"Sherwin, leave it to me!"
Hearing Jinx suggestion, Shirahoshi eyes immediately lit up. She clenched her fists and thumped them against her chest as she volunteered, "The sea is perfect for me to fight! Back on Amazon Lily, I never really had the chance to try naval combat!"
During their stay on Amazon Lily, Shirahoshi had taken part in quite a few of the arena matches of the Kuja.
At first, she had only gone up because Jinx urged her to, but later she gradually grew fond of this method of training. Whenever she had free time, she would run to the arena on her own. Even when she wasn't fighting, she would watch from the sidelines as a spectator, observing the Kuja warriors in battle and learning from their experience.
By the time Sherwin and the others left, Shirahoshi was already able to trade blows back and forth with the combatants of the Kuja Pirates and the elite warriors who defended Amazon Lily. It could be said that her improvement had been tremendous.
But the most crucial change was in Shirahoshi attitude toward battle.
If Sherwin and the Felyne influence had made her no longer resist fighting, then the arena of the Kuja had allowed her to experience the joy of victory.
Shirahoshi now was like a child who had just gotten a new toy, her enthusiasm for battle at an all-time high. So her current reaction was only natural.
"Think it through. Real combat isn't the same as the Kuja arena matches."
Although he was pleased to see this change in Shirahoshi, Sherwin still reminded her.
"Yes, I know."
Shirahoshi clearly had already prepared herself for that. She nodded earnestly and said, "Didn't I attack pirates before? Even though I was just firing from a distance, there won't be any problem!"
"Alright. Then be careful. We won't be going with you."
After giving his reminder, it was only natural to put some pressure on her.
Since Shirahoshi had resolved herself to step onto the battlefield, Sherwin and the others could no longer give her excessive protection.
With Shermie Meow around, whether they followed her or not was only a matter of formality. What Sherwin said was simply to make his stance clear.
And Shirahoshi understood what he meant. For a brief moment, a trace of nervousness flashed across the "little" mermaid face, but it was quickly replaced by determination.
"I-I can handle it myself!"
After pumping her fists to encourage herself, Shirahoshi turned and leapt off the Dodo Advance, swishing her fish tail as she swam toward the pirate ship in the distance that was still firing cannon shots this way.
Speaking of which, the gunners of the Bablin Pirates were really something…
The Dodo Advance had been sitting still for quite a while, yet they hadn't landed a single hit. The closest shot had fallen more than ten meters away. It was hard to imagine how they had even managed to make it into the Grand Line.
Or perhaps they had been born in the Grand Line to begin with?
While Sherwin was inwardly mocking the Bablin Pirate terrible accuracy, Shirahoshi had already swiftly swum up near their ship.
"Hah!"
She gathered a bit of strength beneath the sea, then suddenly burst out of the water. Still suspended midair, she swung her arm and flung a spray of water droplets down at the pirates below.
"Fish-Man Karate: Water Shot!"
The seemingly ordinary droplets transformed into bullet-like projectiles, shooting toward the members of the Bablin Pirates. More than a dozen pirates failed to react in time and were struck by the water bullets, crying out as they collapsed onto the deck.
Immediately after, the gigantic mermaid herself came crashing down, causing the entire pirate ship to shake violently. Several cracks split across the deck from the impact.
Fortunately for the Bablin Pirates, their ship was large enough. If it had been the Going Merry of the Straw Hat crew, that single blow would have been enough to sink it.
Although more than a dozen of their comrades had fallen in an instant, the remaining pirates showed not the slightest fear. Instead, they shouted excitedly.
"Captain! It a mermaid! We're going to be rich!"
"Wahahahaha! Men! Capture her! Be careful and don't hit too hard—if she too badly injured, we won't get a good price for her!"
It was obvious that this was another group of pirates who never read the newspapers. They couldn't even recognize Shirahoshi, the recently high-profile mermaid princess.
However, judging from their behavior just now, even if they knew her identity, they would only be even more excited.
After steadying themselves, the pirates—whose minds were already filled with greed—completely ignored their injured companions and immediately surrounded Shirahoshi.
Captain Bablin raised an exquisitely crafted flintlock pistol and pointed it at Shirahoshi. Baring a mouthful of yellow teeth, he sneered threateningly, "For your own safety, it better not to resist. Otherwise… even a heavily injured mermaid would still fetch a high price."
"Hmph! As expected, you're all a bunch of stubborn villains!"
Feeling the emotions radiating from the pirates around her, Shirahoshi already serious and adorable face tightened even more.
"We're pirates! Of course we're villains! What a naïve little girl! Hahahahaha!"
Bablin and his men burst into loud laughter.
At the same time, behind Shirahoshi, several pirates silently grabbed ropes and lunged toward her.
But this level of sneak attack was no different from shouting a warning to Shirahoshi, who often sparred with Felynes using Soul possession.
Without even turning around, she simply lifted her enormous fish tail and lashed it fiercely backward.
"Fish-Man Karate: One Thousand Brick Tail!"
The pirates attempting the ambush were struck squarely by the tail. The few of them stacked together and were sent flying sideways, crashing straight through a secondary mast and snapping it in half. The falling sail then wrapped up more than a dozen pirates on Shirahoshi rear flank.
"Fish-Man Karate: Karakusagawara Seiken!"
As the sail dropped, Shirahoshi launched another attack, throwing a punch that blasted several nearby pirates flying.
"Damn it! Move in and attack!"
Only then did Bablin snap out of the sudden reversal of the situation. Enraged and humiliated, he pulled the trigger at Shirahoshi while roaring, "Forget about her injuries! As long as she not dead, we can still sell her!"
Under his command, the rest of the pirates also charged at Shirahoshi in a chaotic frenzy.
Sensing that the barrage of attacks was too dense—and that her large body made it difficult to dodge—Shirahoshi decisively leapt outward and plunged back into the sea.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Ocean Current Over-the-Shoulder Throw!"
For merfolk and fish-men, entering the water only made them stronger in battle.
Shirahoshi continuously hurled seawater toward the pirates on deck. The violent currents instantly scattered the rabble in all directions.
The water flung by Fish-Man Jujutsu was far more powerful than a high-pressure water cannon. After being struck, most of the pirates were either swept overboard into the sea or smashed against the ship and knocked unconscious.
Very quickly, aside from Captain Bablin, only a few combatants with barely passable strength remained standing on deck.
"Y-You've got to be kidding… Are mermaids really this strong?"
Only at this moment did the Bablin Pirates finally snap out of their money-driven frenzy. Unfortunately for them, it was clearly too late for regret.
The gigantic mermaid leapt out of the sea once more and launched another attack at Bablin and the others who still retained their fighting strength.
"Fish-Man Karate: Spear Wave · Shower!"
…