Sentomaru was certainly confident, but he was currently completely tied up by Nami and couldn't escape.
Relying on her Devil Fruit ability and her mastery of both Observation and Armament Haki, Nami was flexibly tangled with Sentomaru. With the assistance of her Weather Staff, she gained a significant advantage. Sentomaru was strong, but he knew little about weather manipulation, allowing Nami to take the lead.
The situation on the entire battlefield was clear: regardless of which smaller fight was won, the final outcome hinged on the battle between the two Vice Admirals—the candidates for the Admiral position.
If Momousagi and the Tea Dolphin could knock out the Straw Hat Crew's top-tier combat power, the crew would be defeated directly.
However, the "rookies" were notoriously persistent!
"Little girl, you should surrender now, or I won't go easy on you!"
The Tea Dolphin spoke with an intense seriousness. He used Geppo (Moonwalk) to continuously dodge Liji's attacks while simultaneously lunging toward Marie, who was still mounted on Liji's back.
Marie expressionlessly nibbled on a biscuit, as if mocking his words without needing to speak.
In truth, Marie was very nervous.
Bang! The Tea Dolphin, growing impatient with Liji, delivered a powerful kick to the creature's head. The force was enough to send Liji's massive body flying backward.
Liji crashed through several large trees before hitting the ground, but he quickly stood up, shaking his head slightly. The force of the Tea Dolphin's kick was clearly immense.
"Sure enough, these Mythical Zoans are unreasonably tough. It's truly difficult to inflict serious damage!"
But the Tea Dolphin had already closed the distance on Liji. He slammed his Armament Haki-coated fist fiercely into Liji's stomach. This time, he didn't send Liji flying; instead, a focused force rushed into Liji's abdomen, instantly causing severe internal injuries.
Liji let out a painful cry and spat out a large amount of blood.
At the same time, the creature became severely weakened, and its huge body began to shrink, unable to maintain its massive size.
Marie was still riding on Liji's back, calmly eating her biscuit. Although she didn't say a word, her other hand gently stroked Liji's back. Finally, Liji lay flat on the ground, seemingly too seriously injured to move.
"Liji!" the Straw Hat Crew yelled in worry.
"Vice Admiral Tea Dolphin is incredible!"
The Marines and Army couldn't help but cheer.
The combat power the Tea Dolphin displayed now was the true strength of an Admiral candidate; his earlier performance felt like child's play.
Even Momousagi couldn't help but nod. She felt that the beast wasn't strong and could be defeated quickly if the Vice Admiral was serious. The Tea Dolphin must have been messing around before, otherwise, he wouldn't have been kicked away twice.
Robin gave Marie a worried look. Robin was the only one who could tell how nervous Marie truly was.
However, Robin trusted Carl's judgment completely. Since Carl had chosen Marie and Liji to deal with the Admiral candidate, there had to be a good reason, and she saw no need to doubt it.
Marie jumped off Liji's back and silently put away her biscuits.
She had finally stopped eating!
With a palette in her left hand and a paintbrush in her right, her small body stood tall, facing the Tea Dolphin with a serious expression.
The Tea Dolphin knew this little girl had awakened both Armament and Observation Haki, so he wouldn't dare look down on her. He simply wanted to defeat his enemy quickly to impress Gion.
"This is a battlefield. Even if you're just a little girl, I won't hold back!"
The Tea Dolphin gave a low shout, stomped the ground, and quickly charged toward Marie.
Marie dipped her brush into the paint quickly, but she pointed the brush toward the sky and began painting in the air. Immediately, countless colors covered the entire area.
Marie herself, Liji, and the Tea Dolphin were all enveloped in this colorful world.
"Color Adjustment: Dream Rainbow!"
When Marie stopped painting, the area had completely changed into a spectrum of colors. She herself had changed clothes and now sported a drawn-on beard, making her look like a masterful painter.
At this moment, Liji stood up.
Liji was now wearing a crown and a king's outfit, having truly transformed into a Lion King.
As for the Tea Dolphin, he was dressed in a handsome groom's outfit. Although he wasn't naturally handsome, he was full of vigor.
Everyone around was dumbfounded.
The Tea Dolphin stood frozen for a moment, and then a thought from his mind came out of his mouth, "Yes, today is the day Gion and I get married! I've changed into a groom's suit! I wonder if my beautiful wife, Gion, has changed into her wedding dress yet? Ah, I'm so nervous."
"This is the first time I'm getting married in my life."
"After this, I'll have ten or eight children with my beloved Gion. Our family will live a happy life."
It was a completely imaginary scene, but it didn't seem inconsistent with his current groom's attire.
Marie stroked her painted beard, smiled, and drew a throne for Liji. Liji immediately sat comfortably on the throne.
In this colorful world, Marie was God!
The entire battlefield fell silent because of this. No one had expected Marie to possess such a magical technique. Everyone, even Momousagi, couldn't help but watch.
However, the Tea Dolphin's speech gave Momousagi goosebumps.
The thought of marrying the Tea Dolphin made her feel uncomfortable!
Marie noticed the Tea Dolphin was waiting anxiously, so she quickly drew Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji. The three former and current Admirals personally congratulated the Tea Dolphin. In addition, Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, and other high-ranking Marines appeared.
A torrent of congratulations made the Tea Dolphin overjoyed, pulling him deeper and deeper into the illusion.
Momousagi couldn't bear it anymore and immediately shouted, "Tea Dolphin, wake up! That's fake! It's a trick!"
Seeing this distraction, Zoro and Law immediately charged forward again, exerting their full strength against Momousagi. Momousagi was agitated and not in the mood to fight back, allowing the two of them to fight more and more effectively.
Marie's trick was a surprise, but all they needed to do was keep Momousagi occupied and prevent her from interfering!
The Tea Dolphin seemed to hear Momousagi's words and replied in a daze, "You're right, it feels like a lie. It's so amazing that I get to marry Gion, it feels like a dream. But I have to say, it's a sweet dream!"
The Marines and Army were in complete chaos.
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that this "Psycho Painter" had created a virtual world and was trapping the Vice Admiral inside.
If this continued, the Vice Admiral was doomed!
"Everyone, stop her immediately! Stop the Psycho Painter, Marie Ano!"
Sentomaru yelled and was about to rush toward Marie, but he was blocked by a flash of lightning. Nami was waving her Weather Staff with a grin and constantly bombarding him with lightning attacks.
"Hee hee, I can't let you disturb Marie!"
Nami was actually very surprised, or perhaps shocked.
Only now did she truly understand why Carl had let Marie and Liji take the lead. Liji took the initial damage, and Marie's superb paint power could effectively stop an Admiral candidate.
It was simply amazing!
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