The timeline rewinds to the moment the two of them were blasted into the sea.
After being struck by the Lightning Release technique, their entire bodies were paralyzed, and they were inevitably smashed straight into the ocean.
But they were, after all, Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters—
the backbone of the Navy, elites among elites.
There was no way they would panic over something like this.
Because they knew one thing very clearly—
The moment you panic in a life-and-death situation, death is guaranteed.
That was experience carved out of countless battles.
Damn it… I can't move…
Onigumo's heart burned with fury.
Who could have imagined that this brat of a ninja didn't just control seawater—
He could even use lightning?!
Such a monstrous existence—
why had he never had a bounty before?
What the hell was the Navy's intelligence department even doing?!
Doberman wasn't in a better mood either.
He had truly believed that with the two of them attacking together, capturing this pirate would be easy.
But instead—
Not only had they failed to injure the enemy, they had pushed themselves straight into mortal danger.
If not for their exceptionally powerful physiques, that lightning alone could have taken their lives.
Fortunately… their Observation Haki was still functioning.
Onigumo has mastered Life Return. His control over his body is even better than mine…
Doberman silently prayed.
Please recover faster… at least before the oxygen in our bodies runs out.
And also—
He desperately hoped that the ninja brat wouldn't take this chance to—
Damn it!
Before Doberman could finish that thought, his Observation Haki screamed in warning.
Two massive water dragons had appeared above them and were charging straight down!
I knew it wouldn't be that simple! Doberman roared inwardly.
BOOM!
The two water dragons slammed into them one after the other, driving their bodies even deeper into the sea.
The terrifying impact snapped several ribs and rapidly consumed what little oxygen they had left.
They were now in extreme danger.
If they were pushed any deeper, they might never make it back to the surface.
To die by drowning—
As Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters—
That was a fate they absolutely could not accept!
Damn it—move!!
Onigumo roared in his mind.
Life Return!
Life Return!!
MOVE!!!
Perhaps due to the unique nature of Life Return, Onigumo's body gradually began to respond.
The instant he regained control, he raised his blade and slashed backward—
Shattering the water dragon wrapped around him!
Now, Onigumo faced two choices:
First—abandon Doberman and return to the surface alone.
Second—use the remaining momentum to save Doberman, who had already been pushed some distance away, risking his own life in the process.
Under normal circumstances, he might have chosen the first option.
But not this time.
He could not afford that humiliation.
A hawkish Vice Admiral drowning to death?
If the dovish faction ever found out, they'd laugh at him for the rest of his life!
With that conviction, Onigumo twisted his body and kicked hard.
Geppo!
Bang!
The seawater exploded outward as Onigumo shot downward at full speed.
The moment he reached Doberman, he slashed again—
Pshhk!
His blade tore apart the water dragon cleanly, freeing Doberman without injuring him in the slightest.
Perfect control.
Doberman finally felt relief.
He was saved.
And then—
…Hm?
What the hell—where did that Sea King come from?!
In Doberman's perception, a Sea King over a hundred meters long appeared beside him, jaws opening wide as it bit down!
Those massive fangs—each larger than his entire body.
Unable to use Armament Haki underwater, being bitten meant instant death!
CRUNCH!!
Even with Onigumo's timely rescue, Doberman's right arm was still caught—
Ripped clean off and swallowed whole.
Agonizing pain surged into his brain, veins bulging violently across his face.
He turned his head toward the Sea King that Onigumo had just slain with a single strike—
And immediately noticed something strange.
Its eyes were red.
Inside them… black tomoe.
Red eyes… black tomoe…
Are Sea Kings like this nowadays?
Time returns to the present.
"Haah… haah…"
Doberman and Onigumo gasped greedily for air, overwhelmed by the feeling of surviving a catastrophe.
If Onigumo had recovered even a second later—
Both of them would have died beneath the sea.
That massive Sea King would never have spared such perfect "snacks."
Doberman knew this clearly.
If not for Onigumo, what he'd lost wouldn't have been just an arm.
Although he didn't understand why a Sea King appeared here—
Or why it attacked them—
One thing was certain:
That ninja brat was finally dead.
"Don't… don't underestimate the justice of the Marines, brat," Doberman snarled viciously.
"This is the price of looking down on us!"
"…Hm?"
Onigumo suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why wasn't there any blood?
The body they had pierced—wasn't bleeding at all.
A Logia user?
No—that didn't make sense.
They had clearly coated their weapons with Haki, burning their last oxygen just to ensure the kill.
Even elemental bodies should have been struck.
Unless—
This man had transformed before the attack.
But preemptive elemental transformation required extremely advanced Observation Haki.
Yet this man had been successfully ambushed—
Which meant he shouldn't possess that level of foresight.
Then… what exactly was happening?
Doberman's expression changed as he looked into "Jin's" eyes.
What he saw there—
Was mockery.
A look that seemed to say:
You actually managed to hit me. How careless of me~
Pure, infuriating sarcasm.
"Welcome… to my cage~"
BOOM!!
The "Jin" they had stabbed twisted violently—
Then exploded into massive splashes of water.
But unlike previous water techniques, the water didn't scatter.
Instead, it rapidly converged—
Forming a massive spherical prison around the two of them!
Doberman and Onigumo's faces changed instantly.
They tried to activate Geppo and escape—
But their weapons were pinned by the crushing water pressure, impossible to pull free in time.
Two choices remained:
Abandon their weapons and flee—
Or destroy the forming water sphere.
With their strength, breaking it with flying slashes should have been possible.
But that moment of hesitation—
Cost them everything.
The water sphere fully closed.
Locked.
Jin's true body slowly rose from beneath the sea, one hand pressing against the surface of the sphere.
"Water Release — Water Prison Technique."
Onigumo's expression turned uglier than if he'd eaten actual shit.
They had miscalculated.
The immense pressure and binding force made it impossible to move.
They could only watch as the man outside gazed at them calmly—mockingly.
"Gentlemen," Jin smiled,
"do you like the gift I prepared for you?"
Doberman choked on seawater in rage.
If not for his iron will, he would already be drowning.
Bastard.
Absolutely bastard.
As if worried they might still escape, Jin casually released another burst of lightning.
The shock made Onigumo feel like his lungs were about to explode.
DAMN YOU!!
People who play tactics—
Every single one of them has a dirty heart.
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