On the deserted island's beach, Barnes slowly exhaled a breath.
"Zoan-types really do grant incredible physical enhancements… but unfortunately, yours is just a regular type. It can't compare to Ancient Zoans or Mythical Zoans."
He bent his knees slightly and adopted a stance completely different from his previous wild fighting style.
"Now I'll show you the true realm of the Mad Shark Fist Style that I've trained to its peak."
"Oh? Mad Shark Fist?" Sami raised an eyebrow. "The name sounds pretty intimidating."
Although Sami spoke casually, he had already taken a fully alert stance.
"Mad Shark Fist Style — Secret Technique!"
Barnes growled.
As he began gathering power, the aura around him surged to its peak.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished.
Like a massive cannonball fired from a barrel, he crossed the distance between them in an instant.
BOOM!
Barnes stomped heavily into the sand in front of Sami.
Sand exploded upward in every direction, creating a thick cloud that concealed Barnes' position.
Now!
At some unknown moment, Barnes had already appeared behind Sami at a blind angle.
His tactic had succeeded.
A thunderous frontal feint…
Followed by blinding sand…
Then a deadly blind-spot movement at extreme speed.
All of it existed for one perfect strike.
"Sea-Cleaving — Sky-Splitting Fist!"
Without hesitation, Barnes unleashed all the power he had accumulated.
His ultimate punch tore through the swirling sandstorm and slammed directly toward Sami's exposed back.
This punch surpassed every attack he had thrown before.
This—
—was the true Sea-Cleaving Sky-Splitting Fist.
Got him!
"Nice one!"
Sami's pupils shrank.
He had sensed Barnes' movement—but at this moment there was no time to dodge.
In that split second, Sami made his decision.
Human-Human Fruit — Soft Body Form!
Right before Barnes' fist struck—
Sami's body transformed.
His form suddenly expanded, softened, and warped.
His skin took on a semi-transparent gelatinous sheen.
Barnes' ultimate punch struck squarely into the center of Sami's soft, umbrella-shaped body.
Pff—!
A bizarre muffled sound echoed.
Like a hammer slamming into deep water.
Sami's body displayed astonishing elasticity and shock absorption.
The impact point sank deeply inward, rippling like waves as the force dispersed layer by layer.
Even so, the remaining shockwave blasted Sami backward.
He crashed heavily into the sand, sending dust flying everywhere.
Everyone on the Swordfish held their breath.
"H-he landed it?!"
"Captain…!"
"N-no way… did the captain just lose?!"
"Haa… haa…"
Barnes maintained his punching posture, breathing heavily.
That strike had drained enormous stamina.
Even though he had landed the blow, there was no joy on his face.
Instead—
Confusion.
"Did I hit him?"
"But that feeling…"
There had been no sound of bones breaking.
No solid flesh impact.
Instead, it felt like punching something bouncy and gelatinous.
He stared intensely at the cloud of dust ahead, not daring to relax.
A gust of sea wind blew through.
The dust slowly parted.
Then—
A massive shadow rose from within the haze.
"…In all these years…"
"…you're the first person who's forced me to use this form."
A gigantic pink jellyfish appeared before everyone.
Its enormous translucent umbrella floated above the sand, supported by dozens of thick and thin tentacles of varying lengths.
"What… what is that?!"
"My god! That's the captain's true form?! It's… huge!"
"Brother Aldo! Have you ever seen the captain like this before?!"
"Nope!" Aldo stared in disbelief.
"This is my first time seeing the boss turn into something that big!"
The edge of the jellyfish umbrella rippled slightly.
Sami's voice emerged from somewhere within the enormous body.
"You're actually pretty strong."
"I'm almost tempted to recruit you."
Barnes blinked.
Then he burst into a savage grin.
"So that's your real body?"
"Hah… that thing is ugly as hell."
"…."
The massive jellyfish went silent for a moment.
Then—
"(▼皿▼#) …You just asked for that."
WHIP WHIP WHIP WHIP—!
More than a dozen tentacles lashed downward from different angles.
The attack range almost completely sealed Barnes' escape routes.
Even pushing his speed to the limit, Barnes could only weave through the gaps between the whips.
But there were simply too many.
And they were too fast.
Snap!
One tentacle brushed across his shoulder.
There was no sharp pain.
Only a faint prick.
Then—
A surge of numbness spread like electricity through half his body.
"Damn! Poison?!"
Barnes' heart sank.
His movements immediately became sluggish.
That single moment—
Was the moment that decided the battle.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
More tentacles rushed in.
They struck his arms, waist, and legs in rapid succession.
Each hit delivered not only physical force—
—but layers of toxin.
Barnes' vision began to sway.
His limbs grew heavy.
The speed and strength he prided himself on were rapidly being devoured by the poison.
He tried to counterattack with a punch.
But he was already several beats too slow.
The fist he threw was effortlessly wrapped by a tentacle.
"It's over."
The next instant—
Dozens of tentacles coiled inward like giant serpents.
They bound the weakened Barnes tightly and lifted him into the air beneath the giant umbrella.
As the toxin continued to spread through his body, his struggles grew weaker.
Finally, Sami tossed him onto the sand.
Barnes could only kneel there, breathing heavily.
"Your… poison… is really… annoying…"
"Hahaha. That's just the instinct of a jellyfish."
"Every creature has the talent it relies on to survive."
The giant jellyfish body began to shrink and change.
A few seconds later—
Sami returned to his human form.
Standing there, he rolled his shoulders.
The spot on his back where Barnes' punch had landed still throbbed faintly.
But his powerful recovery ability was already smoothing out the discomfort.
Then he walked calmly toward Barnes and looked down at the challenger struggling to kneel upright.
"…You win."
Barnes raised his head.
Sweat soaked his hair, but the look in his eyes showed he hadn't completely surrendered.
"So… what are you going to do with me?"
"Well…"
Sami stroked his chin.
Then a bright grin spread across his face.
"Of course…"
"…I'm going to help you prepare for your moment in the spotlight."
"You—?!"
Before Barnes could react—
Sami's hand chopped down onto the back of his neck.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
Barnes collapsed unconscious.
Sami turned toward the Swordfish and waved his arm.
"All done! Come pick him up!"
The ship quickly approached.
Aldo was the first to jump ashore.
He rushed to Sami's side, staring excitedly at the unconscious Barnes.
"Boss! That form earlier was awesome!"
"Hahaha! Good taste!"
"So boss, what do we do with this guy?"
"Chain him up."
Sami said calmly.
"This guy's strong. Lock every joint so he can't even move a finger."
"Throw him in the lower hold prison."
"Later, we'll package him together with Morris…"
"…and sell them both to Gillian."
"Two high-priced 'officers' of the Jellyfish Pirates should fetch a good price."
At that moment, Marcus—wrapped in bandages—walked over.
He looked at the unconscious Barnes with complicated eyes before lowering his head toward Sami.
"Boss, I…"
Sami raised his hand and slapped Marcus firmly on the shoulder, cutting him off.
"Don't worry about it."
"This wasn't your fault."
"That guy's strength is already beyond what you can handle right now."
"If we compare him to the Marines…"
"His real combat power is probably slightly above an ordinary Marine branch colonel."
"So losing to him isn't shameful."
Sami smiled and looked at the crew gathering around.
"Alright, let's head back."
"Our supplies should be ready by now."
"We'll stay around Kikraze Island for the next couple of days and rest properly."
"Yes, Captain!"
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