A layer of shimmering, iridescent film was spreading from Yves's hands, climbing up the mast and flowing onto the deck.
In the blink of an eye, the entire hull of the ship, including the bottom, was enveloped in a layer of radiant film.
"So this is Yves's ability? The Film-Film Fruit's membrane person," Claire said, her expression somewhat surprised. This was the first time she had seen Yves activate his ability.
"From the age of five, when I became a Film-Film Fruit user..."
Yves's cold voice began to speak. Everyone was momentarily stunned, then quieted down.
Yves's cold voice continued, "...from that time until now, I haven't let up, not even for a moment..."
As Yves's low, cold words continued, the expressions of those around him gradually became calmer, as they looked at Yves, who was crouching in the center of the deck.
"When it comes to blowing bubbles, I doubt anyone can beat me, right?" A hint of barely perceptible pride crept into Yves's otherwise cold voice.
"..."
Silence...
Everyone instantly realized something. Their initially calm expressions gradually shifted... the corners of their mouths twitching uncontrollably.
"So, you've been using your Devil Fruit ability to blow bubbles all this time?!!!" A chorus of exasperated shouts and roars erupted from the group!
Yves glanced coldly at them, then removed his hands from the deck and the mast. The film between his hands and the deck/mast stretched into a strange shape.
"Haaa!" Yves tilted his head back and took a deep breath, a breath that startled everyone, even Wilder, who had been enjoying the show, had a slight change in his expression.
It was like a whale sucking in water. A reverse wind gusted around the warship, all of it flowing towards the center of the deck. Yves's chest rapidly expanded, getting bigger and bigger... until Yves himself seemed to transform into a giant.
Yves raised his hands, which were coated in the film, forming a tube-like shape with them.
"Fwooosh~!" A sound even louder than his inhale rang out. Yves's cheeks puffed out, and a massive amount of air rushed into the film in his hands.
"Buzz!"
The film clinging to the hull of the ship began to expand. Gradually, the entire warship was enveloped as if by a giant balloon, an enormous bubble.
The film seemed to possess incredible toughness and elasticity. Even stretched to such an extent, it showed no signs of tearing. The iridescent colors remained, just as they were before it had expanded.
"Boom!" The warship, encased in the giant bubble, lifted off from the sea, making a booming sound as it began to ascend.
Wilder looked ahead. The massive Gates of Justice had come into view.
Under Yves's control, the giant bubble shifted subtly, adjusting to the airflow and drifting towards the top of the Gates of Justice.
"That's...!"
Below, both the Marines and the Straw Hat crew widened their eyes, gasping as they watched the balloon-encased warship rise from the sea.
"You've got to be kidding me... That's a warship!" a Marine gulped.
"Whoa! Awesome! Is that the old guy's ship?" Luffy kicked away a cannonball, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the warship ascending into the sky. He also saw Wilder inside.
The Gates of Justice grew clearer and clearer, and at the same time, the cannon fire from behind intensified, a barrage of shells launched towards them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Waves exploded wildly, rising high into the air! Cannonballs rained down, causing the Straw Hats' ship to rock violently.
Fortunately, everyone on board, whether it was Sand-Crocodile, Ivankov, or Jinbe, was a powerful individual. Whenever a cannonball was about to hit the warship, various attacks would intercept and detonate it in mid-air.
Luffy himself deflected multiple cannonballs at once. His rubber body could inflate like a balloon by inhaling air, bouncing the falling cannonballs away.
Wilder watched the lively scene below without a hint of schadenfreude, his expression flat, his thoughts unknown.
"Nyehehehe... If that's the case, I might as well earn a favor while I'm at it, eh?"
It was unclear what he was thinking, but Wilder's shoulders began to tremble with excitement.
"Don't let him get away! Adjust the cannon angle and shoot down that warship above!"
Suddenly! A loud shout came from the sea below.
Wilder narrowed his eyes, looking at the warships behind them. It was that Vice Admiral.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" In an instant, dozens of cannonballs shot up into the sky, targeting Wilder's warship, a dense, unavoidable barrage.
The faces of those on board instantly turned grim and unsightly. Only Wilder's expression remained calm, as if he had expected this.
The fatal flaw of the ascending warship was its inability to maneuver flexibly. Moreover, for the ship, encased in the film, to counterattack, it would inevitably have to break the film. Therefore, the entire warship was essentially a massive, fragile, sitting duck. It would have been strange if the Marines hadn't seized this opportunity.
"Yves, open a hole," Wilder said, turning around, his eyes filled with a dangerous glint.
"Understood," Yves replied coldly.
"Pfft!"
The warship shook slightly. A fist-sized hole appeared in the film above, and Wilder's figure disappeared from the stern.
Everyone looked up and saw that the fist-sized hole was now covered in swamp matter. Wilder had somehow transformed into a swamp and slipped out through the hole, appearing in an instant on the outer surface of the film above.
Yves resealed the gap. Wilder's lower body transformed into swamp matter, adhering to the film, while his upper body remained in its original form. His eyes gazed coldly below.
"That guy, what's he planning?"
The people below immediately noticed Wilder standing on the film. Their expressions changed, and they all adopted a defensive stance.
"Hey! Wait... That guy... How can First be a Devil Fruit user?!" On one of the warships, the Vice Admiral stationed at Impel Down frowned, feeling like he had overlooked something! But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Moreover, although the ability looked very much like a Logia type, due to the distance, it was impossible to see clearly, and therefore impossible to determine exactly what ability it was.
"Everyone, be careful. If I'm not mistaken, that guy might be a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines, upon hearing this, tensed up, their grips tightening on their swords and guns.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" It all happened in a flash. Dozens of cannonballs soared upwards, about to collide with the airborne warship in the blink of an eye.
Time seemed to freeze. The people on the sea stared blankly at this scene, each of their minds conjuring the image of the warship being blasted to smithereens by dozens of cannonballs.
Time slowed down in that instant... slowed down... until a massive booming sound came from the sky, instantly snapping everyone back to reality!
"Boom!"
"Crack..."
"Th-this is...!?"
The scene was reflected in the eyes of the many people on the sea. Everyone seemed to freeze, their pupils flickering and trembling uncontrollably.
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