Commanders fought commanders. Soldiers fought soldiers. While Bardock engaged Arlong, the rest of the crew stepped up to handle the fish-man vanguard.
"Lightning!"
Enel didn't waste time. His arm transformed into crackling blue energy, blasting a concentrated bolt straight at the smelt-whiting fish-man, Choo.
Targeting Enel was Choo's fatal mistake. Before the fish-man could even purse his lips to fire his signature water bullets, the voltage slammed into his chest, instantly frying him unconscious. Enel had zero patience for trash.
Hatchan was the next to fall.
His Six-Sword Style was considered a rare, formidable martial art among fish-men. Unfortunately, his opponent was Daz Bonez. Since Hatchan lacked the skill to cut steel, wielding six blades amounted to nothing more than a flashy parlor trick against the Blade Human.
"All flash, no substance. Spar Claw!"
With a single, highly efficient slash, Bonez sent Hatchan crashing to the deck. Truthfully, the only reason the fight lasted more than a second was because Bonez found the octopus anatomy curious and gave Hatchan a brief window to demonstrate his technique.
Nearby, the ray fish-man Kuroobi squared off against Sai.
Recognizing Kuroobi as a practitioner of Fish-Man Karate, Sai grew intrigued. He deliberately held back his Hasshoken shockwaves, initiating a close-quarters brawl to test his opponent's martial arts pedigree. Though Sai quickly deduced Kuroobi's actual strength was underwhelming, he humored the fish-man just long enough to study the unique mechanics of the underwater fighting style.
As for the remaining fish-man grunts, they ran straight into a meat grinder. Facing a coordinated crew of elite Devil Fruit users, their sheer physical strength meant nothing. Within minutes, the entire boarding party lay groaning on the wooden planks.
Swinging his saw-sword in a wild frenzy, Arlong pressed his assault. Yet, Bardock remained seated, effortlessly deflecting every heavy strike without suffering a single scratch.
Sensing the overwhelming disparity in power, Arlong's confidence wavered. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder, only to curse internally. His entire vanguard was already wiped out! Jumping overboard to retreat was no longer an option; his pride refused to let him abandon his brethren.
Fortunately, he had prepared a contingency plan.
"Sink the ship!" Arlong roared at the top of his lungs.
Deliberately scuttling a target vessel meant sacrificing the bulk of its plunder—a tactic fish-men rarely employed during standard raids. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
Hearing their captain's command, the ambush squad lurking in the water instantly drew their weapons and prepared to bore through the galleon's hull.
Arlong commanded immense respect among his peers. His radical supremacist ideology resonated deeply within the Fish-Man District, ensuring his subordinates followed his orders without a shred of hesitation.
Up on the deck, Enel furrowed his brow, his Mantra effortlessly tracking the movements beneath the waves. Whether or not their primitive tools could actually pierce the White Dragon's reinforced hull was irrelevant. The mere audacity to try warranted a severe punishment.
"Discharge: 20 Million Volts!"
Enel slammed his palm against the railing, channeling a massive surge of electricity directly into the ocean. The surrounding waters erupted in a blinding flash of blue light, the current arcing violently across the surface.
Moments later, the submerged fish-men floated up, drifting unconscious on their backs. Without prompt medical attention, their injuries would prove fatal.
The collateral damage was extensive. Thousands of ordinary fish bobbed to the surface, fried crisp. Even the colossal Sea Cow, Mohmoo, suffered the shock, twitching and spasming helplessly atop the waves.
Not missing a beat, Enel extended his Mantra to lock onto the Shark Superb anchored offshore. Transforming into a streak of lightning, he vanished from the deck to secure the enemy vessel and ensure no one escaped.
Watching his crew fall one by one, Arlong snapped.
"Damn you humans!" he shrieked, his eyes rolling back in fury. "You dare harm the superior race?! DIE!"
Driven by primal rage, he tossed his sword aside, unhinged his jaw, and lunged forward, aiming to sink his razor-sharp teeth directly into Bardock's neck.
His crushing jaw strength was his ultimate trump card. Those teeth could chew through solid iron with ease.
For the first time since the fight began, Bardock shifted his weight and dodged. Make no mistake—he didn't evade because the attack posed a genuine threat. He simply found the prospect of getting bitten deeply unsanitary.
Missing his mark, Arlong refused to back down. He snapped his jaws relentlessly, chasing Bardock around the deck like a rabid dog, determined to land a single bite.
At that exact moment, Sai decided Kuroobi had nothing left to teach him and swiftly knocked the martial artist out with a clean roundhouse kick.
Watching Arlong's feral, uncoordinated attacks, Bardock sighed in disappointment. He had specifically allowed the fight to drag on to gauge Arlong's true capabilities.
Both Arlong and Jinbe had served as high-ranking executives in the Sun Pirates. Both were Fisher Tiger's trusted right-hand men. So how on earth was the gap in their strength this massive?
Aside from decent arm strength and a sharp set of teeth, Arlong had nothing worth praising.
"Playtime is over."
Bardock vanished, reappearing directly behind the enraged captain. A swift, precise karate chop landed squarely on the back of Arlong's neck. The fish-man's momentum halted instantly, his eyes rolling back as his consciousness slipped away.
Curse you humans... Arlong managed to think, unable to voice his final curse before collapsing heavily onto the deck.
"Gather them up," Bardock ordered, stepping over the fallen captain. "Mansherry, patch them up. Don't let them die. They are our bargaining chips for Jinbe."
Since Bardock had specifically instructed the crew to hold back earlier, most of the fish-men on deck suffered only superficial wounds. The submerged squad Enel fried required immediate attention, but for the Heal-Heal Fruit user, those were minor inconveniences.
A crackle of static signaled Enel's return. He landed gracefully on the railing and gave Bardock a firm nod, confirming the Arlong Pirates' ship was successfully secured.
And just like that, the Arlong Pirates were crushed before they could even cast their shadow over the East Blue.
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