The searchlight they had purchased could only illuminate a small patch of sea at the bow, which was one of the reasons Nami dared to sail at night.
However, in the quiet night, the gentle sea breeze carried a scent of danger.
[Incoming Chaos] suddenly popped up an image, providing passive information at this moment.
In Hiroto's mind, a top-down view of the Going Merry appeared. The hull suddenly groaned and creaked, and then the ship began to lose control.
Nami was panicked, thinking it was a reef, but the Going Merry showed signs of sinking at an incredibly fast speed. Then a sea beast that almost obscured the sky emerged from the sea and let out a roar at the gradually sinking Going Merry.
The image stopped abruptly there, with no more information.
Two words suddenly surfaced in Hiroto's heart.
Momoo, and... Fishman!
...
Under the sea not far away, a huge shadow swam in the sea, a white line slowly cutting through.
Beneath the surface, a massive sea beast, over a hundred meters long and fifty to sixty meters wide, was swimming slowly. Its upper body was shaped like a land cow, but its lower body was like a fish, and it had two massive claws.
"Let's go, Momoo, let's go take out those stupid humans."
Kuroobi grabbed the tough scales on Momoo's body, which were strong enough to withstand bullets and light artillery. He stepped on the dorsal fin to steady his body so that he could observe the situation on the sea surface in time.
Coming to ambush and kill this group of humans, especially that guy with a bounty of 70 million berries, he certainly wouldn't be careless or dismissive. Despising humans was one thing, but fighting against a powerhouse among humans was another.
Before Fish-Man Island was under the protection of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, they had no way to protect their compatriots at all.
On one hand, it was because those pirates would flee after looting. Secondly, it was because these human powerhouses were not easily taken down.
But now, he was fully confident in taking down this group of enemies.
Humans who have never met a Fishman cannot imagine what kind of destructive power a Fishman who can swim in the depths of the sea can exert.
It was currently night, making human activities very inconvenient, but Fishmen could move freely and flexibly.
Combined with the advantage of a surprise attack and Momoo's strength, it would be easy to overturn and sink this single-masted sailing ship.
As long as the enemy entered the sea, nothing else mattered.
To put it bluntly, in terms of naval warfare, Fishmen are invincible.
"Moo..."
Momoo gave a low response, the huge sound waves causing ripples on the sea surface.
Then he swam towards the small human ship. Despite his massive size, his speed was incredibly startling.
At the same time, Chew, Hatchan, and a dozen other Fishmen also swam from all directions towards the bottom of the enemy ship.
Their tactics were very straightforward: pull the humans into a domain where Fishmen held an absolute advantage to fight.
"Exit the stage now, Hiroto Pirates."
Kuroobi stepped on the dorsal fin and rose to the sea surface to observe the movements of the single-masted sailing ship.
As the plan began to be implemented, he could already foresee the enemies' panic, and he immediately let out a sinister grin. The sense of revenge brought by devastating humans always made him feel pleasant.
Boom!
A huge explosion suddenly rang out. Within the light of the distant searchlight, a figure brimming with killing intent suddenly soared up.
Hiroto gripped the hilt of Shigure and [Incoming Chaos] activated, consuming one-tenth of his stamina. Then his sharp gaze locked onto the enemy's aura beneath the sea.
He used Shunpo to walk on air, and then he swung his blade down fiercely from above. A red slashing wave over twenty meters long, like a roaring fire dragon, crashed into the sea.
Boom!
In the second explosion, raging flames blasted open a towering wave, forcefully blasting a hole in the sea.
Amidst the scattered scalding waves, Chew revealed himself, looking up at the human holding the sword with utter astonishment. With just one look, he recognized that this was the primary target.
The one to be beaten half to death, taken back to Arlong Park, and pinned to the top of the building to be baked alive in the sun—Head-Chopping Swordsman Hiroto.
'Damn it... how was I discovered?'
Chew's last thought flashed through his mind in shock and anger as the Hiroto above him disappeared like a bubble.
That wasn't Hiroto, but an afterimage left by moving at high speed.
Must find the real body... the real body...
Shigure was thrust into Chew's protruding lips, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced through his brain.
Hiroto pulled out the blade and [Incoming Chaos] activated again, consuming another tenth of his stamina. With his perception and mental images working together, he found the positions of two more Fishmen, and then he disappeared.
A massive amount of seawater fell belatedly, failing to even touch Hiroto.
"How could this be..."
Kuroobi's pupils constricted as he witnessed the explosion. With such speed, it wasn't surprising that the opponent was a powerhouse as he had expected.
But... how on earth did he discover the Fishmen hiding in the sea?
The sea was supposed to be the Fishmen's home field, not to mention it was night with the worst visibility conditions.
How could a mere human...
There was no time to think, as Kuroobi once again saw two flashes of fire blast through the waves one after another.
In the cold sea breeze, Hiroto's eyes were cold as he swung down, cutting the Fishmen inside along with the waves.
In the waves not far away, a frozen Fishman's head had just fallen off.
Then, Hiroto activated Shunpo and disappeared again.
"Damn bastard!"
Although Kuroobi didn't see the process, he knew that those two compatriots were most likely dead.
The death of his compatriots filled Kuroobi with grief and anger, making him hate that human even more. He hadn't planned on having any casualties this time but everything was irreversible. All he could do was defeat the opponent as quickly as possible to reduce their casualties.