Life Return Secret Art: Imitation

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

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

What was more, Beiyuan Heng had never intended to work his life away for the World Government, much less had any interest in hunting down Fisher Tiger.

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

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

Beiyuan Heng's thoughts flashed like lightning, and within 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 being thoroughly 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 nuisance behind him, Beiyuan Heng immediately sheathed Demon Cutter.

The next second, Beiyuan Heng sprang forward. With a burst of strength from his legs, he shot like an arrow from the string and leaped straight into the seawater channel beside him, kicking up an enormous splash.

This sight stunned every fish-man present.

A human had actually taken the initiative to jump into the sea, the domain fish-men excelled at most, while surrounded by a group of fish-men?

That was practically suicide!

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

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

The 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 kinds of swimming techniques and will find it easier to learn them. Your movements in water will become more unrestricted.

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

"Sir, hold on! Reinforcements will arrive soon! We've already sent the signal!"

At this moment, the small group of Marines trapped by fish-men beside an abandoned building on land shouted when they saw Beiyuan Heng jump into the sea.

Beiyuan Heng heard the soldiers' cries but did not turn around. He merely tilted his head slightly and raised a hand, giving them a reassuring gesture to tell them not to worry.

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

If he took the initiative to test him now, and Jinbe's strength was not enough to crush him, 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 the Marines' record. Killing two birds with one stone.

But if Jinbe's strength matched his own, he would pretend to tangle with him for a while before finding 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, Jinbe's expression hardened with resolve.

"Fish-Man Karate: Karakusa Gawara Seiken!"

Jinbe gave a low shout and clenched one hand into a fist. Dense water pressure gathered around it as he threw a brutal 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 tremendous water pressure as it surged directly toward Beiyuan Heng.

The surrounding seawater was violently churned by the shockwave, forming rapid undercurrents that pressed down on Beiyuan Heng until even his breathing grew strained.

Feeling the terrifying pressure transmitted through the water, a sharp glint flashed through Beiyuan Heng's eyes. Without the slightest panic, he flipped his wrist. Demon Cutter at his waist instantly left its sheath, and a dazzling blade flash streaked through the seawater, its fierce sword energy cleaving the omnidirectional shockwave in half.

The severed shockwave spread to both sides, throwing up waves dozens of meters high from the seawater around Beiyuan Heng. Above the surface, raging billows immediately rose.

Using the giant waves and seawater as cover, Beiyuan Heng flashed through the murky water, evaded Jinbe's sight, and quickly circled into Jinbe's blind spot.

Before Jinbe could react, the long blade in Beiyuan Heng's hand had become a streak of cold light. With a swift thrust, it stabbed fiercely toward Jinbe's back.

Sensing that piercing chill, Jinbe did not even glance behind him. He suddenly slapped both hands hard against the seawater beside him. Fish-man strength erupted in an instant, and surging seawater crashed toward Beiyuan Heng like a tsunami.

Unable to evade in time, Beiyuan Heng was instantly knocked over by the raging water and slammed beneath the surface. His chest ached faintly from the impact of the waves, and his blood surged within him.

Onshore, the Marine soldiers who had been overjoyed to see Beiyuan Heng severely injure the blue fish-man watched this unfold, and their expressions immediately changed drastically.

They shouted Beiyuan Heng's name toward the sea one after another, anxiously pacing in place with nothing else they could do.

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

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

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

He had thought that thrust was guaranteed to hit.

As expected of the king's captain of the royal guard, Beiyuan Heng thought.

That had probably been Observation Haki.

It seemed that Jinbe was no longer someone he could take down in a short time.

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

He swam forward, and his fish-man-like swimming speed brought him into collision with Jinbe in an instant!

"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 man could only struggle like this as a final act of resistance.

Whether competing with fish-men in speed underwater or trying to wear them down from a distance, humans could never compare to them.

Even if his underwater speed was nearly equal to a fish-man's, he could not possibly outlast Jinbe.

And in a battle of ranged attrition, he did not know Fish-Man Karate or Fish-Man Jujutsu!

Jinbe was just about to exert strength through his fingers and show this human the might of fish-men.

But he suddenly realized that the hand he should have had tightly locked down was as immovable as steel!

Beiyuan Heng exerted force with his hand, making Jinbe's palm, nearly twice the size of his own, crackle. Jinbe's fingers were on the verge of breaking!

"What monstrous strength is this?!"

The intense pain in his fingers instantly made Jinbe realize that he had fallen into his opponent's trap.

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

Jinbe wanted to use a fish-man's underwater advantage to pull away and take down his opponent with fish-man martial arts.

But Beiyuan Heng would not allow it!

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

"Life Return Secret Art: Imitation!"

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

Jinbe shuddered, struggling even more fiercely.

Very quickly, he successfully broke free of the restraints.

Jinbe clasped his hands into a fist, about 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.

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

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

"Stop looking. It was me."

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

However, its effects were not particularly impressive. The target's physical qualities, strength, speed, and other core abilities were basically impossible to copy.

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