This was why Bushidora struggled to even describe them, besides the general shape, they didn't really resemble traditional mermaids at all.
Larry guessed that these mysterious creatures might be connected to the new Pokemon he had encountered.
"This has to be a primarina!" Larry declared just as the primarina surrounding the ship let out a collective scream.
A series of piercing, high-frequency cries echoed across the sea, so sharp and intense that several people felt as if their souls were being pierced by countless icy needles.
The pain seemed to cut deep into their very beings.
If there had been only one primarina, it wouldn't have been nearly as powerful, but together, their cries created an overwhelming and terrifying effect.
At that moment, twenty or thirty primarina surrounded the ship, and a sharp, piercing shout echoed from all directions simultaneously.
Within just a few seconds, several people who were a bit slower felt a sharp, unbearable pain in their ears.
Blood began to trickle from their ears.
Those who reacted quickly managed to shield their ears using their aura to lessen the effect of the sound.
And that was only the beginning.
The primarina seemed to share a telepathic connection; their bodies trembled in unison, and then thick clouds of black smoke poured out from the dark holes that marked their mouths.
The smoke spread rapidly, quickly covering a large area over the sea.
This black smoke was different from the fog they had seen earlier, it carried powerful aura fluctuations.
To everyone watching, the smoke shifted and morphed until it settled into human shapes.
If it were just ordinary human figures, it wouldn't have been so alarming.
But these figures were exact copies of themselves!
The primarina were creating black smoke puppets that perfectly replicated their appearances.
These puppets were incredibly light, stepping through the air as they attacked from every side.
In other words, they were completely surrounded.
And there were even more of these smoke replicas appearing.
At that moment, everyone shared the same thought: if they only copied their looks, it would be bad enough, but what if they also copied their strength and even their abilities to read minds?
"Don't just stand there! Those ghosts can't perfectly copy us, so stay alert and keep fighting!" Beyond shouted.
"Remember, with Sir Larry here, we will definitely win!"
His words snapped the frightened back to attention and reignited their fighting spirit.
Yes, they still had Sir Larry on their side.
While they were talking, the black smoke puppets had already boarded the ship.
Patterns could be seen on these puppets, and all of those who first boarded were the strongest fighters on the ship, people like Ging and Beyond.
What surprised Larry was that none of these puppets had copied him.
'Was it because the primarina weren't strong enough?'
Beyond spread his hands wide, and a few meters of aura burst from his body.
He stepped forward, then vanished in an instant.
In an instant, he appeared right in front of his black smoke puppet.
Using his aura, he blew sharp, gusty winds from his palm, which was as wide as a fan, straight into his opponent's face.
"Die!" he shouted.
With a loud bang, Beyond's eyes went wide as he slammed his hand onto the opponent's right arm, which immediately dissolved into a wisp of drifting black smoke.
With his momentum still carrying him forward, he suddenly spun around, bent down, and struck again, this time breaking his opponent's left foot.
Just from that first exchange, he had already crippled both the hands and feet of his adversary.
Before anyone could even celebrate, the black smoke swirling in the air quickly reformed, shooting sharp spikes straight into Beyond's chest.
All these rapid changes happened in the blink of an eye.
The clash was intense.
The sharp sound of metal meeting weapon rang out as the glowing black smoke pressed against Beyond's chest.
But it couldn't penetrate further, held back by his unyielding mental defense, solid as earth.
With a casual slap, Beyond brushed the black smoke away.
His fierce, scarred face softened just a bit, and a confident smile crept onto his lips.
After two rounds of fighting, he had a clear understanding of the black smoke puppet's strength.
To get a full picture, he not only launched attacks but also took some hits himself, carefully assessing the opponent's abilities.
This smoke-made doll had its advantages but also clear limits.
Its power was roughly half of his own, although that might not be true for everyone.
Besides strength, the puppet's ability to reorganize itself due to its smoky nature meant he had to stay alert for surprise attacks.
Overall, the puppet was better suited for a war of attrition rather than direct confrontation.
Beyond wasn't worried about its repeated reforming, he could feel its aura weakening each time he tore it apart.
A rough, eager smile spread across Beyond's face as his aura surged like fireworks bursting across his skin.
Countless strands of his mental power spilled out, creating a fierce wind that whipped his robes and whistled through the air.
To him, a puppet that's only half as strong, even one that can keep rebuilding itself, was just a challenge he could handle however he wanted.
He was ready to face it head-on and make it his plaything.
As the team's vanguard, Beyond knew he had to defeat the enemy quickly to keep their momentum going.
His golden aura shone brightly, lighting up the entire area, while his aura surged wildly.
With a casual wave of his palm, a movement that seemed quick but appeared slow to everyone watching, he prepared to strike.
Everyone held their breath, sensing what was about to happen.
Suddenly, a fist charged with explosive aura smashed into one of the black smoke puppets.
Wrapped in a sharp gust of wind, the punch pierced through the puppet, triggering a loud explosion.
The puppet shattered into pieces, releasing a thick cloud of black smoke that spread rapidly.
At the same time, more black smoke puppets appeared around the ship, shifting the battle from Beyond's solo fight to a team effort.
Meanwhile, Ging tossed the apple core he'd been casually holding into the sea, his eyes sharpening as he focused.
He spread his aura evenly throughout his body, having gauged the puppets' strength from Beyond's attack, there was no need to waste aura unnecessarily.
Beyond's quick strike was meant to help the team gain the upper hand, and now Ging was ready to follow up.
With a swift step, afterimages flickered across the battlefield, and Ging appeared right in front of a puppet, moving like a ghost.
His incredible speed came from a mix of physical strength and the support of his aura, which flowed rapidly to protect every part of his body.
Before Ging's full form was even visible, the sound of rushing air broke the silence.