"Wait!" Jinbe instantly realized that if Orochimaru's attack landed, all the Fishmen in Fishman District, as well as those Pirates, would likely lose their lives.
"This absolutely cannot be! If we act like this, the impression Fishmen have of humans, which has only just begun to improve, will be ruined in an instant."
Jinbe was burning with anxiety, and quickly flew in front of everyone, looking up at Orochimaru and shouting loudly: "No! You absolutely cannot kill them!"
Orochimaru's gaze slowly moved downwards, glancing coldly at Jinbe, but the "Pseudo-Tailed Beast Ball" he had been preparing in his mouth showed no signs of stopping, shooting straight towards that direction, carrying destructive power.
Seeing this, the Fishmen above couldn't help but nervously gulp, their hearts feeling as if they were tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment, everyone waiting for the imagined deafening, world-shattering explosion.
However, the anticipated terrifying roar did not come; the entire plaza fell into a strange silence.
Everyone looked at the plaza with some astonishment, only to see that a light purple barrier had covered the four sides of the plaza at some unknown time, steadily enveloping the plaza where Luffy and the others were located.
Within the barrier, energy ripples continuously surged, but they could not break through its confines.
Looking at the ground, Hody Jones's proclaimed hundred thousand strong lay scattered everywhere like tangled hemp swept by a strong wind.
Only a few Executives who had consumed the steroid were barely able to stand, swaying their bodies with the help of the drug, but their dazed expressions and trembling steps showed that this group was already useless.
The other Fishmen and humans within the plaza had all fallen into a coma, quietly spread across various parts of the plaza.
At this moment, Jinbe still stood frozen in place, maintaining his hand-outstretched posture to block, looking a bit awkward.
Luffy tightly pressed his straw hat with both hands, turned to face Jinbe, a bright, sun-like smile blooming on his face, his eyes full of pride.
"How about it, my brother is great, right?"
٩(๑ᵒ̴̶̷͈᷄ᗨᵒ̴̶̷͈᷅)و
Robin gently brushed dust off herself while looking at Jinbe's slightly awkward expression, smiling faintly as she said,
"Boss Jinbe is a bit too worried. Orochimaru is one of the few intelligent members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
In critical moments, he generally won't act against Luffy's wishes.
Well, of course, there are occasional exceptions."
Orochimaru gazed at the people lying scattered on the ground, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth, quite satisfied with his "masterpiece," then his form shifted, returning to his half-snake human state.
Shirahoshi quickly and gently held the person in mid-air in her palm. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Orochimaru, asking with anticipation and admiration,
"Lord Orochimaru is so amazing! Can I become so strong in the future too?"
Orochimaru nodded slightly at Shirahoshi, and said softly, "You will... Haven't I already taught you? Just do that in the future."
Before Shirahoshi could reply, Orochimaru floated into the air. With a flick of his tail, he arrived above the unconscious people, scanning the group.
He was holding a giant shovel in his hand, flipping through the pile of people, his movements even seeming to imply a bit of picking and choosing.
Luffy watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching, not understanding why Orochimaru was always so obsessed with such things.
Then, with a very serious expression, he raised his hand and pointed at Orochimaru.
"Usopp! Go! Retrieve that snake!"
Usopp, without a word, decisively pulled out his new weapon, the Supreme Black Kabuto, and shouted:
"Finishing Move! Snake Catcher Net 2.0"
Then, with both hands, he forcefully fired the projectile towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, busy picking and choosing, didn't even look. He simply shifted his body to the side, easily dodging Usopp's attack, (︶︹︺)
He was already an evolved version of Orochimaru; how could he not dodge a mere Sea Stone net! Usopp had underestimated him too much... Seeing Orochimaru dodge, Usopp didn't panic at all, instead revealing a brilliant smile.
After Orochimaru dodged, the specially made bullet directly curved and reached behind the person, followed by a "boom" as an explosive sound came.
The projectile suddenly scattered, instantly transforming into six Sea Stone nets, enclosing Orochimaru from the front, back, left, and right. Even above and below were not spared.
As Usopp pulled, these nets seemed to be guided by some invisible fine threads, reconnecting to form an enormous net that completely enveloped Orochimaru.
Seeing this, Usopp pulled hard, and Orochimaru was thus captured again, only able to sit pitifully in the net in his human form, hugging his knees.
Usopp tied a pink bow on the net, then handed it to Zoro.
Zoro didn't even lift his eyes, directly taking the net, lifting it with one hand, and slinging it behind his back, a series of movements performed with fluid grace.
[Roughly like this (too lazy to draw clothes, Zoro stole someone else's) just make do →]
Jinbe just stared blankly at their every move, his face full of bewilderment and confusion.
What was all this? How did this group become so skilled at doing this?
Moreover, the events that unfolded today, one after another, were truly baffling, leaving Jinbe still somewhat dazed.
"Am I still not awake? Am I still in the Sea Forest? It must be a dream, right? All of this seems too absurd."
As he thought, Jinbe became somewhat lost in thought, even pinching himself to confirm whether he was really dreaming.
Luffy saw Jinbe pinch himself, first froze, then burst into laughter, shouting at Jinbe, "Jinbe, what are you doing, hahahaha."
Hearing Luffy's voice, everyone followed his gaze towards Jinbe, only to see Jinbe's appearance, looking dazed and bewildered, just like a silly fathead fish. His confused and helpless look was truly hilarious.
They seemed to know why Orochimaru always called Jinbe a "fathead fish"; he really did look like one.
Shirahoshi had always thought of Jinbe as a serious and steady elder, but today he kept spacing out. Seeing Jinbe's dazed appearance at this moment,
She couldn't help but let out a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand, but her laughter still couldn't be stopped, and her eyes sparkled with amusement.
The other Fishmen above the plaza also seemed to realize that everything had been successfully concluded. Following Princess Shirahoshi's gaze, they also saw Jinbe's appearance and joined in the laughter.
"Boss Jinbe... you look so embarrassing, hahahaha... (≧ｗ≦;)"
For a moment, the entire plaza was filled with laughter, completely devoid of the previous tense atmosphere.
Orochimaru watched this scene and automatically dubbed Jinbe in his mind with that very popular so-called "Northeast broken English" from Blue Star.
so?
y! o! u! w, i, l, l, b, e?
l, i, k, e
t, h, e, m?
a, b, a, n, d, o, n! m, e, tr
w, i, l, l, y, o, u, question mark?
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