"Fish-Man Karate: One Thousand Tile True Fist—Exploding Water Cannon!!!"
Above the vast lake, Jinbe, standing steadily atop the rippling surface using Moonwalk, suddenly threw a punch straight ahead.
In an instant, a massive sphere of water condensed along the force of his fist, twisting into a roaring vortex that blasted forward like a cannonball.
BOOM!!!
A torrential curtain of water erupted outward as a dark green figure was launched like a meteor, slamming violently into an open area by the lakeshore and carving out a massive crater.
Streams of lake water quickly flowed into the pit, expanding the artificial lake even further.
"Damn it! Why are you this strong!?"
"This doesn't match the intelligence at all!!!"
From the surging waters, Bal, transformed into his kappa form, burst out to the surface. His body was riddled with wounds, disbelief written clearly across his face.
Something was wrong—very wrong.
Why would a Seven Warlord of the Sea possess strength that completely overwhelmed him!?
Bal knew very well that while he wasn't among the strongest of the God's Knights, he was still a Mythical Zoan user.
At the very least, his standard combat power was on par with a Marine Admiral candidate—among pirates, that placed him just slightly below the top-tier Emperor commanders.
And yet…
He was being utterly crushed by "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe, a man without any particularly flashy battle records.
No matter how he looked at it, Bal simply couldn't accept this outcome.
At that moment, Jinbe—meeting Bal's gaze head-on—spoke calmly:
"Do you have doubts, sir?"
"Why would you assume that I, a Fish-Man, would be weaker in underwater combat than a Devil Fruit user like yourself?"
Jinbe stepped forward, his dignified eyes locking onto Bal's narrow, shaken stare.
In truth, Jinbe already knew the answer.
Because he understood the Celestial Dragons all too well.
Though he hadn't interacted with them directly very often, back when he was a respected member of the Sun Pirates, he had seen countless slaves brutalized by them.
From those broken souls, he learned exactly how arrogant and self-important the Celestial Dragons were.
Even if the members of the God's Knights were more "reasonable" than ordinary Celestial Dragons, they were still Celestial Dragons.
A leopard never changes its spots.
Relying on the uniqueness of his Devil Fruit, Bal wanted to defeat Jinbe in the very field Fish-Men excelled in—just to humiliate the Fish-Man race and flaunt his own power.
That petty mindset couldn't have been clearer to Jinbe.
"The Kappa Fruit is indeed a powerful ability…"
"It grants you greater underwater mobility than even the Fish-Men, and allows you to create massive quantities of freshwater out of thin air."
"But if you think that alone is enough to defeat me—then you're being far too naïve!"
Step!
Jinbe stomped heavily onto the water's surface, landing not far from Bal.
With thousands of Fish-Man Pokémon created by Red patrolling tirelessly around Fish-Man Island, Jinbe no longer needed to worry about the World Government launching a ruthless retaliation.
And so—
He showed absolutely no hesitation.
Without giving Bal a moment to catch his breath, Jinbe unleashed a Fighting-type move—Exploding Punch—straight at Bal's face.
"Bastard! Don't get so full of yourself!!!"
Seeing Jinbe's utterly condescending gaze—one that never once treated him as an equal—Bal roared hoarsely.
But in the very next instant, his body suddenly dropped low, slipping away along the water-filled crater and fleeing toward the lake.
As a Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit user, the Kappa Fruit was both powerful and unique.
Not only did it grant an enhanced, agile physique—it also possessed an ability most Devil Fruit users could scarcely imagine.
The ability to generate vast amounts of water out of nothing.
While there were Devil Fruits capable of creating water in various forms—such as ice or snow—those that could directly produce liquid water were exceedingly rare.
Even if the water produced by the Kappa Fruit was pure freshwater that posed no threat to Devil Fruit users…
"Running again?!"
Watching the lightning-fast currents beneath his feet, Jinbe spun around sharply, locking onto Bal's figure within the lake.
Just as he suspected—
Bal had chosen Jinbe as his opponent out of sheer arrogance and malicious curiosity.
What he never expected was that Jinbe—who had once been sent flying by Saint Garling—would not only possess such formidable strength, but also be capable of producing massive quantities of water just like him.
In that moment—
Their combat styles overlapped almost perfectly.
Both relied on generated water to attack and damage their opponent.
But with the enhancement of Pokémon moves, every single one of Jinbe's attacks far exceeded Bal's expectations.
That's right.
While Pokémon power didn't grant Jinbe a stronger physical body—his raw physique still remained at the Seven Warlords level—
The Pokémon moves he had mastered, when combined with Fish-Man Karate, dramatically amplified his combat effectiveness.
And more importantly—
Underwater wasn't just Bal's domain.
It was Jinbe's absolute battlefield!!!
Splash—!
With a burst of water, Jinbe vanished from sight, surging along the current in relentless pursuit.
…
…
"Looks like the so-called God's Knights aren't all that impressive after all, huh?"
CLANG!!!
The radiant Psychic Sword collided violently with the pitch-black Black Feather Blade in midair, releasing a dazzling shockwave that tore apart the surrounding clouds and rolled outward beyond the island, whipping up towering waves.
"Tch!"
Hearing Red's taunt, Alicia Mirabelagon sneered coldly.
She could see everything—every desperate struggle of the other God's Knights.
The power of the Straw Hat Pirates had already far surpassed her expectations.
With Saint Garling taken to an unknown location by Monkey D. Luffy, Alicia—now the Vice Commander—had become the highest-ranking officer in this operation.
And yet—
She was completely tied down by Red.
As Vice Commander of the God's Knights, she possessed combat power second only to a Marine Admiral.
And yet this man before her was fighting her evenly—techniques emerging one after another—never once falling behind.
Combined with the Straw Hat members whose strength surpassed even the Seven Warlords…
The power they had displayed alone already exceeded any force in the world outside the World Government.
Not even the Rocks Pirates, who once plagued the Celestial Dragons, had posed such a threat.
"What exactly is your goal!?"
CLANG!
As Alicia reinforced her grip and clashed her razor-sharp claws against Red's Venomous Chains, she demanded an answer.
Red, relying on the overwhelming base stat boost of Mega Mewtwo X, forcibly blocked every strike, then grinned.
"You already know, don't you?"
"To slaughter every last one of you—and bury your bones on this island forever."
"You bastard!!!"
Rage flared in Alicia's eyes.
Though it wasn't the answer she wanted, she could no longer afford to ask.
"If you won't talk—then take your secrets with you to hell!!!"
BOOM!!!
Pitch-black wings burst open behind Alicia.
Countless metallic black feathers emerged from the massive wings, all locking onto Red.
"Black Feathers: Wild Barrage!!!"
Swish swish swish—!
At her shout, the black feathers shot forward like bullets.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
The first feather detonated upon impact with Red's body—followed immediately by a chain of explosions.
Flames and smoke swallowed Red completely.
"Hmph!"
Using the blast to propel herself backward, Alicia flapped her wings and retreated, then immediately raised her black blade—
And swung it down without hesitation!
"Night Moon: Consecutive Slashes!!!"
Slash slash slash slash—!
A torrential rain of black slashes tore into the smoke, seamlessly continuing the barrage.
Fully aware of Red's danger, Alicia left no room for error.
Yet even so—
Behind her, a pitch-black spatial wormhole suddenly opened.
The very slashes she had unleashed erupted out of the Hyperspace Hole, tearing toward her from behind.
"What—!?"
Her expression changed instantly.
Before she could react, the nearby slashes struck her body.
BOOM!!!
The explosion rang out again—this time, from Alicia herself.
"Damn it!"
Wounded, Alicia retracted her wings and plunged straight downward, narrowly avoiding the slashes screaming past overhead.
Thanks to her Awakened Zoan abilities, the wound healed rapidly, vanishing as if it had never existed.
"Pretty quick reactions~"
A teasing voice whispered into her ear.
She turned her head sharply—only to see Red falling alongside her.
"What kind of power is this!?"
Red showed no signs of Devil Fruit awakening, yet remained completely unharmed.
From the very start of the battle, Alicia had failed to find a single opening.
Even her long-prepared black feather bombs had been utterly ineffective.
There were only two explanations.
Either Red's ability was far more powerful than she imagined—
Or his strength so vastly exceeded hers that he had been toying with her all along.
There was a third possibility she dared not consider.
That Red possessed both flawless abilities and overwhelming strength.
Impossible.
Or so she thought.
Her heart sank as she twisted her wrist and slashed again—
Crackle!
A chilling burst of icy crystal sword aura brushed across her face.
Sunlight refracted through the shattered ice, casting prismatic red light over her stunned eyes.
Thud!
Thud!
Both landed simultaneously on the soil of Elegia Island.
Alicia stared at her body as it returned from crystalline ice to flesh, her mind in complete chaos.
That ability—
Wasn't that Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit!?
Why would this man have that power!?
She couldn't understand.
What she didn't know was that the man she'd been fighting wasn't just a terrifying pirate—
He was the greatest cheat in the entire world.
Ice Incarnation was a reward Red obtained after defeating Lorelei of the Elite Four in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee.
Though it lacked offensive power, it allowed Red—like Kuzan—to transform his body into ice, nullifying all physical attacks.
And since this power didn't originate from the One Piece world, it wasn't bound by its rules.
Even Armament Haki-infused attacks struggled to harm him.
While the combat boost was limited, in prolonged battles, it changed everything.
Draining massive electricity to fight an Awakened Mythical Zoan?
Don't be ridiculous.
If Red did that, he'd eventually run out of power.
And without his three Legendary Pokémon templates, he stood no chance against someone near Admiral level like Alicia.
So from the very beginning—
Red had only one goal.
Stall.
He believed that his partners—strengthened by Pokémon power and relentless training—would defeat their opponents.
And then—
"Come out, my Pokémon!!!"
Red grinned and shouted into the air.
Rustling echoed from the surrounding forest.
Next, Chopper in his dual-blade swordsman form, Brook in Pokémon-ized state, and Jinbe, surrounded by ribbon-like streams of water, emerged from three directions—
Encircling Alicia together with Red.
Exiting his Legendary template, Red chuckled softly.
"Now—witness my true power."
"Because… this is how a Trainer fights!"
"Go! My Pokémon!!!"
Whoosh—
As beams of strange light burst from Red's body, they shot directly into his companions.
Aura Power for Chopper and Jinbe.
Spirit Sight for Brook.
And Psychic Power linking all their minds.
At that moment, Red stood like the source of a rainbow, releasing endless streams of multicolored light.
Only those bathed in its glow could truly comprehend—
Just how terrifying their power boost had become.
Raw energy mattered less than the extraordinary abilities it granted.
Aura perception. Spirit insight. Perfect coordination.
At this moment—
Even a real Marine Admiral would find them anything but helpless.
(End of Chapter)