In the distance, the ships of the Gasparde Pirates surged ahead at full throttle, cutting across the sea like torpedoes.
It wouldn't be long before they reached the end of the deadly Sea Race.
Gasparde showed no signs of turning back or confronting Bai Yu. He was focused solely on speed—on escaping.
Gradually, Bai Yu noticed something troubling.
The vessel Gasparde rode was no ordinary pirate ship—it had been modified from a stolen Navy warship.
In terms of raw power and structure, it vastly outclassed Foxy's creaky old vessel.
Its steam propulsion system gave it an unnatural edge—far faster than traditional sails or simple paddle wheels.
At this rate, there was no way to catch up before the finish line.
"Ah… Mr. Bai Yu!" Foxy, sweating nervously, scrambled to Bai Yu's side.
"Gasparde's ship is too fast! At this speed, we'll never catch them before the race ends."
Foxy looked genuinely distressed. Despite Bai Yu clearing every obstacle in their path, it now seemed they would lose due to inferior hardware.
Foxy felt a creeping despair. He wanted to jump into the ocean and vanish.
"I'll go with you," Bai Yu said suddenly, eyes fixed on the enemy ship ahead.
"Huh? What do you mean…?" Foxy blinked. "W-Wait, wait, wait!"
Before he could protest further, Bai Yu grabbed Foxy by the collar with one hand.
"Geppō!" (Moonwalk)
Without giving Foxy any time to prepare, Bai Yu kicked the air and launched them both upward.
With a series of explosive midair steps, Bai Yu propelled himself forward at breakneck speed.
"Soru!" (Shave)
Boom!
A burst of compressed air exploded beneath his feet as Bai Yu vanished, rocketing toward Gasparde's ship like a streak of white light.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
In mere seconds, Bai Yu traversed the gap and landed directly on the deck of the Gasparde Pirates' flagship, Foxy flailing in tow.
Boom!
The thunderous landing rattled the deck, drawing the attention of every pirate aboard.
"It's you again!" Gasparde growled, his narrowed eyes glinting with malice.
Behind him stood a squad of battle-hardened pirates, including his first mate, Needles. The latter's injured arm was still bandaged and slung, clearly not fully recovered from his previous clash with Bai Yu.
The moment Needles laid eyes on Bai Yu, a shiver of fear ran through him.
"Yeah, it's me." Bai Yu smiled calmly.
"Foxy," he said, patting the trembling pirate on the back.
The poor red-nosed captain nearly jumped out of his skin. His instincts screamed at him to run. He was terrified of Gasparde—and possibly even more terrified of Bai Yu.
Bai Yu pointed toward the ship beneath their feet.
Foxy's eyes widened. He instantly understood.
Snap!
Foxy crouched down and pressed both palms against the deck.
"Noro Noro Beam – Double Delay Pulse!"
In that instant, shimmering waves of the Slow-Slow Fruit energy spread out from Foxy's hands and enveloped the ship's hull.
Boom!
The entire ship's momentum came to a screeching halt, frozen in a slowed temporal field.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Gasparde's brow furrowed.
Even without knowing the specifics, it was clear that Foxy's strange ability came from a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
"Tch… I don't have time for this," Gasparde spat. "You—take care of that red-nosed fool! I'll deal with the swordsman!"
His crew obeyed without question, drawing their weapons and encircling Foxy.
"Mr. Bai Yu! Help meee!" Foxy cried, breaking into a cold sweat.
Bai Yu took one step forward, sweeping his eyes across the deck.
A slow, dangerous smile formed on his lips.
"Haoshoku Haki…" (Conqueror's Haki)
Hum!
A sudden, invisible wave of pressure exploded from Bai Yu like a tidal surge.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The weaker pirates collapsed instantly, eyes rolling back as they hit the deck unconscious.
Only Gasparde and Foxy remained standing—Foxy barely holding on, his knees shaking.
"Haki?!" Gasparde recoiled, teeth gritted in disbelief.
As a former Navy officer, he recognized Haoshoku Haki when he felt it. But he hadn't expected this guy to wield it too.
"You…" he began to say.
"Soru." (Shave)
Bai Yu's voice interrupted him—and with it, his figure disappeared in a blur.
Gasparde's eyes darted around in panic, but he saw nothing.
Despite his combat experience, he couldn't even track Bai Yu's movement with his eyes.
Fwoosh!
From behind, a gust of wind signaled the incoming strike.
Bai Yu reappeared, both hands gripping the hilt of the Ryūen Tachi (Dragon Flame Katana), his blade cloaked in brilliant sword aura—the Seiryū no Ittōryū (Azure Dragon Sword Intent).
Slash!
Reacting just in time, Gasparde's back liquefied into a sticky, translucent green substance.
The power of the Gummy-Gummy Fruit (Ame Ame no Mi) transformed his body into soft, sticky candy-gelatin. Like an ultra-viscous slime, it could absorb blunt force and trap weapons—rendering traditional attacks useless.
Smack!
The katana struck his gelatinous back—and sank in like a blade into jelly.
"Fool." Gasparde grinned smugly. "My Candy Form neutralizes all cutting attacks. You can't even scratch me."
"Is that so?" Bai Yu's smile didn't falter.
"Busoshoku Haki." (Armament Haki)
Hum!
Black energy surged from Bai Yu's arms, rapidly coating the blade of his katana.
In a blink, the Dragon Flame Katana turned into a gleaming obsidian black sword.
Gasparde's eyes widened.
"W-Wait—!"
Rippp!
With a single explosive slash, Bai Yu cut through the softened candy-like flesh—ripping a deep wound across Gasparde's back.
The Gummy-Gummy Fruit's softness was no defense against the hardness of Armament Haki.
"Gaaahh!" Gasparde stumbled forward, blood spilling out.
"You might be sticky," Bai Yu said coldly, "but under Haki… you're just flesh."