“Same joke twice isn’t funny anymore.
Big brother, let me send him off.”
Barbel’s aura began to surge around his body, forming what looked like transparent flames.
It was an extremely dense manifestation of Armament Haki—one of its advanced applications.
In simple terms, it was the release of Haki outward, flowing around the body like an invisible armor, then being used to inflict internal destruction upon impact.
Because of its flowing nature, this technique was called Ryuo in Wano Country.
In this regard, Barbel was highly skilled.
“No.
This guy is a bit interesting.
I’ll handle it myself.”
“Big brother, if you personally deal with someone so ignorant, Sebastian will definitely laugh at me later.”
“Barbel, you’re more than capable of handling him.
But this guy seems to have some real ability—you’d need some time to deal with him properly.”
“We’re about to reach God Valley anyway.
I was planning to warm up a bit.
You go on ahead with Rocks and the others.
I’ll catch up.”
Hearing Nereus say that, Barbel no longer insisted.
He only glared fiercely in Valentine’s direction, muttering under his breath.
If Sebastian were here, he would definitely say Barbel was cursing the man again rather than properly “sending him off.”
Nereus then lightly leapt—and in an instant, he was already on Valentine’s ship.
Seeing this, the Rocks Pirates even started a betting pool on the spot.
However, the pool never actually got off the ground—it collapsed almost immediately.
Every single person bet on Nereus winning.
There was no point in organizing it.
On Valentine’s ship, seeing Nereus board alone, Valentine did not immediately order his men to attack.
Instead, he took a few steps back and bowed respectfully.
Then, with what seemed like genuine concern, he asked:
“Mr.
Nereus, you just leapt onto our ship all by yourself.
Are you really that confident?
Ah—no, that’s not right.
It’s precisely because it’s you that such confidence feels justified.
This is exactly what someone I admire should do.
I only hope that the person I admire won’t end up fleeing in fear at the very end and showing such an unsightly display.”
“Don’t worry.
I won’t run, nor will I avoid you.
There are quite a few pirates in the New World who fear me.
It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone as ‘interesting’ as you, so I’m a bit impatient.
You’d better show me something that can actually catch my interest.”
“Open fire!”
With a one-handed sweep from Valentine, the other pirates aboard the ship immediately drew a variety of weapons.
Unlike the flintlock firearms commonly seen across the seas, every weapon on Valentine’s ship was an automatic firearm.
Ratatatatata!
“Die!
As long as we kill you, we’ll make a name for ourselves!”
“This is what comes of arrogance.
Just obediently become our stepping stone!”
In terms of sheer firepower, this group far surpassed ordinary pirate crews.
It was clear Valentine had spared no expense in that regard.
Under the dense curtain of fire, Nereus’s body was torn to pieces.
Even the deck where he had stood was shredded apart by the relentless hail of bullets, and large amounts of blood seeped through the gaps in the planks and spread outward.
From a medical standpoint, the volume of blood loss was far beyond what a human should be capable of—so much so that it stained an entire section of the deck red.
And those pirates failed to notice that the blood was spreading in a bizarre, unnatural manner, slowly creeping toward their feet.
However, the attack had no real effect.
When the smoke and dust finally cleared, Nereus was still standing unharmed, and in his hand was the bullet’s projectile tip.
“Silver bullets.
A clever idea, I suppose—but ultimately meaningless.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the blood that had pooled on the ground seemed to come under his control, transforming into thorny brambles of crimson that turned Valentine’s ship into a blood-red forest.
The thorns then extended into countless blood-red spears, piercing through the pirates on the deck in an instant.
Only Valentine remained outside their range.
And at the moment those spears pierced the pirates’ bodies, the blood within them seemed to be drawn out by some mysterious force, all of it ultimately absorbed into the crimson thorns.
“As expected, something like this won’t kill you.
They say the Vampire Fruit can steal others’ lifespans, allowing its user to break free from the constraints of time.
And with that kind of regeneration, the rumors from the underworld about an undead being must be true, right?
Such a powerful form… is exactly the kind of target I should be killing!”
Valentine’s tone carried a pathological sense of admiration.
Even though he intended to kill his opponent, his demeanor resembled that of a devoted servant.
“Hmph.
How boring.
True immortality doesn’t exist—you’ve simply failed to find the right method.
Looks like I was overthinking it.
As a mere sideshow, you aren’t even qualified.”
Valentine did not respond this time.
Instead, he studied the corpses on the deck.
Their deathly pale faces made it clear that every last drop of blood had been drained from their bodies.
Activating an attack of this scale, no matter what, must consume some stamina.
The loss should be greater on his side.
And with his contempt for me… there’s a chance!
Valentine paid no attention to the lives of his crew.
He saw them merely as tools to achieve his goal.
If their deaths could make Nereus lower his guard, then it was entirely worth it in his eyes.
From the moment Nereus boarded the ship, Valentine had been making preparations.
He suddenly realized that Nereus wasn’t even watching him—instead, he had turned his attention toward the direction where Loki’s ship was departing.
In that instant, Valentine shot forward like a bullet, charging straight at Nereus.
At this distance, even if Observation Haki can sense it, there’s no way he can dodge!
Valentine did not launch a direct attack.
Instead, he locked his arms tightly around Nereus’s waist and dragged him down together into the sea beside the ship.
Only when the cold seawater soaked through his clothes did a surge of ecstatic triumph rise in Valentine’s heart.
“Hahaha!
Mr.
Nereus, no matter how powerful you are, you’re still a Devil Fruit user!
Even a fish-man would go weak the moment they fall into the sea after eating a Devil Fruit!
I may be human, but I was born in the frigid port of Swallow Island in North Blue!
Many people there are skilled swimmers—I’m no exception!
To think a fish-man would be defeated by a human in the sea… I wonder how you feel about that?!”
“Swallow Island… I do recall that place.
It’s also called Seagull Island, isn’t it?”
For certain islands, Nereus had his own impressions.
Swallow Island was one of them—the island where Shachi and Penguin, two of Law’s future crew members in the original timeline, lived.
Though they were normal humans, underwater they could perform maneuvers resembling fishmen.
Nereus’s tone remained calm and indifferent, showing no trace of fear toward the situation.
Meanwhile, Valentine, after a brief moment of wild elation, began to realize something was wrong.
By all logic, Nereus should have been forced to rely on him just to stay afloat—but even though Valentine had already released his grip, Nereus was still hovering steadily in the water.
“…H-How is that possible?!”