Iron Body: Utsugi was, Lancelot mused, essentially a thorns armor.
He remembered from the original story that if Luffy didn't have his rubber body, this counterforce would have shattered both his hands.
Boom!
The next second, Jinbe's fist slammed fiercely into Lancelot's chest.
'Tekkai?' Jinbe immediately suspected.
After all, Lancelot had neither dodged nor counterattacked, standing as still as a wooden dummy!
This situation could only occur when using the Tekkai technique from the Rokushiki.
But in the next instant, he felt a terrifying counterforce rebound from the punch he'd landed on Lancelot.
It shook his fist loose and even caused a sharp, bone-splitting pain to jolt up his arm.
'What technique is this?' Even with his vast experience, Jinbe couldn't immediately discern what move Lancelot was using.
"Iron Body Shatter!" Lancelot's entire body hardened, and he struck out at Jinbe with his full force.
Jinbe didn't dare be careless. Crossing his powerful arms in front of his chest, he blocked the punch.
Under the powerful impact, Jinbe was sent flying back seven or eight meters before stabilizing his stance.
As he landed, his feet dragged two deep grooves in the sand.
Jinbe's gaze toward Lancelot now held a different meaning.
If earlier it was merely curiosity because Lancelot shared his fish-man bloodline, now he genuinely acknowledged Lancelot's strength.
Jinbe cracked his neck a few times, the sound of bones popping, then grinned.
"You'd better be careful, I'm getting serious now... Fish-Man Karate: Seven Thousand Tile Revolution Kick!"
He launched a devastating spinning kick—with enough power to split seven thousand roof tiles—straight toward Lancelot.
It was extremely fast and overwhelmingly powerful. Even Lancelot's expression turned somewhat grave.
"Iron Body Steel..."
He knew Jinbe bore no killing intent toward him, so this was the perfect time to test the offensive and defensive capabilities of these new Tekkai techniques.
He needed to see if they were truly powerful, or just an "illusionary defense" that would shatter against a real powerhouse.
This specific technique enhanced defensive power based on Tekkai to withstand an opponent's attack.
It was known as the strongest defensive "Iron Body." Of course, being called the strongest didn't mean it was unbreakable.
Any attack that far exceeded its endurance range could naturally break it.
However, the technique's effectiveness varied by user.
The stronger the user, the stronger its defense. At equal levels, its defense was absolutely impenetrable.
Boom!
Under the tremendous force of the kick, Lancelot was directly sent flying.
But he performed a perfect mid-air somersault, using Geppo to cushion his momentum, and landed steadily back on the ground, his feet digging slightly into the sand.
"Gun Wave!"
Seizing the advantage, Jinbe immediately followed up, punching the air and shooting waves of water from a distance. In Jinbe's hands, this move packed cannon-like power and was absolutely formidable.
"Kami-e (Paper Drawing)!"
Lancelot's body seemed to undergo a strange transformation, becoming as light and pliable as paper.
Most importantly, as Jinbe's Gun Wave struck, his Observation Haki anticipated the trajectory, and he dodged with perfect, flowing timing.
Observation Haki combined with Kami-e truly made for the ultimate evasion combination.
"Cough, cough..." Lancelot coughed several times afterward, straightening up.
He felt an intense, dull pain in his chest—that kick had really landed hard.
But it hadn't caused any actual injury, just pain.
Jinbe raised an eyebrow as Lancelot defended against two consecutive attacks using Tekkai.
Though both were defensive moves, there was a stark difference between them.
The first move, Utsugi, not only blocked his attack but also inflicted shock damage back onto him.
Of course, the primary reason was that Jinbe hadn't used his full strength initially—it was merely a probing strike.
As for the second move, Steel, it was pure, unadulterated defense.
Lancelot gave him no time to ponder further, launching an immediate counterattack.
"Soru!"
With a low shout, Lancelot's figure vanished from sight like a ghost, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
Seeing this, Jinbe's heart tightened.
His eyes, large as bronze bells, narrowed instinctively into slits.
An intense sense of danger surged within him, setting off alarm bells in his mind.
At the same time, he pushed his own Observation Haki to its limit.
Just then, Jinbe suddenly detected something unusual.
He tilted his head slightly to the left, his gaze darting like lightning in that direction.
Sure enough, Lancelot's figure had already appeared there.
A faint, confident smile tugged at the corner of Jinbe's lips.
"Fish-Man Karate: Water Gun Rain!"
As his words fell, dozens of thick water columns, formed from the surrounding sea, shot forth like arrows from a bow, hurtling straight toward Lancelot.
These water jets carried immense force and impact, far surpassing ordinary attacks.
Anyone of lesser skill would have been instantly riddled with holes, turning into a veritable honeycomb.
Yet, faced with the ferocious onslaught of water columns, Lancelot showed no trace of panic.
His right hand gripped the hilt at his waist, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the Sandai Kitetsu—previously resting quietly in its scabbard—flashed out, its cold, cursed blade cutting a sharp arc through the air.
Then, Lancelot murmured softly, "One Sword Style—Demon Slash!"
In an instant, an intensely dark and demonic aura erupted from him, converging onto the cursed blade.
A special slash—a perfect fusion of his Sword Intent, his new Haki, and the sword's dark energy—took the form of a ghostly purple wave and roared forth, charging at the incoming water columns with the force of a descending predator.
Where it passed, the air itself seemed to vibrate with a low, chilling hum.
Upon contact with the demonic slash, the water columns were instantly severed, their momentum broken.
The cursed energy seemed to destabilize the water, causing the columns to shatter explosively into a fine mist, which scattered like a dazzling display of frozen blossoms.
"Hmph!"
Witnessing this, Jinbe narrowed his eyes slightly.
He let out a cold snort, sank back into a low stance, and threw a powerful straight punch, shattering the incoming demonic slash with the sheer, focused force of his Fish-Man Karate.
Then, he looked at Lancelot and said, "Again. Let me see just how far your strength has really reached."
After speaking, a knowing flicker passed through Jinbe's eyes.
Lancelot, his Observation Haki active, caught it instantly.
Suddenly, he understood.
This wasn't a fight to the death.
This wasn't even a real grudge match.
This was a test.
Perhaps Jinbe had been sent by someone to test his abilities.
But who? Who possessed both the power and the authority to dispatch a Shichibukai of the Sea personally to gauge his strength?
'Sengoku? Or perhaps... the Five Elders?'
For a moment, Lancelot felt uncertain.
However, regardless of the situation... it was indeed necessary to reveal some of his strength.
Only by doing so could he obtain greater authority and a higher status in the world.