Chapter Fifty-Seven: Washing and Bathing

When there was no way to escape, what choice remained for the Lieutenant? Only to take it head-on.

Yet “waiting for death” was never part of Anne’s repertoire. Though startled in that split second, she didn’t succumb to panic; instead, she chose a far more proactive form of resistance.

Her body was immobilized, but she raised one hand in front and the other behind, blocking the path of the oncoming sword strike with both hands. It was undoubtedly a courageous decision, though not necessarily a wise one. After all, flesh and blood can hardly withstand the sharpness of a Noble Arm, even for someone with animal abilities.

But then something happened that Qiu Bai could never have anticipated. Perhaps thanks to her fruit form, which granted her animal-like eyesight, Anne managed, in a fraction of a second, to catch the blade between her fingers.

The momentum from the sword’s speed was far too much for a single hand to resist, but she didn’t foolishly try to stop it outright. Instead, she cleverly chose to “yield”—as the sword advanced, her hand retreated, attempting to alter the trajectory of Qiu Bai’s attack through a brief moment of guidance.

It was a difficult maneuver, yet Anne didn’t stop there. Having slightly dampened the inertia of the attack, her other hand transformed from an open palm into a fist and struck the sword’s hilt with tremendous force.

With a sharp, violent clang, the sword spun upwards into the sky... Qiu Bai’s Noble Arm was snatched away from him in a narrow, nearly impossible move.

Was such a technique even possible? The tension was suffocating.

“Ha... ha...” The Navy Lieutenant, having narrowly escaped from this dangerous game, took several deep breaths.

Still, her claws seemed a bit too tough, didn’t they? Qiu Bai’s gaze followed her arm down to her bleeding palm, finally realizing why her toughness made sense:

“Armament... Haki.”

Even the weapons Qiu Bai casually threw around, judged by the forging standards of this world, were no ordinary tools—anyone could see that. Anne understood she couldn’t withstand such an attack with mere flesh, so she had coated her claws with a harder shell.

Yet Armament Haki should never be a power mastered by a mere lieutenant; its awakening is strict, and training is arduous. Haki is universally recognized as a higher-level force. Nevertheless, Anne wielded it plainly, her Haki shallow but her technique remarkably refined.

Qiu Bai was utterly baffled. Of course, he didn’t know the background of this female marine before him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so surprised. For those from Amazon Lily, Armament Haki is almost an innate talent.

For most people, Armament Haki is a lifelong unattainable power, but Amazonian warrior women master it from childhood.

Is it a bit unfair? Yes, but nothing strange about it.

Regardless, the fact that his opponent could use Armament Haki piqued Qiu Bai’s interest. He resolved to experience this “Haki” firsthand in battle... The principles and training methods of Haki had already been systematically taught to him by Ryoma, but such lessons were for the future—Qiu Bai was nowhere near ready to embark upon that path now.

At that moment, Doflamingo’s command rang in his ears: “That’s Vice Admiral Tsuru—don’t get entangled with the Marines, evacuate immediately!”

Well... the captain’s word is law.

The spinning sword fell from the sky, landing behind Qiu Bai. With a swift lift of his lower leg, his heel struck the sword’s guard, sending it whirling once more over his head. Taking this as a signal, Qiu Bai surged forward like a shooting star.

He decided not to give the lieutenant a moment to breathe.

After a few steps, he stomped hard on the deck, causing the first two swords, deeply embedded in the planks, to leap upwards. He snatched them left and right, the sharp blades now in both hands.

Anne hadn’t yet recovered from the previous attack, but the whistle of a fresh assault was already close at hand... Qiu Bai swung the sword in his left hand.

No, the sword was horizontal—so it was more like a slap than a slash.

The lieutenant gritted her teeth, her bleeding hands reaching out once more, trying to block Qiu Bai’s attack head-on... One held a blade, the other was empty-handed—surely a bit unfair.

Clang!

Anne’s hands pressed against the blade, but she hadn’t anticipated the force behind it, and her body was knocked backward.

By coincidence, the third sword, which Qiu Bai had just kicked away, came crashing down from above... Clearly, he had calculated its landing spot perfectly.

Anne had to dodge again; the attack from directly above missed by a hair’s breadth, but now she was standing on one tilted foot, barely maintaining her balance.

Qiu Bai twisted his body and unleashed a powerful blow—his right hand drove the second sword into the first, smashing it with irresistible force.

Both swords, of similar quality, broke simultaneously, and Lieutenant Anne, like a cat struck by a heavy hammer, was flung over the ship’s rail and sent flying.

Then she plunged into the sea... An ability user taking a swim—well, that was that.

Qiu Bai didn’t even bother to check below. He darted to the opposite rail and leapt, returning to the pirate ship.

By now, the ship’s sail had been lowered and the anchor raised.

“Set sail!” With all the officers assembled, Doflamingo gave the order.

He frowned deeply, clearly furious that the heist had been interrupted by the Navy, and especially by Vice Admiral Tsuru... Compared to the little underlings who didn’t have time to escape, the fact that they hadn’t managed to pick out all the big prizes from the cruise ship was even more galling.

From the moment the warship was spotted to the pirates’ escape, barely a few minutes had passed. Qiu Bai’s duel with the lieutenant had lasted no more than two or three minutes, and Vice Admiral Tsuru’s ship hadn’t even come alongside yet.

So, to Qiu Bai, Doflamingo seemed almost panicked in his retreat... Surely that was a bit much? Wasn’t Heavenly Yaksha brave enough to even fire at the Navy?

Noticing Qiu Bai’s puzzled look, Doflamingo spoke, “Do you know Vice Admiral Tsuru?”

“I do. I heard she was a beauty in her youth,” Qiu Bai replied.

Doflamingo: “...”

You know too much, don’t you?

Qiu Bai: “...”

Did he say something wrong? Nothing was inaccurate—except perhaps a bit... off-topic.

“Vice Admiral Tsuru is a rather troublesome ability user. To some extent, she can subtly influence people’s thoughts, something like mind control. In a sense, she can force pirates ‘toward goodness.’ So I want nothing to do with her—she’s far too tricky, understand?”

Doflamingo got straight to the point.

Qiu Bai immediately understood. In other words, Vice Admiral Tsuru has something like ‘otherworldly mind control,’ so when it’s time to flee, you flee... Though not exactly illusion magic, Tsuru’s Wash-Wash Fruit grants her the power to cleanse any object. Washed objects lose their form, living beings lose their strength. But that’s not the most important part—the key is she can weaken or even remove the “evil” within a person’s heart.

That must be why Doflamingo, upon recognizing Tsuru, fled at once. He feared her fruit’s power might force him to “lay down his blade and become a saint.” Even if not so extreme, what if he turned into a model citizen, upholding social harmony? Who would be responsible then? Terrifying.

Thus, a bow appeared in Qiu Bai’s hands. He drew and aimed at Vice Admiral Tsuru’s ship, then released...

A violent explosion erupted in the distance.

Well, Qiu Bai’s shot had some literary merit—the spray was so beautiful it inspired poetry.

But it wasn’t enough.

Qiu Bai shook his head, dissatisfied. In a sense, archery relies heavily on “feel,” especially at long range. The problem was, with the skin debuff, he couldn’t find that feeling. It’s like shooting a long-range basket: sometimes, the moment you release, you know it’s “good,” and it is. But Qiu Bai could never find that sense of “good.”

Truly tragic.

He turned the bow toward the cruise ship, and this time, he hit his mark. A gaping hole opened at the waterline, seawater flooding the hold, and the ship began to list—it would soon sink.

This wasn’t Qiu Bai venting or trying to kill tourists. Simply put, he was using “rescue” to delay Tsuru’s pursuit.

Since he couldn’t hit the warship, he had to settle for second best... In any case, like Doflamingo, he had no desire to be scrubbed clean by Vice Admiral Tsuru.