Bege's territory was being patrolled by Sea Patrollers, and ordinarily, no ships were allowed to sail. But CP0 was in a hurry. They had no choice but to hijack a high-speed ship and race it toward Dragon Fruit Island, killing any Sea Patrollers that tried to block their path.
As they approached the waters near Dragon Fruit Island, they were spotted by a Fish-Man patrol.
The defensive measures around important economic centers like Dragon Fruit Island were even stricter. This was especially true for the central hub, Dragon Fruit Island itself. In addition to a large number of Sea Patrollers, the nearby waters were also patrolled by Fish-Men from beneath the surface.
Some of these Fish-Men had been recruited from Fish-Man Island. Others were captured pirate prisoners who, after being "fused" and modified by Ben Kosa, had become Bege's subordinates.
A Fish-Man surfaced, looking at the high-speed ship with suspicion in his eyes.
"A common high-speed ship... how could it have passed safely through an area guarded by Sea Patrollers? Something is definitely wrong." He dived back into the sea, took a whistle from his pocket, and blew it. From a deep-sea trench, a massive Sea Patroller shot out.
It was a shark-like Sea Patroller. It ascended from the depths at an astonishing speed, its ferocious, giant eyes spotting the Sea Beast pulling the ship. A fierce glint flashed in its pupils, and it charged even faster.
The moment it breached the surface, a massive slash split the sea. The attack struck the shark Sea Patroller directly, nearly cleaving the beast in two.
Blood instantly stained the ocean red.
"Holy crap, they're that strong? Good thing I had a bad feeling and didn't go up there myself," the Fish-Man in the water thought, his face pale with fright.
"To dare to kill a Sea Patroller... these guys are bad news. I have to notify Lord Moria immediately." The Fish-Man picked up a Den Den Mushi and began to call Dragon Fruit Island.
...
On Dragon Fruit Island, in the palace plaza, Gecko Moria was sitting in a chair, bored out of his mind. He was watching Shirahoshi practice her Fish-Man Karate.
Shirahoshi, with little "hyah!" and "ha!" sounds, was practicing her punches, her small face set in a look of intense concentration.
A subordinate rushed into the plaza.
"Lord Moria! We have intruders on Dragon Fruit Island!" the man panted, trying to deliver his report.
Moria's eyes lit up, and he leaped from his chair.
"Who dares to invade our territory?"
The subordinate shook his head. "We don't know who they are, but they're incredibly strong. One of them killed a Sea Patroller with a single kick."
Moria's expression instantly turned grim. To be able to kill a Sea Patroller in one blow... anyone with that kind of strength was no nameless nobody on these seas.
"Send the Sea Dragon Captain to intercept them. We'll go take a look, too," Moria said in a low voice.
"The Sea Dragon Captain was already notified. He's heading there now with the members of the 15th Division," the subordinate said.
Moria nodded, then looked at Shirahoshi. "Shirahoshi, you keep practicing. No slacking off, you hear me?"
"Okay, Uncle Moria!" Shirahoshi nodded seriously and went back to her punches.
Moria strode out of the plaza.
...
As the high-speed ship controlled by CP0 rapidly approached Dragon Fruit Island, the sea surface suddenly began to ripple. One after another, giant black shadows appeared beneath the waves. The Sea Beast pulling the ship began to thrash about uneasily.
"We've been discovered. The Fire Tank Pirates' defenses are impressively tight," the CP0 leader said, his face impassive as he stared at the water.
In the next moment, Sea Beasts, each over twenty meters long, breached the surface, surrounding the ship. A Fish-Man was seated on every one of them.
"Who are you? How dare you kill our Sea Patrollers!" The one who spoke was a strange-looking Fish-Man. He was massive and obese, covered in blue scales. Two long, ox-like horns grew from his head, and a long, scaly tail thrashed behind him.
"So this is the Fire Tank Pirates' newly formed 15th Division Captain, 'Sea Dragon' Yugdon?" one of the CP0 agents said in a low tone.
"Former captain of the Sea Dragon Pirates. A Blue-whale Fish-Man. His original bounty was 600 million. He was later defeated by the Fire Tank Pirates, and his entire crew was captured. He didn't look like this before... it seems he's been modified," the CP0 leader stated, his face impassive as he identified the man.
"It's not just him. All of these Fish-Men have likely been modified. The Fire Tank Pirates' biological modification technology is really something. Perhaps the higher-ups were right. They must have the Fuse-Fuse Fruit," the CP0 vice-leader said grimly.
To consolidate his advantage and strengthen his defenses at sea, Bege had captured a Fish-Man pirate crew, modified all of its members, and incorporated them as the 15th Division of the Fire Tank Pirates.
"Not talking? That's fine. After I capture you and torture you, you'll spill every secret you have," Yugdon sneered, his eyes filled with malice.
"Brothers, get them!" Yugdon pointed his long spear, and the Fish-Men on the Sea Beasts leaped from their mounts onto the ship.
"We don't have time to waste on them. Take them down, quickly. We've been exposed. We need to make landfall as soon as possible," the CP0 leader ordered.
"Understood." The CP0 members nodded. Their figures instantly vanished. In a blur of afterimages, the Fish-Men were sent flying, smashing onto the deck or back into the sea. Every single one of them had been knocked unconscious in a single blow.
Yugdon's face changed drastically. His subordinates included several strong fighters with bounties over 100 million, yet they were all defeated in one hit.
Who in the world are these people?
An intense feeling of crisis welled up from deep within him. A figure flickered and appeared—the CP0 vice-leader. He kicked out, launching an astonishing slash that cut through the air, instantly closing the distance.
Yugdon raised his spear to block, coating it in Armament Haki. The Rankyaku slammed into the spear, and the incredible force blasted Yugdon straight into the sea.
The whale-like Sea Beast he had been riding was caught by the slash, and a huge chunk of its flesh was carved off. Blood instantly began to spread through the water.
"He wasn't killed by that? A 600 million bounty really does take some effort," the CP0 vice-leader frowned. He immediately dived into the sea after him.
But an instant later, a massive sea current erupted from the water, blasting the CP0 vice-leader back up into the air. He flipped and landed back on the ship, his expression displeased.
"Fish-Men have the absolute advantage in the sea. Don't waste time. All of you, get in the water and finish him," the CP0 leader ordered.
"Sir!" The vice-leader nodded, and prepared to enter the sea with three other agents. But the sea surface suddenly began to tremble violently.
"He's trying to destroy the ship! Stop him!" the CP0 leader's expression changed as he barked the order.
The CP0 vice-leader plunged into the water, and the other agents followed right behind him.
Dozens of meters below the surface, Yugdon sneered.
"You'll never defeat a Fish-Man in the sea!" He gripped the sea currents in his hands and then hurled them.
"Fish-Man Karate: Sea Current Spear Wave!"
The currents transformed into giant water spears, shooting toward the ship.
The CP0 vice-leader kicked out, launching a slash that cut through the seawater and instantly detonated one of the giant water spears. He followed up with another kick, destroying the second one.
The other CP0 agents swam rapidly through the water, closing in on Yugdon.
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