While Cavendish was engaged in his battle against Gairam, Carrot—who had been speeding forward at high velocity—found herself blocked by a strange elderly woman wearing a white coat and round glasses.
"Little girl, your timing is perfect," the old woman said, hobbling into Carrot's path and speaking with deliberate slowness. "Let me see if rabbits like you can be used for medicinal purposes."
This was Nightin, the ship's doctor of the World Pirates, who specialized in a unique fighting style called Chinese Herbal Boxing.
When Carrot heard what her opponent was suggesting, she couldn't help but show obvious disgust on her face. "Ew! You wrinkled old hag, that's absolutely disgusting! And I'm definitely not going to be your test subject!"
"Haha, originally I was willing to make this painless if you cooperated," Nightin replied with growing malice. "Being used for medicine would have been a noble contribution to medical science. But now I've changed my mind completely."
As she spoke, Nightin pulled a packet of medicinal powder from her coat and quickly poured the entire contents into her mouth.
"Kanpo Kenpo: Secret Medicine Transformation!"
Then, under Carrot's astonished gaze, Nightin's originally short and withered body suddenly began growing larger and more robust. Her entire appearance seemed to reverse aging itself, transforming from a decrepit old woman into a young and strikingly beautiful girl.
"As long as I take this rejuvenating herbal medicine, I remain gorgeous even at eighty years old!" Nightin declared with obvious pride, then glared at Carrot with renewed fury. "So don't you dare call me an old woman!"
"Eh? But you clearly were an old woman just a moment ago," Carrot replied with genuine confusion, tilting her head to one side.
"Hmph! Damn little brat, no matter what you say, you're staying right here!" Before finishing her threat, Nightin rushed toward Carrot and launched a vicious kick.
" Kanpo Kenpo Secret Technique: Kudzu Root Barrage!"
Countless legs attacked Carrot like a devastating storm, but the young mink dodged each strike with fluid grace.
Carrot possessed extraordinary reaction abilities, and combined with her already mastered Observation Haki, attacks from ordinary enemies were like passing clouds—virtually impossible to land.
"Well... although I don't really understand what you're trying to accomplish, I can definitely feel your malicious intent," Carrot said while lightly tapping her feet. Her petite body leaped upward gracefully, like a swallow taking flight. "So I'm going to fight back now!"
Crackling sounds filled the air as Carrot used the natural talent of the Mink Tribe to rapidly gather electricity around her claws, creating flashing lights that danced across her hands.
Carrot's entire body was suspended upside down in midair as she dove toward her enemy. Just as she was about to make contact, she suddenly crossed both claws and swung them outward with devastating force.
" Kanpo Dome Shield!"
Nightin swung her right hand from top to bottom, and a protective barrier that seemed composed of compressed medicinal powder appeared instantly.
But Carrot's attack was far more sophisticated than it initially appeared. The razor-sharp claws carrying fierce electrical current represented a technique that combined both physical and energy-based damage.
With a sharp hissing sound, the protective shield shattered immediately, forcing Nightin to jump backward instinctively.
Noticing that her once pristine white sleeves had become completely tattered, she gritted her teeth in anger and glared at her unexpectedly formidable opponent.
However, Carrot gave her no opportunity to recover. Another sphere of dazzling electrical energy condensed in her hands as she prepared to continue her relentless assault.
The techniques Carrot was using were similar to her previous attacks, but their power had increased dramatically, reaching truly terrifying levels.
A overwhelming sense of mortal danger flooded Nightin's consciousness, prompting her to subconsciously launch her most powerful counterattack.
In the blink of an eye, both attacks collided with tremendous violence.
Under Nightin's horrified gaze, Carrot's electrical assault pierced through her defenses with completely unstoppable force.
Blood gushed from Nightin's mouth, along with a substantial amount of medicinal residue. In an instant, she reverted to her original elderly and frail appearance before collapsing weakly to the deck.
Watching her opponent fall unconscious, Carrot silently retracted her claws and stood up straight with characteristic composure.
Then she turned and continued moving toward the center of the ship, leaving the defeated doctor behind.
Witnessing their officers being defeated with such overwhelming force, many of the World Pirates' crew members felt genuine terror creeping into their hearts, their legs trembling with fear.
"Hey! Even Sebastian was beaten by that skeleton guy..."
"Maybe we should just run away?"
"This is the Calm Belt! Where exactly could we escape to? Besides, everyone who tried to disobey or desert over the past few days was killed by World himself!"
"That... that's true. But World hasn't lost yet..."
"I can't take this anymore!" one pirate suddenly declared. "I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well take my chances!"
Amid the growing panic, that pirate resolutely rushed to the side of the ship and jumped without hesitation, splashing into the ocean below.
Seeing this desperate act, nearly half of the remaining pirates gritted their teeth and followed suit, leaping into the sea.
Perhaps in their minds, attempting to escape through the dangerous waters still offered some slim hope of survival, while remaining aboard the ship meant certain doom.
After all, over recent days they had come to understand that World cared nothing for their lives and would even kill them on the spot if they disagreed with his increasingly unhinged decisions.
High in the sky above, Jerry had been fighting with World for several minutes. When he noticed that Brook had gracefully sheathed his sword below—leaving only a large pile of ice fragments scattered behind him—Jerry refocused his complete attention on his airborne opponent.
World was certainly no weakling. With the multiple speed enhancements he frequently employed, ordinary fighters would genuinely struggle to keep up with his attacks.
But Jerry's continuous use of advanced Observation Haki made his opponent's movements completely predictable and visible.
Perhaps it was because he'd been sealed away for thirty years. Even though World appeared physically youthful, his inner strength and fighting instincts were no longer as sharp as they had been in his prime.
As a result, even the supposedly impressive fifty-times speed boost that he was so proud of failed to exceed Jerry's reaction capabilities.
Glancing at World's sturdy physique, then looking down at the turtle-shaped pirate ship below, Jerry couldn't help but comment thoughtfully, "By the way, you're not actually part turtle by nature, are you? Or is there some hidden mystery in your More-More Fruit's multiplication calculations?"
Even though his research into the physics and Devil Fruit mechanics of this world wasn't particularly in-depth, Jerry intuitively sensed that the speed World was displaying seemed somehow... diminished from what it should theoretically be.
"Turtle?!" Veins bulged prominently on World's forehead as he continued launching rapid attacks, desperately trying to overwhelm his opponent through sheer velocity. "If you've got the guts, why don't you try fighting back for once!"
As World pointed out, Jerry had rarely launched any counterattacks since his opponent began using the fifty-times speed enhancement. Most of the time, he simply twisted his body with fluid grace to avoid the incoming strikes.
This pattern left World feeling both excited and frustrated simultaneously. He was thrilled because he believed his speed was successfully suppressing his opponent, but deeply annoyed because none of his attacks ever connected, while he had to endure Jerry's occasional verbal jabs.
Jerry's expression grew peculiar as he studied World's rapidly moving figure. "Are you really that eager for trouble? Fine then—as you wish."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Jerry—who had been dodging within the confined airspace—suddenly vanished completely from sight.
The next instant, he reappeared and threw a devastatingly powerful punch in the exact direction where World was flying.