Seeing another pirate ship launch, Xia Qiu found it a bit troublesome; with three pirate ships, his plan was no longer viable.
However, Xia Qiu wasn't worried. Gardino's ability was limited; he couldn't continuously secrete wax, nor could he harden it to the point where it was unbreakable.
Once Gardino's wax solidified, its hardness was comparable to steel, but its toughness was limited. As long as the thickness wasn't sufficient, Xia Qiu could break it by continuously applying force to one spot.
More importantly, the wind had finally picked up.
The timing he chose to attack was when he noticed the sky in this sea area was covered in dark clouds and the air pressure had dropped significantly, reducing the efficiency of his gills filtering dissolved oxygen from the water. A heavy rainstorm was sure to follow.
As long as he continued to attack and stall until the storm hit, he would be victorious.
Xia Qiu continued to ram, intending to hold them back.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu suddenly noticed Gardino's ship moving away from his position, sailing into the distance.
"He's leaving?"
Xia Qiu was a bit surprised. He chose to leave?
Although he didn't know why, it was a good thing.
Gardino's ship was the sturdiest among the five ships. After so many rams, it didn't even have a single crack.
Furthermore, Gardino's ability could counter him, making it difficult for Xia Qiu to harm him if he stayed.
Though leaving would cost him some Reinforcement Energy, it was enough to allow him to devour the other billionaires.
"Mr. 2 Bon Clay didn't leave?"
Xia Qiu saw the sea ship sailing towards him and noticed Mr. 2 Bon Clay standing on it, holding two long spears.
His standing was even higher than Gardino's. More importantly, he was a Devil Fruit user, yet he fought using physical combat.
His body contained more Reinforcement Energy.
It was enough.
He transformed into an afterimage and charged towards the ship beneath Mr. 2 Bon Clay's feet.
...
"That guy, Mr. 4, actually left."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay stood on the ship, gritting his teeth as he watched Gardino's ship grow smaller in the distance.
"I can't abandon those sweethearts."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay gripped his spear and had no intention of leaving. Instead, he charged towards the Quick Swan.
Boom.
The black fish in the distance charged again, crashing into the ship beneath his feet.
The hull shook violently, but thanks to the wax protection, it didn't sustain significant damage.
However, in unseen places, between many of the wooden planks, small cracks began to spread.
"Die for me."
The moment the black fish reached the underside of the ship, Mr. 2 Bon Clay stepped onto the gunwale, grabbed his wax spear, and thrust downwards.
Boom.
Xia Qiu collided with the sea ship, while the wax spear pierced through the seawater and struck Xia Qiu's head.
Puff.
A hole was pierced in his scales, and the wax spear couldn't penetrate further.
"Such great power."
Xia Qiu felt the impact on his head and his expression faltered.
Although the wax spear concentrated the force, it was immense enough to pierce his repeatedly reinforced scales.
However, upon remembering it was Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Xia Qiu felt at ease.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay's strength was formidable, not due to his Devil Fruit ability, but his physical prowess and Okama Kenpo.
His Devil Fruit ability was mimicry, allowing him to transform into others, but he couldn't use Okama Kenpo after transforming.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay possessed great strength and could fight Sanji using Okama Kenpo, especially his kicks, which were only slightly weaker than Sanji's.
When Sanji fought Krieg's Pirate Crew in the East Blue, he could kick a warship away with one leg. After his experiences with Arlong's Crew and Drum Island, Sanji's strength had surely increased further.
But when Mr. 2 Bon Clay fought him, after Sanji discovered the flaw in his Devil Fruit ability, Mr. 2 Bon Clay only used his Devil Fruit ability. They could fight evenly for a short period, but over time, he fell into a disadvantage and was defeated by Sanji.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay's strength was immense; he could easily shatter walls. Even his scales, after multiple enhancements, couldn't completely block it.
Swish swish swish.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay gripped his spear and thrust repeatedly, instantly creating small holes in Xia Qiu's head scales.
Boom.
Xia Qiu immediately sank into the ocean and charged towards the distant Swan.
The Swan had already been sunk and was descending.
Xia Qiu suddenly charged diagonally upwards.
Boom.
Xia Qiu's head directly impacted the hull of the ship, the immense force creating a large hole and a slowly widening crack.
The Quick Swan's sinking speed increased, but Xia Qiu didn't return to attack. Instead, he retreated a distance and circled nearby.
"Quick, get closer," Mr. 2 Bon Clay shouted loudly, steering the pirate ship towards the Quick Swan.
"Rescue."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay had his crew members assist in rescuing the Quick Swan's subordinates, with many men boarding the Quick Swan.
This was the best moment to attack, but Xia Qiu made no move.
He allowed them to carry out the rescue, letting all the Quick Swan's crew members board the pirate ship.
Boom.
The Quick Swan sank, disappearing beneath the waves, leaving only one ship in the area.
This ship was now crowded with the crews from four vessels, totaling around fifty people. The ship was under immense strain.
"Set sail, set sail," Mr. 2 Bon Clay waved his arms, ordering the ship to depart.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu charged towards them, carrying tremendous momentum, and slammed into the pirate ship.
Boom.
The pirate ship trembled. The spot that was hit had no wax, so the wooden planks were directly smashed.
However, the wax panels on the sides provided significant buoyancy, and the interior of the hull near the waterline still had wax panels, keeping the ship afloat.
Still, small cracks began to appear on the hull, especially at the stern, where the wax-covered wooden planks showed spreading hairline fractures.
"Damn black fish," Mr. 2 Bon Clay's face contorted, and he shouted, "Accelerate and leave this area."
As Mr. 2 Bon Clay spoke, he gripped his wax gun, constantly on guard against Xia Qiu.
The pirate ship slowly turned, and under the increasingly strong wind, it began to sail into the distance.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu charged again.
Seeing the direction the black fish was coming from, Mr. 2 Bon Clay leaped onto a wax panel, holding his wax gun, and waited for Xia Qiu's arrival.
Bring it on.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay stared intently at the black fish.
However, as he got closer, Xia Qiu suddenly dove into the ocean, heading straight down.
"No impact," Mr. 2 Bon Clay looked somewhat puzzled.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu burst upwards from beneath the water, and with a boom, slammed into another wax panel.
From below, immense force struck the wax panel.
With Xia Qiu's shove, the wax panel was lifted clear of the sea.
But part of the wax panel remained in the sea, while the other part was stuck to the ship, sealing the large hole in the hull.
As the wax panel tilted upwards, the ship began to list.
However, the ship's weight was too great, and the adhered area was extensive. The wax liquid's thickness wasn't very high and was only on the surface.
This caused the wax liquid to begin to fracture, and the wooden planks beneath showed hairline cracks.
After delivering the blow, Xia Qiu retreated again.
"Bashing from underwater? I can't hit it."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay jumped back onto the ship, standing on the gunwale, holding his wax gun, his expression grim.
Boom.
This time, Xia Qiu charged again from further out at sea, his target still the same wax panel.
"Here it comes."
Seeing this, Mr. 2 Bon Clay leaped off the wax panel and gripped the firearm in his hand.
And this time, Xia Qiu did not dive underwater but charged straight ahead.
"Die for me."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay saw the black fish approaching and thrust out his wax gun.
Xia Qiu, however, charged diagonally upwards. His ramming horn wasn't aimed at the wax panel but above it, and he opened his mouth wide.
Clang.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay's wax gun directly struck Xia Qiu's teeth.
Boom.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay felt a tremendous force surge through the wax gun, sending him staggering backward uncontrollably.
Xia Qiu's head then landed on the wax panel.
Crack.
The connection point between the wax plate and the ship's hull fractured.
By pushing upwards earlier, he had damaged the hull's connection. Now, its own weight was pressing down, prying the wax plate loose.
With the massive wax plate detached and no longer providing buoyancy, combined with the immense weight of the ship, it was impossible for the vessel to stay afloat with only one wax plate.
Rumble.
Accompanied by a clap of thunder, the ship slowly began to tilt to one side.
At this moment, the wind intensified, and the waves churned.
"We're finished."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who had leaped back onto the Sea Ship the instant the wax plate detached, wore a look of despair.
But then, a Billionaire on the sea shouted, "The ship is sinking! We'll jump into the water and kill that Sea Fish. Maybe there's still a chance."
"Right, we can't just wait to die."
"Kill it."
The other Bounty Hunters agreed. Mr. 2 Bon Clay said with a wry smile, "I'm a Devil Fruit user, so I can't go into the water. I can only wish you success."
"Then Lord Bon Clay should just leave," one of the Bounty Hunters said, looking at him.
"Leave?" Mr. 2 Bon Clay blinked slightly.
Another Bounty Hunter chuckled, "My Lord, you're a Devil Fruit user. You'll be powerless in seawater and can't help. It's better if you leave now."
"Lord Bon Clay."
A subordinate walked up to Mr. 2 Bon Clay and said, "You saved us earlier, and you didn't abandon us at the last moment. Now, let us save you."
"Exactly. We'll go off the ship to fight the black fish, and you can leave in the small boat."
"We're doomed, so we're willing to trade our lives for your chance to survive."
The nearly fifty people here belonged to four ships. Besides this ship, the rest were either Mr. 2 Bon Clay's subordinates from the Quick Swan or crew members from other ships. After their Sea Ships sank, Mr. 2 Bon Clay had brought them all to this ship one by one.
They all saw Mr. 2 Bon Clay as a benefactor and were deeply grateful to him.
They also wanted to survive and hoped someone else would stay behind to fight the black fish while they escaped in a small boat.
However, they knew that their relationships were mostly based on self-interest, filled with betrayal, and they couldn't trust each other. No one would voluntarily stay to help fight the black fish.
If one person ran, everyone would run. But the small boats were limited, and they feared even the boats would be destroyed, leading to total annihilation.
Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well let Lord Bon Clay, who had saved them, live.
"I can't abandon you."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay gritted his teeth and said, "Betraying my subordinates is not the way of a Newkama."
"But you can't help."
A Bounty Hunter stepped forward and said, "More importantly, Mr. 4 betrayed us. My Lord, you need to go back and tell Mr. 0 about this."
"Right, we can't die here for nothing," the other Bounty Hunters said through gritted teeth, thinking of the fleeing Mr. 4.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay still hesitated, but someone had already grabbed him and was pulling him towards the stern of the ship.
"You guys..." Mr. 2 Bon Clay's eyes slowly reddened, tears welling up.
The Bounty Hunters took him to the stern, placed him in the small boat, and lowered it.
Splash.
This was not just the sound of the small boat being lowered, but also the sound of the Bounty Hunters jumping into the sea, lunging towards Xia Qiu.
"I will kill Mr. 4 and avenge you!"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay cried, waving goodbye to them. He then raised the sail of the small boat and sailed away into the distance.
Meanwhile, beneath the water, Xia Qiu's sonar detected the small boat's departure and attempted to pursue it, but was intercepted by the Bounty Hunters one by one.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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