"You bastards, how dare you treat my precious compatriots like this..."
Arlong slowly stood up. It was clear he was furious; his eyes were bloodshot, and his tone was even colder.
Some water appeared in his palm, and with a casual flick, it struck Zoro and Sanji like shotgun pellets. The two immediately coughed up blood and collapsed.
[Learning Failed]
"Huh?" Taro was stunned. "System, what's going on?"
"The Water-sprinkling skill is unique to the Shark species of the Fish-Man Race. Other races cannot learn it, and the Minor Formless Skill cannot activate it."
Only then did Taro realize that the System couldn't learn just any skill. He would have to be more careful when encountering non-human races in the future.
Right, and those numerous Zoan-type Devil Fruit users might also have this restriction.
Taro reminded himself inwardly.
"Arlong!"
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out.
Nami!
She wore a straw hat, with bandages wrapped around her shoulders and arms, and her uninjured right hand tightly gripped a wooden staff.
"Yo, Nami. I'm about to kill a few reckless pirates. What are you doing here?"
Arlong said arrogantly, looking at Nami.
Nami lifted her lowered head, revealing her eyes beneath the straw hat. She stared at Arlong and said in a calm yet firm tone:
"I'm here to kill you!"
Arlong laughed out loud as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Kill me? Haven't you tried that countless times over the last eight years...?"
"Listen up, you can't kill me, and you can't escape from me. Nami, you will be my Cartographer forever."
Taro listened to Arlong's endless blathering from the side, curled his lip, and complained in his heart, "Your voice is awful and you talk too much. Don't you know villains die because they talk too much?"
Arlong continued his tirade, casually kicking aside the fallen Sanji. He said contemptuously, "Originally, I was going to kill everyone except you. If you're willing to come back now, I can spare the people of Cocoyasi Village."
"However, all these other guys must die."
After speaking, Arlong scanned the area, his gaze pausing for a moment on Taro.
What the f*ck! What does this have to do with me?
Seeing Arlong put him on the kill list, Taro was somewhat speechless. However, he wasn't worried at all because he knew Luffy would beat Arlong to a pulp.
When Arlong's gaze passed over Taro, he noticed that Taro's expression showed no panic at all, which surprised him. "This human..."
Nami also saw Taro sitting cross-legged in the corner, and her gaze softened for a moment. Taro noticed her look and grinned at her.
Arlong composed himself and spoke again, "Nami, so are you going to be my comrade, or are you going to side with them?"
Nami's lips parted slightly as she looked at the fallen Sanji and Zoro, a trace of despair gradually welling up in her eyes.
At the huge gap in the courtyard wall, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, who had been standing on the outskirts, began to stir.
"How despicable!"
"He still wants to control Young Miss Nami!"
Nami grabbed the straw hat on her head, pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to face the villagers. "Everyone, I'm sorry. Please, will you die with me?"
At that moment, a brilliant smile blossomed on Nami's face.
"Alright!"
A roar erupted from the crowd as they prepared to launch a desperate counterattack against Arlong.
"Arlong, look over here."
A cheeky voice suddenly drifted in from outside the wall.
God Usopp!
Hearing the voice, Taro immediately thought of that name.
However, Usopp only had a rubber band in his hand, and in the end, nothing happened.
Instead, Zoro, who was trying to buy time for Sanji to rescue Luffy, was stabbed in the chest by Arlong's serrated nose and lifted by the neck.
Arlong ripped the bandages off Zoro, causing his wounds to burst open. Blood splattered everywhere, revealing the terrifying scar left by Hawkeye.
Taro secretly felt a lingering fear. Thank goodness for old man Garp; if he had taken a hit like that, he would have definitely died on the spot.
"Ah... I'm back!"
Suddenly, Luffy popped out of the water and shouted as he flew into the sky, "Gum-Gum Bell! And, Gum-Gum Whip!"
Luffy descended from the air, slamming a headbutt into Arlong's head and forcing him back with a sweeping kick.
"Gum-Gum Pistol."
"Gum-Gum Gatling."
A storm of attacks sent Arlong crashing directly into the main tower of Arlong Park.
Here it comes, the final battle.
Taro received a series of System notifications and got excited too.
"Uh, let's skip learning Luffy's 'Twin Blade Flurry' move."
"Yikes, Arlong pulling out his own teeth to use as weapons looks painful. Glad I didn't learn that."
"Hmm, this move is a basic version of the Gum-Gum Battle Axe, right? Let's learn it."
Taro just watched and learned selectively, feeling quite pleased with himself.
[Gum-Gum Shield learned successfully]
[Gum-Gum Spear learned successfully]
The fight between Luffy and Arlong grew more intense, finally reaching the room of the final showdown—the attic where Nami was forced to draw sea charts.
Taro slowly stood up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked toward the main tower of Arlong Park.
"What are you doing?"
Nami stopped Taro.
Taro chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I said I'm just here to watch. I won't interfere."
With that, Taro tapped his feet lightly and leapt up, jumping from floor to floor toward the top level.
Standing on a cornice of the top floor, he saw that the room binding Nami had been torn apart by Luffy. Taro spotted Luffy immediately and focused his mind, waiting for the final blow to Arlong.
"Gum-Gum Battle Axe!"
With a kick, Luffy stomped on Arlong, who screamed and plummeted while coughing up blood.
[Gum-Gum Battle Axe learned successfully]
The System notification arrived. Taro pushed off with his feet, leapt into the air, and drifted slowly toward the ground.
Cracks gradually spread across the main tower of Arlong Park until it finally collapsed with a thunderous roar.
"Nami, you are my comrade!"
Luffy stood up from the ruins, clenched his fists, and roared.
Another iconic scene!
Tears in my eyes!
Instantly, the villagers erupted in cheers, tossing Luffy into the air over and over again.
Taro took the opportunity to bypass the crowd, preparing to leave.
"That's enough! None of you are allowed to leave!"
A group of Marines suddenly appeared. A shifty-eyed officer stepped out from among them and reached out to block Taro's path.
"You've really worked hard..."
"Now, the money that was supposed to be given to Arlong, as well as the money hidden in Arlong Park, will all be mine."
"And of course, the credit for defeating Arlong will be taken by me, Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch."
It's this guy!
Taro only remembered that there was such a person with a very wretched appearance. He didn't expect the name to suit the person so well, but in his memory, this guy seemed to be a total weakling.
He grabbed Captain Nezumi's hand and gradually increased the pressure.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Nezumi shrank his neck and let out screams of pain.
---------------------------------
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