On the coast.
Gion flapped her bat wings and swung her sharp sword, unleashing twelve red and pink slashes in a fan shape, the blades slicing through the air with a buzzing sound.
"Gion - Twelve Slashes!"
Faced with Gion's fierce attack, Ross simply smiled, spread his arms and floated backward, an invisible current rising from beneath his feet to block Gion's movement.
The basic ability of the Human-Human Fruit Model: Watatsumi is levitation. Its body is supported by the thin seawater, and it can move in the air by expending a little energy.
"Boom!"
Gion's slash easily broke through the sea's blockade, sweeping past just below Ross and slicing the reefs behind him into neat cubes. The shattered coral was swallowed up by the suddenly rising wall of waves before it even hit the sea.
The bat wings flapped again, and Gion's figure flickered on the crest of the wave, rushing upstream towards Ross, while Ryo wielded his swift sword, unleashing a barrage of thrusts.
"Gion - Sudden Rain!"
"Rampage!"
Ross raised his right hand and made a grasping motion towards the sea. Suddenly, the sea behind him boiled, and a hundred-meter-high curtain of water rose from the depths, shooting towards Gion.
"Soru!"
Gion's figure suddenly disappeared, and the seawater missed its target.
When she reappeared, she was already above Ross.
"Gion - Landslide!"
Gion raised her Sword high, the blade instantly covered in Armament Haki, and then she swung it down heavily.
Faced with this earth-shattering attack, Ross simply smiled and crossed his arms in front of him to block it.
In an instant, countless ocean currents surged forth, blocking Gion's path of attack.
Boom!!!
Seawater splashed everywhere as Gion easily broke through the seawater barrier, her momentum undiminished, and the blade fell straight towards Ross.
"Relying solely on seawater is still insufficient."
Ross chuckled softly, his hands also covered in Armament Haki.
"Clang!"
The sharp blade clashed against the arm, and the Armament Haki clashed with the Armament Haki, producing a sound like fine iron clashing.
Because of the previous obstruction, Gion's attack had weakened considerably and was no longer enough to harm Ross.
But the enormous impact still slammed Ross into the sea.
"Saint Ross!"
Gion's expression hardened slightly, her beautiful eyes flashing with anxiety.
In her understanding, all Devil Fruit users fear seawater, and even though Ross can manipulate seawater, he would probably be no exception.
Whoosh!!!
Before Gion could react, a giant column of water shot into the sky, engulfing her completely.
It's over!
The moment she entered the seawater, Gion's expression changed drastically.
After Ross ate the fruit, he was surprisingly not afraid of seawater at all.
But she's afraid of seawater!
Whoosh!
Ross, riding the water column, quickly ascended from the sea. He was faster than the fish-men in the water and reached Gion's side in the blink of an eye, picking up the limp girl.
"Saint Ross, I was too weak and failed to satisfy you."
Gion pursed her lips, somewhat afraid to look at Ross.
She lost so badly that she was too ashamed to face anyone.
Gion wouldn't think much of being defeated head-on, but being trapped by seawater and losing her fighting ability is probably an embarrassing case among those of the same level.
"You've only just obtained the fruit and aren't used to fighting me yet, that's normal."
While it was regrettable that he didn't get to test all his abilities, Ross also saw the scene he most wanted to see.
He is almost certain of victory against Devil Fruit users as long as the battle is fought at sea.
Right now, his direct damage is relatively low, so he might have difficulty breaking through the defenses of monsters like Big Mom. Also, he needs to be cautious when facing opponents with strong physical skills. But with his sea abilities, that's no longer a problem.
Listening to the sea and the marshes is the core of Model: Watatsumi.
With his ability to hear the sea, he can easily detect any sound that travels into the sea within a 100-kilometer radius.
Furthermore, when fighting in the sea, Ross can anticipate any move his opponent makes, as the seawater senses the movements for him.
At the same time, as long as he fights in the sea, the sea marsh can continuously replenish his strength by absorbing seawater and slowly recover from his injuries.
As long as the seawater doesn't dry up, physical strength is limitless.
Although the absorption and recovery are less than the production consumption, making it impossible to complete a lossless cycle, the world of One Piece is mostly made up of the sea.
As long as he dives into the sea, he will be invincible.
Ross had no intention of competing with Gion again, and carried Gion back to his palace.
Gion had actually recovered long ago, but she remained silent and didn't get down, so Ross carried her by the legs the whole way.
Upon returning, Ross, in an excellent mood, immediately chose to go into seclusion.
Last time he was with Gion, neither of them got anything, and he came out on top in the end.
This time, they all reaped the rewards.
He wanted to see who would be standing at the end!
[Level A defeat achieved!]
[Strength +500,000]
[Special Reward: Observation Haki (A)]
After a day and a night of recovery, Gion was finally satisfied.
As it turns out, the sea god is no match for the vampire on land.
Because vampires can suck the blood of the sea god, but the sea god cannot suck blood.
However, on the third day, Ross managed to turn the tide by battling it out in the pool.
In the water, with the added bonus of Devil Fruit powers, even several Gion wouldn't be a match for Ross.
As the year 1500 drew to a close, having completely stabilized the situation on Jaygarcia Island and thoroughly familiarized himself with the power of the Devil Fruit, Ross embarked on his journey home.
On a slightly salty, humid afternoon, Ross stood on the wide deck of a ship returning home.
"Eee-yah-yah!"
Ace lay in Ross's arms, squirming restlessly and making incomprehensible noises.
"Ace is still very energetic."
Gion walked over to Ross, a bright smile on her face, and started teasing Ace with her finger.
After hearing Rouge's story, she felt only pity for Ace, but even more disgust for Roger.
A person who is not fit to be a father is a failure, even if he becomes the Pirate King.
"Perhaps it's been a long time since he's been on a ship, he seems very excited, maybe he just has a longing for the sea in his genes," Ross chuckled teasingly.
"Come on, if he really inherited Roger's genes, Rouge will be in trouble." Gion raised an eyebrow.
Because Ross cheated with Hazel's help, she has been forced to become best friends with Rouge these days.
With more shared hatred of the enemy, the relationship between them naturally becomes closer.
"It's not wrong to like the sea, but how to be a person is another matter. Growing up wildly, it's inevitable to pick up some bad habits."
Ross didn't care about any of that; he didn't believe in fate, only in the truth he held in his hands.
"That's true."
Gion covered her mouth and chuckled; she didn't believe Ross's nonsense.
Ross, despite receiving the best education in the world, is not a good person either.
"Alright, let's get down to business. You're usually practicing your sword at this time, so you wouldn't come to the deck to find me."
Ross handed Ace, who was in his arms, to Stella, who was waiting beside him, his expression becoming slightly serious.
After returning from Gion, he continued to take charge of the CP0 side of the work, which relieved Zane of some of the workload.
Unfortunately, Gion is just a warrior. She can handle some simple intelligence, but don't even think about managing the country.
"Kaido is using the excuse that Kozuki Toki was protected by Kozuki Oden to ask us to give them some more time. It seems like he wants to drag this out any longer," Gion said.
"Drag it out? It's been dragging on for half a year, and they still haven't mentioned King. Since they don't want to give us face, then don't blame us for coming to their door."
Ross gazed at the gradually clearing Red Line continent in the distance, his tone calm yet undeniably authoritative:
"Once we reach the Holy Land, I will visit the Five Elders, and then we will head straight for the New World."
"Clear!"
Facing the Beasts Pirates, who are famous throughout the New World, Gion showed no fear whatsoever; instead, her eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.
In this era hailed as the Great Pirate Era, the overall strength of the Marine far surpasses that of any single pirate crew. Even the power Ross wields is enough to make her fearless in the face of Kaido's threat.
This time, she was determined to cut through the flames of Kaido and capture him alive as a slave gift for Ross.
...
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