After seeing that Gojo wasn't intimidated in the slightest, Momoo's, eyes narrowed. The sea beast let out another low rumble, then dove back beneath the surface. The water churned violently as its massive body slipped under, and Gojo instantly understood what was coming next.
It was preparing to ram the ship again—this time with full force.
With horns that size, a single clean hit could tear through the hull of his newly built ship, and that was something Gojo absolutely refused to allow.
So, without hesitation, he leapt over the railing and into the sea.
Except—the sea never touched him.
Limitless activated instinctively, forming a barrier so perfect that a thin layer of water hovered around him without ever making contact. To the eye, it looked like he was suspended just beneath the surface, yet untouched. In truth, he wasn't submerged at all—and therefore, the sea's weakening effect on Devil Fruit users never activated.
At a distance, the four fish-men on the oversized boat watched in utter bewilderment.
One scoffed, "Is this human a fool?"
Another spat into the water. "Instead of running away, he jumped in? Into our territory?"
A third sneered, "Does he really think he can beat a sea beast? Underwater, of all places?"
They all stared, expecting Gojo to be torn apart within seconds—completely unaware of who they were dealing with.
Gojo, who had dropped into the sea, immediately saw Momoo charging toward his ship and then toward him. Even underwater, Gojo's body never touched the sea itself—Limitless held the water a hair's width away from his skin, creating a thin, invisible barrier around him.
He unsheathed the sword from his back in one smooth motion. As soon as Momoo entered striking range, Gojo swung.
A clean, deep slash tore across Momoo's massive body, the pressure of the cut pushing water aside in a visible ripple. Gojo shifted slightly to the side, letting the beast's momentum rush past him so he wouldn't be dragged by the violent current created by its enormous bulk.
Momoo let out a muffled, panicked bellow. But instead of responding with rage like a typical sea beast, its eyes widened in fear. With a frantic twist of its body, Momoo darted downward, diving deeper into the sea to escape.
Gojo hovered underwater for a brief second, caught off guard by the creature's sudden terror. Seriously? That timid?
He kicked upward lightly—Limitless parting the sea around him—and shot out of the water, landing gracefully on the deck of his ship, perfectly dry. Sheathing his sword, he muttered, "What kind of sea beast was that? So timid. It was like it already knew that if it attacked me again, it would die." His lips curved slightly. "Sea beasts really are extraordinary."
On the oversized boat, the four fish-men stared in disbelief. Gojo stood unharmed on his ship, while faint patches of blood drifted to the surface of the water near the hull.
One of the fish-men shouted, voice shaking, "Pisaro! Go down immediately and see if Momoo is alright!"
Pisaro, an ocean sunfish fish-man, immediately dove into the water to check on Momoo—to see what had happened, why blood was surfacing, and why the sea beast wasn't attacking the young man anymore. Meanwhile, the remaining fish-men—members of the Arlong Pirates—grabbed their oars and steered their oversized boat straight toward Gojo's ship.
Gojo, on the other hand, kept calmly moving his ship forward, hands steady on the helm.
When the fish-men's boat drew close enough, they shouted, "Stop! You're not allowed to move ahead from here!"
Gojo looked at them with a relaxed smile and replied, "Why's that? Is this your territory?"
The leading fish-man straightened up, pride swelling in his chest. "Yes. This area is under the control of the Arlong Pirates, and no one is allowed to approach this island." His eyes narrowed. "State your purpose for coming here."
Gojo kept smiling, his expression never wavering—as if he were chatting with someone he casually knew. "I came to the Conomi Islands to eliminate the Arlong Pirates. And thank you very much—all of you helped me by finding me first." He tilted his head slightly, still wearing that harmless smile. "Now, will you three be kind enough to guide me to your base? I'd like to destroy it and take your captain's head for the bounty. I'll even let the three of you live as a deal. What do you say?"
For a moment, the three fish-men just stared at him—completely stunned.
Then all at once they burst into laughter, practically doubling over.
One of them slapped the railing and shouted, "Shiyoyaki! Did you hear that?! This brat says he's going to kill Captain Arlong!" Another wiped a tear from laughing too hard. "A weak-looking human like him defeating our captain? He must be insane—doesn't even know his place!"
Shiyoyaki was the first to stop laughing. His grin faded into a sharp, irritated sneer as he said to the other two fish-men beside him, "Take, Kaneshiro—let's go. We'll show him what Fish-men are made of… and how stupid humans are to think they can defeat us."
Take and Kaneshiro nodded, gripping their weapons—a sword and a spear. Without hesitation, both jumped onto Gojo's ship, landing with heavy thuds that shook the deck slightly.
Gojo rested his hand on the hilt of the sword on his back and shook his head lightly. "Why bother? You could've attacked my ship from underwater instead. But you actually chose to fight me head-on. Such meaningless effort."
Shiyoyaki, Take, and Kaneshiro all bristled with fury at his words. Being underestimated by a human was an insult beyond tolerance. With angry roars, the three lunged at Gojo simultaneously, their weapons raised and aimed straight at him.
Gojo didn't move. He stood there calmly, one hand on his sword's hilt, as if the incoming attacks were nothing more than a breeze.
The moment they entered striking distance—just as their sword, spear, and clawed hand were about to land—Gojo drew and swung his blade in one smooth motion.
A single arc of steel.
A single clean stroke.
All three fish-men were blasted backward at once, a horizontal cut blooming across each of their bodies. Blood sprayed from their mouths as their weapons flew from their hands.
Their bodies were thrown off the ship entirely, crashing back into the sea with three heavy splashes, the water churning red around them.
Gojo walked to the edge of his ship and extended his hand. A small sphere of Blue formed in his palm—silent, dense, and invisible until it pulled. In an instant, one of the fish-men, Take, was yanked out of the water as if hooked by an unseen force. His body flew toward Gojo helplessly and slammed into Gojo's grasp.
Gojo caught him by the neck, holding him up with one hand. "Now," he said calmly, "you're going to guide me to the Arlong Pirates' base."
Despite being lifted off the sea, Take gave a mocking grin. "Forget it. You'll never get anything about Arlong from me. I'll never betray him."
Gojo's fingers tightened around his throat, pressing just enough to make breathing difficult. "Are you sure about that?"
Take's gills fluttered rapidly under the pressure, and his eyes trembled from the pain. It felt as if his neck could snap at any moment. But even then, he didn't show a hint of hesitation. No fear. No wavering loyalty.
Gojo exhaled slowly through his nose. Stubborn to the end.
He tightened his grip once more—there was a sharp, clean crack—and Take's body went limp. Gojo released him without another word, letting the corpse fall back into the sea.
Take was dead.
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