"One minute has passed. Clone-Clone Fruit replication complete." "One minute has passed. Wax-Wax Fruit replication complete." "One minute has passed. Chop-Chop Fruit replication complete." "One minute has passed. Sand-Sand Fruit replication complete."
The system messages came one after another, bringing a faint smile to Jiang Lin's face. He had given up using Ice Path and ridden the door instead precisely so he could copy everyone's Devil Fruits.
Now that he had them, Jiang Lin stopped sitting back and began intercepting some of the incoming cannonballs.
All around them, Marine cannonballs exploded in a relentless barrage, like strings of firecrackers going off beside them.
Black cannonballs poured from the guns and hurtled straight toward Jiang Lin and the others.
If Jinbe had not been fast and agile enough, and if Luffy and the others had not fought so hard, they never would have survived that hail of shells on a mere door.
"We're going up!"
Once Jinbe had carried the door into the middle of the Marine warships, he shouted, let go of it, and dove beneath the surface.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu... Water Heart... Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"
A column of water burst from the sea, caught the door just as the cannonballs were about to engulf it, and launched it high into the sky like a rocket.
"Man! This free roller coaster ride is... a rush!"
High above, Jiang Lin stood atop the surge and watched the Marine warship below grow larger. He shouted in excitement.
Beneath his feet, the raging seawater struck the warship like a tsunami, throwing up a towering wave.
The heavy door slammed into the deck and shattered into a spray of wooden fragments.
The reeking seawater swept Luffy and the others onto the warship's deck.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures cut through the air. Mr. 1 and Crocodile were the first to land safely.
Then Jiang Lin stepped off the shattered door with an unhurried stride, walking across a large slab of frozen seawater.
Around them, every Devil Fruit user who had been soaked by the sea lay sprawled on the deck, their limbs weak.
"Jiang... Jiang Lin, my body... feels so weak!"
Luffy lay in the seawater and spoke to Jiang Lin in a feeble voice.
Beside Luffy, Buggy lay unconscious on the deck, his head against the planks.
"Th-this is bad! Pirates... 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!"
The Marines looked terrified at the sight of Jiang Lin and the others, but there was resolve in their eyes too.
When the water receded, Luffy and the others rose from the deck and glared at the Marines opposite them.
"Charge!"
Luffy shouted and rushed in 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 solid column of water shot up from it and smashed into the warship Jiang Lin stood on, blasting a massive hole in its superstructure.
"Hey, hey, hey! Can't a guy rob a ship in peace?"
Jiang Lin stepped out from the rear, exasperated. If he kept hanging back, Jinbe might dismantle the entire ship himself.
"Attack! Don't let them take the warship!"
The Marines charged with a roar. Bullets poured from their rifles toward Jiang Lin and the others.
As the shots rang out, more Marines rushed at them with long swords, fierce looks on their faces.
The Marines' fighting spirit soared.
"Wax-Wax Fruit (Venom-Venom Fruit enhancement) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
After loading the Devil Fruit Card, Jiang Lin raised a wax wall coated in thick venom before him, blocking every bullet fired his way.
"Damn it! That's... Magellan's venom!"
The Marines who had just reached Jiang Lin were splashed with venom knocked loose from the wax wall by their comrades' bullets. They collapsed onto the deck in agony.
"Sables!"
As the Marines hesitated in the face of Jiang Lin's venom, a small sandstorm suddenly formed on the warship and swept up scores of them.
"Are you jumping overboard yourselves, or should I push you?"
Jiang Lin drove the wall of solid wax forward, plowing toward the Marines.
"R-run!"
The Marines who had charged forward moments earlier fled in terror from the venom-coated wall.
Splash! Splash!
Some Marines already near the rail saw their comrades retreating toward them and wisely jumped into the sea first.
"B-bad news! Marines are abandoning ship in droves! That warship's as good as lost!"
When the Marines on the surrounding warships saw the soldiers aboard Jiang Lin's ship jumping into the sea one after another, they swung every cannon they had toward it.
Boom!
Before the Marines could fire, thick columns of water rose from the sea and slammed into every warship that had turned its guns. The barrage of water disabled all their cannons in an instant.
"Well, well. That was easy!"
Jiang Lin herded the Marines along with his wax wall, while Luffy and the others used their own methods to pound the soldiers aboard. Before long, they had complete control of a warship that had been packed with Marines.
"Wahahahaha! You did a magnificent 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 wide and laughed theatrically.
What a show-off!
Jiang Lin gave Buggy an exasperated glance, then turned toward the sea. Having dealt with the other warships' cannons, Jinbe had boarded theirs too.
"What now? I can't sail a ship. And what about them? Do we go back to pick them up?"
Jiang Lin looked at Luffy and Jinbe, then pointed toward the noisy shore.
On the coast, Ivankov and the prisoners who had stayed behind were craning their necks, waiting for Jiang Lin and the others to come for them.
"No need!"
Jinbe had barely spoken when a host of creatures swam beneath the surface toward the shore.
"Everyone, jump down!"
Seeing the movement below the water, Jinbe used a Den Den Mushi to tell everyone to get ready to jump into the sea.
"Oh... wow! A pod of Whale Sharks!"
Luffy stood on the deck, staring at the sea in astonishment. Scores of black-and-white Whale Sharks had appeared in the still waters of the Calm Belt. They kept leaping from the sea, carrying Ivankov and the others toward the warship.
So... I'm finally leaving this place?
Jiang Lin watched the bustling pod of Whale Sharks with a trace of emotion. His trip to Impel Down had been richly rewarding. Not only had he acquired plenty of Devil Fruit Cards, he had also gained a deeper understanding of Akainu's strength.
At his current level, beating Akainu would still be difficult. He lacked one crucial Devil Fruit—the key to defeating Akainu in the battle to come.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Jiang Lin turned to gaze into the distance. A new war awaited him not far ahead.