"Luffy," Ron's voice suddenly came, he stood not far away, his sea-blue cloak gently swaying in the wind, "Choose something to enhance your strength. I still have a whole ship of special roasted meat that hasn't been eaten."
As the owner of the main system, he couldn't directly interfere with the sub-system host's choice, but indirect guidance was still possible.
Luffy's movements stopped. He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then suddenly grinned, "A whole ship of meat?! Big Brother Ron is always right!"
He unhesitatingly clicked on the third option, "Then I'll choose to smash this guy!"
Arlong was enraged by this inexplicable conversation. "You low-level creatures, how dare you ignore me?!" His serrated greatsword slashed down fiercely, bringing with it a piercing whoosh!
"Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!"
Luffy's arms stretched back fiercely, like a fully drawn bowstring, then shot out with astonishing speed. Arlong didn't dodge or evade, instead, he grinned and took the blow directly with his chest.
"Bang!"
Amidst the dull thud, Arlong only retreated half a step. "Is that all the strength you have? Fish-man skin is harder than steel!"
Luffy's straw hat was blown off by the shockwave, revealing his serious eyes beneath. "Then try this!"
His legs suddenly swelled. "Gomu Gomu no... Axe!"
A massive foot descended from the sky. Arlong hastily raised his serrated greatsword to block, and the crisp sound of metal breaking echoed throughout the square—the tempered steel weapon that had accompanied Arlong for years was actually kicked into two pieces!
"What?!" Arlong looked at the broken blade in his hand, a flicker of astonishment appearing in his eyes for the first time.
Luffy didn't give his opponent a chance to breathe. The moment he landed, he shot up again. "Gomu Gomu no... Gatling!"
Countless fist shadows poured down like a torrential rain. Arlong's thick scales were struck off piece by piece, but the fish-man's powerful physique quickly allowed him to regain his footing, and he countered with a heavy punch, "Fish-Man Karate: Thousand Brick Fist!"
"Boom!"
Luffy was sent flying backward by that punch, crashing through three walls before stopping. In the dust, he staggered to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood foam. "That hurt... but..." A grin suddenly spread across his lips, "This is more interesting!"
Arlong seized the opportunity and charged over, his broken weapon aimed directly at Luffy's heart. "Die!"
At the critical moment, Luffy's body suddenly twisted like rubber, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. His arm wrapped around Arlong's arm. "Got you! Gomu Gomu no... Pinwheel!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Arlong's massive body was swung up, tracing several circles in the air before being slammed heavily onto the ground. The entire square trembled, and the stone slab ground cracked with a spiderweb-like pattern.
"Cough!" Arlong spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to get up, but Luffy had already leaped high, his knee aimed at Arlong's face. "Gomu Gomu no... Stamp!"
"Crack!"
Amidst the bone-chilling sound of bone breaking, Arlong's iconic serrated nose twisted and deformed, and several sharp fangs splattered out mixed with blood.
"Last hit!" Luffy's fists stretched to their limit behind him, then suddenly released. "Gomu Gomu no... Super Pistol!"
This punch landed on Arlong's temple with a sonic boom. Arlong's pupils instantly dilated, then unfocused.
His massive body flew over ten meters like shattered rock, smashing his shark-shaped throne, and finally lay motionless in the ruins.
He was defeated...
Silence.
The entire square was silent. The fish-men opened their mouths wide, unable to believe that their invincible leader had been defeated like this. Nami held her breath, afraid that this was just a beautiful dream.
Luffy stood up, panting, picked up his straw hat from the ground, and put it on. He turned to Ron, who was standing still. "Big Brother, mission accomplished!"
"Well done!"
Then Ron walked to Nami's side and extended his hand, inviting, "Now, you can be our crewmate, right? Miss Nami."
This sentence seemed to flip a switch. First, there were sporadic sobs, then loud crying. The nightmare of being imprisoned for eight years finally ended at this moment.
The others also learned of Nami's ordeal, and one by one, they quietly accompanied her with smiles on their faces.
Just then,
An untimely shout interrupted the touching atmosphere.
"Big Brother Ron!" Luffy suddenly shouted, "Where's the meat? Where's the ship full of meat you talked about?"
Zoro helplessly rubbed his forehead. "Right after a fight, all he thinks about is eating..."
Sanji had already diligently approached Nami. "Beautiful navigator, may I ask how you like your steak cooked?"
Usopp, meanwhile, stood on Arlong's body, striking a victory pose. "Look! This is what happens when you offend the commander of my eight thousand subordinates!"
Nami looked at this group of strange people, and tears streamed down her face, but this time, they were tears of joy.
"Thank you, thank you everyone..."
As Arlong crashed to the ground, a crisp system notification suddenly rang in Luffy's mind:
"Ding! Mission complete!"
"Reward: Armament Haki Awakening (Beginner)"
Luffy blinked, then suddenly hugged his head. "Wait, I... I suddenly have so many things in my head!" He shook his head like a piggy bank. "It's like... it's like I know how to use that black thing!"
Under the bewildered gazes of the others, Luffy suddenly grinned, and clenched his right fist.
A shocking scene occurred—his fist began to glow with a metallic black luster. The blackness spread like a living thing from his knuckles to his entire fist, gleaming with a cold light in the sun.
"This... this is...!" Zoro's three swords clanged to the ground. As a swordsman who had witnessed Mihawk's strength, he knew too well what this meant.
Sanji's cigarette fell from his wide-open mouth. "Armament Haki?! You've got to be kidding me!"
Usopp directly fell to his knees. "The Haki that's standard for strong individuals in the second half of the Grand Line... our Captain learned it before even entering the Grand Line?!"
Although Nami didn't understand what had happened, she could tell from the others' reactions that it was extraordinary. "That black thing... is it very powerful?"
Ron's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "This is one of the three types of Haki, Armament Haki. It can be used to increase attack or enhance one's own defense."
Nami shook her head, clearly not understanding.
Luffy curiously examined his darkened fist, then suddenly clapped them together with a "smack." "So amazing! My fist feels much harder!" He turned to Zoro, "Marimo, let me hit you once and try it out!"
"Get lost!" Zoro quickly picked up his swords. "Go find the cook to be your punching bag!"
Sanji immediately became enraged. "Why me?!"
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