73 Heavenly Demons Intervene

As soon as he heard that, Silk punched out with everything he had.

"Fishman Karate: True Tile Punch!"

Suddenly a shock wave emanated from Silk's fist. The shock wave travelled through the air hitting Crocodile's body which seemed to disintegrate upon impact.

When they saw that, the crowd stared incredulously at the lone figure on the ring, left shocked and in awe by his display of strength.

"Did he just win?!"

"Just like that?!"

Silk was panting heavily, but his eyes failed to hide the excitement.

"I did it… I won!"

[Dad I hope you were watching, that was the punch you taught me!]

Just as Silk was about to relax he felt a dangerous presence behind him.

"Ooh so you can actually use Fishman Karate? I'm shocked, but it's not enough!"

When he heard the indifferent voice of the woman behind him, he slowly turned around and saw Crocodile stood casually looking at him as if this was all just a game to her.

[How is this possible?! My attack definitely hit, I saw it!]

Up in the stands Ori sighed watching the results of the attack.

"Fishman Karate uses the water vapor in the surroundings to allow the force of the user's attack to travel through the air, it also bypasses the target's defence and attacks the water in their body. The mechanics behind it is genius, but unfortunately it's meaningless to logia's!"

Crocodile could see the shock and unwillingness in Silk's face.

"Your attack was truly powerful and had it have been someone else, they would've been injured or worse, but I'm a Logia. As a logia I can transform my body into that of my element, which is sand. As my whole body is made of sand, a technique that targets the water in the body has no effect on me."

When he heard that, Silk lost all will to fight.

[How can I beat someone like that?! Is this as far as I go?! Queen Otohime… Without proper protection she'll… All because I was too weak… No I can't let that happen! There must be a way! How can I hit him, there must be a way… Wait! He's made of sand…]

Over the course of a few seconds, Crocodile witnessed as Silk's face went from despair, to anger and self-loathing, to resolve, to hope.

Crocodile frowned as she looked at the man before her.

[I'm getting a bad feeling, I have to put an end to this now!]

Crocodile turned her lower body into sand and flew towards Silk wanting to put an end to this battle as quickly as possible.

As she neared, Silk went back into horse stance and concentrated on the fist by his side. As he did, the seemingly normal fist was covered in what appeared to be a ball of water.

Ori who was still watching the progression of the battle couldn't help but raise his brow in surprise.

"Ooh… Now that was a surprise!"

Crocodile arrived just in front of Silk and stretched her arm out in an attempt to grab the Sea Mink's face. Just before the palm managed to grab him, Silk punched out once more.

"Fishman Karate: True Aqua Punch"

Silk's fist managed to hit Crocodile in the chest before Crocodile's palm manage to land. She was sent flying back to the edge of the arena, as she regained her footing she looked up in horror at Silk.

"You hit me… Without Haki?! Impossible!"

Shaya looked down at the arena with a beaming smile as she said.

"Crocodile didn't notice the change in Silk's fist."

Silk looked at Crocodile in excitement as he replied.

"As you said, Fishman Karate allows me to use the water vapor in the air around me, I just covered my fist in water before hitting you. Your body's made of sand, you should know better than anyone, sand and water don't mix well!"

As he said that he fired into the still shocked Crocodile.

Seeing Silk's movement Ori sighed and shook his head as he said.

"Although the use of water vapor with that "True Aqua Punch" was ingenious, he's been blinded by his excitement. Just because he can now hit Crocodile, doesn't mean he's able to actually defeat her. If that were the case, Crocodile would've lost his life to any old haki user!"

Back on the arena, Crocodile recovered from her shock and her eyes turned icy.

"Naïve! Don't think because you're capable of hitting me, you're capable of defeating me… You're far from enough!

Withering Ground!"

As she said that the floor of the arena started to wither, turning from concrete to sand.

Ori looked at the ground that had turned into sand as he said to himself.

"So she's already awakened her devil fruit?!"

Silk felt himself slowing down as he tried to run on the sand.

"Sand Vortex!"

As Crocodile said that, the centre of where the arena used to be turned into a whirlpool as it sucked Silk into the centre. Eventually all of Silk's body was buried underground, except his head.

Crocodile slowly walked towards him with a cruel smile plastered to her face.

"This is the difference between us!"

Silk desperately tried to break free of the restraints holding him in place, but try as he might, he just wasn't strong enough?

"Is this it for me? Is this how I'll die?!"

Crocodile put her left hand on the man's head and as she did the moisture in his body started evaporating, leaving Silk looking like a fleshless corpse.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. There's still someone who…"

Before she could finish her sentence a black sword light tore through the air and cut her left hand off.

"Ahhhh, my hand!"

While Crocodile was on the floor holding her left arm just above where the hand used to be, a hooded figure in a plain white mask appeared in front of the Silk.

Despite Silk's withered state, he was still conscious, albeit barely. When he looked up and saw the cloaked man with a giant sword strapped to his back, his body subconsciously relaxed.

"Heavenly Demon, why are you here, I thought you said."

"Haha I can't leave the 5th member of the Heavenly Demon's to die now can I?!"

As he said that, a sharp wind came and tore apart the sand that was holding Silk in place, before sending him into the air.

It wasn't clear when he had arrived, but a winged man dressed in a hooded robe was stood in the air above the arena and as Silk was launched up, the winged man caught him before turning to fly away.

"Where do you think you're going, Heavenly Demon Pirates?!"

Just as he was about to fly off, a giant tower of a man jumped into the sky blocking the mysterious mans path. The giant man was the enraged Oven.

As he neared the man in the sky, his fist turned black as it shot towards his target.

As he was holding the weakened Silk in one hand, the robed man couldn't move how he would've liked and was forced to throw out a formless punch to meet the incoming attack.

As the punch was thrown at the last second and without form due to unfortunate positioning, the strength behind it was far weaker than what it normally would've been. The robed figure was subsequently forced down to the ground. Thankfully he didn't seem injured and neither did Silk in his other arm.

Just as Oven was about to fire into the man again, he sensed something dangerous flying towards him. He moved to the side easily dodging the attack which carried on towards the robed man.

When he finally saw what it was he dodged, he was shocked to discover it was a golden halberd. He looked in the direction it came from and saw another robed figure stood on the top edge of the colosseum holding a bow as if she had just fired an arrow.

[Did she just fire a halberd from her bow as if it were an arrow?!]

The winged man caught the halberd in his hand, before flying towards Oven who was still looking at the robed archer.

"Halberd of The Rising Sun!"

The halberd in the man's had turned black and was covered in a golden aura as it was swung upwards in an attempt to cleave Oven in 2.

Oven who only saw the attack at the last moment didn't hesitate in dodging the attack, but in doing so, it gave the robed man the chance he needed to escape.

Seeing the winged man take to the sky, Oven was greatly angered and was just about to give chase when the robed man holding a giant sword in his hand appeared in front of him blocking his path.

"You should stay here!"

Seeing the man blocking his path, Oven glared at him before saying coldly.

"Orion, the Heavenly Demon!"

Oven knowing who he really was despite the disguise didn't greatly surprise him. He took down his hood and removed his mask with a smile as he said.

"Charlotte Oven, the 4th son and 5th child of the Yonko, Charlotte Linlin."

Hearing him list some of the facts that although wasn't a secret, was still not public knowledge, put a frown on Oven's face.

"How do you know so much about my family?!"

Ori smiled calmly as he spoke with indifference.

"I wonder!"

Oven could tell that he wasn't likely to get any answers out of him by just talking. He stretched his right palm out to the side and a giant naginata flew towards him.

Just as he caught it and was about to charge at Orion, a frail old man holding a wooden walking stick who was stood on the back of a giant dragon appeared above the arena.

"Young master, you should go and catch Silk. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with Big Mom! Leave the Heavenly Demon to me!"

Oven wanted to make sure he killed Ori here and now, so that such a big threat to his family was neutralised, but he also knew full well that if he failed in the task his mother gave him, the consequences he'd have to face would be unbearable!

He looked deeply at the old man stood a top the dragon who was smiling down at him. He didn't trust him completely but knew that this was the best option.

"Make sure you kill him!"

"Yes young master, I was just thinking he'd make a fine addition to my collection!"

Oven gave Ori one final look before running off in the direction that Roman had taken Silk.

Seeing him trying to leave Ori moved to cut him off, but he was intercepted by the tail of the giant dragon.

"Heavenly Demon, you should stay here with me and not interrupt the young master!"

Ori had managed to avoid the tail, but he could tell from the strength behind it, that dragon was anything but weak!

[Roman, Shaya, Sabo looks like I'm not going to be able to stall Oven any longer. You're on your own!]