Chapter 57: I Can Turn the Tide
Blood was diluted by the seawater as Cyan Steel Shadow Energy surged into Garp's body, the intense pain causing him to furrow his brow.
While blocking the slash, Garp kicked toward Su Xiao's abdomen.
Bang!
Su Xiao's body was sent hurtling backward, the Counter Shield in front of him completely undamaged.
If this were on land, blocking Garp's kick would have required the Counter Shield to shatter to withstand the immense force. But underwater was different; Su Xiao didn't need to withstand Garp's attacks head-on—at most, he would be pushed back.
Slashing and blunt attacks were not the same underwater. The former targeted a point or a line, while the latter was a small-area attack.
Garp didn't care about this, even though his previous kick had only exerted about thirty percent of his full strength.
Garp stomped on the seawater, charging at Su Xiao with a menacing glare.
Su Xiao continued to retreat. He could last dozens of hours underwater, even longer, while Garp couldn't hold out for long. The battle would accelerate his oxygen consumption.
Garp left a blurry afterimage underwater, closing in on Su Xiao almost instantly.
Finding no room to retreat, Su Xiao slashed at Garp's face.
A blade aura shimmered in the sea. Garp, his entire body wrapped in Armament Haki, ignored Su Xiao's slash and punched toward Su Xiao's face.
Boom!
Ripples spread through the water. The moment Garp's fist shot out, Su Xiao felt a powerful current rushing toward him, slamming into the Counter Shield.
Dozens of Counter Shields deployed, forming a barrier in front of Su Xiao.
With a bang, Su Xiao was sent flying backward, the Counter Shield before him riddled with cracks.
Blood trickled from the corner of Su Xiao's mouth, gradually diluted by the seawater. Garp, meanwhile, was enveloped in a mist of blood, dense slash marks appearing across his body.
After this brief exchange, Garp was astonished to find that he was somewhat outmatched by Su Xiao. The resistance of seawater differed from air; every punch he threw was slightly weakened by the water's drag.
But that wasn't the most critical issue. Each of Garp's punches carried immense force, but before they could hit Su Xiao, the sheer power created a current that pushed Su Xiao back a short distance.
In other words, every time Garp threw a punch, Su Xiao was pushed back by the force of the blow before it landed. If Garp's fists weren't fast enough, landing a hit underwater would be a challenge.
Worse still, when Su Xiao was struck by Garp's fist, he was merely pushed back, and the seawater gradually absorbed the impact.
Slashing attacks, however, were different. They could easily cut through the water and wouldn't lose their force upon hitting an enemy.
Garp had fought his entire life and was well aware of this. Before chasing Su Xiao, he hadn't known Su Xiao had diving equipment. Seeing the unfamiliar gear, Garp realized he probably couldn't catch Su Xiao, but giving up felt too frustrating, so he decided to give it a try.
Now, Garp was certain that underwater, not only could he not capture Su Xiao, but if he stayed any longer, he might even die here.
Garp immediately surged toward the surface, with Su Xiao in hot pursuit.
Watching Su Xiao rapidly closing in from below, Garp was furious. He had been a Marine his whole life, and even fighting Roger had never been this infuriating. At least Roger had some honor—he'd sink Garp's ship and then retreat, never pursuing him in the sea. The somewhat oblivious Garp forgot that he had been the one hunting Su Xiao in the first place.
Two minutes later, with a splash, water sprayed everywhere as Garp burst out of the sea, spitting out a mouthful of seawater and gasping for air.
"This... bastard!"
Garp's flushed face gradually returned to normal. In the distance, Vice Admiral Tsuru, aboard a small boat, immediately noticed Garp.
A dozen small boats approached. Tsuru signaled for Garp to board, but he waved her off and climbed onto a wooden plank.
As soon as Garp got onto the plank, Tsuru saw the slash marks covering his body.
"What happened to you?"
Tsuru was clearly stunned. She knew better than anyone how strong Garp's Armament Haki was.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped onto the plank beneath Garp as he stared intently at the sea surface.
"He's coming."
"Huh?"
Tsuru was even more surprised. She had thought Su Xiao had already escaped.
"Don't let them fight that guy. They might not... even withstand a single slash."
Underwater, Garp had been nearly chopped to death by Su Xiao. When he took Su Xiao's fifth slash, his entire body went numb, and the result was predictable—Su Xiao almost sliced open his throat.
On land, Su Xiao was no match for Garp, but in the sea, with Garp severely oxygen-deprived, the tables turned.
Battle wasn't just about who had a higher rank or more strength. Environment, terrain, even climate—all could significantly impact the fight.
Ripples spread across the sea surface. Seeing this, Garp clenched his fists, the joints cracking audibly, and blood spurted from his wounds.
After a moment, the ripples faded. Just as Garp and the others thought Su Xiao had retreated, a three-masted ship sailed into view.
Seeing this ship, Garp and Tsuru's faces lit up with joy, but the next moment, their smiles froze.
Screams and desperate howls echoed from afar. A pale blue blade aura sliced through the pirate ship. Before the pirates on board knew what was happening, their ship was sinking.
The three-masted ship first broke in the middle, folding in on itself as it sank, seemingly dragged down by a powerful force underwater. In less than ten seconds, the entire pirate ship was submerged, leaving only the terrified pirates and large pieces of driftwood on the surface.
A pirate captain with a captain's hat clung to a plank. Judging by his expression, his thoughts were probably: "Who am I? Where am I? Where's my ship?"
Before long, the large group of pirates on the surface noticed the small boats in the distance. That became their only hope of survival at sea.
When these pirates swam close to the boats, they were utterly devastated. A furious Garp needed a punching bag.
In the seawater, Su Xiao, pressing one hand to his chest, swam away into the distance. He had originally wanted to keep Garp underwater forever, but even in the sea, Garp was still fast. The sea was fair—it slowed Garp down, but it also slowed Su Xiao.
A figure paddling with a doggy paddle approached Su Xiao. It was Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang was having the time of his life in the sea. Earlier, this guy had even thought about biting Garp, but probably considering Garp's combat power, he ultimately gave up on that suicidal idea.
Bubu Wang in the sea was like an electric motor, his little legs seemingly turbocharged, paddling with incredible speed.
A few minutes later, Su Xiao surfaced, took off his scuba gear, and gasped for air. Using it for a long time inevitably caused a feeling of stuffiness.
He pulled out a folded life raft, pulled the cord at the back, and the raft immediately inflated.
Su Xiao climbed onto the raft, lying down weakly. He hadn't had a drop of water in nearly five days, and then he had fought Garp. The strain on his body was unimaginable.