The giant, humanoid creature was lying there fast asleep, bubbles rising from its mouth.
The Sea Patrolling Beast's approach startled it awake. It opened its eyes, looking dazed and confused.
"Wadatsumi, get up! It's a Sea King!" A Fish-Man wearing a bubble coral emerged from the cave, shouting in terror at the giant. Several others, all crewmates of Vander Decken IX, scrambled out of the cave behind him.
The giant creature was instantly alert. It stood up, towering over the nearby seamounts and nearly matching the Sea Patrolling Beast in size.
"It's the Bald Sea Giant! The Bald Sea Giant!" Fukaboshi and the others inside the beast's mouth exclaimed. The creature was known to appear near Fish-Man Island and was infamous for its destructive power.
"Wadatsumi," Bege said, his eyes narrowing as he identified the giant. He remembered this creature well; in terms of sheer size among humanoids, this one was easily in the top three. Its immense size corresponded to immense strength.
Aside from capturing Vander Decken IX, Bege had also intended to capture this beast. The creature was simple-minded and easily tamed; once loyal, it was fiercely so, making it an excellent subordinate. Bege planned to have Ben Kosa perform a fusion on it, transforming it into a powerful hybrid creature that would significantly boost his power at sea.
"I was just getting hungry. I'm going to eat you!" Wadatsumi giggled foolishly. He grabbed a nearby seamount, ripped it from the ocean floor, and charged forward, raising it high to smash the Sea Patrolling Beast.
"Godfather, I'll take care of him," Enel said, eager for a fight.
"This is the bottom of the sea, not your battlefield. Allow me," Jinbe offered, stepping forward and looking to Bege for permission.
"Very well. Jinbe, you handle it. But don't kill him. He's useful," Bege nodded.
Jinbe launched himself forward, slipping through the teeth of the Sea Patrolling Beast. He shot through the water, parting the sea before him.
"Huh? A little speck. Get out of my way, speck!" Wadatsumi spotted Jinbe and raised a foot to kick him away.
Jinbe stopped, and with a sudden grab, he made the surrounding water churn violently.
"Water Heart: Sea Current Shoulder Throw!"
He flung his arms forward, and a massive vortex of water, like a liquid tornado, was thrown as if in a shoulder toss. It slammed into Wadatsumi's massive foot with enough force to make the giant stumble and fall backward onto a large seamount, shaking the entire underwater mountain.
Enraged, Wadatsumi hurled the seamount in his hands toward Jinbe.
"Arabesque Tile Punch: Seven Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Jinbe planted his foot on a current as if it were solid ground. Using its momentum, he shot forward and unleashed a lightning-fast punch that connected with the flying seamount. Immense power surged through the rock, and countless cracks spread from the point of impact, shattering the entire seamount into a cloud of debris that was blasted away by the force of the blow.
"Hoh, this Jinbe guy's got some moves," Enel and the others remarked, their eyebrows raised in surprise.
"He is indeed skilled," Bege commented. "It's unlikely Jinbe will ever become an Emperor, but he has no problem becoming a top-tier pirate commander. He'll be able to protect Fish-Man Island in the future."
Fukaboshi and the other princes swelled with pride. As the eldest prince and future king, Fukaboshi knew the importance of their island's revival plan and Jinbe's role in it. To receive such an endorsement from a New World Emperor was proof of Jinbe's potential and the success of their plan to foster strong protectors.
"You bastard! I'll crush you!" Wadatsumi roared, now thoroughly infuriated. He charged forward again, throwing a powerful punch that tore through the water with ferocious force.
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Buraikan!" Jinbe remained calm, assuming his stance. He grabbed at the water, and the surrounding currents surged toward him as if caught in his grasp. He then unleashed a punch, and the massive current blasted forward with it, carrying the force of the ocean itself. It struck Wadatsumi's body, and the terrifying combination of physical power and water pressure sent the giant flying.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wadatsumi's massive, hundred-meter-tall body crashed backward, smashing through several underwater mountains before being buried under the collapsing rock. His eyes swirled as he lost consciousness.
"Not bad at all," Bege said with a raised eyebrow. He knew from the original story that Jinbe had defeated Wadatsumi with a single blow, but that was over a decade in the future. For Jinbe to possess such strength now showed how much he had grown under Whitebeard's command.
On the mountainside by the cave, the members of the Flying Pirates watched in stunned silence, terrified by Jinbe's power. Among them was a sleazy-looking, four-legged man.
He was Vander Decken IX.
"Jinbe! How did he find me here? Damn it!" Vander Decken's face turned ugly, and he immediately turned to flee. His Mark-Mark Fruit required him to touch his opponent to activate its power, but his close-combat skills were pathetic. He had no chance of getting near Jinbe. With his strongest subordinate, Wadatsumi, defeated in a single blow, and the rest of his crew being nothing but rabble, his only option was to run.
"Vander Decken! Where do you think you're going?" a sharp voice called out. Jinbe grabbed the sea current and whipped it forward.
"Spear Wave: Rain of Spears!"
With a flick of his wrists, he sent out streams of water that shot like bullets, piercing the rock face around Vander Decken and scaring him into freezing in place.
"Scatter and flee!" Vander Decken yelled to his crew, who immediately dispersed in every direction.
He touched his own body, then kicked off the ground, launching himself through the water. He shot past the currents, tearing through the sea at incredible speed toward the distance. Vander Decken was a coward, and cowards always have multiple escape routes planned. He had previously marked a target in a remote location on the seafloor. Now, by using his ability on himself, he could launch himself as a projectile and fly directly to his preset escape point.
"You want to kill me? It won't be that easy!" he cackled maniacally.
Jinbe kicked off the current, chasing after him at astonishing speed.
Suddenly, Vander Decken's body went rigid, as if frozen solid in the water, unable to move.
"What's happening? Why can't I move?" he shrieked in terror. He could feel the surrounding water pressing in on him, and the immense pain made him scream.
Jinbe paused, frowning at the bizarre situation. He immediately looked back toward the Sea Patrolling Beast. The only one here capable of such a feat was Bege.