react, the long blade in Beiyuan Heng's hand had already become a streak of cold light, stabbing fiercely at Jinbe's back.

Sensing the piercing chill behind him, Jinbe did not even glance back. He slammed both hands into the seawater beside him, unleashing fish-man strength in an instant. The surging seawater crashed toward Beiyuan Heng like a tsunami.

With no time to dodge, Beiyuan Heng was instantly knocked over by the raging seawater and slammed beneath the surface. His chest ached faintly from the impact of the waves, and his blood surged within him.

On shore, the Marine soldiers who had been overjoyed to see Beiyuan Heng badly wound the blue fish-man saw this and immediately turned pale.

They all shouted Beiyuan Heng's name toward the sea, able only to pace anxiously in place.

Beneath the sea, Beiyuan Heng slowly steadied himself, feeling the faint pain in his chest.

He sheathed Demon Cutter. Underwater, bladed weapons were greatly limited in their effectiveness.

Jinbe's strength had also exceeded Beiyuan Heng's expectations.

He had thought that thrust would definitely hit.

No wonder he's the king's captain of the royal guard.

That must have been Observation Haki just now.

It seemed that the current Jinbe was not someone he could take down in a short time.

His gaze flickered slightly as he looked up at Jinbe, who was rushing toward him at high speed.

He swam forward, and his fish-man-like swimming speed caused him to collide with Jinbe almost immediately!

"Competing in strength with a fish-man underwater?"

Jinbe looked at Beiyuan Heng, whose hands were locked with his as they tested their strength against each other, and laughed heartily.

"Are all humans this arrogant?"

But from another perspective, this person could only struggle like this as a final act of resistance.

Whether it was competing with fish-men in speed underwater or wearing them down from a distance, humans could never compare with them.

Even if the other party's underwater speed was nearly equal to that of a fish-man, he could not possibly keep it up.

As for ranged attrition, the other party did not know Fish-Man Karate or Fish-Man Jujutsu!

Jinbe was about to exert force with his fingers and show this human the might of fish-men.

But he suddenly realized that the hand he should have been gripping firmly was as immovable as steel!

Beiyuan Heng exerted force with his hand, making Jinbe's palm—nearly twice the size of his own—creak. Jinbe's fingers were almost about to shatter!

"What kind of monstrous strength is this?!"

The searing pain in his fingers made Jinbe instantly realize that he had fallen for Beiyuan Heng's trick.

This guy had deliberately chosen close-quarters combat with him.

Jinbe wanted to rely on a fish-man's underwater advantage to widen the distance and use fish-man martial arts to defeat him.

But Beiyuan Heng would not allow it!

Jinbe had been temporarily restrained by him. Now was the perfect time.

"Life Return Secret Art: Imitation!"

A surge of life energy emerged from Beiyuan Heng's body and swept over Jinbe's entire body.

Jinbe shuddered and struggled even more fiercely.

Very soon, he successfully broke free from the restraint.

Jinbe clasped his fists together, preparing to unleash Fish-Man Karate.

A cool voice sounded beside his ear.

"Stop."

"Marine reinforcements will be here soon."

Jinbe froze and turned to look around.

However, aside from that Marine, there was no one else nearby.

Under Jinbe's stunned gaze, Beiyuan Heng spoke again.

"Stop looking. It was me."

Life Return Secret Art: Imitation was an ultimate technique he had comprehended by chance. It allowed him to briefly imitate the abilities of other species.

The effect was not particularly good, however. The other party's physical qualities and core abilities, such as strength and speed, could basically not be copied.

But it could barely imitate a fish-man's ability to breathe underwater, allowing him to speak freely in seawater without worrying about suffocation.