Their speed was not fast.
Xia Qiu had been following behind them for an hour, and had only swum about ten kilometers.
The distance from where they fell into the water to Jumada Island was twenty nautical miles, approximately thirty-seven kilometers.
Arlong's speed was very fast, approaching forty-five kilometers per hour.
But he couldn't swim that fast.
Not only because it would consume too much energy, but more importantly, because the person behind him swam slower.
Hachi's speed was alright. Although he was weaker than Arlong, he had six arms and was very large. His upper body was round, making his speed slightly slower, around forty kilometers per hour.
However, the Fish-Man soldiers' speed was around thirty kilometers per hour. This referred to their instantaneous speed, and if they swam at full power for an hour, they could at most cover about twenty-five kilometers.
Moreover, they wouldn't swim at full speed when traveling. Reaching twenty kilometers in an hour would already be considered a lot.
More importantly, there were injured individuals in the group, and they couldn't abandon them. Therefore, two Fish-Man soldiers carrying an injured person swam forward, greatly slowing their speed.
This resulted in them only covering about fifteen kilometers in an hour.
Of course, even so, such a speed would be astonishing on Earth.
The strongest swimmers, long-distance swimmers, could only cover five kilometers in an hour at full power.
Xia Qiu followed behind them, swimming leisurely. A speed of fifteen kilometers per hour was not fast for him.
After an hour of pursuit, Xia Qiu had also digested Chuu. The heat flow was not as strong as Kuroobi's, but it was still formidable.
With two executives and a body that had been strengthened multiple times, his enormous pectoral fins, combined with the power of his body's undulations, allowed him to swim at speeds exceeding fifty kilometers per hour.
A speed of fifteen kilometers per hour even allowed him to approach within four hundred meters without them detecting the ripples he generated.
Just wait a little longer.
Xia Qiu wasn't in a hurry to attack, planning to wait for them to expend more energy.
And so, another hour passed.
They had traveled about another ten kilometers, their speed even slower. Even the Fish-Men carrying the injured were changing shifts more and more frequently.
It's about time.
Twenty-five kilometers traveled, with thirteen kilometers remaining to Jumada Island, was enough for Xia Qiu to act.
With this thought, Xia Qiu accelerated and began to close in. Four hundred meters, three hundred meters, two hundred meters, Xia Qiu continuously shortened the distance between them.
But just as Xia Qiu was only a hundred meters away, Arlong suddenly stopped slowly, raised his hand, and shouted, "Stop."
"Boss, what's wrong?"
Hachi stood beside Arlong, not understanding why he had stopped.
But as he hesitated, Hachi felt something and looked back, immediately seeing a huge dark shadow.
"Scatter."
At the same time, Arlong's voice rang out.
Hearing his command, Hachi instantly pushed forward with his six hands, his body recoiling backward. The other Fish-Man soldiers were momentarily stunned and also prepared to distance themselves.
But it was already too late.
*BOOM.*
A giant Sea Fish charged forward, instantly crashing into their midst.
They were spaced apart, but they were still clustered together, especially the Fish-Men carrying the injured, who couldn't dodge at all.
*BANG.*
Three Fish-Men were directly hit, sent flying backward in the current with broken bones. Two died instantly, and one was on the verge of death.
Xia Qiu, however, paid them no mind. Instead, he charged straight ahead, biting onto a Fish-Man and continuing to swim forward, attempting to pass them.
Seeing the Sea Fish charge, Arlong had already pushed off with his legs, retreating backward and dodging Xia Qiu's path, positioning himself to Xia Qiu's left.
As Xia Qiu bit the Fish-Man and continued forward without much reduction in momentum, the Fish-Man's head instantly leaped past Arlong's position.
At this moment, Arlong had stopped retreating. Seeing Xia Qiu's side facing him, he changed to an offensive posture, pushed off with his legs, and charged towards Xia Qiu's left, directly in front of Xia Qiu's gill area, above his pectoral fins.
Attack his flank, Arlong thought.
Simultaneously, Hachi had also stabilized himself and lunged towards Xia Qiu's body.
But before Arlong was halfway there, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.
Xia Qiu's massive fish body was turning to slam into Arlong's flank.
Ghost Car Drift.
When Xia Qiu saw Arlong dodge his frontal attack and position himself to the right, he guessed that if he continued forward, his flank would be exposed to Arlong.
So, Xia Qiu performed a series of actions.
He lowered his pectoral and ventral fins to resist the water flow, increasing the resistance to his forward momentum. He used his anal and tail fins, along with pushing water to the right, to increase his forward thrust.
At the same time, his body undulated with small left and right movements to provide forward power, then switched to a violent leftward swing.
As a result, Xia Qiu's head slowly stopped as his forward momentum was lost and his pectoral fins and ventral fins acted as brakes.
His body, relying on inertia, his ventral fins, tail fins, and body undulations, slammed to the left.
It was like a drift.
A car drift occurs when inertia provides lateral force, and the difference in grip between the two wheels causes the vehicle to slide.
Accelerating and then braking creates significant inertia and changes the grip of the front two wheels, while turning provides directional inertia and reduces the grip of the rear wheels.
Xia Qiu, however, used his pectoral fins, ventral fins, anal fins, and tail fins, along with his body's twisting motion, to perform a drift.
It was more precise, covered a greater distance, and could achieve a 180-degree drift.
And because Xia Qiu's body was massive and black, it resembled a giant hearse.
Therefore, Xia Qiu named this move "Ghost Car Drift."
Just like a hearse, it sends the opponent to the crematorium.
"Not good."
As Arlong lunged forward, he saw the massive fish body hurtling towards him. He immediately turned, curled his body, and shielded himself.
Boom.
Xia Qiu's side slammed directly into Arlong with a dull thud.
"So painful."
Arlong felt as if his body was falling apart.
However, Arlong wasn't knocked away. Instead, he was carried forward by the massive fish body. Once the fish body swung sideways, Arlong was flung out, tumbling backward.
Hachi had just reached the side of where Xia Qiu had been. He was about to raise his fist to strike when he found Xia Qiu's body swinging sideways. The space in front of him was empty, and to his right was a massive fish head.
"I'll kill you to avenge Chuu and Kuroobi."
Hachi changed direction and lunged at Xia Qiu's fish head.
As Xia Qiu's drift ended, he paused slightly before twisting and naturally surging forward.
Hachi lunged just as Xia Qiu slightly turned his body, tilting his massive pectoral fin.
Bang.
Xia Qiu's pectoral fin struck Hachi's side. Hachi quickly raised his hand to block, and with a bang, he was sent flying diagonally as Xia Qiu continued to swim forward.
"Die for me."
At this moment, Arlong had dissipated the force and changed from retreating to charging. He pushed off with his legs and lunged at Xia Qiu.
But Xia Qiu was incredibly fast. He was positioned behind Xia Qiu's gills, so only his tail was in front of Arlong as he approached.
Arlong flattened his body, raised his head, and opened his massive mouth, biting towards Xia Qiu's tail.
Shark? ON? DARTS
At the same time, Xia Qiu flicked his tail.
Puff.
Arlong's serrated nose easily pierced Xia Qiu's tail, but it couldn't stop the momentum of Xia Qiu's massive tail. It struck Arlong directly in the face.
Bang.
Arlong was sent flying backward, while Xia Qiu continued forward, disappearing into the distance.
Damn it.
Arlong stopped himself and found that some of his teeth were loose. He pulled them out, and new teeth immediately grew in.
"What a strong Sea Fish."
Arlong watched the Sea Fish swim further and further away, his expression grim, his ugly face contorted even more.
His strength was immense; the force of his tail whip and impact alone was no less than his own. His body's durability far surpassed that of Sea Fish at the same level, even Sea Beasts.
Furthermore, his body possessed tentacles, compensating for his physical weaknesses.
And he could gauge the enemy's position and perform unbelievable maneuvers.
Most importantly, he possessed intelligence.
He had too many things that a single Sea Fish shouldn't have.
These factors combined made his combat power incredibly formidable.
So formidable that Arlong felt pressure.
He wouldn't leave; he would return.
When he attacked the Spab again at sea, Arlong knew his target was the Arlong Pirates.
This had been going on for three and a half years, spanning dozens of kilometers, with three attacks.
His objective was glaringly obvious.
Although he didn't know why he repeatedly attacked the Arlong Pirates, why he was so persistent.
But Arlong knew that Xia Qiu wanted to kill him, and he also wanted to kill Xia Qiu.
He couldn't let this continue; he had to come up with a plan.
Arlong narrowed his eyes and said to Hachi, "Hachi, from now on, maintain a certain distance from me. Stay ten meters to my right, ten meters behind me."
"Yes."
Hachi immediately replied and slowly retreated.
"The other Fish-Men will be between me and Hachi."
Arlong spoke, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes. He sighed and said, "Also, abandon the wounded."
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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