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"Jinbe!!" Arlong and the others had also spotted the approaching figure of their blue-skinned, burly friend in the distance. But what immediately drew their attention were the two humans walking alongside him, Liam (Giorno) and Robin (Jolyne).
"Humans?" On the deck by the ship's rail, the Sun Pirates' doctor, Aladine, looked surprised.
Arlong yelled irritably, "Jinbe Oyabun! Why the hell did you bring humans over here?!"
Jinbe approached from afar, shaking his head helplessly. He turned, intending to explain to Giorno and Jolyne not to take it personally, Arlong had always been hot-headed and blunt…
But the moment he turned, Giorno had already walked past him. Robin, watching Liam's back, felt a deep sense of unease rising within her.
"Giorno?" Jinbe was stunned.
Liam strode toward the group of Fish-Men around the open-air barbecue. Cracking his knuckles, he looked back over his shoulder with a smile and said:
"Sorry, Jinbe. But honestly... I just couldn't hold back."
With that, he surged forward, vanishing in a blink, and reappeared right in front of the stunned Arlong.
BOOM, !!!!!!
Liam's fist, as large as a stew pot, smashed mercilessly into Arlong's face, which still held a trace of disdain for this "mere human."
One punch sent him flying.
Arlong's body skidded across the ground, carving a massive trench, before crashing straight into the ocean behind them with a thunderous splash. A towering white wave surged over ten meters high, shocking everyone on the shore and aboard the Sun Pirates' ship.
No one had expected that the human returning with Jinbe would suddenly knock Arlong straight into the sea with one hit, as if intent on killing him in a single blow.
"ARLONG!!" The octopus Fish-Man Hatchan threw down his takoyaki spatula and leapt into the water after his friend.
In the next instant, every Fish-Man on shore or aboard the ship had their eyes on Liam, glaring in fury, weapons drawn.
"Giorno! What are you doing?!" Jinbe roared from behind him.
"What am I doing?" Liam glanced back. "Didn't I say I couldn't help it? Besides, I already apologized, didn't I?"
"You think this is about whether or not you apologized?!" Jinbe bellowed.
At that moment, Kuroobi and Chew, two of Arlong's closest comrades, said nothing, just charged at Liam in rage.
"Fish-Man Karate!"
A hammerhead Fish-Man and a smooch-lipped Fish-Man, attacking from both sides, threw their fists at Liam's neck with deadly force.
BAM!
Both their punches landed at the same time… but,
"AAARGH!!"
Kuroobi and Chew yelped in pain, both collapsing to the ground and clutching their reddened fists.
"CHOPPER GIORNO!!" Jinbe was absolutely livid as he rushed forward.
"Why are you yelling at me?" Liam barked back. "I didn't even hit them! They're the ones who hurt their own fists! How is that my fault?!"
Robin stepped in, blocking Jinbe's path, her tone calm but firm.
"Step aside, Kujo Jolyne!" Jinbe growled, barely restraining his rage.
"If you intend to attack one of my crew, I won't just stand by."
"He's the one hurting my comrades!" Jinbe snapped.
"Then he must have his reasons." Robin's voice was steady as ever.
"I don't care what reason he has, I won't tolerate anyone harming my crew!" Jinbe growled through gritted teeth.
"Jinbe's right!!"
Behind Robin, Aladine, and the other Fish-Men had surrounded Liam, weapons at the ready.
Future son-in-law of Big Mom and mermaid warrior Aladine, stood with his trident in hand, staring coldly at Liam. "You'd better give us an explanation… or the Sun Pirates won't let this slide."
"What's there to explain? I just wanted to kill him." Liam said nonchalantly, scanning the angry Fish-Men surrounding him. "Or if you guys want to kill me instead, go ahead… if you've got the strength."
SPLASH!
A splash erupted from the sea nearby. Hatchan surfaced, carrying Arlong on his back.
Panting hard, he called out, "Arlong's not dead…"
Everyone turned to see Arlong's face covered in blood. His chainsaw-like nose had been completely bent sideways by Liam's punch. He was unconscious.
Compared to Liam's current strength, Arlong, who would only go on to throw his weight around in some backwater village of the East Blue over a decade later, was nothing more than a small fry.
That he hadn't been killed outright by Liam's earlier punch was thanks only to the inherent toughness of Fish-Man physiology.
"He's actually still alive?" Liam let out a long sigh. "What a letdown."
The other Fish-Men, on high alert and seething with anger, glared at him. Aladine, the mermaid and ship's doctor, hurried forward to check on Arlong's injuries.
Arlong's condition was ghastly. Jinbe, still being blocked by Robin, was furious. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get past this human pirate. And the longer the fight went on, the more shocked he became at the strength of this woman.
Truth be told, he had originally underestimated her. She was, after all, a captain with a bounty lower than her own crew member Giorno. He assumed she wouldn't be much of a threat.
Only when the battle truly began did he realize how wrong he'd been. Her punches were shockingly powerful, just like that of Giorno, perhaps even stronger.
Beneath the wide sleeves of Robin's robe, her arms were wrapped in Liam's thick muscular limbs, formed entirely from flower constructs. Her chest and abdomen were similarly covered by his solid, powerful form, like she was wearing a suit of living, human armor.
To the outside observer, it looked like she was engaging in normal hand-to-hand combat, but in reality, her fighting method was completely different.
She was controlling a layer of flower-shaped armor formed from her Devil Fruit ability, using that "Floral-Tech Armor" to drive her limbs and strikes. It wasn't physical prowess at all, it was ability-based combat masquerading as martial arts.
To stop a Fish-Man as formidable as Jinbe, Robin had to push that armor's power to its limit.
She did her best to ignore the strange sensations that came from the friction between her own body and the flower-based "human armor" wrapped around her.
She knew that one of Liam's extra eyes, B.I.B., was silently watching from nearby.
If she showed the slightest sign of embarrassment or discomfort, she would be giving up the psychological battle. She had to stay composed. Cold. Unflinching.
On one side, Jinbe was still caught in a deadlock with Robin.
On the other, a group of Fish-Men were engaged in a fierce brawl with Liam.
Unfortunately, to Liam, their attacks were barely worth his attention. He didn't even bother dodging most of them. He just stood there as their punches, kicks, and swords landed on him.
Clang! Clank! Thud!
Not a scratch.
The Fish-Men grew increasingly shaken.
Was this guy even human?
His body was tougher than steel!
"That's enough!!" A thunderous voice rang out from the distance.
Shing,!
Aladine halted his trident mid-swing, and the other Fish-Men all turned to look.
From the direction of Kuja City, a massive figure was approaching,
It was their Captain, Fisher Tiger, returning from town.
The bruised and red-fisted Kuroobi and Chew immediately shouted: "Big Brother Tiger! That human, he nearly killed Arlong!"
"Didn't even finish him off in one hit. That's already embarrassing enough," Liam said dryly. "Relax. Trash like him isn't worth a second attempt from me."
The Fish-Men stared daggers at him.
Nearby, Hatchan continued tending to the unconscious Arlong, whose blood kept spilling out no matter how often it was wiped away.
Fisher Tiger's tall, looming form steadily walked toward them, face as expressionless and grim as deep water.
(End Of This Chapter)