Bai Yu had a system mission to complete.
Simply taking down Gaspardi alone clearly wasn't enough to satisfy Bai Yu's ambitions.
No—his goal was total annihilation.
Only then would he unlock the highest-rated system reward.
Thus, he devised a bold plan, one that involved both internal sabotage and external confrontation—a classic pincer strategy.
Naturally, Bai Yu had the confidence to pull it off.
But if he was discovered too early, he would have to face hundreds of thousands of pirates, all attacking him like a tidal wave.
Even for someone as strong as him, such a brawl would be draining.
Back on Bai Yu's ship...
"Mr. Bai Yu... your slash just now…"
"Wasn't it... too far off?" Foxy asked, panic creeping into his voice.
He had no idea what Bai Yu's actual plan was, and assumed he'd missed his mark.
"A momentary lapse," Bai Yu replied, scratching his head and chuckling sheepishly.
Far ahead, Gaspardi had already entered the Knock-Up Stream, a powerful upward current used in the race route.
He narrowed his eyes.
He'd noticed the distant explosion from Bai Yu's slash and heard him laughing behind.
A strange sense of unease crept up his spine.
"Full speed ahead! End this race now!" Gaspardi barked.
"Aye, Captain!"
His crew scrambled to follow orders, and the massive steam-powered ship surged forward.
Just then—on both sides of Foxy's ship—angry roars rang out.
It was Willy the Killer Whale on the left, and Picaro the Executioner on the right!
From the port side, the massive silhouette of the orca Fish-Man, Willy, launched himself into the stream with a splash.
Fwoosh!
He emerged seconds later, summoning a spiraling, high-speed whirlpool that rushed toward Bai Yu's ship.
At the same time, on starboard...
Boom!
Picaro had already ordered his men to ram Bai Yu's ship.
Dozens—no, nearly a hundred—pirates leapt over and swarmed the deck, cutting down anyone in their path.
"Hey, brat! You dared cut in line?"
"Prepare to lose your head!"
Picaro led the charge, his massive sword raised high.
In an instant, he was in Bai Yu's face, a bloodthirsty grin stretching his mouth.
He brought the blade down with a thunderous roar.
But—
Clang!
Metal rang against metal.
Picaro's eyes widened in disbelief.
His full-force strike had been caught between two of Bai Yu's fingers.
"Wha—?! How... is that even possible?!" Picaro stammered.
"I don't have time to waste on nobodies like you," Bai Yu said coldly.
With a flick of his wrist—
Crack!
He snapped the blade in half like it was made of sugar glass.
That sword had been forged from high-carbon steel, a prized weapon Picaro had collected for years.
Now, it was nothing but broken junk.
Before Picaro could react, Bai Yu stepped in and closed the gap.
His Dragon-Flame Katana sliced forward.
Tear—!
The blade's edge ripped clean through Picaro's chest, splitting muscle and flesh like paper.
Blood burst out like a fountain, soaking the deck.
With one decisive blow, Picaro collapsed, grievously wounded.
"Soru!"
"Geppo!"
Without so much as a glance backward, Bai Yu used the Rokushiki techniques—Shave and Moonwalk.
His figure vanished.
The next instant, he reappeared in the air, confronting the spiral current conjured by Willy the Merman.
Hum!
Flames danced on the edge of his blade, turning a brilliant turquoise.
"Azure Dragon Slash!" he roared.
He gripped the hilt and swung the blade downward.
Whooosh—BOOM!
A massive, flaming slash shaped like a roaring dragon hurtled forward.
The Azure Dragon met the swirling sea current head-on.
Baaaang!
Chi-chi-chi...!
The instant the two forces collided, the whirlpool lost momentum.
The dragon flame consumed it, slicing it cleanly in half.
Steam exploded as the heated slash boiled away the swirling water.
In seconds, the powerful vortex was no more.
But the Azure Dragon Slash didn't stop there.
It tore through the remnants of the current, still blazing, and continued hurtling toward Willy.
Shkrrkk!
The orca merman, stunned, didn't dodge in time.
The slash struck him squarely in the chest, carving a deep gash across his torso.
His dark green blood splattered into the sea, dyeing the water around him.
Willy the Killer Whale dropped with a groan, severely wounded.
Bai Yu landed softly back on deck.
Every eye turned to him.
There was terror... awe... even worship.
Then—
"AVENGE THE CAPTAIN!!"
"GET HIM! KILL HIM!"
With blood in their eyes, the remnants of both Picaro's and Willy's crews swarmed toward Bai Yu.
Swords, clubs, pistols—they threw everything at him.
"Conqueror's Haki."
Hummmm...!
Bai Yu's eyes sharpened.
In an instant, an invisible but terrifying aura burst from his body, spreading out like a shockwave.
Thud. Thud. Thud...!
Pirates froze mid-charge. Their eyes rolled back.
Dozens—hundreds—collapsed like dominoes.
In the span of seconds, the deck was littered with unconscious bodies.
Not one stood.
"Gulp..."
Foxy and his crew watched from behind, jaws slack, throats dry.
They instinctively swallowed, unable to process the scene.
"Quit gawking."
"Move. Forward." Bai Yu said sharply.
"Y-yes! Move forward!"
Snapped out of their daze, Foxy barked orders at his crew.
The pirate ship surged ahead once more.
"Mr. Bai Yu..." Foxy mumbled.
"You're... seriously something else."
As they closed the distance toward Gaspardi's flagship, Foxy gave Bai Yu a shaky thumbs-up.
Bai Yu's strength had completely shattered Foxy's previous understanding of power.
Inwardly, Foxy thanked the heavens he hadn't crossed Bai Yu.
Had he chosen to challenge him instead of cooperate...
He'd be among the bodies strewn across the deck.
With no more obstructions, the shadow of Gaspardi's giant steam-powered warship finally came into view.
The real battle was about to begin.