As the water sphere swirled around them, the other contestants sparred on the sidelines—Lucy and Juvia locked horns in the center.
Jenny seized her chance first, sending Rocker flying from the platform with a swift kick. Araña danced aside from Sherria's lunge, leaving her scrambling for balance.
"Too slow!" Aquarius taunted Lucy. Before he knew it, the spirit–mermaid vanished, leaving her target bewildered.
Juvia seized the opening and swept Lucy off his feet with a crashing torrent:
"No one beats Juvia in water!"
Three opponents tumbled helplessly out of the sphere all at once—Jenny, Araña, Sherria—while Lucy clung desperately to the edge.
"Unbelievable! Three in one sweep!" the announcer shouted.
Gray scrambled forward to help his friend, but in that moment Lucy found himself hurled clear of the water sphere.
"Third place, Juvia!" rang the call.
Only Lucy and Minerva remained in the water. The crowd hushed: if either fell in the next five minutes, they would finish last.
Minerva's eyes gleamed. "Come on, Fairy Tail—let's make this interesting!" With a clap, she vanished and reappeared beside Lucy.
A perfect, translucent bubble encapsulated him: "Bubble Trap!"
Lucy cried out as the bubble burst open not once but twice, each time knocking him toward the edge.
"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. "What's going on?"
"He's… taking all my keys," Gray realized—Minerva held every Celestial Spirit key now, leaving Lucy powerless.
Minerva pressed her advantage, conjuring a deadly spatial rift:
"Shadow Rift!"
"Boom—!"
Lucy was blasted into the air, tumbling toward certain defeat.
"Last one out wins nothing!" the announcer warned.
In mid–flight, Lucy twisted—and landed squarely behind Minerva. She swung a boot…
"AAAHHH!!!"
Levy gasped. "Why would he duck back in?!"
Wendy's brow furrowed. "What trick is that?"
Minerva's smirk deepened. "I'll throw you out next!" She summoned another bubble…
Suddenly, an immense pressure rippled through the arena. The water stilled. Every spectator froze.
Su Yan's voice rang clear: "Minerva!"
His aura surged—golden and unassailable. The ground beneath the sphere quaked, and all magic in its path shattered.
"Stop the match at once!" the organizers cried.
Minerva, stunned, released Lucy. He fell into Gray's arms, shaken but alive.
"Lucy! Are you okay?" Gray steadied him.
"What were you thinking?!" Natsu thundered toward Minerva.
"Explain yourself!" Erza's glare could melt steel.
Minerva's triumphant expression flickered into unease under Su Yan's unblinking gaze.
"This… wasn't just a contest," he said softly, stepping forward into the circle of eyes.
In that moment, all cruelty froze. Torture of a friend would not stand—especially not under the Undead Demon Emperor of Fairy Tail.
And so the fourth day's naval battle ended not by the rules of water, but by the unbreakable bonds of comradeship.