Although Borsalino is currently only a Navy Vice Admiral, any respectable force on the sea knows clearly that this guy is definitely the next Admiral.
So when Tiger saw those brown sunglasses and that iconic, lewd smile, his pupils sharply contracted.
"Borsalino..."
The muscles on his face instantly tightened, his teeth ground together, and his massive fists, capable of shattering reefs, clenched tightly, causing veins to pop up on his arms.
Just a few seconds ago, he still held a sliver of hope—
Perhaps it was just an ordinary Marine fleet, or perhaps they had only accidentally discovered his pirate ship and set up this ambush on a whim.
In that case, relying on the strength of the Sun Pirates, they would still have a chance to fight, or even break out.
But now... the fantasy was shattered!
The person appearing before him was this extremely troublesome man.
This meant that the Sun Pirates were likely doomed today.
But before defeat, he had to say something.
Taking a deep breath, Tiger stepped forward, staring directly into Borsalino's eyes:
"Why are you constantly chasing us?"
Borsalino stroked his chin, adopting a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he spoke with feigned uncertainty:
"I don't know either, y'know~ I'm just a Marine following orders~"
He felt Tiger was speaking nonsense. You almost burned Mary Geoise to the ground, and you ask me why I'm chasing you?
Why do you think I keep chasing?
"Marine?"
Tiger seemed to have lost all sense of fear now, and continued walking toward Borsalino:
"Don't you Marines constantly claim to uphold Justice? Who exactly have you protected?"
He glanced at his comrades, his eyes sweeping across the faces of Jinbe, Arlong, and the other Fishman crew members:
"Human children, Fishman toddlers, Merfolk babies... which of them was born to be bound by chains?"
"All we want is for those whose sun was stolen to be able to return to the sunlight..."
"Is that wrong?!"
Tiger stared directly into Borsalino's eyes behind the sunglasses:
"Compared to you, I actually feel that Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's NEO Marines better represent Justice!"
This heartfelt declaration of his slightly calmed the surrounding, previously panicked Fishman crew members.
They looked at their Captain, and the light in their eyes reignited.
"That's right! Boss Tiger! Please lead us forward!"
"Wuwuwu... Big Brother Tiger!"
"Big Brother Tiger! We are willing to follow you forever!"
"Awoo awoo awoo..."
Faced with these moving words, Borsalino still stood in place, completely unmoved.
Normally, he wouldn't mind letting the opponent go, only to continue chasing them himself later.
But this time, Sengoku had given a death order; there was no room for letting up.
Could he really watch the opponent jump into the sea, then fire a Yasakani no Magatama that misses, and finally say, "If they can run away from that, then there's nothing I can do"?
Just kidding, you don't have a Marine Hero as a grandfather.
So he still replied in his unhurried tone:
"Oh dear~ What terrifying thoughts you have~"
"But I'm just a guy carrying out orders, so these words..."
"You should save them for the World Government!"
As soon as he finished speaking, golden light reignited between Borsalino's fingers.
"Watch out!"
Seeing the opponent's intent to attack, Tiger quickly roared, signaling his crew to disperse, while he himself leaped toward Borsalino without hesitation.
The fist covered in pitch-black Armament Haki tore through the air, heading straight for the opponent's face.
Borsalino neither dodged nor avoided, merely raising his other hand casually.
Bang!
Fist met palm, but Borsalino remained completely still. Their arms locked together, their eyes met, and a shockwave spread outwards.
"What terrifying strength, indeed~ You truly live up to being the guy who dared to attack Mary Geoise alone~"
Borsalino's tone remained unhurried, as if this strike had no effect on him whatsoever.
Tiger, however, was gritting his teeth and using all his strength, not daring to speak a word for fear of losing the breath in his chest.
He struck again without hesitation, a water-hitting technique shooting out like a bullet.
"Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Tile Fist!"
A 360-degree shockwave violently spread out centered on Tiger, kicking up the sand and stones on the ground.
Borsalino's figure wobbled in the shockwave, then dissipated into photons, only to condense again a few steps away:
"Oh~ I almost got hit there~"
He had just reappeared when Tiger's fist enveloped him.
"Shark Tile Fist!"
Boom!
The fist slammed into the ground, turning the beach into a deep crater and shattering the reefs at the edge of the island.
But Borsalino's figure had already vanished from the spot, instantly flickering into existence right in front of him.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
Clang!
The light sword condensed in Borsalino's hand violently collided with Tiger's fist, which was covered in Armament Haki, letting out a massive metallic clang!
The ground of the entire combat zone cracked and rolled up amidst the fierce tremors.
Tiger was able to fight alongside Christopher, even performing well in the final battle, and did not fall behind when facing the God's Knights; his inherent strength was certainly not weak.
But in front of a top-tier powerhouse like Borsalino, he could only parry and had no strength to counterattack, constantly falling into the opponent's battle rhythm as if being toyed with.
As the battle continued, Borsalino's speed grew faster and faster. One second he was condensing a light sword slash in the air, and the next second he had flickered behind Tiger.
"Big Brother Tiger, watch out!"
Not far away, Jinbe, who was guarding the coastline, ignored the Marines on the Warship and shouted loudly toward Tiger.
Just as Tiger turned around, a foot wrapped in golden light was already imprinted on his chest.
"Fisher Tiger~ Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Waaah..."
Tiger spat out a mouthful of blood, his burly body flying backward like a cannonball, smashing through three or four coconut trees before heavily crashing into a cliff face inside the island.
Boom!!
The cliff face was dented downwards into a human-shaped crater by his impact, rubble collapsed, and the area around the impact was covered in cracks.
"Big Brother Tiger!"
Jinbe let out a mournful roar, ignoring everything else and charging straight toward where Tiger had fallen.
"Cough, cough... Don't worry, an attack of this level can't defeat me."
From the smoke and dust, Tiger walked out clutching his chest, fresh red blood staining the corner of his mouth.
The muscles on Borsalino's face twitched almost imperceptibly.
You have a surprisingly tough mouth, you bastard!
You got kicked into this state with just one blow, yet you're still holding on.
But given his personality, he naturally wouldn't say these things out loud, only speaking in a teasing tone:
"Oh, how scary~ To be kicked by me and be completely fine~"
"You really are as strong as a monster~"
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