One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

"Could the two Vice Admirals have been defeated?!" a Marine Captain exclaimed in horror.

The flashing lightning and terrifying waves moments ago had shaken him to his core.

"No, I can still sense their presence..." Momonga said.

Momonga didn't finish his sentence because he noticed that the auras of the two below were unstable—clearly, they had suffered some kind of blow.

But voicing such thoughts could easily cause panic, so Momonga kept his mouth shut.

He turned to exchange a glance with Doberman, signaling him to act when the time came—if Onigumo and Doberman couldn't escape on their own, they would descend to rescue them.

Doberman nodded in understanding.

"You think I don't see you two making eyes at each other right in front of me?" Meiser said. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, the half-bald guy."

Momonga: ???

Ha... half-bald?!

"You bastard, this is a mohawk!" Momonga roared.

He was absolutely furious—how dare this guy call him half-bald!

"Ah, my apologies. So it's a mohawk."

"He actually apologized..."

Momonga's anger instantly dissipated, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"Then stop making eyes, mohawk guy."

Momonga: !!!

His fury flared up again in an instant.

Nearby, Doberman nearly burst out laughing but held it back for his comrade's sake.

"You think I'm not talking about you too, squinty eyes?"

Doberman: ???

Squ... squinty eyes?!

"And you over there, the guy whose skull is practically reaching the sky." Meiser glanced at the warship at the very edge. "Did you not see mohawk's look, or is it because all you've got exposed is your skull?"

Strawberry: ...

Strawberry stared expressionlessly at Meiser. He could tell—this guy was trying to provoke them.

"You think such a cheap taunt will anger us?" Strawberry scoffed. "How naive!"

With that, he ignored Meiser and continued directing his subordinates.

Momonga and Doberman exchanged another glance before casually looking away, as if nothing had happened.

"Ah, you saw through it~" Meiser said with a playful smirk. "But..."

"Do you really think you can safely carry out the Buster Call's bombing mission on this sea while I'm standing here?"

"You don't actually believe you've taken out those two, do you?" Strawberry mocked. "Kid, don't underestimate the Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters!"

As Strawberry's words fell, a Flying Slash shot out from the fleet—Momonga had made his move!

"Whoosh~"

With the Sharingan's superior dynamic vision, Meiser could clearly track the approaching slash.

Dodging it with a backflip, Meiser clapped his hands together mid-air and declared:

"I've never underestimated anyone!"

"Water Release: Triple Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"BOOM!!"

Three massive Water Dragons suddenly trembled before rising from the sea at incredible speed, charging toward the fleet of Navy Battleships in the distance.

Their target was precisely the area where the three Navy Vice Admirals stood!

"ROAR!"

The might of the three Water Dragons was terrifying, their colossal forms sending the Navy soldiers on the battleships into panic.

"Dammit, they're coming for us!"

"Quick, prepare the cannons!"

"No time, it's too late!"

"Stay calm, leave it to us!" Doberman bellowed.

As he spoke, he drew his longsword, Armament Haki swiftly coating the blade before he unleashed a Flying Slash!

"One-Sword Style: Flame Mountain!!"

The Haki-wreathed slash, blazing with flames, shot straight toward the Water Dragon!

"One-Sword Style: Rat Wind!" Momonga followed suit without hesitation, sending forth his own Flying Slash.

"You brat, did you think seawater alone could destroy Navy Battleships?!" Strawberry sneered. "I've already seen through your scheme!"

Armament Haki rapidly enveloped Strawberry's twin blades before he launched his attack without hesitation.

"Two-Sword Style: Flying Sky Slash!"

"BOOM!!"

"BOOM!!"

"BOOM!!"

The trio's attacks clashed head-on with Meiser's Water Dragon Bullet, forcibly cleaving the dragons' heads into mere splashes!

"SPLASH—"

The decapitated Water Dragon Bullets dissolved into cascades of water that crashed onto the Navy Battleships. However, weakened by the three Vice Admirals' strikes, the waves lost their original destructive force, causing minimal casualties.

Aside from a few unlucky souls directly drenched by the seawater, most only suffered minor impacts.

Yet, wary of Onigumo and his comrade's earlier fate, the three Vice Admirals simultaneously activated Moonwalk, leaping into the air to avoid any potential follow-up lightning attacks.

This time, however, Meiser didn't use Lightning Release, which puzzled Strawberry. Doberman, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed something.

Because his slash was unique, his battleship was the least soaked by the seawater—yet this very detail made him realize Meiser's true intention.

"Planning to soak the battleships and render all our ammunition useless?" Doberman narrowed his eyes.

"Tch, so that's your goal?" Strawberry landed on a dry section of the battleship and scoffed. "You've miscalculated."

To withstand the harsh climates of both Paradise and the New World, Navy Battleships were constructed with special designs!

Even if waves crashed onto the decks, the ammunition stored inside remained dry.

Unless a section of the battleship was destroyed, seawater couldn't penetrate the powder magazines.

Thus, Strawberry refused to believe this tactic would work.

"Heh, is that so?"

Standing atop the sea's surface, Meiser's expression remained unchanged—as if he had anticipated this outcome.

His calm demeanor, however, stirred unease in Strawberry's heart. He couldn't fathom what other tricks Meiser had up his sleeve, but this couldn't be all!

Just then, Momonga noticed streaks of crimson blood spreading across the ocean, causing his pupils to constrict. "Blood?!"

Dammit, could this be Onigumo and the others' blood?

This horrifying amount of blood... What in the world had they endured beneath the waves?

Wait... The feedback from Observation Haki indicates there's actually a Sea King below?

Was it Onigumo's blood or the Sea King's blood?

Doberman glanced at the sea surface. His first instinct was to rush down and investigate, but when he sensed two figures rapidly ascending toward the surface, he forcibly halted his steps.

'Thank goodness, they're alright!'

"BOOM!!"

"BOOM!!"

Two figures burst forth from the ocean—one of them missing his right arm, blood dripping profusely!

Yet the injured man paid no mind to his wounds, joining his comrade in launching a sudden assault!

"Got him!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Three swords pierced straight through Meiser's body!!

"Meiser!!"

Nico Robin, witnessing this scene, instantly constricted her pupils in utter disbelief.

This formidable man... had actually been struck down by those two Navy Vice Admirals...

"Relax," Blueno said calmly. "He's fine."

Nico Robin: ???

Robin turned to look at Blueno, finding his expression unchanged from before. Could it be... Meiser was unharmed?

Nearby, Nami seemed to have realized something, murmuring instinctively: "Is it... a clone?"

But why was that marine missing an arm? Just what had happened beneath the ocean's surface...?