After another violent collision, Jerry no longer relied solely on his fishing rod. He began attacking with both hands, conjuring water droplets and streams from thin air as he entered his fierce multi-faceted combat mode with various techniques and coordinated attacks.
After fighting for an extended period, Gion was forced for the first time to dedicate part of her focus to defense while maintaining her offensive. Faced with this tactical shift, she adapted momentarily before exerting her strength once more.
"Cherry Blossom Dance!" she called out.
She swung her sword continuously at incredible speed, waiting for opportunities to counterattack. Sword light flashed around her entire form—this was a powerful technique that seamlessly combined both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Thunderous crashes continued echoing across the battlefield as the escalating fight between the two warriors left the streets and surrounding areas in complete devastation.
Meanwhile, Ace, who had been fighting while retreating, gradually caught up with Deuce and the others, only to find them still dealing with Marines approaching from all directions. Carrot appeared to be the primary combatant on their side.
Her small frame moved swiftly through the crowd, sharp electrified claws crackling with energy. Most Marines struck by her attacks would suffer multiple lacerations while being electrocuted, collapsing with tremors and remaining unable to rejoin the battle.
The crew had divided into coordinated teams: Deuce and Skull led the advance in front, Kotatsu cooperated with Carina to handle rear attacks, while Carrot moved fluidly around their formation providing support.
After Ace accelerated and burst through their ranks, he leaped onto a nearby rooftop and attacked downward. Immediately, walls of fire erupted to the left, right, and behind Deuce's group, providing cover as they fled forward.
"Don't think you'll succeed that easily!" came a familiar voice.
"Crescent Slash!" Isuka's technique launched several sword beams skyward, heading straight for Ace.
Turning his head with a grin, Ace transformed into flames and dove into the crowd of Marines, effortlessly dodging the slashing attacks.
"You can't stop me," he declared confidently.
Ace landed hard, delivering a powerful punch before rushing around to buy more time for Deuce and the others.
In moments, Isuka appeared before him again, swinging her sword with lightning speed. Instantly, it seemed as though a swarm of wasps filled the air, with countless stinging attacks targeting Ace's entire body.
"Hey, that's interesting! Let me try that technique I saw!" Ace exclaimed.
"Fire Fist Gatling!"
This time, instead of projecting flames forward, he shot fire backward from his elbows, dramatically increasing his punching speed.
In an instant, countless powerful fists met Isuka's fierce assault and pressed forward rapidly, making it impossible for her to continue her attack as she was knocked back by Ace's overwhelming barrage.
"Haha! That technique is pretty useful!" Ace laughed triumphantly.
Seeing that Deuce and the others had disappeared from view, he turned and ran a considerable distance before stomping his foot down hard.
A towering wall of fire suddenly erupted in front of him, once again blocking the Marine's pursuit route.
Ace grinned, waved mockingly at Isuka and the numerous Marines, then launched a massive fireball into the sky that exploded brilliantly after takeoff.
"Please enjoy the fireworks display!" he called out cheerfully.
After saying this, he ignored Isuka's angry pursuit and walked through his own fire wall, vanishing from sight.
This location was far from the auction house where the incident had begun, and the number of Marine personnel was decreasing. Ace quickly caught up with Deuce's group and rushed toward the corner where their ship was docked.
Jerry caught sight of the spectacular fireworks Ace had launched and grinned, knowing they had successfully broken through the encirclement.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but during his intense battle with Gion, he'd actually found her sword dancing form quite beautiful to watch.
He supposed this was part of her fighting strength as well. Fortunately, Jerry's mental fortitude was solid, and he hadn't been significantly affected.
"Hmph! It's pointless!" he declared aloud. "Women will only slow down my path to mastery and affect the speed of my fishing rod!"
Gion also spotted the massive fireball rising in the distance, then heard Jerry's inexplicable remark, leaving her momentarily speechless.
Just as she was about to retreat after another exchange, Jerry flashed forward and stopped his own backward movement, appearing instantly in front of his opponent.
He stepped forward, and as his fishing rod swung, a massive amount of water vapor that had been quietly condensing nearby suddenly burst forth.
"Surging Wave Strike!"
Gion's pupils contracted rapidly. She had seen him attack by summoning water droplets and dragons before, but this was the first time she'd witnessed a full wave rushing out of thin air.
Like a waterfall plunging three thousand feet, the surging torrent rushed forward swiftly, instantly covering the entire area around Gion and leaving her nowhere to escape.
She gritted her teeth to steady her stance and launched a desperate slash in response.
However, Jerry's fishing rod swing wasn't for show. After a direct confrontation and counterattack, though he was repelled, his wave technique still struck Gion successfully.
As if a dam had burst, the entire street was rapidly flooded by the sudden massive torrent.
"Time to make my exit," Jerry muttered, glancing discretely at several corners where he knew intelligence agents or reporters were hiding in observation.
While Gion was being driven back by the flood, he vanished instantly.
He'd received Ace's signal that the others had escaped pursuit, and at this moment he sensed a new group of Marines appearing in the distance to surround the area—among them, a powerful presence rushing toward his location at tremendous speed.
Therefore, he felt it was time to retreat. There were already numerous Marine forces permanently stationed on the island, and Sabaody wasn't far from Marine Headquarters—there was no telling who might be arriving.
"Miss Gion! Here I come!" called out a new voice.
"What are you even here for?" Gion replied with obvious irritation.
Looking around at the flooded streets and the demolished shops that had been thoroughly washed clean, Gion—whose body was soaked and looking somewhat disheveled—was about to pursue Jerry when she heard this all-too-familiar voice.
The newcomer was none other than Vice Admiral Chaton Tokikake, who was also an admiral candidate, but definitely not someone Gion wanted to see right now.
After all, anyone who faces persistent romantic confessions that continue sporadically for years—and who, after being rejected countless times with no effect, still keeps approaching—would develop a headache from the harassment.
'Ah! Miss Gion looks so beautiful when she's soaking wet! She must be concerned about me—I need to work even harder!' Tokikake's internal monologue was running wild.
After pumping himself up mentally, he narrowed his eyes with a smile and said, "I was heading this way when I received notification that you'd encountered a powerful enemy, so I rushed over to provide assistance!"
"Well... in that case, you can follow along," Gion replied after some consideration.
At this point, other Marine officers were arriving at the scene. Gion didn't want to shirk her official duties for personal reasons, so after pondering the situation, she agreed.
'She actually agreed to let me accompany her! Does this mean she might also agree to my confession later?' Tokikake's eyes widened to their limit as his heart pounded with excitement.
He thought for a moment, then quickly retrieved a small white gift box from his pocket.
Holding it with both hands, he stepped forward to stand before Gion and nervously extended the box, stammering, "Well, Miss Gion, I was thinking..."
"Don't even think about it! Thinking about it is a crime! You don't think I don't know what you're planning, do you?" Gion interrupted without hesitation.
She swung her sword dismissively, turned around, and began walking away.
'She really does care about me! She understands me so well—she even knows what I'm thinking! I'm so happy!' Tokikake thought with an intoxicated expression.
After carefully putting away the gift box, he quickly ran after her.
"Miss Gion, wait for me!"