"Conqueror's Haki... just like what we saw at Mary Geoise back then..."
Aladdin on the pirate ship raised his hand, covering his eyes, unable to bear watching.
Because back in the cages of the Holy Land, the slave who had uttered words the girl despised was also beaten to a pulp after she unleashed her Conqueror's Haki.
'Today, Arlong... it seemed his chances were slim. I could only hope she would spare his life for Boss Tiger's sake.'
"Conqueror's Haki? Is that the Haki Sakura-nee mentioned?"
Kuina, leaning on the bulwark railing, turned her head curiously and asked Aladdin beside her.
"Yes, the rarest Conqueror's Haki. Only one in several million possesses it. The quality of a king!"
Aladdin pulled the two girls further back, just avoiding the updraft created by the impact hitting the ship's side.
Kuina didn't speak. Her black eyes were completely fixed on the domineering figure standing on the sea surface.
"I remember your name is Arlong, right?"
Sakura walked on the sea surface, came before Arlong, grabbed him by his nose, and pulled him out of the water.
Her gaze met those hate-filled eyes, and a trace of disappointment surfaced in her emerald pupils.
What Fisher Tiger was willing to sacrifice his reputation for was the future of these scumbags... She really felt it wasn't worth it for him.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. All Fish-men who want to attack me, come at me together. I'll fight you in the sea!"
Sakura's grip on Arlong tightened. Armament Haki wrapped around Arlong's body, and she threw him towards the pirate ship.
The tall Fish-man skipped across the sea surface like a stone three or four times before crashing onto the deck.
"Arlong-san!"
The lookout Patsu rushed into the dust and helped Arlong, who was clutching his head, to his feet.
"Just a landlubber, daring to challenge the Fish-men's dominion over the sea!" Arlong pushed away Patsu, who was supporting him, "You lot, if you have any guts left, follow me!"
Led by Arlong, many Fish-men with gloomy expressions jumped into the water.
"Stop, Arlong! She's Tiger-san's guest!"
Jinbei tried to stop them but was shoved aside by Arlong and the group of Fish-men.
Ultimately, unable to raise his hand against his own kind, he could only choose to watch from the side.
"Hey, woman! You're the one who said you'd fight in the sea. As a pirate with a name, you won't go back on your word now, will you?"
Swimming with over a dozen Fish-men to a spot beneath Sakura, Arlong taunted her.
In his view, Sakura, as a Devil Fruit User, daring to enter the seawater would surely become meat on the fish-men's chopping block.
"Sakura~, I'll help you~"
Leviathan flapped her wings flying towards Sakura, opening her mouth to spit out a coating bubble.
"No need, Leviathan. Take Kuina underwater to watch. Don't worry about me!"
Sakura raised her hand to her waist, gripped the handle of Kumotsuna, and drew it out.
As the mechanism inside the Cloud Dial was activated, a large amount of Iron Cloud spewed forth.
Amidst the trembling of endless waves, a torrent of clouds swept down, pouring from the sky.
Clouds with an iron-like texture spread through the air, wrapping around the outside of Sakura's body to form a suit resembling a diving outfit.
"This? You plan to fight us in the water like this?"
Seeing this strange outfit made Arlong think of the powerful among humans, fueling his anger even more.
"Heh, you'll find out soon enough!"
Sakura didn't explain. She simply stopped using Geppo and let herself fall into the sea.
In the dark, cold seawater, currents surged unpredictably in all directions.
Visible light diminished with increasing depth. The pitch-black darkness was the perfect fighting environment for fish-men.
"Idiot, a landlubber actually dares to enter the sea." Arlong curled his lip disdainfully. "Let's go, finish her!"
The fish-men swam rapidly through the water using their natural talents. The surroundings began to blur at their maximum speed.
"Take this!"
Paddling with his arms, Arlong opened the sharp teeth that shark fish-men prided themselves on and bit towards Sakura, who was wearing the bulky, heavy cloud-made diving suit.
Seeing the several fish-men speeding towards her, Sakura formed hand seals, and Water Release Chakra surged.
The surrounding sea was instantly under her dominion, spiraling up to form water walls around her.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
The Fish-men, shooting forth like arrows, slammed hard into the water walls and were sent flying by the rapidly spinning Water Release.
"What?"
Arlong, suspended nearby preparing to attack, was stunned. His action to gather the Fish-men for the assault slowed.
"Shocked already? It's still early! Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Sakura clapped her hands together. Water Attribute Chakra gathered at her feet.
Adjusting direction, correcting the angle-
A spiraling shockwave rose from her toes. The recoil propelled her to move at high speed underwater, her speed not inferior in the slightest to the swimming-proficient Fish-men.
"D-Don't come over here!"
Patsu, being chased by Sakura, showed fear and fired water cannons by drawing in large amounts of surrounding seawater.
The compressed water cannons frictionized with the seawater, tearing through countless currents like a torrential downpour, stabbing towards Sakura.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Vortex Projectile!"
Sakura formed hand seals again, creating a water vortex in her hand and condensing the form of Water Attribute Chakra.
A layered, rapidly rotating spear tip just right attached itself to the empty handle of Kumotsuna, constructing an elegant knight's lance.
Holding the lance with one hand, she thrust forward. A growing waterspout tore through the water cannonballs, advancing layer by layer.
Boom!
In an instant, a loud roar erupted.
The spiraling sea current erupted at the seabed, shooting out in all directions, swallowing Patsu and several other Fish-men, shattering their consciousness and rendering them unconscious.
"What kind of joke is this?" Arlong's incredulous eyes were fixed on the girl in the distance, "She's just a human!"
Gradually going mad, he personally led his remaining subordinates in pursuit. His saw-shaped nose tip stabbed straight at the girl.
A shark-toothed sickle held in his left hand swung towards Sakura at the same time.
But Sakura channeled Water Attribute Chakra to shrink the Water Formation Wall, forming a small round shield equipped on her left hand.
Aiming at the sharp teeth Arlong was biting down with, she smashed down hard.
Clang!
A dull, low sound spread through the water. Arlong's teeth were shattered by the shield.
Blood spilled from his mouth into the seawater. The large sword he wielded also shattered upon striking the diving suit woven from Iron Cloud.
"Arlong-san!" The last few Fish-men, seeing this, wanted to rush to his aid.
Sakura twisted the knight's lance in her hand, pointing it at the Fish-men charging forward.
"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!"
Using the lance shaft as a base, countless water needles erupted from the vortex, scattering towards the fish-men like a sudden storm.
The dense flying needles pierced through these fish-men, penetrating their bodies with numerous tiny wounds.
The Fish-men's offensive completely collapsed. Covered in wounds, they floated upwards towards the sea surface, eyes rolled back.
"Kuroobi, Chew, Pisaro, Kaneshiro..." Arlong's eyes were wide with fury. "Damn you, I'll fight you with everything I've got!"
He spread the webbing on his palms and feet, vigorously churning the seawater.
He spun, using the force of the rotation to concentrate his entire body's mass and strength onto the tip of his teeth.
[Shark on Tooth!]
Sakura released the long lance and let out a light sigh.
Her right arm was stained with intense Armament Haki. The surrounding seawater was grasped by the girl's splayed five fingers.
The unimaginable monstrous strength of the Giant Royalty superimposed with the boiling Chakra created a secondary eruption.
Sakura condensed the seawater into a solid giant wave and hurled it at the biting Arlong.
[Fish-man Jujutsu: Water Heart - Sea Current Lifter!]
The giant wave touched and retracted instantly.
In that moment of collision, the roar and power running through the seawater poured into Arlong's body.
The overwhelmingly domineering impact was applied evenly to every inch of his flesh, blood, and bones, emitting a nerve-grating brittle sound.
At the very end, as his consciousness was about to fade, Arlong heard the girl's cold snort, mixed with the surging tides and bursting waves.
"Hmph, unwilling to listen to reason? Then I'm also somewhat proficient in fists and feet!"