The atmosphere in Gyoncorde Plaza froze in an instant.
Gern's Conqueror's Haki spread like ripples, precisely avoiding the nearby civilians and knocking out only the fish-man soldiers charging toward him.
The shark fish-man captain stared wide-eyed at his fallen comrades, then at the trident planted in front of him. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
"You..." His voice trembled slightly. "What did you do?"
"I just let them take a short rest." Gern withdrew his aura and said calmly, "Besides, I told you-we aren't enemies."
"Exactly!" Lipo poked her head out from behind Gern, her rabbit ears twitching lightly. "And you were clearly the ones who attacked first!"
Yet even after Gern's Conqueror's Haki dissipated, the residents of Fish-Man Island in the plaza remained stunned.
In that brief silence, a crimson figure suddenly charged in from the side, moving so fast he almost tore through the water!
The muscles in his arms bulged as a terrifying force, carrying the crushing pressure of the deep sea, gathered in his palms. He thrust them toward Gern.
"Fish-Man Karate: Torpedo!" The air seemed to compress to its limit before violently exploding!
A visible shock wave roared like a deep-sea beast, instantly forcing all the surrounding water aside and unleashing a vacuum-like destructive force!
"Watch out!" Tesoro's pupils contracted. Almost instinctively, he used Soru to step forward.
Gold and pitch-black Armament Haki instantly coated his arm. Clenching his right fist, he drove it forward!
"Gold Punch!"
Boom!!! The two forces collided fiercely in midair, sending a shock wave bursting outward.
The surrounding coral buildings shook violently. Even the air was briefly forced away, leaving a vacuum in its wake!
Tesoro grunted. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he was driven back several steps, his arm tingling with numbness.
Then he narrowed his eyes