After the battle at Mary Geoise, Fisher Tiger's strength had actually improved.
However, his talent ceiling was set; no matter how much he improved, his strength would at most reach Jinbe's level in the future.
Furthermore, besides the sword energy Garling had unleashed, which left him and Christopher with burn injuries, he also had other internal injuries.
Therefore, the strength Tiger could currently exert was even less than Jinbe's during his Shichibukai period.
Of course, even if he could exert his full strength, it would still not be enough when facing Borsalino.
Borsalino's main characteristic is his ambiguous strength—he gets stronger the stronger his opponent is.
Every time he fought, it seemed like he never won, but he also never seemed to lose.
If someone so much as touched him, he would immediately lie down and cover his face, looking exactly like a fraudster trying to stage a car crash.
His abilities were sometimes very accurate, but sometimes he couldn't hit anything even at point-blank range.
But this time, Sengoku had called and urged him, so Borsalino had no choice but to adopt the state he used when facing Teacher Zephyr and defeat the Sun Pirates.
At this moment, Jinbe rushed to Tiger's side and reached out to support him:
"Big Brother Tiger, are you alright?"
Tears shimmered in Jinbe's eyes. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Big Brother Tiger fell.
Tiger forced a smile, his teeth stained red with blood:
"Don't worry, Jinbe, it's just a small injury."
"Hey~ I say, you guys~ aren't you underestimating me a little too much?"
Borsalino thought they were talking nonsense. How could he be fine after spitting blood? Did they think everyone was like Sakazuki, whose combat power wasn't affected after spitting blood?
He originally didn't want to interrupt their conversation, but they got more and more engrossed, seemingly forgetting about him, their great enemy.
That's just looking down on people!
Facing Borsalino, who was slowly approaching, Jinbe unhesitatingly blocked the way in front of Tiger:
"I will never let you harm Big Brother Tiger!"
"Oh~ then there's no helping it~ this old man can only defeat you as well~"
Before he finished speaking, Borsalino had already raised his hand.
Biu!
A golden laser instantly tore through the air, shooting directly at Jinbe, who was shielding Tiger.
"Fish-Man Karate: Striking Water!"
Jinbe's reaction was equally fast. He swung his palm, launching a highly compressed water bullet that collided with the incoming laser.
Boom!
A fierce explosion erupted mid-air, and the shockwave shook the surrounding trees, causing them to sway precariously.
The battle restarted, and this time Jinbe joined in.
Although Jinbe had not yet reached his peak period from the original work, people with extraordinary talent show unusual qualities from a young age, and even the current Jinbe's strength should not be underestimated.
"Five Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Tiger endured the pain of his injuries and unleashed a punch. The violent shockwave closely followed the light fragments left behind after Borsalino turned elemental.
"Arabesque Tile True Punch!"
Jinbe immediately followed up with a move, a circular, all-directional shockwave attempting to restrict Borsalino's movements.
The two launched an attack simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right!
However, Borsalino's figure continuously flickered into golden light under the duo's siege, showing no sign of panic.
"Oh~ two against one, huh~ that's truly terrifying~"
His voice came from all directions, his tone still as nonchalant as ever.
"Shark Skin Palm Thrust!"
Taking advantage of the moment Borsalino dodged the True Punch, Tiger suddenly flipped over, his heel, covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, chopped down like a battle-ax!
This time, Borsalino merely raised his arm casually to block.
Their limbs collided fiercely!
Borsalino did not retreat a single step, nor did his arm tremble in the slightest.
On the contrary, Tiger was pushed back by the counter-shocking force and stumbled.
It was clear that even working together, the two could not gain any advantage when facing Borsalino.
On the other side, Marine warships had arrived at the port.
Although the dock was destroyed, the deep-water port remained. The warships anchored near the island, and Marine soldiers jumped down from the vessels one after another.
"Damn Marines! Attack them!"
The furious Arlong roared at the pirate crew members, and instantly, gunfire erupted across the island.
The Young Marine always had the ambition to achieve great deeds. He charged at the very front, continuously swaying left and right as he advanced, dodging the incoming bullets.
The technological gap in this world was incredibly vast. Islands like Bullet Head Island had reached the level of future technology, yet many islands retained a primitive appearance.
This meant that the weapons used by different factions were completely incomparable.
Because the Sun Pirates were constantly wanted by the World Government and often pursued by the Marines, their weapons were limited to spoils of war and defective items purchased from the black market.
The guns they held could be considered the earliest type of muzzle-loading flintlock rifles. They only had flint but no rifling, so hitting the target was entirely up to luck.
The Young Marine was not a pushover. While he might not be suitable for a major war, it wasn't easy to take him down with just a few guns.
Soon, he rushed near the Sun Pirates' position.
Because Jinbe had gone to support Fisher Tiger, a clear gap appeared in the previously arranged crossfire, and the Young Marine quickly charged toward Arlong's location.
"Damn human!"
Watching this Young Marine break through the fire blockade and charge straight at him, Arlong's fury instantly ignited.
He could not tolerate this.
How dare a mere lowly human treat him like a soft persimmon that could be easily squeezed?
"You arrogant insect!"
"Today, I'll let you witness strength ten times greater than a human's!"
Arlong stepped forward, giving the Young Marine no time to react, and delivered a heavy front kick right to his chest!
"Waaah..."
The Young Marine instantly curled up like a shrimp. He only felt an irresistible force rush through him, and his entire body was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, tracing an arc in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
In his hazy consciousness, he looked at Arlong, who was over ten meters away, full of disbelief:
"This... how is this possible..."
"I trained so hard for so many years..."
"And yet, just like this..."
Plop!
His consciousness completely sank into darkness.
That's how cannon fodder is; Arlong was like a War God in front of these people!
Seeing his opponent fall, the rage in his chest still hadn't subsided.
He exerted force with his legs, his muscular body leaped up, aimed at the charging Marine formation below, and crashed down!
Like a huge rock smashing into the water, three or four Marine soldiers were immediately thrown back by the impact.
Arlong's superhuman Fishman strength was fully displayed at this moment.
He didn't need to use weapons at all; relying solely on his fists and feet, every swing carried a muffled sound of rushing wind.
Without exception, all the hit Marine soldiers screamed as they were sent flying backward, falling silent once they hit the ground.
Viewed from a distance, the Marines surrounding Arlong were continuously thrown into the air, like fallen leaves caught by the wind.
Seeing Arlong's incredible bravery, the Sun Pirates crew members' morale, which had been slightly shaken by the Marine landing, immediately soared once more.
"Long live Big Brother Arlong!"
"Kill!!"
"Awoooo!"
With Arlong's sudden outburst, the Marine attack was momentarily suppressed.
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