The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

Kisame Hoshigaki unleashed the Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique, a terrifying giant shark whose body length had exceeded a thousand meters, frantically chasing Kakuzu who was constantly dodging beneath the surface of the sea.

Not only does it possess the hunting instincts of a shark, but even more terrifyingly, it can devour any elemental ninjutsu that Kakuzu unleashes—Fire Release, Wind Release, Lightning Release—all of them.

It transforms into its own energy, and the more it is attacked, the larger and more ferocious it becomes!

Kakuzu was in a sorry state and could only rely on his Wind Release technique to increase his speed, turning into a black afterimage on the sea as he desperately fled.

His usually expressionless face showed a rare solemnity. Faced with this monster that could absorb ninjutsu indefinitely, he felt a sense of frustration that his various escape techniques were nowhere to be used.

Kisame, standing within the water prison he maintained, felt as if he were in an absolutely safe fortress. He looked at Kakuzu's disheveled appearance and grinned cruelly.

"That's about enough. I should go back and help Mr. Kizaru deal with that troublesome Shiki." With a thought in mind, he prepared to remove the water prison, gathering water beneath his feet as if to ride the waves back to the main battlefield of Marineford.

Just as he relaxed slightly and was about to be released from the water prison, an indescribable premonition of death, like a high-voltage electric current, suddenly surged through his entire body, making every hair on his body stand on end.

Oh no! Something extremely terrifying is coming...

Almost at the same moment Kisame sensed the danger, two shockwaves, condensed to their extreme and composed entirely of highly compressed air, appeared.

It shot out from the depths of the Devil's Triangle, a region shrouded in thick black fog year-round, at a speed exceeding the speed of sound.

One of the two shockwaves struck the thousand-meter-long water-style giant shark with perfect precision, while the other seemed to target the seemingly indestructible water prison technique surrounding Kisame.

It was too fast, so fast that there was no time to make any effective reaction!

The first shockwave struck the giant water shark's head squarely. Its massive water body, capable of absorbing ninjutsu, was rendered utterly vulnerable by this pure, physical impact, as if it were made of paper.

It remained frozen for less than half a second before it began to crack inch by inch from its head, turning into a torrent of water that poured down from the sky. The energy that had devoured countless ninjutsu of Kakuzu was also annihilated and dissipated along with it.

Almost simultaneously, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and the water prison protecting Kisame was also blasted into a shower of water without any suspense in the face of the second shockwave.

Kisame only had time to grab his greatsword Samehada, which he carried on his back, and thrust it horizontally in front of him.

An unimaginable, immense force traveled through Samehada's blade, reaching Kisame's arms and even his entire body.

Kisame's massive body was blasted backward several meters by this force, and he barely managed to regain his balance by gliding on the surface of the sea.

He looked down and saw that his black robe was tattered and torn, revealing his blue skin covered in scars.

Multiple tiny lacerations appeared on the skin's surface, oozing traces of blood. Although they were only superficial wounds, the punch was powerful enough.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu was also stunned by the sudden turn of events. He stared blankly as the thousand-meter-long water shark that had been chasing him so relentlessly was suddenly blasted apart by a single punch from a distance!

For a moment, the sea fell into an eerie silence. Kisame and Kakuzu, the two powerful warriors who had been fighting to the death just moments before, stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the direction from which the attack had come.

Their Observation Haki clearly told them that there was an extremely terrifying being approaching from the depths of the Devil's Triangle.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, a figure slowly emerged from the pitch-black mist.

The first thing that catches the eye is a head of strangely pink short hair, followed by a face that is too young.

But his face and exposed skin were covered with eerie, deep blue tattoos. His skin was abnormally pale, almost sickly, and his muscles were well-defined, exuding explosive offensive power.

He walked across the sea as if it were flat ground, heading towards Kisame and Kakuzu, without emanating any powerful aura.

But the invisible pressure emanating from it, as if it had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, made even powerful figures like Kisame and Kakuzu feel their breath catch in their throats.

The newcomer stopped a few hundred meters away from the two. His gaze first swept over the disheveled Kakuzu, then fell on Kisame, and finally, a smile full of fanaticism and excitement appeared on his tattooed face.

"Ninjas?"

He licked his slightly excited lips. "I, Akaza, have never fought a ninja before."

Akaza's gaze swept back and forth between the two, finally settling on Kisame, who looked stronger. "You two, are you interested in having some fun with me?"

Kisame carefully examined the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared before him, noting the other's smooth and explosive muscle lines, and the unique aura that seemed to be born for battle.

All of this indicates that this is definitely a master who has honed his physical body to the extreme and is skilled in close combat. Such a pure physical type of strongman is often more troublesome than a person with superpowers.

Kakuzu silently hovered on the sea not far away. The five hearts in his body were beating slightly faster because of the terrifying power of the two punches from a distance. This man was very strong, and his attack method was unprecedented.

Kisame didn't find any familiar pirate crew symbols on Akaza's body, so he asked, "Are you a pirate, or just a free agent who's just here for the fun?"

If it's the latter, then perhaps we can negotiate terms, since this guy in front of us doesn't seem like someone who can be easily dealt with.

But if they are enemies, then it's a fight to the death!

Upon hearing this, Akaza casually moved his wrists and neck, making a series of cracking sounds, like a ferocious beast warming up.

"If I had to say, I'd probably be considered a member of the Blackbeard Pirates now, even though that fatso's methods are a bit underhanded."

Akaza's tone revealed an undisguised sentiment: "It's fine to cooperate with him for now; in the pursuit of power, one must make a little compromise."

His words were calm, yet they struck Kisame and Kakuzu like a thunderclap, for they misheard them at first.

The Blackbeard Pirates!?

That henchman of Marshall D. Teach, he really dares to interfere in this great battle at Marineford? Even if he sides with one side, he won't gain anything; no one will trust an ambitious man who could betray them at any moment.