Arlong Park loomed like a wound carved into the island.
Its walls were not built for beauty. They were built for certainty. Thick stone reinforced with iron bars, coral fragments embedded into the structure like trophies. The pond at the center was calm on the surface, but everyone could feel it—connected directly to the sea, a reminder of where Fishmen ruled absolutely.
The storm followed them.
Not overhead.
Around them.
Clouds curled unnaturally low, pressing against the tops of the walls as if the sky itself wanted a closer look.
The villagers stopped at the edge.
Johnny and Yosaku raised their arms.
"Stop here!" Johnny shouted. "Don't cross the line!"
Some villagers hesitated. Others trembled. A few fell to their knees.
They had stood here before.
Many times.
Luffy walked past them anyway.
Each step was slow. Deliberate. Not rushed. Not dramatic.
Zoro walked on his right, sword resting against his shoulder, breath steady despite the bandages beneath his clothes already darkening with blood.
Sanji walked on the left, cigarette burning low, eyes scanning every rooftop and balcony.
Usopp stayed behind them, hands shaking—but loaded.
"Big gate," Usopp muttered. "Very… smashable."
Luffy stopped in front of it.
The gate was massive. Reinforced steel bands. Thick hinges. Built to survive cannon fire.
Luffy tilted his head slightly.
"…Should we knock?"
Usopp snorted. "Captain, I vote no."
Zoro smirked. "Waste of time."
Sanji exhaled smoke. "I'll hold your jacket."
Luffy rolled his shoulders once.
His right fist darkened.
Not glowing.
Not crackling.
Just… solid.
Armament Haki compressed so densely it swallowed light.
He drew his arm back—
—and punched.
The sound was not an explosion.
It was worse.
It was a collapse.
The gate didn't fly outward.
It folded.
Steel warped inward like wet paper. The hinges snapped. The stone frame cracked in a spiderweb pattern, the shockwave ripping through the walls and throwing Fishmen inside off their feet.
Dust swallowed everything.
Silence followed.
The villagers stared.
Some covered their mouths.
Others cried.
Johnny whispered, "He… didn't even use lightning."
The dust cleared.
Inside Arlong Park—
Chaos.
Fishmen scrambled to their feet. Weapons drawn. Water splashing as the pond rippled violently.
And at the center—
A massive figure sat in a white beach chair.
Arlong.
Saw-Tooth.
Shark Fishman.
His jaw slowly opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth as his eyes locked onto the broken gate.
"…What."
Luffy stepped through the ruins.
Zoro and Sanji followed.
Usopp peeked from behind the broken wall, eyes wide.
Luffy dusted his coat.
"Now," he said calmly, "which one of you is Arlong?"
The Fishmen bristled.
Weapons raised.
A few laughed nervously.
Arlong stood.
He was enormous—easily over three meters tall, muscles thick and defined, scars crossing his chest like old battle maps. His long nose curved downward like a blade, a weapon in itself.
"I am," he said, voice deep and dripping with contempt. "And you must be the idiot who broke my gate."
"Luffy," Luffy replied. "Nice place. Needs renovation."
A vein bulged on Arlong's forehead.
"Humans," he sneered. "Always pretending to be brave when they don't understand the ocean."
He spread his arms.
"Let me educate you."
He began pacing.
"We Fishmen are born superior. Ten times stronger than humans on land—and infinitely stronger in water. The sea itself is our ally. Even your precious Devil Fruit users drown like rocks."
Luffy yawned.
"Are you done?"
The courtyard went silent.
Arlong stopped walking.
"…What?"
"I asked," Luffy said, voice flat, "are you done talking?"
The Fishmen bristled in outrage.
Hachi stepped forward, eight swords clinking. "Boss, let us handle this trash."
Arlong studied Luffy for a moment longer.
Then he smiled.
A cruel, confident smile.
"Very well," he said, sitting back down. "Hachi. Entertain me."
Hachi stepped forward and placed both hands over his mouth.
He inhaled deeply.
The water in the pond responded.
It churned.
Swelled.
The ground vibrated.
Villagers screamed as the surface of the pond exploded outward.
Something massive rose from the water.
Momoo.
The sea cow's shadow blocked the light. Its enormous bulk heaved onto land, water cascading off its body as it snorted violently.
Usopp screamed. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS HUGE THINGS!?"
Hachi pointed. "Momoo! Eat them!"
The sea cow roared and charged.
Sanji cracked his neck. "Captain?"
Luffy raised a hand.
"Wait."
He stepped forward alone.
Momoo's shadow swallowed him.
The cow lunged—
—and Luffy vanished.
A crack of thunder echoed as Luffy reappeared directly above Momoo's head.
He extended one finger.
And flicked.
The impact was surgical.
Not explosive.
The sea cow's eyes rolled back as its massive body collapsed sideways, skidding across the courtyard and slamming into the wall with bone-crushing force.
Silence.
Momoo did not move.
Hachi froze.
Arlong slowly stood again.
"…Interesting."
The Fishmen hesitated.
Then charged.
Chew lunged first, jaws snapping.
Sanji moved.
His kick was precise—angled upward, smashing into Chew's chin and launching him into the air.
"Don't bite what you can't chew," Sanji muttered.
Zoro moved next.
Steel flashed.
Three Fishmen fell before they realized he'd drawn.
Usopp fired.
Explosive pellets detonated midair, knocking Fishmen off balance rather than killing them.
Luffy walked forward.
Not running.
Not rushing.
Every Fishman who stepped into his reach went down in one blow.
No lightning.
No haki flare.
Just perfect timing.
Arlong watched.
Not angry.
Interested.
"…You're different," he said.
Luffy stopped.
"Yeah," he replied. "I know."
Arlong grinned.
"Good."
He stepped forward—
—and the water behind him surged.
"This is where humans die."
The storm overhead roared.
Luffy smiled.
"No," he said softly.
"This is where Fishmen learn they're not gods."
Lightning cracked across the sky.
The fight was no longer avoidable.