"Time's up—Replication of the Copy-Copy Fruit complete."
"Time's up—Replication of the Wax-Wax Fruit complete."
"Time's up—Replication of the Dice-Dice Fruit complete."
"Time's up—Replication of the Sand-Sand Fruit complete."
One after another, the system prompts rang out, bringing a faint smile to Jiang Lin's face. Rather than taking the Ice Path, he deliberately rode a door board, all to seize the opportunity to copy the Devil Fruits of everyone around him."
Having acquired the Devil Fruits, Jiang Lin no longer held back and immediately began intercepting the incoming cannon fire."
All around them, the Navy's bombardment echoed like a string of firecrackers, exploding incessantly near their makeshift raft.
Dark cannonballs rained down from the muzzles of the warships' guns, streaking straight toward Jiang Lin and his group.
If not for Jinbei's speed and nimbleness, combined with Luffy and the others' relentless efforts, that flimsy door board alone could never have survived such a barrage.
"We're charging in!"
Carrying the door board, Jinbei reached the center of the Marine fleet. With a shout, he hurled it aside and dove into the sea below.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu… Water Heart… Sea Current Shoulder Throw!"
From the depths, a massive column of water erupted, propelling the door board—already on the verge of being swallowed by cannon fire—upward like a rocket, launching it high into the sky.
"Whoa! This free roller coaster is… exhilarating!"
Atop the rising wave, Jiang Lin stood tall, shouting excitedly as the Navy warship below grew larger and larger in his sight.
Under his feet, a towering surge like a tsunami crashed onto the warship, raising a storm of seawater.
The heavy door board smashed onto the deck with a thunderous crash, shattering instantly into countless splinters.
The foul seawater carried Luffy and the others' bodies, washing them onto the deck of the Marine warship.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two figures cut through the air—Mr. 1 and Sir Crocodile landed first, steady and unharmed.
Moments later, Jiang Lin descended calmly, stepping off a large slab of frozen seawater as though walking down from the shattered door board.
But all around them, the Devil Fruit users who had been soaked by seawater now collapsed on the deck, their limbs powerless.
"Jiang Lin, my body… feels so weak!"
Luffy lay in the seawater, struggling to speak, his voice drained of strength.
Beside him, Buggy lay head-first on the deck, completely unconscious.
"Bad news! Pirates… pirates have boarded!"
"They're here to seize the ship! We can't let them take it. If we throw those Devil Fruit users into the sea, we'll win!"
The Marines, confronted by Jiang Lin's group, displayed a mix of fear and steely resolve.
As the seawater pulled back, Luffy and the others stood on the deck, their eyes fixed on their enemies with fierce determination.
"Charge!"
Luffy shouted and rushed forward, followed by Gal Dino and the rest.
"Fish-Man Karate… Spear Wave!"
But just as Luffy and the others were brimming with fighting spirit, a giant whirlpool suddenly formed on the sea. A solid column of water rose and struck Jiang Lin's ship, blasting a massive hole in its deck structure.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Can't you let us plunder in peace for once?!"
Jiang Lin emerged from the rear, exasperated. If he stayed idle any longer, Jinbei might dismantle the ship completely before they even seized it.
"Attack! Don't let them take the warship!"
The Marines roared and surged forward. Bullets flew from their rifles, raining toward Jiang Lin's group.
At the same time, another wave of Marines brandished their swords and charged fiercely at the intruders.
In an instant, the Navy's morale had reached its peak.
"Wax-Wax Fruit (Poison-Poison Fruit enhancement) equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
Equipping his Devil Fruit card, Jiang Lin conjured a wax wall coated in viscous poison, shielding himself from the incoming bullets.
"Damn! That's… Magellan's poison!"
As the rear riflemen opened fire, the Marines who had just rushed up to Jiang Lin were splashed by droplets of poison rebounding off the wax wall. They collapsed to the deck in agony.
"Desert Spada!"
While the Marines hesitated in fear of the poison, a miniature sandstorm suddenly appeared on the warship, sweeping up large numbers of soldiers.
"So, will you jump overboard yourselves… or should I push you off?"
Jiang Lin advanced, driving the wax wall—dripping with poison—toward the Marines.
"R-run! Run for your lives!"
Terrified, the Marines charging forward now turned and fled in panic.
"Splash! Splash!"
Those already near the railings quickly leapt into the sea to avoid being trampled by their retreating comrades.
"Bad news! Large numbers of Marines are abandoning ship. That warship won't hold for long!"
From the surrounding ships, the Navy watched in horror as their comrades jumped into the sea one after another like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Immediately, they turned their cannons toward Jiang Lin's warship.
"Boom!"
But as the Navy aimed their guns, thick water columns shot up from the sea, striking their decks. In seconds, the dense barrage of seawater rendered all the cannons useless.
"My, my! That was too easy!"
Jiang Lin casually pushed the Marines back with his wax wall, while Luffy and the others each unleashed their abilities, mercilessly pounding the Navy soldiers.
It wasn't long before the warship—once teeming with Marines—was completely under Jiang Lin's control.
"Wahahahaha! Brilliant work, all of you!"
As the dust settled, Buggy, who had been feigning death the entire time, suddenly leapt onto a platform, stretching out his arms and legs in exaggerated laughter.
"You're unbelievable…"
Jiang Lin gave him a speechless glance, then turned to the sea. With the enemy cannons neutralized, Jinbei also climbed aboard the captured warship.
"So what now? I don't know how to steer a ship. And them? Are we going back to pick them up?"
Jiang Lin looked at Luffy and Jinbei, then pointed toward the noisy shore.
On the coast, Ivankov and the prisoners who had stayed behind were anxiously awaiting their arrival.
"No need."
Even as Jinbei spoke, a swarm of massive creatures surged from beneath the waves, charging toward the shore.
"Everyone, jump down!"
Sensing what was happening, Jinbei spoke through the Den Den Mushi, instructing everyone to leap into the sea.
"Whoa… incredible! A school of whale sharks!"
Standing on deck, Luffy gaped in awe as countless black-and-white whale sharks appeared in the calm waters of the Calm Belt. They surfaced one after another, lifting Ivankov and the others, ferrying them toward the warship.
"At last… we're leaving this place?"
Watching the bustling school of whale sharks, Jiang Lin felt a wave of emotion. The journey to Impel Down had been tremendously rewarding for him—not only had he gained a trove of Devil Fruit cards, but he had also come to gain a better understanding of Akainu's overwhelming strength.
With his current power, defeating Akainu would still be nearly impossible. He still lacked one crucial Devil Fruit—the key to determining whether he could defeat Akainu in the battles ahead.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit…"
Gazing into the distance, Jiang Lin's eyes sharpened. A new war awaited him, not far ahead.