Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 295 A small test of one’s skills
"Then there's nothing to talk about?"

Albury took his hand out of his trouser pocket.

Although his posture remained quite languid, Jinbe could tell from some subtle movements that his opponent was already prepared for battle.

If there is the slightest movement on my end, the other party will surely launch a sudden attack with lightning speed.

Four years ago, Albury was already slightly stronger than Skipgate, who was an officer. Now, four years later, he has gained more than just his rank.

Two lieutenant generals...that's a bit tricky.
"I'll say it one last time, merman. We don't want to be your enemy. Tell us what you know and we'll let you go."

Mien was still making his final attempts to persuade them, seemingly genuinely unwilling to fight the merman on the other side.

His past experiences have changed him a lot. Compared to his youthful arrogance and aggressiveness back then, he now appears more mature, reserved, and... composed.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know where the person you're looking for is now."

"shave!"

Swish-!
As soon as Jinbe finished speaking, Albury suddenly disappeared from the spot and reappeared just inches away from Jinbe.

boom!
Without hesitation, Albury turned and delivered a powerful whip kick, his right leg lashing out at Jinbe while he was wearing expensive trousers—but Jinbe blocked it steadily with a standard Fishman Karate defensive stance.

They looked at each other, and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

"Hmph~ You've got some skills, huh, merman?"

"Your fundamentals are quite solid!"

"It's probably because I have a very responsible teacher."

Jinbe replied with a smile.

"Oh? That's really enviable~"

Albury continued to apply pressure to his thighs, but Jinbe's arms and lower body remained stable, showing no signs of losing his balance.

The two remained deadlocked for the time being.

……

"So what about this trick?"

? !
After a brief standoff, a strange force suddenly wrapped around Albury's calf, and with another burst of strength from Albury, Jinbe was kicked away.

call out--

呲味味~
After nimbly tumbling half a circle in the air, the round whale shark man landed steadily on both feet, but left two long scratches on the sand to absorb the force of the opponent's attack.

"Armament Haki, is that it..."

Jinbe, his eyes serious, re-established his Fishman Karate stance.

"Oh? You actually know about Haki. Looks like it's not some 'local specialty' of Fishman Island~"

Maintaining his kicking motion, Albury raised an eyebrow, clearly guessing that Jinbe might not be a native of Fishman Island.

After all, although Fishman Island is technically part of the New World, Haki is still a rather mysterious power here, and not many people know about it.

"That makes it even more suspicious."

"I have already said it, I—"

"Oh my~ He's clearly an outsider fishman, yet he knows the target..."

Albury withdrew his foot, ignoring Jinbe's further explanation, and instead spoke in his usual lazy tone:

"Sorry, young merman, even if you truly don't know where the target is... as stakeholders, we can't just let you go like this."

"After all, this matter involves those rather troublesome Celestial Dragons~"

"Alberridge!"

Mien gave a light chuckle, clearly reminding the other party not to say anything inappropriate.

"Yes yes yes~"

"Got it~"

"Then I won't waste any more time and will take you down as quickly as possible."

"Watch out, kid!"

Swah——

Albury used Shave to teleport to Jinbe's side again, and then...

"Lanjiao·Guanghua"

A blinding silver light erupted from Albertridge's right leg, like a sharp blade gleaming with cold light. Compared to the ordinary Tempest Kick, which uses kicks to unleash sword-like long-range slashes, his 'Radiance' sacrifices attack range but greatly enhances the power of the 'slash'.

hum~
"Ok?"

The storm kick smoothly sliced ​​through Jinbe's figure, along with the air around him, without the slightest obstruction... But Albury's expression changed, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"This is……"

"Afterimage!"

Mien, who was all too familiar with this scene, immediately spoke up, his voice also filled with shock, but it was for something else—

[It's 'shave!']
"That merman just used a genuine 'Shave'!"
There are many ways to teleport instantly on the high seas. Some use Devil Fruit abilities, some rely on their strong physique, and some rely on special techniques... But each has its signature moves, and experienced people can easily distinguish the style of the other.

What Jinbe just used is undoubtedly the most authentic "Shave" from the "Naval Six Powers"!
"It's actually 'shave'?!"

Having missed his target, Albury readjusted himself, his expression turning serious.

"Hey, merman. Where did you learn that trick?"

"..."

"You're not going to talk? That's fine. You can't escape today anyway. You'll have your chance to speak when we get to Marineford."

Swish!
"Storm Kick - Light Wheel!"

hum~
Several ring-shaped cutting light blades were kicked out by Albury, each heading towards Jinbe not far away with different trajectories, but Jinbe showed no panic and raised his hand to fight back.

"Murloc Karate·Hit the Water!"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Several water droplets condensed from his webbed palm, and then Jinbe casually waved his hand, and those water droplets accurately hit the incoming light blade and shattered it.

"Quite excellent aim... but I'm not going to just sit here and wait for you to retaliate~"

Finger Gun & Drill

Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle~
Teleporting behind Jinbe, Albury cleverly seized the opportunity when Jinbe was 'striking the water' and thrust his 'finger gun' directly into Jinbe's back.

The conical flash drill tip materialized at the fingertips of this lieutenant general, a master of the 'Six Styles'. The sharp noise generated by its friction with the air was like thousands of fine needles scraping against metal, piercing the eardrums painfully.

Sizzle—whoosh~
"Ugh?"

A strange sound, like ice melting, replaced the 'splatter' sound that should have been flesh being pierced.

Similarly, what Albury felt through his fingertips was not the smooth sensation of flesh being easily pierced, but rather the difficult and restrictive feeling of a high-speed drill bit being choked by something strong.

The 'finger pistol,' which resembled a poison needle at the tail, was instantly neutralized by the extra energy wrapped around Jinbe's body by his light blue robe the moment it touched his back, dissipating into nothingness.

At the same time, the silky smooth fabric of the robe, following the residual rotational force, wrapped around Albury's fingers, leaving him in a dilemma.

"What exactly is this robe—?"

"Don't stand there! Albury!" "Fishman Karate - Samehada Elbow!"

While Albury was still trying to pull out his finger, Jinbe delivered a spinning elbow strike right to his face, denting and deforming his entire face.

"Quaaaah!"

The powerful impact sent Alberto, who was about the same height as Jinbe, flying nearly ten meters away with his elbow. In the trajectory of his flight, you could see glistening red blood from his nose scattering in the air.

call out--

Damn~
Lying on the ground in a spread-eagle position, Albury was somewhat dazed; the elbow strike from his opponent had indeed been quite powerful.
Feeling the stinging pain in his nasal cavity, he reached out and wiped away the blood flowing from his nose before flipping himself up with a somersault.

"Pfft! Ahem!"

"You've got some skills, kid."

"And where did you buy these clothes? How much did they cost?"

The injury to his nose made Albury's voice sound a little strange, and of course, the question he was asking was even stranger...

"I'm sorry, this was a gift from an elder in my family and is not for sale."

Jinbe answered in a very serious tone.

"Really? That's a real shame."

"I was even thinking of getting a dozen or so pieces to wear for self-defense."

Sigh~ Sigh~
Sniffing and finding the nosebleed had stopped, Albury wiped his face with his hand and then said to Mien in the distance:

"Why don't you do it? I don't think I can handle this kid on my own in a short time."

(End of this chapter)