Chapter 51: Are mermen invincible in the sea?

Human actions in the sea are certainly not comparable to those on land. In addition to the fatal weakness of not being able to breathe underwater, the resistance of seawater is strong, significantly weakening the power of punches, kicks, and slashes.

Wood had always worn a heavy, weight-bearing suit during training, making him accustomed to such gravity. So, even now in the sea, the impact of water resistance on him was not as severe as one might expect.

As Wood dove into the water, he saw several fishmen of various appearances attacking the bottom of the ship with their fins or fists.

Wood's entry into the water immediately caught the attention of the fishmen. There were five of them, with the leader resembling a tiger shark, complete with a menacing mouth full of sharp teeth. The others included one that looked like a swordfish, easily recognizable by its long, pointed nose, and another that seemed to be a lanternfish. The remaining fishmen were harder to identify, given the vast variety of fish in the sea.

The fishmen, who were initially focused on chiseling the bottom of the boat, didn't expect a human to foolishly enter the water and fight them on their turf. As they noticed Wood, cruel smiles spread across their faces.

The fishmen had no idea how strong the main combatants on the ship were. Their plan was to sink the ship gradually to rescue their captive. But with Wood coming to them, they were happy to take the ship as a trophy instead.

"Fish-Man Karate: Mist Cross!" The tiger shark fishman's eyes glinted fiercely as he saw Wood approach with a knife in hand. He swam rapidly through the water, breaking away from his companions and charging directly at Wood.

This wasn't Wood's first encounter with fishmen. During his time in Impel Down, he had fought many fishmen, some of whom were quite notorious.

Fish-Man Karate is a unique skill mastered by many fishmen and mermaids in the ONE PIECE world. Those who can wield these techniques are considered elite among their kind.

However, the fishmen Wood faced in Impel Down were not in their natural element—the sea. Underwater, fishmen were much stronger, and the tiger shark fishman's speed was astonishing as he torpedoed toward Wood.

As the tiger shark charged, Wood held his long knife horizontally, bracing it against the rapidly approaching dorsal fin. The impact from the high-speed swim pushed Wood back dozens of meters.

The tiger shark's dorsal fin was hard and sharp. On land, it was formidable, but in the water, where the fishman could swim at high speeds, it could slice through small boats.

The tiger shark was confident that this attack would succeed. After all, human reaction time and speed in the water couldn't compare to those of fishmen.

But to his shock, the attack didn't go as planned. Not only did Wood withstand the assault, but blood also began to mix into the surrounding water. It wasn't Wood's blood—it was his own! The dorsal fin, which he had always prided himself on, had been injured in the collision with Wood's knife.

Being wounded by a human in the sea enraged the tiger shark fishman further. With a ferocious look, he lunged at Wood, aiming to bite his waist.

"Iron Body!" Wood's body hardened in response to the tiger shark's sharp teeth, which were strong enough to bite through rocks.

But instead of crushing Wood, the tiger shark's teeth met something far harder. With a loud crunch, his teeth nearly shattered as they bit into Wood's side.

"Iron Body, broken!" Before the fishman could process why he couldn't bite through Wood's skin, a massive fist crashed into his face. Despite the water's resistance, Wood's punch, bolstered by his martial arts skills and the Iron Body technique, sent the much larger fishman flying.

The uppercut's force propelled the tiger shark fishman upward, sending him careening through the water.

Meanwhile, on the surface, the ship had stopped shaking, indicating that the fishmen had ceased their attacks on the hull to focus on fighting Wood.

At the stern of the ship, a small sea king—its upper body resembling a lion and its lower body a fish—had appeared, attacking the ship shortly after Wood dove into the sea. It seemed to be working with the fishmen.

However, the sea king hadn't anticipated that there were other strong fighters on the ship besides Wood. Just as it emerged and was about to assert its presence, Gion, wielding her Konpira sword, sliced it into pieces with a single strike.

Now, standing on the deck in a bikini, Gion radiated an aura that warned others to keep their distance as she watched the calm sea intently.

It wasn't that Gion doubted Wood's strength, but she knew humans were at a significant disadvantage fighting fishmen underwater. Moreover, they didn't know how many fishmen they were up against.

Gion wanted to dive in and assist Wood, but she hesitated, worried that if she joined him in the water, another sea king might attack the ship.

With only her and Wood responsible for the escort, and the others shackled with chains that only the Celestial Dragons had the keys to, she knew that if she left and the ship was attacked again, everyone on board would be doomed.