"Didn't you hear what this guy in black just said? This is a global crisis. Even if the Atlanteans are isolated, they have to care about invaders coming to their planet, right?"
Shin spoke slowly, watching as Arthur crossed his arms, looking unconvinced.
"Even if the world is in crisis, why would you guys come to me?" Arthur scoffed.
"Sure, I have some special abilities, but that doesn't mean I can save the world."
At this stage, Aquaman's physical abilities were still below Wonder Woman's, and he hadn't even obtained his legendary trident yet. The weapon he carried was just his mother's old one, and it hadn't undergone any divine transformation.
To be honest, while Arthur's power made him formidable in modern society if a country fully mobilized its military against him, he could definitely be taken down.
His body could withstand bullets and artillery but against missiles or nuclear bombs? That was a different story. Even some high-tech anti-material weapons could potentially hurt him.
That's why he never saw himself as a world savior. After all, there was Superman. And if Superman couldn't do something—then no one else could either. If Superman died, it wouldn't even matter if he existed or not.
"It seems you still don't believe us." Shin smiled.
"How about this—I'll teach you a set of martial arts, and in exchange, you help us get in contact with Atlantis. We'll handle the rest."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"You?" He smirked. "You want to teach me Kung Fu? Hah! Don't think you can look down on me just because you're Chinese."
"I've undergone rigorous training since I was a kid. My strength is dozens of times greater than a normal Atlantean's. My agility far surpasses any human's, and I've already mastered most of the world's fighting styles."
As a deep-sea race, Atlanteans were already far superior to humans in raw strength.
For Arthur to say his strength was dozens of times greater than a normal Atlantean's…
That was terrifying.
Strength didn't just mean raw power. In combat, doubling someone's physical strength often meant exponentially increasing their durability and defensive power as well.
But Shin just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Seeing is believing."
"You won't know until you try it yourself."
Arthur clenched his fists, a confident smirk on his face.
"Fine. Since you're so eager to humiliate yourself, I'll grant your wish."
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."
Shin ignored him and walked toward an open space, signaling Arthur to follow.
"Uh… isn't this a bad idea?" The Flash whispered to Batman, looking uneasy.
"We're supposed to be recruiting teammates, not starting fights."
Batman, on the other hand, was completely unbothered.
"Don't worry. They know what they're doing."
But as he spoke, he subtly activated his gadgets, preparing to record the entire fight.
Because knowing Batman?
He was definitely going to analyze every frame later.
Shin scanned the area, then turned to Arthur.
"You sure this is a good spot?" He asked.
"Feels a bit small."
More importantly—
Arthur's lighthouse and house were right next to them.
If a fight broke out, those things were going to be wrecked.
But Arthur just smirked.
"No, this is fine. I'm at my strongest by the sea."
He crossed his arms, staring Shin down.
"I know you probably researched Atlantis, but believe me—I'm different."
Oh, Shin knew.
Arthur was far beyond a normal Atlantean.
In the original Aquaman movie, even though he had zero experience fighting underwater, he still went toe-to-toe with his younger brother, the reigning Atlantis king.
If that same battle had taken place on land?
Arthur would've wrecked him in ten moves.
Why?
Because Arthur Curry wasn't just a royal.
Arthur can harness the "Life Force".
[T/N: As stated in the Wiki, Aquaman is connected to the Life Force.]
This was one of DC's seven fundamental powers—the same tier of power as the Speed Force and the Emotional Spectrum of the Green Lanterns.
It was a destiny power tied to the oceans themselves.
Even though it just looked like he was talking to fish, it was way more than that.
The "Life Force Connection" constantly strengthened his body, making him vastly superior to even Atlantean royalty.
In the entire history of Atlantis, only two people had ever awakened it:
The first-ever Atlantean King, and Arthur Curry.
This wasn't just superpower genetics.
It was fate.
"You ready?" Shin asked.
Arthur grinned.
"Come on, show me your so-called martial arts."
Arthur was confident—too confident.
He knew he was stronger than any human martial artist.
Superman?
He was powerful, but his combat skills were mediocre.
Martial artists?
They had technique, but they were too weak to matter.
Arthur thought he was the perfect blend of both.
Well—
That's because he had never fought Wonder Woman.
If he had, she would've beaten him into the ground in seconds.
Wonder Woman was stronger, more skilled, and had far better weapons.
But since Arthur hadn't fought her yet, he still thought he was hot stuff.
And so—
He stood there, grinning, waiting for Shin to attack.
Shin sighed.
"Alright. Here you go."
Then—
"Fish-Man Karate: Five Thousand Tile True Punch!" (Gosenmaigawara Seiken!)
BOOM!
Arthur went flying.
The sheer shockwave ripped through the air, sending glass shattering in every direction.
Arthur crashed into the sand, leaving a massive crater in his wake.
Meanwhile—
The Flash reacted instantly.
In a blink, he grabbed Batman, and the two were suddenly several hundred meters away.
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