"Whoosh—!"
Just as Gion stood on the ship's deck, at a loss for what to do, the calm sea suddenly erupted with a huge splash. A figure shot out from the water like a fountain, flying into the air above the sea.
There was no need to guess who it was—the figure launched into the air was the tiger shark Fish-Man who had just been fighting Wood underwater.
Even he couldn't believe it. Wood, a mere human, could unleash such powerful force even underwater. The strength and impact of the punch Wood delivered had even surpassed his Fish-Man Karate.
As the tiger shark Fish-Man flew into the air, he felt the intense pain in his dorsal fin and noticed the teeth that had been broken by Wood's punch.
From this brief encounter, the tiger shark Fish-Man understood that the human who had just entered the water was a formidable opponent. Rescuing his companions wouldn't be as simple as he initially thought.
Having been punched out of the water, the tiger shark Fish-Man looked at Wood's ship from a distance. What he saw made him overjoyed.
Previously, the Fish-Men had thought that the escorting guards would be numerous. However, apart from the man who had jumped into the sea, there was only one other guard on the ship—a human woman?
Returning to fight the man underwater would likely result in another beating. So, after a brief hesitation, the tiger shark Fish-Man changed his plan.
Strong individuals in the sea weren't common, so it was unlikely that he would encounter two powerful opponents in one go.
With this thought, the tiger shark Fish-Man, instead of diving back into the sea, swam quickly toward Wood's ship.
He assumed the human man was the strongest on board, but he never imagined he could capture the ship while his companion was still fighting.
Seeing the tiger shark Fish-Man suddenly shoot out of the water, Gion initially considered using "Moonwalk" to capture and question him.
But before she could act, she saw the tiger shark Fish-Man grinning savagely as he charged toward her, so she decided not to bother.
The tiger shark Fish-Man swam at high speed, reaching the ship's side within seconds.
This time, he didn't attack the ship but instead leaped onto the deck.
Once on deck, the tiger shark Fish-Man scanned the surroundings, wary of any ambushes and ready to jump back into the sea if necessary.
After a quick glance, he confirmed that, apart from the caged slaves and the dead Sea King, the only other person on board was the human woman in front of him.
Seeing the dead Sea King on the ship surprised the tiger shark Fish-Man slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
There were only two people responsible for escorting the slaves, so their combat strength must be formidable.
However, killing the Sea King they had sent to attack didn't prove much. The tiger shark Fish-Man could have done it too; otherwise, how could he have kept it as a pet?
"Human girl, you killed my pet, so now you might have to replace it.
If you don't want to be torn apart by Lord Tiger Shark, release my companions now and steer the ship according to my instructions."
The tiger shark Fish-Man was sure that the woman before him wasn't as ridiculously strong as the man who had jumped into the sea.
Although his strength would be greatly reduced on land, the tiger shark Fish-Man believed that the woman must have exhausted much of her energy to kill the Sea King they had sent.
No matter how strong that human was, he still needed to breathe. If the ship sailed away, the man would eventually drown in the sea. The tiger shark Fish-Man's priority was to take control of the ship.
If the woman was smart, he might even spare her life.
Just as humans hated Fish-Men and liked to enslave them, some Fish-Men, in retaliation, would capture humans to serve as slaves.
Although Fish-Men and humans had different aesthetic standards, the tiger shark Fish-Man knew that a woman like Gion, who was both beautiful and powerful, was undoubtedly a high-grade prize.
Gion didn't waste words with the grinning tiger shark Fish-Man. She simply thrust her sword, Konpira, into the deck and then charged at him with bare hands.
Seeing Gion rush at him unarmed enraged the tiger shark Fish-Man. He felt insulted as a proud Fish-Man warrior.
How could a swordswoman, who had abandoned her sword, expect to fight a Fish-Man Karate master like him with bare hands?
Even though they weren't fighting in the sea, where Fish-Men had a significant advantage, their physical strength was still far superior to ordinary humans on land.
But was Gion an ordinary person?
Despite her slender figure and curvaceous body, Gion was a superhuman who had mastered all six forms of the Rokushiki techniques and was a highly anticipated female Marine officer who had outshone many male Marine elites of her generation.
The tiger shark Fish-Man's usual assumptions didn't apply to Gion. If they were fighting in the sea, he might have stood a chance. But on land, how could an ordinary Fish-Man defeat a highly regarded Marine Headquarters Lieutenant?
The result was predictable: the tiger shark Fish-Man was swiftly defeated, even faster than in his fight with Wood.
Gion used only "Soru" to close the distance, followed by a heavy elbow strike, quickly ending the battle.
"You couldn't beat Wood in the sea, so why did you think you could crush me on land?"
With one foot, Gion pressed the tiger shark Fish-Man's head into the deck, clearly displeased with how Fish-Men evaluated their opponents.
Why did they think she, Gion, was easier to bully than Wood, just because she was a woman?
The tiger shark Fish-Man was extremely frustrated. Wood had already broken all his left teeth with one punch, and now Gion had shattered the teeth on his right side with a single stomp.
As Gion questioned the tiger shark Fish-Man about the situation underwater and the number of Fish-Men, there was another disturbance on the sea's surface.
Wood emerged from the water, carrying a Fish-Man in each hand. He threw them onto the deck and then jumped aboard himself, witnessing Gion interrogating the Fish-Man underfoot.
"Gion, I didn't know you were into this kind of thing..."