Colonel Lido kicked off with both feet, transforming into a long, fast arrow shooting towards the water's surface.
Splash.
Colonel Lido dove into the sea, landing precisely above Xia Qiu's head. Gripping the Shark Spear with both hands, his arm muscles bulged as he thrust the Shark Spear down forcefully, aiming for Xia Qiu's head.
Bang.
Colonel Lido's spear struck Xia Qiu, but it missed the head, hitting the side instead. It left a bloody gash, shattering scales and leaving a deep mark on the bones.
This is bad.
The very next moment, Xia Qiu's massive pectoral fin swept towards him.
Bang.
Colonel Lido was hit by the pectoral fin, feeling like he'd been struck by a shield, and was sent flying backward.
The instant Colonel Lido moved like water, Xia Qiu had already judged the opponent's attack trajectory and turned, striking with his pectoral fin.
This was also why the attack only hit the side of Xia Qiu's head.
Blasted backward, Colonel Lido's body shuddered from the immense force, and he let out a gasp of air.
Unable to hold his breath, his lungs immediately felt constricted.
Damn it.
He actually used his fins to attack.
Caught off guard, Colonel Lido quickly clenched his teeth and squeezed gently. Oxygen diffused out, which he inhaled into his lungs, alleviating the feeling of suffocation.
This was a device for storing oxygen, capable of providing about three uses, allowing him to stay underwater for a while.
But the moment he inhaled the oxygen, the numbness in his body hadn't completely disappeared. At this point, Xia Qiu moved again, his massive pectoral fin sweeping in once more.
Spiral strike.
The enormous pectoral fin rushed towards him, attacking Colonel Lido again.
But this time, Colonel Lido had the Shark Spear in hand and, in his haste, gripped it tightly, holding it in front of him.
Xia Qiu's massive pectoral fin slammed onto the shaft of the Shark Spear.
Thump.
A muffled sound echoed, and ripples spread through the water. Colonel Lido was propelled more than a foot backward in the water, and the spear in his hand vibrated intensely.
Such immense power.
This was the thought in both Colonel Lido's and Xia Qiu's minds.
Xia Qiu was surprised that the opponent could block his strike. He retreated, but the spear had become stuck on his pectoral fin.
Great power.
Xia Qiu dared not underestimate him and immediately twisted his head, biting towards the opponent's upper body.
His enormous mouth, lined with rows of teeth like sharp blades, swept towards the opponent like a rotating wheel.
Gear Teeth.
Facing this attack, Colonel Lido felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had stepped into the gates of hell, enveloped by cold.
This was the result of his subconscious projection of the future.
I can't dodge, I'm going to die.
Colonel Lido's heart leaped into his throat, but in that moment of hesitation, he suddenly dropped low, sliding his body downward.
However, Xia Qiu's speed was too great, making a complete dodge impossible.
So, Colonel Lido gripped the lower end of the Shark Spear with his left hand, pushing it forward, while his right hand held the upper part. He tucked his head in, leaned his body back, and braced himself in front.
Bang.
The moment Xia Qiu bit down, the Shark Spear became a ramp. Xia Qiu crashed into it, and the immense force was transferred to Colonel Lido.
Colonel Lido's upper body was tilted backward, and Xia Qiu was attacking his upper body. As he swam downward, most of his body ended up below Xia Qiu's jaw.
Xia Qiu pressed down. Colonel Lido blocked with the Shark Spear, simultaneously using the spear to redirect the force downward.
Gulp.
Colonel Lido's body instantly relaxed, and he was pushed downward, escaping the range of Xia Qiu's mouth and positioning himself below Xia Qiu.
Feeling the tingling in his arms, Colonel Lido knew the opponent was powerful and difficult to confront directly. However, he didn't attempt to escape. Instead, he pushed off with his legs, moving close to Xia Qiu's abdomen.
To dodge his teeth and avoid his charge, using his body as a shield was the most suitable method.
With this thought, Colonel Lido positioned himself below Xia Qiu's abdomen, maintaining a distance, and thrust the Shark Spear fiercely.
But just then, Xia Qiu's body suddenly twisted, rotating 180 degrees in the water.
Along with the rotation, Xia Qiu's side body directly slammed into Colonel Lido.
Colonel Lido found it incredibly strange.
He had seen many sharks, and twenty-meter-long ones were not uncommon. Besides their teeth and tails, they rarely used other parts as weapons.
It wasn't difficult to hunt and kill the opponent, as long as he timed it right.
However, this fish not only used its fins but also its body.
Poof.
Colonel Lido's long spear pierced Xia Qiu, gouging a mark into his body. Scales were broken, and blood bloomed.
But Xia Qiu also slammed into Lido, sending him skidding sideways.
The instant Lido was hit, he relaxed his body, pressed his right hand onto the Shark Spear, and with a sudden surge of strength from both arms, pushed off with his legs in the direction of the current, moving away rapidly.
Bang.
Even so, Lido was still hit, but only a small part of his body grazed his form. The force was greatly weakened, and he was pushed back a considerable distance.
But in the moment of impact, Xia Qiu flipped over and swam away from Lido.
Trying to escape?
Lido controlled his movement, intending to pursue.
But in that instant, Xia Qiu twisted his tail, and his massive tail slammed into Lido's body.
Not good.
Lido's movement faltered. He curled his body, raised his arms, and tucked his legs, attempting to block with his arms and thighs.
Bang.
The tail struck Lido, and the immense force sent him flying sideways. He spat out a string of bubbles with a "wah."
So painful.
Lido felt an unbearable pain in his arms and legs. He also felt stifled from spitting out so much air at once.
He quickly bit into the fruit, and oxygen reappeared, filling his body.
At this moment, Xia Qiu had already turned around and charged at Lido, then opened his large mouth and lunged.
Facing Xia Qiu's attack, Lido urgently pushed off with his legs and swam to the side.
Boom.
Xia Qiu's head grazed past Lido, missing its target.
Just as Lido thought he had escaped, Xia Qiu revealed a mocking expression. He hadn't hit his mark and, in response, tilted his body slightly upward.
With a bang, his pectoral fin collided with Lido.
The front of the pectoral fin had thick, hard spines, as tough as bone. Combined with the speed of the charge, it possessed immense power.
Lido raised his arm to block, and it collided with the fin.
Crack.
His arm was directly broken, and his body was sent flying backward.
Xia Qiu's body, however, did not stop. He continued to swim forward, and as he passed Lido's body, his tail swept across.
Lido desperately tried to stabilize himself, but just as he regained control of his body, he was hit by the tail.
Bang.
Lido was struck hard. The air in his mouth was expelled, and his lungs felt suffocated.
He had no choice but to bite into the fruit again, and oxygen flooded out.
This was the third time.
The fruit could only provide oxygen three times, and this was the third time. The fruit could no longer provide oxygen.
But it no longer mattered.
The enormous sea fish in the distance had already turned around and was charging toward them.
Even at his peak, he was no match for it. Now, with one arm broken, how could he possibly defeat it?
Too strong.
Lido felt a sense of despair. He had never imagined a sea fish could be so powerful.
Its defense was incredibly strong. His attacks could easily pierce through a twenty-meter-long shark, penetrating deep inside, but they could only break its scales.
Its strength was immense, far exceeding any other shark he had encountered.
Furthermore, it could dodge, avoiding his direct attacks.
Besides its teeth and tail as weapons, it also used its pectoral fins and body to attack.
And it was too intelligent. Its pectoral fins, body, tail, dodging...
Fighting it was like fighting a person.
It was terrifying.
Lido regretted fighting it in the sea. He had thought that a sea fish less than twenty meters long, no matter how strong, couldn't be that powerful.
Damn it.
Colonel Lido gritted his teeth, watching the giant fish charge, and raised the Shark Spear in his left hand.
Clang.
Colonel Lido's killing spear struck Xia Qiu's upper jaw.
Crack.
Under the force of Xia Qiu's charge and Colonel Lido's strength, Xia Qiu's upper jaw bone was shattered by the spear.
However, the immense impact force also made Colonel Lido unable to hold onto the spear, and it flew out of his hand.
Xia Qiu charged forward with Colonel Lido's spear, then bit down on him.
Snap.
Blood bloomed, Colonel Lido's body was instantly torn apart and swallowed directly into Xia Qiu's belly.
This guy is stronger than that Marine, and the Pirates. He must have a lot of heat flow.
Thinking this, Xia Qiu swam away into the distance.
...
"Colonel Lido is sure to win."
On the warship, Kurume leaned over the ship's railing, tilting his body forward, staring intently at the water's surface, feeling nervous.
The battle had been going on for some time. Judging by his breathing, he should have had to surface for air at least once or twice.
Based on past experience, Colonel Lido should have succeeded by now.
But he was still fighting.
Suddenly.
Kurume stared intently at the sea surface, but he was some distance from it, and both the fish and the person were below the surface.
Kurume could only see a massive dark shadow, and another fleeting shadow that appeared occasionally.
Boom.
Suddenly, the giant black fish turned and charged, then stopped, and swam away into the distance.
"What is this?"
Kurume's eyes widened. The black fish was gone, and Colonel Lido's figure had vanished.
If the Colonel were still alive, how could he have let the black fish leave?
The Colonel was dead?
Kurume's body trembled slightly, and he shouted loudly, "Colonel Lido!"
There was no response. Besides the slowly surfacing blood, there was no sign of the Colonel beneath the water.
Colonel Lido failed?
Killed by the black fish.
Kurume's heart sank. If he died, there would be no way for him to get promoted.
"Fire! Fire! Aim at the sea fish and kill it!"
Kurume shouted, veins bulging on his face, his expression ferocious.
Seeing his state, the others quickly relayed the order. Cannons were prepared, and they fired at the target.
Boom, boom, boom.
The cannons roared, and shells were fired, but the sea fish swam lower and lower, its shadow disappearing as it vanished into the distance.
"Pursue! Pursue!"
Kurume yelled.
But the Lieutenant beside him said, "The direction he went is against the current and the wind. We can't catch up. And even if we did, we wouldn't be able to harm it."
"Damn it."
Kurume punched the ship's railing fiercely, sending wood chips flying and cutting his palm.
His expression was extremely grim.
Colonel Lido was actually dead.
He didn't want Colonel Lido to die. Unlike Lieutenant Colonel Berio, who was greedy and suppressed him, his death would have given him an opportunity.
But Colonel Lido's rank was far higher than his. Even if he died, Kurume wouldn't be qualified to take his place.
At the same time, Colonel Lido had promised him that after killing the sea fish, he would give Kurume the credit, which would help him get promoted.
Damn it.
Kurume hated this sea fish with all his heart, but he was helpless.
Without Colonel Lido, they had no way to kill the sea fish.
...
Colonel Lido?
Xia Qiu was swimming towards the distance when he suddenly heard a shout from above.
This person was named Lido, and he was actually a Colonel?
In the world of One Piece, a Colonel was a very high-ranking position in the Marines, the highest rank below that of a General, with Commodore being the next step up.
Xia Qiu hadn't expected to have eaten a Marine Colonel.
But he wasn't satisfied.
This Marine warship was clearly here to capture him specifically because of the Marine he had eaten last time. It must have been a Colonel from the Marine branch base responsible for the village's security.
The strength of a Marine branch base Colonel was too weak, far inferior to a Headquarters Colonel.
How weak? Colonel Morgan of Marine Base 153 was instantly killed in one move by a Zoro who had been tied up for three days.
When Smoker was still a Colonel, he easily captured Luffy in Loguetown when facing Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, but Luffy was rescued by Dragon.
The former Headquarters Colonel Hina captured Mr. 2 Bon Clay.
Colonel T-Bone could split a Pirate Ship in half with one strike and could cleave a Sea King in two.
Colonel Shuuen, a Devil Fruit ability user, once rusted Zoro's Yubashiri.
There was also Bellamy, Charrilin, and Koby, who possessed Observation Haki.
Even Tashigi, when she was just a Sergeant, wouldn't be weaker than Morgan. There was a gap of six ranks between them.
The difference in strength between a branch base Colonel and a Headquarters Colonel was too vast, roughly the difference between being killed with a finger flick.
It had taken him so long to kill just one branch base Colonel; his strength was still far too lacking.
He needed to improve.
Xia Qiu thought, swimming through the cannon fire towards the distance, intending to find a place to digest his meal.
But after swimming for a while, a huge dark shadow suddenly appeared before him, rapidly approaching.
Huh?
Xia Qiu was slightly stunned and stopped, slowly retreating.
As the distance closed, Xia Qiu could clearly see its appearance.
It was a giant Sea Fish, at least thirty meters long. Its massive body, like a small ship, was charging towards him at high speed.
No way? Was his luck really this bad?
Seeing the approaching creature, a sense of panic surged within Xia Qiu.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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