Seizing a Warship

"One minute has passed. The Clone-Clone Fruit has been copied."

"One minute has passed. The Wax-Wax Fruit has been copied."

"One minute has passed. The Chop-Chop Fruit has been copied."

"One minute has passed. The Sand-Sand Fruit has been copied."

The string of system messages brought a faint smile to Jiang Lin's face. He had abandoned the Ice Path and ridden the door instead precisely so he could copy everyone's Devil Fruits.

Now that he had the Devil Fruits, Jiang Lin stopped hanging back and began intercepting the falling cannonballs.

Around Jiang Lin and the others, Marine shells burst in a relentless barrage, their explosions crackling like firecrackers.

Black cannonballs poured from the guns and hurtled straight toward Jiang Lin and the others.

If Jinbe had not been so fast and agile, and if Luffy and the others had not fought so hard, a single door would never have survived that dense hail of fire.

"Here we go!"

Once Jinbe had carried the door into the middle of the Marine warships, he shouted, let go of it, and dived beneath the surface.

"Fish-Man Jujutsu... Water Heart... Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

A column of water erupted from the sea beneath the door just as cannonballs were about to engulf it, launching it high into the sky like a rocket.

"Man! This free roller coaster ride is... something else!"

High above, Jiang Lin stood atop the wave and watched the Marine warships grow larger below. He could not help shouting in excitement.

Beneath Jiang Lin's feet, the surging seawater crashed into a Marine warship like a tsunami, throwing up a towering wave.

The solid door slammed into the warship's deck and instantly shattered into flying splinters.

The foul-smelling seawater swept Luffy and the others onto the deck.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures cut through the air. Mr. 1 and Crocodile landed safely first.

Then Jiang Lin stepped calmly off the shattered door, walking on a large slab of frozen seawater.

All around Jiang Lin and the others, the Devil Fruit users lay sprawled weakly on the deck, their bodies soaked by seawater.

"J-Jiang Lin, my body... feels so weak!"

Luffy lay in the seawater and spoke to Jiang Lin in a feeble voice.

Beside him, Buggy had landed headfirst and lay unconscious on the deck.

"Oh... oh no! Pirates... the pirates have boarded!"

"They're here to steal the ship! We can't let them have it. Push the Devil Fruit users into the sea and we win!"

When the Marines saw Jiang Lin and the others, fear filled their faces, but so did a trace of resolve.

As the seawater receded, Luffy and the others rose from the deck and glared at the Marines opposite them.

"Charge!"

Luffy shouted and rushed forward first, with Galdino and the others close behind.

"Fish-Man Karate... Spear Wave!"

Just as Luffy and the others charged in to seize the ship, a huge whirlpool appeared on the sea. A concentrated jet of water then rose from it and struck the warship Jiang Lin was on, blasting a massive hole in its superstructure.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Are you going to let us steal this ship or not?"

Jiang Lin walked out from the rear, speechless. If he kept standing around, Jinbe might tear the whole ship apart.

"Attack! Don't let them take the warship!"

The Marines charged with a roar. Bullets flew from their rifles toward Jiang Lin and the others.

As the guns opened fire, another large group of Marines rushed in with swords drawn, their faces fierce.

The Marines' morale soared.

"Wax-Wax Fruit (Venom-Venom Fruit enhancement) loaded successfully. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."

After loading the Devil Fruit Card, Jiang Lin raised a wax wall coated in viscous venom before him, blocking every bullet headed his way.

"Damn it! That's... Magellan's venom!"

The Marines who had just reached Jiang Lin were splashed with venom when bullets struck the wax wall. They immediately collapsed onto the deck in agony.

"Sables!"

As the Marine Soldiers hesitated in the face of Jiang Lin's venom, a small sandstorm suddenly appeared on the warship and swept up a great number of them.

"Are you jumping overboard yourselves, or should I push you?"

Jiang Lin controlled the wall, made entirely of wax, and began plowing it toward the Marine Soldiers.

"Run... run!"

The wax wall was covered in venom, so the Marine Soldiers who had just charged forward turned and fled in terror.

Splash! Splash!

Some Marine Soldiers who had been standing near the railing saw a mass of their comrades retreating toward them and wisely jumped into the sea first.

"Oh... oh no! Marine Soldiers are abandoning ship in droves! That warship's as good as lost!"

Seeing the soldiers aboard Jiang Lin's warship leap into the sea one after another, the Marines aboard the surrounding ships immediately trained every cannon on it.

Boom!

Just as the Marines swung their guns around to fire, thick columns of water rose from the sea and slammed into every warship that had moved its cannons. The barrage of water disabled all the guns in an instant.

"Well, well. That was easy!"

Jiang Lin listlessly herded the Marine Soldiers with his wax wall, while Luffy and the others used their own methods to pummel the Marine Soldiers aboard. Before long, they had taken complete control of the warship, which had been packed with Marine Soldiers.

"Wahahaha! You did a wonderful job!"

Once the fighting was over, Buggy, who had played dead the entire time, suddenly leaped onto a raised platform. He spread his arms and legs and burst into exaggerated laughter.

What a show-off.

Jiang Lin gave Buggy a speechless glance, then turned toward the sea. Having dealt with the cannons on the Marine warships, Jinbe climbed aboard as well.

"What now? I can't sail a ship. And what about them? Are we going back to pick them up?"

Jiang Lin looked at Luffy and Jinbe beside him, then pointed toward the noisy shore.

On the shore, Ivankov and the prisoners who had stayed behind waited eagerly for Jiang Lin and the others to arrive.

"No need!"

No sooner had Jinbe spoken than a host of unidentified creatures swam beneath the surface toward the shore.

"Everybody, jump in!"

Seeing the movement beneath the water, Jinbe used a Den Den Mushi to tell everyone to get ready to jump into the sea.

"Oh... amazing! It's a pod of Whale Sharks!"

Standing on the deck, Luffy stared at the sea in astonishment. A large number of black-and-white Whale Sharks had suddenly appeared in the normally calm waters of the Calm Belt. They kept surfacing, carrying Ivankov and the others toward the warship.

Am I finally leaving this place?

Jiang Lin gazed at the lively pod of Whale Sharks, a trace of emotion crossing his face. His trip to Impel Down had been richly rewarding: not only had he acquired a large number of Devil Fruit Cards, but he had also gained a deeper understanding of Akainu's strength.

At his current level, Jiang Lin would still find it difficult to defeat Akainu. He still lacked one crucial Devil Fruit—the one that would determine whether he could beat Akainu in the battle to come.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit!

Jiang Lin turned his gaze toward the distance. A new war awaited him not far away.