Fish-Man Island.
Some of the fishmen had begun to harbor a trace of resentment toward the Sky Pirates because of Yemu's earlier words. But after hearing King Neptune's shout, they suddenly came to their senses, especially those who had received help from the Sky Pirates during the past half month.
Fish-Man Island itself was not large. It was only a small island with a population of around five million.
During these past two weeks, even those who had never personally received help from the Sky Pirates had still seen, one way or another, how the Sky Pirates fought alongside the soldiers of Fish-Man Island to defend the island and punish criminals.
Even the delinquent fishmen living in the lowest part of Fish-Man District had benefited quite a lot from the Sky Pirates.
As more and more fishmen woke up to this realization, like sparks igniting a prairie fire, the entire Fish-Man Island erupted with praise and encouragement for the Sky Pirates.
"I'm sorry, members of the Sky Pirates! I can't believe I resented you just now!"
"Waaah, I'm such an idiot!"
"Come on, Captain Yemu! We believe in you!"
"Please, members of the Sky Pirates! Defeat those invaders attacking our Fish-Man Island and protect our home!"
Hearing the cheers echo around him, Tiger, who was standing at the outer edge of Fish-Man Island, felt the greatest sense of relief.
"Maybe this is what the captain meant by freeing one's heart."
"Perhaps starting today, Fish-Man Island will truly become stronger."
Thinking this, he turned to Jinbe, who was also staring at the scene in shock, and said with a smile,
"Alright, Jinbe. Send everyone back and hurry to treat their injuries."
"Eh!?"
Jinbe froze and looked toward the center of the battlefield, where Yemu was clearly at a disadvantage, being pressed down against the seabed by Barobar.
"Brother Tiger, shouldn't we help Yemu-san? At least we could bring him some air!"
"No need. King Neptune has already prepared everything."
As soon as Tiger finished speaking, the entrance to Fish-Man Island opened, and countless air bubbles were released into the ocean like streams of soap bubbles.
At the same time, King Neptune's voice rang out.
"Captain Yemu, please use the air inside these bubbles while you fight. Although we cannot take part in this battle, we can still do what we are capable of…"
...
"Damn fishmen!"
Floating in the seawater, Barobar looked at the bubbles drifting out from Fish-Man Island and frowned.
But soon after, he began to laugh.
Although those bubbles were meant to help that kid, weren't they also helping him?
With that thought, he immediately moved into one of the bubbles. The problem of the thinning air from his earlier series of attacks was instantly solved.
Now the only issue left was...
He lowered his head and looked toward the seabed. As the sand stirred up by the currents gradually settled, Yemu's figure appeared below.
Although the bubble coating around Yemu had not been shattered thanks to its strange elasticity, Barobar had clearly gained the upper hand in their recent exchanges. Yemu could only remain pinned to the ocean floor as Barobar kept attacking.
Yet for some reason, Barobar saw no sign of tension or frustration on Yemu's face.
From the very beginning, this kid had worn the same expression.
It was irritating, but also deeply unsettling.
"Why? What kind of power does this kid have? Where does his confidence come from? He can't even use his Devil Fruit…"
"Forget it. I'll finish him with the next strike."
With that thought, Barobar activated his Devil Fruit ability once again.
"Muscle Enhancement, sixtyfold!"
"Arm Strength Enhancement, sixtyfold!"
"Leg Strength Enhancement, sixtyfold!"
"Skin Enhancement, sixtyfold!"
"Bone Enhancement, sixtyfold!"
...
Barobar's aura surged once again, and overwhelming power burst from his body.
Seeing this, Yemu let out a long breath and finally moved.
"Phew… that's about enough. I've reached my limit."
"Hm?"
Barobar heard this and a smug grin spread across his face.
"Ready to surrender, kid? Too bad, it's already too late. But if you give up now, you might be spared the pain that's coming."
After all, the Celestial Dragons were quite interested in having Yemu alive.
If he delivered a living Yemu to them, the reward would be enormous. With that, he might even find a way to survive.
But Barobar's smile lasted less than three seconds.
His face suddenly turned pale, his eyes widened, and his expression filled with disbelief.
"That… that's…"
"This is impossible… you bastard… how could this be…"
"I've never heard of anything like this. You actually fought me while wearing Seastone handcuffs…"
Barobar stared as Yemu removed the bracelets from his wrists. Completely unable to accept what he was seeing, he shouted like a man who had gone mad.
"What kind of monster are you?!"
"A monster?"
After taking off the bracelets, Yemu clenched his fists tightly. Feeling the surge of power flooding back into his body, he looked almost puzzled.
"I'm not sure myself. But one thing is certain. If this is all you've got, then the next thing that happens is you getting beaten to death by me."
Barobar's pupils instantly shrank.
Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his power again.
"Muscle Enhancement, eightyfold!"
"Arm Strength Enhancement, eightyfold!"
"Leg Strength Enhancement, eightyfold!"
"Skin Enhancement, eightyfold!"
"Bone Enhancement, eightyfold!"
...
Barobar's body visibly shrank another step, but even that did nothing to calm him.
Dark Armament Haki instantly wrapped around both of his arms.
In the same instant, the two of them disappeared from where they stood.
The warriors of Fish-Man Island could no longer see their fight. All they could see were streaks of white lines flashing through the water.
Then a massive impact erupted, like a meteor crashing into the earth.
The surrounding seawater was violently pushed away by the overwhelming force of their clash.
For a moment, a circular vacuum zone nearly ten meters wide appeared in the deep sea, with the two of them at its center.
"The seawater… it was pushed away by their power…"
"Hey, even Sea Kings fighting wouldn't cause something like this!"
"What kind of monsters are these…"
But this was only the beginning.
Both of them seemed to treasure this brief moment without the pressure of the ocean pressing in on them. Their fists flew like a violent storm, punching again and again.
It was a contest of speed.
A contest of strength.
A contest of sheer physical toughness.
Neither of them seemed to feel fatigue or pain as they poured out their power.
Yet the expressions on their faces were completely different.
Yemu looked excited.
Barobar, on the other hand, looked utterly unable to accept what was happening.
"Impossible… impossible! This kid is actually evenly matched with me even after I've boosted myself eighty times…"
"This kind of physical strength… is this guy some kind of monster like BIG MOM or Kaidou…"
As their power continued to erupt outward, the vacuum zone around them kept expanding, growing larger and larger.
Until the seabed ten thousand meters below the surface was split apart like a waterfall torn down the middle.
"Are you kidding me? The ocean… the ocean actually split open…"
...
Deep beneath the sea, Arlong watched the scene unfold.
His eyes slowly widened, and his body began to tremble.
At that moment, he suddenly understood something.
In this world, there really were kinds of power that no matter how hard someone tried, they could never hope to reach.